Biesmiellah

Biesmiellah is a long-running halal Cape Malay family restaurant at 2 Wale Street, on the corner of Pentz Street, in the Bo-Kaap neighbourhood of Cape Town, South Africa. It serves traditional Cape Malay home cooking, a cuisine shaped by the Malay, Indonesian, Indian and Dutch influences that arrived at the Cape over several centuries, and it is among the better-known places in the Bo-Kaap to try it.

The menu centres on dishes such as Cape Malay chicken curry, lamb breyani, samoosas and koesisters. The curries are typically mild to medium and fragrant rather than fiery, and are served with rice, roti or sambals. Koesisters, spiced and syrup-coated doughnut-like sweets that are a Cape Malay specialty, are usually eaten as a dessert or with tea. The restaurant is halal, so no alcohol is served and visitors who want a drink should expect tea, juice or soft drinks.

The dining room is casual and family-run, with a modest, homely atmosphere rather than a formal one. Prices are low by city standards, at roughly R150 to R300 per person, which makes it an accessible way to taste Cape Malay food. Walk-ins are normally accepted, although larger groups should phone +27 21 423 0850 ahead of arrival.

The restaurant is open for lunch and dinner and is typically closed on Sundays, so opening times should be confirmed before going. The Bo-Kaap's brightly painted houses and cobbled streets are directly outside, and a meal fits naturally into a walk through the neighbourhood and a visit to the Bo-Kaap Museum a short distance away. Visitors are asked to be respectful of the residential, largely Muslim character of the area.