Openwine
Go on a Sunday night, when the by-the-glass list turns into a jazz set and the room fills with people who came for one glass and stayed for three. It's a wine bar for tasting rather than drinking on autopilot — the owner, an Italian from Trieste, pours natural wines by the glass so you can work through a few before committing to a bottle. Good for a solo seat at the counter with a cheese plate, or a couple settling in for the evening; groups work too if you book. What's unusual is the depth of the by-the-glass list in a city where that's still rare, and staff who'll talk you through South African wine without the tasting-menu formality.
On Sundays the room turns into a jazz set — we'd come around seven, before the counter fills up.
Everything pours by the glass, so you can work through three before committing to a bottle.
The cheese plate quietly feeds two.
Outdoor seating catches the Cape Doctor — if it's a windy evening, ask for a table inside.