Raw and Roxy Vegan Café in Cape Town {NOW RELOCATED}

The plant-based haunt is putting the hip into healthy eating

Beatrice Holst, the founder of the Raw and Roxy café, has the rare ability to render anything sexy. With long, lustrous blonde hair, skin that radiates health and the energy of a young university student, the glamorous owner makes 50 look like 20, and she’s set on instilling raw vegan fare with the same sort of cool appeal that she embodies so effortlessly.

Always a conscious consumer, the distinguished Danish-born chef and caterer – she’s cooked for international glitterati and worked everywhere from Los Angeles to Switzerland – first noted the great benefits of this form of healthy eating when her early-onset arthritis and eyesight problems started to subside once she’d made dietary changes. Now, with her little eatery, she hopes to not only introduce others to these type of advantages, but also to debunk the notion that uncooked, plant-based nosh is bland, boring and wholly unappealing.

“A lot of people are put off by the idea of vegan food...they’re worried it’ll taste like someone peed on grass,” says the charismatic Beatrice. “But it’s possible to make it interesting and cool; you don’t have to feel like you need to sit and chew on carrot sticks all day”.

She proves this point by using her advanced culinary skills to give all her dishes a gourmet twist. So, instead of just throwing together a dull veggie stir-fry or some tasteless tofu snack, she creates flavour-rich breakfast and lunch dishes like granola with coconut, cinnamon, cardamom and nutmeg; stripped zucchini pasta with a creamy cashew nut, capers and garlic sauce; and a crunchy Asian salad with red cabbage, raisins, dates, cashew nuts, pink salt, lemon juice and herbs.

Not to mention, thanks to an assortment of ‘naughty’ treats like nutty macaroons made from coconut, cacao butter and organic almond flakes; hot tonics mixed with raw honey, bee pollen and vanilla; kale chips spiced with chilli, red pepper, sundried tomatoes, garlic and more; and velvety avocado-based chocolate tarts that are as delicious as any sugar- and cream-rich cake, customers never feel like they’re being deprived of anything.

The trendy shop is ideal for those who’re keen to dine responsibly, but don’t have the time or know-how to prepare wholesome, unprocessed eats at home. Conveniently, the dishes are available as takeaways, and patrons can quickly and easily get their full rush of nutrients from any of several smoothies or freshly pressed juices, like the Love Elixir (a sweet, pink potion made from pomegranates, black grapes, ginger and rose water) or the Lemon Ginger Blast (a medicinal green blend of spinach, celery, ginger, kale, apple, lemon and cucumber that, according to Beatrice, will “keep you out of the doctor’s office”).

However, if you’re not in rush, you may want to stick around for a little while and chat to Beatrice while she chops macadamia nuts, sprinkles seeds on salads and waves to regular customers. Not only will she almost certainly offer you a myriad of complimentary tastes, but she’ll also delight you with fascinating stories, insight and advice. At the end of it all, you’re likely to leave a little taken by this larger-than-life concept and rather convinced of the coolness of raw vegan eats.

Tip: Phone ahead to order your meal or juice so that it’s ready when you get there; preparing this sort of fare can be quite time-consuming, so it’s best to give Beatrice and her team a little forewarning.

Hours: Mon–Thurs: 10am–6pm; Fri: 10am–9:30pm; Sat: 10am–5pm

38 Hout Street | Cape Town | +27 (0)79 599 6277

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Try out this quirky and vegan/vegetarian spot in Hermanus. 

Go green, feel great at the Healthy Happenings How to live a plant-based lifestyle talk.

Save your bacon with creative and delicious plant-based cooking at the Playful Vegan Cooking Course.

Not so keen on the vegan idea but still eager to eat consciously? Read our overview of healthy eateries in Cape Town.

Take a look at our other top picks of vegetarian and vegan-friendly restaurants.

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