Caffé Balducci has reopened in Sea Point's Piazza St John precinct, thirty years after the original Balducci first opened at the V&A Waterfront in 1996. The restaurant closed during the Covid-19 pandemic, and this new incarnation retains the Balducci name while shifting to an all-day café format spanning breakfast, lunch, dinner and late-night socialising under owner Ian Halfon.
The menu keeps a number of longstanding Balducci dishes alongside new additions, including Neapolitan-style wood-fired pizza made with imported Italian flour, a pasta and gnocchi selection, and a seafood offering that includes Mozambican shellfish alongside local linefish and prawns. A dedicated Asian Noodles & Sushi Bar adds wok dishes, robatayaki and a full sushi and sashimi menu, while a Pasticceria section covers European-style desserts and pastries.
The wine list draws on a nitrogen-infused tap system serving 60 wines by the glass, alongside a full cocktail, whisky and spirits selection. Two alfresco terraces open onto the piazza itself.
Loyalty members of the Slick Restaurant Group (which also owns Belthazar and Gibson's at the V&A Waterfront) earn 10% cashback on their bill, redeemable across all three restaurants. Secure undercover parking is available within the Piazza St John complex.