How the culinary minds behind Belly of the Beast are elevating a South African classic – without losing its soul
Every South African knows a good boerie roll. The smell of boerewors hitting the braai, the soft white roll waiting on the side, the generous smothering of sauce… It’s the kind of food memory that belongs to school fairs, Saturday braais, roadside stops and those unfussy moments where simple food just hits the spot. But what happens when you take that beloved classic and give it a proper, chef-led reinvention?
Enter Buri, the latest fire-starter to ignite Cape Town’s East City precinct.
Opening its doors at 99 Harrington Street, this is the newest concept from Neil Swart and Anouchka Horn – the brilliant minds behind Belly Restaurant Group (BRG), known for standouts like Belly of the Beast and Galjoen. But Buri isn’t trying to be an upscale dining room. It’s casual, fast and fiercely focused on doing one thing exceptionally well: a proper boerie, done right, using quality ingredients.
Popping in for lunch today, we were immediately struck by the relaxed, unpretentious energy of the space. We were welcomed and hosted by the manager, Hilton, whose warm hospitality set the tone for what was going to be a seriously lekker afternoon.
At Buri, every element of the roll is engineered with intent. The bun is baked specifically to cradle the full experience without disintegrating, while the boerewors – a bespoke recipe developed with Frankie Fenner Meat Merchants – is grilled over an open-flame charcoal fire.
I opted for The OG, choosing their excellent pork-free sausage. Loaded with garlic mayo, fresh rocket and a punchy chilli chutney, it delivers a perfectly balanced kick. The sharp, sweet heat of the chutney cuts beautifully through the rich fat of the bespoke sausage, elevating the flavour without losing that nostalgic boerie soul. We also went off-script with The Special. The menu playfully suggests you “ask your Buri master” for the details and the reveal did not disappoint: a double cheese griller smothered in homemade Sriracha, jalapeño mayo, tangy pickles and pickled red cabbage. It was messy, generous and absolutely delicious.
A boerie roll of this caliber requires proper wingmen, which we washed down easily with a crisp Loxtonia Apple Cider and a refreshing kombucha – a delightfully straightforward drinks offering tailored perfectly for food hot off the fire. To share, we ordered a basket of their real, in-house-made potato chips alongside a portion of beer-battered onion rings. Dipped into extra garlic mayo, those onion rings were dangerously good – crispy, golden and entirely addictive.
Dessert at Buri keeps the fun going with soft, sugary mini doughnuts. We grabbed a six-pack of the dark chocolate and Peppermint Crisp. It’s a flavour combination I simply can never resist, and Buri’s take on it – warm, pillowy dough yielding to that iconic South African minty-chocolate crunch – was the perfect sweet ending to a flawless lunch.
Buri isn’t fancy for the sake of being fancy. It takes something familiar, respects the ingredients, and injects it with a bit of genuine BRG personality. Whether you’re on a lunch break, dodging the late-afternoon slump, or just craving a taste of home done better than you could manage at your own braai, Buri is an absolute must-visit.
