This week’s YouTube video sees us try two of Cape Town’s trendiest burger spots: Brash and Only Fools. Everyone has their favourite, which team are you on? Here’s where we ended up:
On Sundays, we like to head down to Sea Point, where Al-John grew up, and have a little mooch around. We watch the surfers at Sollies, maybe spot a whale or two off Thermos. A gentle bit of light on the sunnier side of Signal Hill before Monday rolls around.
Capetonians do love a burger. But it feels like we’re spoiled for choice lately, so much so that I’d been put off trying to chase them all down. But with the height of summer coming and going, curiosity got the better of me, and I decided to try two that are often mentioned together: Brash and Only Fools.
First observation: they’re right next to each other. You could probably grab a takeaway from one and still have time to fetch the other before your first order even cools down, which explains why they’re always compared.
I assumed they were both takeaways, but turns out Brash is your classic grab-and-go joint: quick in, quick out. While Only Fools is actually a proper pub. Naturally, that shapes how the food is made and served.
Let’s start with Brash. Brash does the thin smash burger with those crispy, caramelised edges, lots of crunch, proper seared flavour. Only Fools goes for a thicker, juicier patty: still casual, but definitely less about crunch and more about texture.
Brash sticks to the classics: ketchup and mustard; you can’t really go wrong. Only Fools adds what I suspect is a truffle mayo or aioli, which gives it a richer, slightly fancier feel.
Both buns were decent, but Only Fools edged ahead for me – softer and just a bit sweeter.
Credit where it’s due: I asked Brash for no onions and they actually listened. Not even a rogue sliver hidden in the sauce – something that never happens in Cape Town. Usually, “no onions” means “we’ll put them on and then sort of scrape them off again.” So, well done Brash!
Chips-wise: Only Fools’ were quite oily, but still had decent flavour. Brash’s were skinny fries; crispy enough, nothing to write home about. The little frozen iced tea and lemonade slushy at Brash, though, was a nice surprise because it was sweet, tart, and refreshing alongside a burger.
Service speed? Totally different story. Brash had my order ready in about ten minutes. Only Fools took closer to half an hour – fair enough, considering it’s a sit-down place rather than just a counter.
Then there was the receipt situation at Brash. They gave me a slip… completely blank where the prices should be. Bit odd, and not exactly helpful when you’re trying to keep track of what you’re spending. Luckily, I’d filmed the menu board: R120 per burger at Brash, compared to R95 at Only Fools.
Fries cost extra at both: R30 at Brash, R60 for a bowl at Only Fools. To be fair, I suspect the Only Fools fries taste a lot better hot at the table than they do packed up to go.
And the verdict? I preferred Only Fools. The sauce gave it a bit more personality and made it feel less like every other burger in town. Al-John preferred Brash: he loves the crispy patty edges and isn’t big on mayo, so it suited him better.
So we’re calling it 1–1. Really, the only reason they get compared so often is because they’re practically neighbours. Otherwise, they’re quite different offerings. Overall, both worth having, it just depends what sort of burger you like.
