Love LOCAL
The courtyard of
Heritage Square is home to a vine that was planted in 1771 when the building was home to Dutch settlers. Now, 250 years later, it continues to flourish in a space that has been reinvented yet again – this time as Cape Town’s hottest new culinary destination – but with real respect for its history.
The story of Local at Heritage Square is one of resilience and renewed hope, and it begins with landlord Victoria Engelhorn. She took over the building, previously home to steakhouse HQ, back in 2007 when she bought the lease from a previous owner who had saved the square from demolition – and being turned into a parking lot!
HQ closed permanently in early 2020, leaving a large gap to fill. “When I first took over,” says Victoria, “the previous landlord made me promise this: ‘If you don’t have energy to continue giving the building life, sell it’. So when HQ closed, I took some time to think about whether I truly had the energy
