Perhaps a bit unusual for Cape Town bars, but located in a small excavated warehouse beneath the recently restored St Stephen’s Church, & Union is indeed a place of worship. The beers are naturally brewed-for up to 16 weeks-without any of the post-carbonation processing that so sullies the commercial beer market. Aside from a limited range of heritage lagers, and luxury beers and ales, they serve a bottle-fermented cider and a small hand-picked wine list, as well as the best charcuterie in the city. You should also try the juicy artisan sausages-one is made with unsweetened Belgian chocolate and chilli springbok, while there’s also a springbok sausage with apricot and cashew nuts. With its chic rough hewn exposed brick walls and umbrella-shaded outdoor benches, this beer salon also represents the first step in Cape Town’s move towards a more mature beer-drinking culture, one where imbibing a fine brew is more important than getting drunk. There’s live music (singer-songwriter stuff) three times per week, and there’s a good chance you’ll see members of major South African bands doing pared down, acoustic performances.