The claim
South Africa's claimed oldest pub stands on Buitenkant Street near the Castle of Good Hope, where ship passengers once came ashore. It dates its trade to 1808; the earliest record we found is 1836, when Cape Town was the 'Tavern of the Seas'. Cecil Rhodes is said to have been a regular. After a pandemic closure it reopened in 2021, and now serves burgers, beer and big sporting fixtures.
What the records show
The founding in 1808 by Johannes Blesser comes from the Cape Town Museum by way of Wikipedia, and secondary sources put the first formal wine-and-malt licence at 1836. The building stands opposite the Iziko Rust en Vreugd and is described as heritage-listed, though no register entry has been traced. Ohlsson's Breweries, the forerunner of South African Breweries, owned the pub — until 1952 by one account and 1956 by another, and the page no longer picks between them. The bar counter is said to be made from old wine casks, the oldest vine in the country is said to have grown in the garden until the 1990s, and the tavern won the first South African Pub of the Year award in 1985, ahead of 170 others. Cecil John Rhodes is rumoured to have been a regular. It closed in the alcohol ban of July 2020 and reopened under new ownership in February 2021; Cape Town listings give its hours as noon to ten, Monday to Saturday, with food until ten. Who carries the 1836 is a thinner publisher than the year deserves. Burger Brews, a South African beer site, is the only source traced that states it: the tavern opened in 1808, began as a place for travellers coming off the ships at the Castle, and received its official wine and malt licence in 1836. It cites nothing for any of the three. Wikipedia, read again on 10 October 2026, carries no 1836 at all and does not mention a licence, and the sa-venues listing gives only the 1808.
| Year | What | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 1808 | Claimed founding | The pub |
| c.1808 | Present building | Building fabric |
| 1836 | First record of a drinking house here | Burger Brews, on the wine and malt licence of 1836 |
What to look for inside
- Claims South Africa's oldest pub (1808)
- Cecil John Rhodes reputedly a regular
- Owned by Ohlsson's Breweries, forerunner of South African Breweries
- Won the first South African Pub of the Year award in 1985
- Bar counter said to be made from old wine casks
Visiting
Perseverance Tavern is in Cape Town, South Africa, at 83 Buitenkant Street, Gardens, Cape Town 8001. We do not list opening times, because they change; the pub’s own site is the place to check before you set out.
Sources
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perseverance_Tavern
- burgerbrews.co.za/perseverance-tavern/
- steemit.com/steempub/@scotty777/historical-pub-the-perseverance-tavern
- www.facebook.com/PerseveranceTavern/
- www.sa-venues.com/things-to-do/westerncape/perseverance-tavern/
Know something we don’t?Suggest a correctionLast checked Sept 2026
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