One of Cape Town’s oldest pubs calls its last order

“The Crow Bar was a vibe,” says Ron Munroe, one of the former owners of the pub in Waterkant Street, while reminiscing about the iconic space which recently closed its doors after 128 years.

Established as a hotel in 1896, the pub was frequented by merchant seamen, according to Mr Monroe who, together with the late Alan Colquhoun and partners, bought The Crow Bar in 1988, and was instrumental in its renovation.

Mr Monroe left after three years, with his business partners running it for another five years thereafter, until it was sold to Freddie Cummings, in partnership with Mr Colquhoun.

The pub had been under the ownership of Reinhold Scheer since 1996.

Mr Scheer said while he now has time to do things he couldn’t do while running the pub, he still feels that “something is missing”.

He said the lease came to an end, and, some years ago, the landlord of the building proposed an upgrade and redevelopment.

There was an option to renew the lease in the upgraded building, but then “The Crow Bar would not be The Crow Bar”. “Based on this, I had to close,” he said.

On a trip down memory lane, Mr Scheer said he first visited the pub in 1982, before its renovation that would happen years later. “It was very continental – an old English space with the food to match, but it was like another home.”

Fast forward to 1988, when Mr Munroe, Mr Colquhoun, together with two other business partners, bought the pub.

He said when they first arrived, there was a crow who nested at the pub. Charlie, as they would name him, walked freely at the bar, and was fed alcohol by the patrons. Charlie later died and was mounted at the pub, and Charlie 2, another crow, was introduced – this time in a cage. The bird was later given to a wildlife sanctuary.

Mr Monroe said after buying the establishment, he and his partners “cleaned the place up”.

“We redid the space and painted a Union Jack flag on the outside that later became a landmark.”

Thereafter, he said, more corporate clients started visiting the bar, as well as crew from airlines and the nearby port.

On the mezzanine floor, they had buffet lunches and fish and chips they used to call “whale tale”.

Mr Colquhoun’s daughter, Kirsten, who, as a child, spent a lot of time at The Crow’s Nest – the dining area – said one of her fondest memories was sitting with her dad while he played jazz on the piano during Sunday lunch.

With an oil painting of The Crow Bar’s facade that was sold by the artist to Mr Munroe for R90 back in the day, and walls decorated with items and money donated by visitors from all around the world, Mr Munroe said the pub was at its peak, and it became a popular place to go.

“Friday nights were punk nights and the place was pumping. We had music on Saturdays and Sundays.

“People used to come in to donate scarves and caps and foreign money that we stuck on the wall – that was the character. It was lekker for a vibe... we used to fill the place.”

He also recalled the marching band coming by regularly, playing music on drums and bagpipes. “Everything on the walls rattled (when they came in). People came to see it and loved it.”

After a few changes in ownership, Mr Scheer bought the pub in 1996, and it was one of the iconic landmarks as the V&A Waterfront and Lower Long Street were not developed at the time, he said.

Mr Scheer ran the pub for a good number of years, until a fire gutted the space in 2013 as a result of a cigarette butt left in a bin.

“The cabling melted, and so did the floors. We rebuilt it and refitted the space. A lot of things were saved, but some destroyed in the fire.”

The pub was dealt another blow when the country went into lockdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, and things never really went back to normal.

“The night trade was earlier and few people came in. However, we kept going.”

Come the end of July 2024, The Crow Bar had officially closed its doors permanently.

“When we had to close, I wanted to cry. It was part of my life for a good number of years.

“You spend most of your time at work and we were happy. There were a good number of customers who were regulars.”

Mr Scheer added that he was not against progress, however, “if I want to go to an old-fashioned place it should be my choice”.

Mr Munroe added: “I was surprised (to hear the pub was closing). It was a thriving business with lots of memories.”

City Central Improvement District CEO, Tasso Evangelino, said: “We are sad to see the closure of this iconic Cape Town city centre venue, which has added character to the neighbourhood for decades and has been a stalwart stakeholder.

“The owners have always been firm supporters of the CCID and the CBD, and we thank them for their part in the ongoing success of our inner city.”

The landlord of the building that housed The Crow Bar did not respond to questions from CapeTowner by the time this article was published.