Gatsby
A giant Cape Town submarine sandwich: a long bread roll stuffed with hot chips, masala steak, polony, or fried fish plus achar and sauces, cut into shareable portions. A Cape Flats invention.
Type
Street food
Key Ingredients
Long bread roll, Hot chips, Masala steak or fried fish
Eaten With
Extra peri-peri sauce, Atchar, Cold drink
Typical Price
$4 to 8 for a sharing roll
The Gatsby is Cape Town's most famous sandwich, and it is built to feed a crowd. It starts with a long, soft bread roll, often the better part of a baguette-length loaf, which is split and loaded with a generous filling and, crucially, a heap of hot chips (fries) tucked right inside. The filling varies: masala steak is the classic, but polony (a type of bologna), fried fish (often hake), Vienna sausages, calamari, or a fried egg all appear. Over that go achar (spicy pickled mango or vegetable atjar), a slick of sauces (typically a peri-peri or chilli sauce and tangy dressing), and sometimes a handful of salad. The whole thing is wrapped, then sliced crosswise into portions, usually four, so it is shared. One Gatsby easily feeds two to four people, which is part of its appeal: it is cheap, enormous, and communal.
The Gatsby is a Cape Flats invention, the working-class areas of Cape Town, and its origin is well documented: it is widely credited to Rashaad Pandy, who in 1976 ran a fish-and-chips shop in Athlone and improvised a large filled roll to feed his workers, naming it after a film he had seen. The name stuck and the sandwich spread across the Cape Flats and beyond, becoming a staple of takeaways, corner shops, and late-night spots. It reflects the food culture of Cape Town's Cape Malay and coloured communities: bold, spicy, generous, and value-driven. It is everyday food, the thing you order to share with friends, after a night out, or when you need to feed a group cheaply. The combination of soft bread, hot chips, spiced meat or fish, and sharp achar is messy and deeply satisfying. For visitors, hunting down a proper Gatsby in Cape Town is a rite of passage and a tasty window into the city's mixed culinary heritage.
How It's Eaten
Bought as one big roll, then cut crosswise into portions (usually quarters) and shared between two to four people. It is eaten with the hands, wrapped in paper, and is unashamedly messy thanks to the chips and sauces packed inside.
Cultural Context
The Gatsby comes from the Cape Flats and is tied to Cape Town's Cape Malay and coloured communities. Credited to Rashaad Pandy in Athlone in 1976, it became a symbol of cheap, shareable, generous food. Ordering and splitting a Gatsby is a social act, common after work, after a night out, or whenever a group needs feeding on a budget.
Variations
Masala steak Gatsby
The classic, filled with spiced fried steak strips, chips, achar, and sauces.
Fish Gatsby
Made with fried fish, usually hake, a nod to the Cape's fish-and-chips roots.
Polony Gatsby
The cheapest version, filled with slices of polony, chips, and sauce.
Where to Try Gatsby
cape town
Takeaways and fish-and-chips shops across Athlone and the Cape Flats, Golden Dish in Athlone, Corner takeaways in Salt River and Woodstock
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a Gatsby?
A Gatsby is a large Cape Town submarine sandwich made from a long bread roll stuffed with hot chips and a filling such as masala steak, polony, or fried fish, plus achar and spicy sauces. It is cut into portions and shared.
Where does the Gatsby come from?
It comes from the Cape Flats in Cape Town and is widely credited to Rashaad Pandy, who created it at his fish-and-chips shop in Athlone in 1976 to feed his workers. The name comes from a film he had seen.
How big is a Gatsby and how many people does it feed?
A Gatsby is built on a long roll, often around 30 centimetres or more, and is usually cut into four. One easily feeds two to four people, which is why it is ordered to share.
What is in a Gatsby?
A long bread roll, a heap of hot chips, and a main filling (masala steak, fried fish, polony, Vienna sausage, or calamari), finished with achar, peri-peri or chilli sauce, and sometimes salad or a fried egg.
What does a Gatsby taste like?
It is hearty and spicy: soft bread, hot starchy chips, savoury spiced meat or fish, and the sharp, tangy hit of achar and chilli sauce. It is filling, messy, and full of bold flavour.