Our tried-and-tested favourites.
In Cape Town, where new restaurants open faster than you can knock back a tequila, it’s easy to get caught up in the “hot-right-now” hype. But there’s a lot more depth to the city’s food scene, as the recent Best Food City in the World accolade attests. And, with the Winelands on our doorstep, we’re spoilt for even more choice – its magnificent vistas elevating an already-epic gastronomic outing to dizzying heights.
And while we have so many fine-dining eateries that deserve their hard-earned accolades, we also love the simple, down-to-earth goodness of relaxed farm-to-table establishments, and the casual foodie fabulousness of our bistros and small-plate eateries.
It was tougher than ever narrowing down our list to 20, but here are our tried-and-tested favourites for a consistently excellent day or night out.
Jan Franschhoek
Jan is a coveted highlight of the Cape summer. To experience the multi-course menu and wine pairing at this sublime pop-up is to surrender to a culinary magician. SA-born chef Jan Hendrik van der Westhuizen (of Michelin-starred Jan in Nice, France) invites you to dine in an 1800s cottage amid the lavender fields of La Motte wine estate. A candlelit 18-seater table is set against a kaas en konfyt (cheese and preserves) cornucopia that looks like a Van Dyck still life. Look but don’t touch, yet… There is much to savour before the cheese course. Jan describes it as an “unfolding journey that transports you out of the here and now”, with a menu that reinterprets nostalgic family meals and regional cuisine. The current season runs until 30 April 2025.
Good to know The experience kicks off at La Motte’s Manor House 30 minutes before moving on to the Veepos cottage for your lunch or dinner.
Opening times Wednesday – Saturday, 6.30pm for 7pm
Sunday, 12pm for 12.30pm
Cost R3 200
Contact 021 876 9115, jan.franschhoek@la-motte.co.za
Where to find it La Motte Wine Estate, Franschhoek
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Fyn
One of the most exciting epicurean experiences in the city plays out on the fifth floor of an innercity block, in a moody, loft-like space with an open kitchen at its heart. A regular on the World’s Best Restaurants Top 100 list, chef Peter Tempelhoff’s restaurant offers food that is African-inspired, using Japanese flavours, aesthetics and techniques. He and chef Ashley Moss put endless thought and care into a kaiseki-style menu that runs the gamut of tastes and textures, each course presented in intriguing and creative ways. Springbok, abalone, Cape wagyu and garlic buchu meet ponzu, karashi and shiso, each yielding a hit of flavour so lingering and sublime, you never want it to end.
Good to know Tempelhoff’s informal ramen bar is downstairs at street level.
Opening times Monday – Saturday, 12pm – 2pm; 6pm – 8.30pm (last seating)
Contact 021 286 2733, info@fynrestaurant.com
Where to find it Church Square, 37 Parliament Street, Cape Town
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Pier
With artful plating conjuring enchanted underwater gardens, a focus on seafood and a fabulous harbourside location, Pier delivers a fine-dining culinary extravaganza (as is expected from a member of the La Colombe restaurant family). Chef John Norris-Rogers’ sublime multi-course tasting menus are conceived as an ode to the ocean, every mouthful a visual and palate-enticing delight, as you wind from the opening “snacks” to the petit four treasure chest, by way of deeply delicious curried hake butter with the bread course, octopus with salsa matcha, quail with langoustine and spiced coconut, snoek takayaki, and so much more. With polished and personable service, the team traverses a spider-silk thread between theatrics, molecular gastronomy and classic French technique, overshadowing even the floor-to-ceiling vistas.
Good to know There is a vegetarian tasting menu too.
Downstairs is sister restaurant The Waterside, a more casual approach to fine dining with chef Roxy Mudie.
Opening times Monday – Sunday, 12pm – 1pm (last seating); 6.30pm – 8.30pm (last seating)
Contact 021 879 6328, reservations@pier.restaurant
Where to find it Pierhead Building, V&A Waterfront, Cape Town
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Chefs Warehouse Beau Constantia
This perennially buzzed-about restaurant, a glass cube suspended above the vine-clad valley, offers a four-course set menu of fine-dining-calibre tapas delivered with casual finesse and glorious views. Six years since opening, Chef Ivor Jones (who co-owns the eatery with Chef’s Warehouse founder and visionary Liam Tomlin) continues to create an intriguing array of imaginative dishes, with an emphasis on the harvest from the farm’s gardens, and an inspired injection of global flavours. Every bite is an adventure of taste, texture and beautifully balanced flavours. Coupled with the open kitchen, chic interiors and world-class wines, this is an unforgettable dining experience.
Good to know Request a table on the terrace when the sun is out (call the restaurant on the morning of your reservation to secure one). No children under 10 allowed.
Opening times Monday – Saturday, 12pm – 2pm; 6.30pm – 8pm
Sunday, 12pm – 2pm
Contact 021 794 8632, cw@beauconstantia.com
Where to find it Off Constantia Main Road (M41), Constantia Nek, Cape Town
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Salsify at the Roundhouse
The views (from the hillside above Camps Bay) compete with the beauty on the plates, together creating something sublime. Chef Ryan Cole is quietly pushing the boundaries and creating a new modern South African cuisine, inspired by nature, ocean and seasons. The 10-course chefs menu (a reduced 5-course menu is also available for lunch) tugs the nostalgia strings with its local flavours (amasi, perlemoen, samp, fynbos, chakalaka), while still delivering surprising and brilliant culinary twists. Enhancing the experience is excellent service, top-tier wine-pairing options and edgy-chic interiors in the two dining rooms and the graffiti-lined Preservation Chamber, where a welcome drink starts off your meal. Just as the menu up-ends tradition, uber-contemporary decor and art (including an origami ceiling installation made from old Salsify menus) cleverly brings a dynamic and youthful energy to the historic building, with a raft of stories to tell.
Opening times Tuesday – Saturday, 12.30pm – 3pm; 6pm – 9pm
Sunday, 12.30pm – 3pm
Contact 021 010 6444, reservations@salsify.co.za
Where to find it Roundhouse Road, off Kloof Road, Camps Bay, Cape Town
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Ouzeri
An à la carte standout, this convivial eatery on Wale Street sweeps you off to the bays and backwaters of the Mediterranean with its curved white walls, mosaics and tapestries. Its owner-chef Nic Charalambous pays homage to his Cypriot roots, inspired by regular travels to the region. Seasonally led, the small-plate menu changes often, but you may be fortunate to have the eliopita (his gran’s olive bread); prawn savoro (preserved in vinegar with currants and wild rosemary, wrapped in sorrel leaves); or gamopilafo, a Cretan wedding speciality of rice and mutton finished with cultured butter. The drinks list includes wine from the barrel, and an eclectic music selection creates a lively ambience.
Opening times Wednesday – Saturday, 12pm – 2.30pm
Tuesday – Saturday, 6pm – 9.30pm
Contact 061 533 9071, seeyou@ouzeri.co.za
Where to find it 58 Wale Street, Cape Town
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Rust en Vrede
There’s an enduring magic about dining at Rust en Vrede. Sitting on the terrace with a glass of champagne and the lightest of flavour-packed canapés, the old oaks and lawns leading to vines and a wooded mountain kloof conjure an away-from-it-all appeal. Without theatrical flourishes, chef Fabio Daniel serves a superb six-course tasting menu that marries the flavours of his Brazilian-Italian culinary heritage with local South African ingredients in harmonious chords of entrancing and unexpected flavours. Housed in the original 1785 cellar, it’s a delight from start to finish, with thoughtful wine pairings from sommelier Cameron Bishop (there’s an impressive international winelist), and seamless polished service that makes you feel immediately at home.
Good to know The restaurant is open in the evenings only for the memorable six-course tasting menu – or the “surprise” Experience Menu.
By day, a simple set-menu Winemaker’s Lunch is served in the estate’s tasting room or on the terrace.
Opening times Tuesday – Saturday, 6.30pm – 11pm
Contact 021 881 3757, dining@rustenvrede.com
Where to find it Rust en Vrede Estate, Annandale Road, Stellenbosch
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La Colombe
The flagship of Scot Kirton’s gastronomic empire serves inventive, immaculately styled, utterly delicious plates amid a tranquil forest setting and is a regular on the World’s 50 Best restaurant list. Each of the courses on the tasting menu is a delight, revealed by different chefs and waiters in a myriad surprising ways – including a trip to the underground cellar. Beyond the ambience of the space and intricacy of the menu, there’s a playful sense of whimsy under executive chef James Gaag’s guidance – which makes this an event rather than a meal. From the charming “dove’s nest” starter and signature tuna La Colombe (served in individual tins) to the final sweet bite, the feast unfolds with a sense of theatre that’s truly unforgettable.
Opening times Monday – Sunday, 12pm – 1.30pm; 6.30pm – 8.30pm (last seating)
Contact 021 794 2390, reservations@lacolombe.co.za
Where to find it Silvermist Wine Estate, La Colombe Road (off Constantia Main Road/M41), Constantia, Cape Town
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Epice
Named after the French word for spice, you’ll find this atmospheric 45-seater (part of the La Colombe family) in the Le Quartier Français complex on Franschhoek’s main street. Named Africa’s Best Restaurant at the World Culinary Awards in 2024, it’s a mesmerising voyage of culinary exploration into the world of spices. Chef Charné Sampson weaves her magic with a multi-course menu of dishes inspired by local Cape Malay and Indian cuisine, but also Spain, Japan, Mexico and other exotic locales. The “spice” is less about chillies and more about a fragrant and layered culinary journey – think vanilla, saffron, turmeric, cardamom… Every course is an adventure featuring local ingredients such as Karoo lamb, Saldanha mussels and Cape Point tuna.
Good to know A second La Colombe sibling in Franschhoek is La Petite Colombe on Leeu Estates, helmed by chef Peter Duncan.
Opening times Daily, 12pm – 2pm, 6pm – 8.30pm (last seating)
Contact 021 492 4044, reservations@epice.co.za
Where to find it 8 Huguenot Street, Franschhoek
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The Table at De Meye
It’s the stuff of dreams and the epitome of la dolce vita: a table under an oak tree laid with vintage crockery and a long, sybaritic lunch with people you love. This honest-to-goodness experience comes to life on the beautiful (yet under-the-radar) De Meye wine farm, where Leigh Williamson and Brendan Thorncroft offer a set three-course menu of refined, slow-cooked comfort food. It’s seasonal, hyper-local and delicious, with shared platters served along with freshly baked bread, homemade butter and delightful desserts. In winter the tables move inside the white-washed farmhouse and glass-walled conservatory, cosying up beside wood-burning stoves with views over the lawns.
Good to know Brendan and Leigh recently opened a second location at Oak Valley in Elgin.
Opening times Wednesday – Sunday, 12pm – 5pm
Contact 072 696 0530, bookings@thetablerestaurant.co.za
Where to find it De Meye Farm, Muldersvlei Road, Stellenbosch
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The Foodbarn
Chef Franck Dangereux was a forerunner of the fine-dining scene in Cape Town, having established the original La Colombe almost 30 years ago. At The Foodbarn, you’re not here for fancy food – Franck’s been there, done that. You come for delicious, top-quality meals and wine-pairings in a relaxed, family-friendly (and dog-friendly) environment. Franck’s roots in southern France inform his hearty, earthy style; the menu ranges from breakfast favourites to daytime-café dishes and more cheffy “bistronomy” lunches to tapas dinners. There’s also a deli and bakery for takeaway treats. The bonhomie of this stylishly converted barn makes dining here a wonderful day out for the entire clan.
Opening times Tuesday – Saturday, 8am – 9.30pm
Sunday + Monday, 8am – 4pm
Contact 021 789 1390, info@thefoodbarn.co.za
Where to find it Noordhoek Farm Village, Noordhoek, Cape Town
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Chorus
In this heavenly Winelands setting, high up on the slopes of the Schapenberg, Waterkloof Estate’s famous glass-box dining space (fresh from a winter renovation) hovers lightly over the vineyards. Its mesmerising views over False Bay, framed by an amphitheatre of mountains, are more than worth the long, winding drive up through the vineyards. As is the food, evoking the angelic and rapturous; what Bertus Basson describes as “simple, focused, seasonal cooking”. Head chef Marcus Gericke meticulously crafts a set menu with fine local ingredients, seasonality, zero-waste and authentic SA flavours as inspiration: a masterful symphony of flavour.
Good to know There’s also a lounge serving Waterkloof’s superb biodynamic wines with snacks from the Chorus kitchen.
Opening times Monday – Sunday, 12pm – 2pm (last seating)
Thursday – Saturday, 6.30pm – 8pm (last seating)
Contact 021 007 4230, info@chorusrestaurant.com
Where to find it Waterkloof Estate, Waterkloof Drive, off Sir Lowry’s Pass Road, Somerset West
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Dusk
With downlighting over the tables and the open kitchen only, this dark and mysterious eatery in Stellenbosch is the “disruptor” project of chefs Callan Austin and Darren Badenhorst. Taking a deep-dive into sustainability and “whole-process” cooking, Dusk pushes fine-dining boundaries to the max. The dinner-only, 13-course tasting menu is a thought-provoking experience imbued with theatre and focused on seasonality, local and indigenous ingredients, foraging and fermentation. When a palate cleanser is called “Wash your mouth out with soap”, you can expect a few surprises.
Good to know Also check out Nocturne, their cocktail bar-restaurant at the same address.
Opening times Monday – Sunday, 6pm – 8pm (last seating)
Contact 021 023 4100, reservations@duskrestaurant.co.za
Where to find it 43 Plein Street, Stellenbosch
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Gåte at Quoin Rock
Folded into the slopes of the majestic Simonsberg, the striking architecture and design of Gåte (pronounced “gah-tay”), Quoin Rock’s fine-dining restaurant, is echoed in the culinary creativity that awaits. The intimate light-filled space looks out over vines and valley, and with head chef Paul Prinsloo at the reins, you can expect complex layers of flavour: the freshest seasonal ingredients often echoing natural forms and shapes with deft craftsmanship and a touch of theatre. Whether you go for the full 12-course tasting odyssey or the reduced nine-course tasting menu (or the vegetarian version of each), all with optional wine pairings, each dish promises an adventure of discovery.
Good to know Until 9 January 2025 Gåte will also be open for lunch on Monday + Tuesdays, 12pm – 2pm
Opening times Wednesday + Sunday, 12pm – 2pm (last seating)
Thursday – Saturday, 12pm – 1.30pm (lunch seatings), 6pm (dinner seating)
Contact 021 888 4750, gate@quoinrock.co.za
Where to find it Quoin Rock Wine Estate, Knorhoek Road (R44), Stellenbosch
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Grub & Vine
The casual name suggests a lack of pretension (true) but belies the delight of a meal at this innercity bistro – be it a leisurely lunch or romantic dinner. British-born chef Matt Manning does “no-nonsense, good tasty food and honest cooking”, which hardly conveys the nuance of his refined six-course seasonal tasting menu or shorter menu du jour. Matt takes wine seriously (but not too seriously) championing local winemakers, and curating a selection of wines from around the world, so there’s a choice of three different pairing options to accompany the beautifully prepared and plated dishes. The elegant dining room looks out over Bree Street with views to Lion’s Head (adjoining buzzy Culture winebar that is also part of the family)
Good to know There’s a second Grub & Vine at the Norval Foundation art museum in Constantia (which also does breakfast, a plant-based menu, picnics and Sunday lunch).
Opening times Monday – Friday, 12pm – 3pm; 4pm – 11pm (last seating)
Saturday, 11am – 2pm; 4pm – 11pm (last seating)
Contact 087 153 5244, hello@grubandvine.co.za
Where to find it 103 Bree Street, Cape Town
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Spek & Bone
Bertus Basson and Michael Fuller’s lively wine bar just off Dorp Street is named after Bertus’s pet pig, Spek, and dog, Bone. The hidden courtyard is perfect for sunny lunches under an ancient vine, which is lit up with fairy lights at night. Chef Michael Fuller focusses on superb tapas with bold flavours, and excellent wines, in a relaxed but adventurous menu. Korean fried chicken is one stalwart, or roast hake with mussels and Cape Malay curry; potato gnocchi with Dalewood Huguenot cheese, or roast cauliflower with kalamata olives and harissa. Can’t decide? Sign up for the full seven-plate chef’s menu.
Good to know A conservatory off the courtyard serves as a private dining room seating eight.
Opening times Monday – Saturday, 12pm – 2pm; 6pm – 8pm
Contact 082 569 8958, info@spekenbone.com
Where to find it 84 Dorp Street, Stellenbosch
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Mertia
Hidden in the upstairs section of an old bank building in Stellenbosch, this intimate 28-seater restaurant is sophisticated yet understated and comfortable. Two sons of Stellenbosch, Marais Kirsten-Uys (back home after a stint at a 3-Michelin-star restaurant in San Francisco) and Matt van den Berg (ex La Colombe and Test Kitchen) have dialled down the fine-dining smoke and mirrors to create seasonal seven- and 12-course tasting menus their fathers would call a “proper meal”. Delivering nostalgia and the flavours of home with plenty of delightful flourishes, expect superb wine pairings from sommelier Kudzai Beka and impeccable service all around.
Good to know The seven-course menu is available only at lunch, the 12-course menu at lunch and dinner. You can also pop in for cocktails in the intimate bar from 4pm.
Opening times Tuesday, 5.30pm – 10pm
Wednesday – Saturday, 12pm – 2pm, 5.30pm – 10pm
Contact 076 644 8448, reservations@mertia.co.za
Where to find it 20 Bird Street, Stellenbosch (entrance off the Millstream side street)
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Salon
From one of the pioneering chefs that put Cape Town on the culinary map (with The Test Kitchen), Salon is an evocative and intimate space (Venetian plasterwork, vintage lamps, Art Deco touches) in which to enjoy a 10-course retrospective snapshot of Luke Dale Roberts’ life and travels. Hidden away on the first floor at the Old Biscuit Mill below the Pot Luck Club (another stalwart of the LDR stable), Salon is a jewel of a fine-dining experience. Head chef Carla Schulze puts a spin on a selection of Luke’s signature dishes, taking us on a whirlwind journey of the countries he’s visited, complete with superb beverage pairings. From Luke’s British roots and local South African flavours to Asian, French, Middle Eastern and Mexican, it’s a triumph of creativity.
Opening times Thursday – Saturday, 12pm – 1.30pm (last seating)
Tuesday – Saturday, 6pm – 8pm (last seating)
Contact 087 093 5890, hello@salonpotluck.co.za
Where to find it Old Biscuit Mill, Woodstock, Cape Town
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Mill Street Bistro
A relaxed but impeccable new bistro in the heart of Stellenbosch, Mill Street Bistro wowed us when we visited. Chef-owner Phil Carmichael has worked in Michelin-starred restaurants in Europe, alongside icons such as Michel Roux Jnr, Gordon Ramsay, and Jason Atherton (and gained his own star at Maze Prague) but he’s taken the down-to-earth bistronomy approach at his Stellenbosch bistro, staying true to his classical French training, with a focus on sustainable provenance, and fuss-free, but totally delicious flavours. A fresh and zingy yellowtail tartare; a decadently rich mushroom parfait; superb pork belly on sauerkraut with apple-and-jalapeño ketchup; and a beautifully fresh Cape bream on a mussels-and-ginger succotash were all highlights of the short à la carte menu. There’s a short but exciting winelist, an open-fire oven, fascinating shelves of homemade pickles, ferments and kombucha, and a view over the open deck to the Mill Stream Monument.
Opening times Tuesday – Saturday, 12.30pm – 2.30pm, 6pm – 9.30pm
Contact 021 020 1301, reservations@millstbistro.co.za
Where to find it Cluver Markotter Building, Mill Street, Stellenbosch
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Hōseki
Chef Virgil Kahn heads this elegant Japanese dining experience at Delaire Graff wine estate, which epitomises the acme of Winelands dining: a feast of flavours, with a visual spread and views to match. Expertise, creativity and finesse combine with subtle aromatics and a symphony of fresh contemporary flavours in creatively re-imagined modern-Japanese small-plate four- or eight-course omakase menus (with optional wine-pairings from sommelier Duane Jansen). Hōseki’s la carte options range from prime wagyu steaks to far-from-ordinary tempura, ramen, tacos and robata grills – and a bento box selection. In addition to top-notch sourcing, chef Kahn uses fresh produce and Asian herbs grown on the estate, and draws on his work experience in the East, including at Michelin-starred Saint Pierre in Singapore, and at Nobu.
Opening times Daily, 12pm – 2pm, 6pm – 8pm (last seating)
Contact 021 885 8160, restaurant.bookings@delaire.co.za
Where to find it Delaire Graff Estate, Helshoogte Road, Stellenbosch
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2 Responses to “The 20 Best Restaurants in Cape Town”
Hanspeter Winklmayr
looking forward to receive your news, kind regards
Hp
MR MALCOLM P JACOBS
what about Magica Roma ????????