The Best Restaurants in the Elgin Valley

Only an hour’s drive from Cape Town over Sir Lowry’s Pass, the Elgin Valley is a majestic mountain-circled region famous for its apples (producing 60 percent of the country’s national crop).

Over the past few decades, it has extended its repertoire to producing elegant and enticing cool-climate wines; new vines replacing old apple trees and ushering in a whole raft of fabulous food experiences to complement the wine.

Elgin (and its neighbour, Bot River) is also an easy weekend escape, full of country experiences for the whole family. Whether you’re planning a meandering wine-tasting excursion or fuelling up for a mountain hike, quad-biking and zip-lining adrenaline adventure, check out our list of the best places to grab a bite, or settle in for a long leisurely lunch.

Which are your favourites? We’d love to hear from you in the comments below.

Cheverells

On a wholesome family-owned apple farm in the heart of the Elgin Valley, Cheverells Farm Café offers daytime country dining in the light-filled surroundings of a converted 1960s apple-packing shed. Soaring ceilings hung with baskets and glass walls filled with plants are the backdrop to chef Laura Truter’s breakfast and lunch menus celebrating the seasonal abundance of the farm’s vegetable garden. Not surprisingly the apples shine: homemade apple-and-sage sausages, gorgeous salads and poké bowls, gourmet burgers, apple-and-frangipani tart, even an apple-infused craft gin. Enjoy the views outside on the shade-dappled verandah, browse the giftshop shelves and greenhouse nursery laden with local delights and, in harvest season, pick your own apples to take home.
Good to know Look out for the weekend three-course set menus. And special food-and-wine evenings, featuring a different local wine farm each time.
Opening times Wednesday – Sunday, 8am – 3pm
Contact 060 861 1044, cheverellsfarm@gmail.com
Where to find it 55 Highlands Road (off Viljoenshoop Road), Elgin Valley
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The Melting Pot

This fabulous globally inspired small-plates experience gained a foodie following as a pop-up in Cape Town before finding a permanent home on Elgin’s Oak Valley Estate. Chef John van Zyl (previously head chef at Chefs Warehouse & Canteen and Thali) and partner Sage Fell, combine diverse influences from their travels in a mouth-watering series of contemporary sharing plates, ranging from street-food tacos to fish sliders, beef-shin risotto and Korean fried-chicken wings. The best approach is to have one of everything to share between two, and savour a globe-trotting tastebud journey over three courses, in the open-sided airy restaurant or on the terrace overlooking the sparkling swimming pool and lush gardens.
Good to know There is also a choice of picnic baskets to enjoy on the tree-shaded lawns – book 24 hours ahead.
Opening times Monday – Sunday, 12pm – 3.30pm
Friday + Saturday, 6pm – 9pm
Contact 021 859 4111, meltingpot@oak-valley.co.za
Where to find it 127 Oak Avenue, Elgin
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Paul Cluver

Pioneers of the Elgin wine industry, Paul Cluver is a must both for wine tastings of their memorable pinot noir and chardonnay, and also for lunch at the restaurant. The modern light-bathed space looks out over vineyards and hills, as chef Stacey Lee Chan serves country bistro fare with an emphasis on fresh seasonal produce grown on the farm. Expect dishes such as chicken-and-mushroom pot pie, Chalmar sirloin steak, chickpea curry with naan bread, or the succulent pulled-pork burgers that feature on the Friday dinner menu. And for breakfast, eggs bennie, farmer’s breakfast, smoothies, or French toast with bacon start the day off in style.
Opening times Monday – Sunday, 8am – 11am, 12pm – 4pm
Dinner: Friday, 5pm – 9pm
Contact 021 844 0607, info@paulcluver.com
Where to find it De Rust Estate, N2, Grabouw
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Elgin Vintners

You had us at pizza and wine-pairing! The lofty tasting room at Elgin Vintners boasts a wood-fired pizza oven, so it was a natural progression to go beyond the already appetising pizza menu, and devise four mini pizzas to match four of their elegant cool-climate wines – the sound of a biltong-and-fig pizza paired with their Syrah 2018 sounds intriguing. There’s also a charcuterie platter to go with other tailored wine tastings, as you relax by the fireplace in winter or under mature trees on the lawns in summer. For dessert, a delightful selection of chocolate salami comes into play, also with a pairing option from their site-specific range.
Opening times Wednesday – Sunday, 10am – 4pm
Contact 021 848 9587, info@elginvintners.co.za
Where to find it Appletiser Road, Elgin
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South Hill

Art-lined walls and French doors spilling out onto expansive lawns with croquet, umbrella-shaded tables and plenty of space for kids and dogs to play, the restaurant at this boutique wine farm is all about delicious laid-back meals with friends and family. Renowned for their warm hospitality, owners Kevin and Sandy King combine their passions for wine, art and good food – the changing exhibitions of contemporary South African artists are the backdrop to varied country tapas menus and inspired platters, with produce from the farm’s vegetable garden, partnering perfectly with the estate’s cool climate wines. A versatile kids’ menu, daily blackboard specials and luscious breakfasts complete the picture (vegetarian and gluten-free options are also available).
Good to know The vineyard maze adds some exploring fun and a dash of wine knowledge to the day
Opening times Thursday – Monday, 8am – 5pm
Contact 021 844 0888, info@southhill.co.za
Where to find it 113 Elgin Valley Road, Elgin
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Old Mac Daddy

The country-chic barn restaurant, among the trees in the forested Old MacDaddy enclave, is open to day visitors (booking is essential) as well as guests staying in the quirkily themed airstream trailers. Once you’ve wound your way through apple orchards and a pine forest, savour wholesome country fare; the menu ranges from wood-fired pizzas and burgers to tacos, salads, curries, lamb shank and delicious-looking mushroom risotto. Plus, the kids’ menu has plenty of choices for even the pickiest eaters. And don’t miss the apple pie cheesecake for dessert, it’s a winner.
Good to know There’s a pool deck outside the restaurant and a kids’ centre on the property with lots of fun activities.
Opening times Monday – Sunday, 8am – 10pm
Contact 021 844 8900, thebarn@oldmacdaddy.co.za
Where to find it The Barn, Old Mac Daddy, Elgin Valley Road, Elgin
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Elgin Railway Market

Whether you take the nostalgic steam train trip from Cape Town or arrive on your own steam, this steampunk-themed market is a fabulous day out. Art-deco-style metal archways set the scene, with live music creating a laidback vibe. The outside decks overlook the tracks where the puffing arrival and departure of the steam train are all part of the Saturday experience.
Deciding between Neapolitan pizza, fragrant curries, dip-tastic dim sum, sushi, fresh Thai food or finger-licking ribs and burgers is the hard part, accompanied by a glass of cool-climate Elgin wine. Or go for coffee with a slice of home-baked cake, a waffle, or an artisanal ice cream cone.
Good to know The full food and market offering is available on Saturday and Sunday, but the market is also open with a smaller retail and food selection on certain weekdays.
Opening times Wednesday + Friday, 4pm – 8.30pm
Saturday + Sunday, 9am – 4pm
Contact 021 204 1158, info@elginrailwaymarket.co.za
Where to find it Oak Avenue, Elgin
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Almenkerk

When the Almenkerk family came to the Elgin Valley from Belgium in 2002, this small family wine estate was still an apple farm, albeit with stunning views over the Elgin Valley. Now with 15 hectares under vines and plenty of picturesque pockets of apple orchard still remaining, it’s a charming family boutique wine farm crafting elegant wines, with a lovely garden terrace and koi pond outside the tasting room. A fabulous platter of charcuterie, olives, melba toast and cheeses such as Langbaken Karoo Crumble and Dalewood Camembert turns a wine-tasting into an ample lunch.
Good to know A new 5km hiking trail winds a circular route up and down through orchards and vineyards, with several fun activity stations and an I-spy wildlife map and tick sheet.
Opening times Tuesday – Saturday, 10am – 4pm
Contact 021 848 9844, info@almenkerk.co.za
Where to find it 50 Viljoenshoop Road, Elgin
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Elgin River Lodge

If a laidback lunch on a river bank, with canoes and even a foefie slide into the water, sounds like your idea of weekend perfection, head to Elgin River Lodge, an apple farm on the Palmiet River with 2.5km of river frontage. The Toad on the River is a pub-style eatery with long wooden tables under the trees and picnic blankets on the grass, or by a roaring fire in winter, with unpretentious menus of burgers, ribs, wood-fired pizzas and platters. Plan to stay all day – with activities including hiking trails, swimming, barge trips, slip ’n slide and tubing, you might even want to book one of the 15 log cabins for the night.
Good to know Booking is essential for day visitors. The whole venue, including chalets and villa, can be booked for private functions, adding options such as a lamb spit and gourmet braais to the menu.
Opening times Daily, 8am – 9pm
Contact 021 846 8345, info@elginriverlodge.co.za
Where to find it Mofam Farm, Appletiser Road, Elgin
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Peregrine Farm Stall

Legendary for its venison pies (and the rest of the mouth-watering pie menu), Peregrine has been a fixture of any road trip up the N2 since 1964. The Burl family who devised those original pies rebuilt the farmstall in 2015, with a light new eatery and deck attached to the farmstall, plus a clutch of appealing pop-up shops (and a takeaway coffee and pie hatch) beside the grassy lawn and rose nursery. If you don’t want a pie (with that crispy pastry and succulent meat they are hard to say no to), the café majors on honest-to-goodness country fare including burgers, salads, fish and chips, toasties and quiche, as well as an all-day breakfast menu.
Opening times Monday – Sunday 7.30am – 5pm
Contact 021 848 9011, info@peregrinefarmstall.co.za
Where to find it N2 near Grabouw
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