NEWCOMERS to South Africa’s Top 50 fine-dining restaurants in 2026 as rated in the annual Gourmet Guide, edited by Jenny Handley, included three on Cape wine farms, among the vines: Arum at Boschendal in Franschhoek and two Stellenbosch eateries, Precious Hidden Valley (Helderberg) and Vuur at Remhoogte (Simonsberg). Chef Shaun Scrooby’s Vuur Goose Island opened in 2023 and has received multiple awards as one of the best steak restaurants in the world. Arum of the FYN group led by Chef Peter Tempelhoff opened late-2025, while The Restaurant at Precious Hidden Valley opened just months before the 2027 edition of the Gourmet Guide was published – the farm owned by businessman and football administrator Patrice Motsepe, married to Dr Precious Moloi-Motsepe, chancellor of the University of Cape Town, and brother-in-law of Cyril Ramophosa, president of South Africa.
The 2027 Gourmet Guide is the 11th edition of the online JHP publication. See below for all 16 of the showcased restaurants and chefs whose outfits are located alongside wineries and vineyards of the Cape – up from 14 in the 2026 edition, published in October 2025. La Colombe at Silvermist Organic Wine Estate in Cape Town’s Constantia Nek was again one of the most highly rated restaurants in the country, the other two, also in Cape Town, being FYN (CBD) and Salsify at the Roundhouse (Camps Bay), also as per the previous edition of the guide. These were followed in the rankings by three wine farm restaurants, namely Chefs Warehouse Beau Constantia of Constantia Nek in Cape Town, Höseki at Delaire Graff of Banghoek in Stellenbosch and La Petite Colombe at Leeu in Franschhoek, together with MERTIA in the Stellenbosch CBD, PIER of the La Colombe group in Cape Town’s V&A Waterfront and The LivingRoom of the Summerhill Guest Estate in Pinelands, Durban.
GOLD PLATES ON SA WINE FARM
Restaurant that has achieved globally iconic status:
La Colombe at Silvermist – Chef James Gaag
Main Road, Constantia Nek
THREE PLATES ON SA WINE FARMS
World-class destination dining:
Chefs Warehouse at Beau Constantia – Chef Ivor Jones
1043 Constantia Main Road, Constantia Nek
Hōseki at Delaire Graff – Chef Virgil Kahn
Helshoogte Road, Banghoek, Stellenbosch
La Petite Colombe at Leeu – Chef Peter Duncan
Dassenberg Road, Franschhoek
TWO PLATES ON SA WINE FARMS
Exceptional cuisine that demands a detour:
Arum at Boschendal – Chef Travis Finch
R310, Franschhoek
beyond at Buitenverwachting – Chef Sebastian Stehr
37 Klein Constantia Road, Constantia
Chefs Warehouse at Maison – Chef Xavier Francis
R45, Franschhoek
Jordan Restaurant – Chef Marthinus Ferreira
Stellenbosch Kloof Road, Stellenbosch
Rust en Vrede Restaurant – Chef Fabio Daniel
Annandale Road, Helderberg, Stellenbosch
ONE PLATE ON SA WINE FARMS
Culinary Excellence:
Cavalli – Chef Lucas Carstens
R44 (Strand Road), Helderberg, Stellenbosch
Delaire Graff Restaurant – Chef Clinton Jacobs
Helshoogte Road, Banghoek, Stellenbosch
FABER at Avondale – Chef Dale Stevens
Lustigan Road, Klein Drakenstein, Paarl
Precious Hidden Valley Restaurant – Chef Bjorn Guido
Off Annandale Road, Helderberg, Stellenbosch
Tasting Room at Creation – Chef Eleanor Coetzee
R320, Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge, Hermanus
Tokara Restaurant – Chef Carolize Coetzee
Helshoogte Road, Stellenbosch
Vuur at Remhoogte – Chef Shaun Scrooby
R44, Simonsberg, Stellenbosch