IN THE 2026 Star Wine List of the Year competition for Africa and the Middle East, those of Cape Town’s Aubergine restaurant in Barnet Street, Grub & Vine Bree Street restaurant with its Culture Wine Bar alongside, and the Lunacy wine bar in the city’s Harrington Street were applauded as
THE ARUM Restaurant at Boschendal is the newest dining experience at this estate in Franschhoek on the R310 to/from Pniel and Stellenbosch. At the time of writing, with 2025 winding down, the outdoor seating at Arum – which looks onto organic vegetable gardens and the mountains beyond – wasn’t yet
ONCE AGAIN the food critics have spoken – those whose votes count towards South Africa’s JHP Gourmet Guide. And once again, La Colombe at Silvermist on Constantia Nek is their choice as the top-rated restaurant in the Cape winelands, i.e. on the farms, among the vines, as well as one
SALSIFY at the Roundhouse on the slopes of Table Mountain in Camps Bay, Cape Town, was judged South Africa’s No. 1 restaurant at the 2025 Eat Out Awards. Chef-Patron Ryan Cole and his team have been on top form for a number of years, so what to expect of his
AS INTERESTING as the choice of top laureates at South Africa’s 2025 Eat Out Restaurant Awards in Cape Town were the names of the newcomers praised on stage. Big winners on the night were Salsify at the Roundhouse in Cape Town’s Camps Bay (Restaurant of the Year), The LivingRoom in
STELLENBOSCH, Franschhoek, Paarl, Hermanus, Stanford… Besides those tasting rooms on South Africa’s wine farms, among the vines, there are wine bars in the towns of the country’s winelands that can be just as much fun – some representing a particular brand or brands, some wines of the area and beyond.
IT’S NOT the same as going to the tasting room on a wine farm in amongst the vines, but sometimes a wine bar in town can be just as much fun, sometimes more so, entertaining even. The following comprise the more notable Cape Town options as of 2025 – just
IT’S A SMALL, narrow outdoor space, but the new Wine Deck at Mill St Bistro in Stellenbosch promises more than you might think at a glance. Where Mill Street intersects with Church Street, one of the most popular strips in town for those feeling hungry or just in the mood for a
AFTER a lengthy closure of the restaurant at La Motte in Franschhoek, the family farm of Hanneli Rupert-Koegelenberg re-opened its doors during the 2024/25 festive season, welcoming guests to a “reimagined experience”. What’s now on offer, says CEO Hein Koegelenberg, is really good food in a relaxed, casual setting. La
IT’S NOT the first year that picnics have been offered alongside the Maanschijn winery at the Stonefields farm on Route 43 between Stanford and Hermanus, but they’re getting a reputation as an artisanal experience worth checking out. Best to book at least a day in advance of when you’d like
AND THEN there were two… Many who love wining and dining in South Africa’s Cape winelands have fond memories of lunching alfresco on the lawn at De Meye Estate along the Muldersvlei Road in Stellenbosch, up the way from Elsenburg College. Well, since mid-November ’24, the same team behind The
THREE CAPE wine farm restaurants have retained their rankings among THE most highly rated establishments in the annual JHP Gourmet Guide to South Africa’s best fine-dining destinations, with 13 more making the cut for the Top 50. In the 2025 edition of the online publication, as per the 2024 edition,
