A regular on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list (coming in at #60 for 2024), chef Peter Tempelhoff’s restaurant is one of the most exciting epicurean experiences in the city. The sophisticated, loft-like space on the fifth floor of an inner city block offers food and decor that is African-inspired, but with a unique Japanese twist, using flavors, aesthetics and techniques from the land of the rising sun.
The multi-course kaiseki-style menu runs the full gamut of flavours and textures, where springbok, abalone, Cape wagyu, and tempura dune spinach meet yuzu, furikake and shiso. Each yields a hit of flavour so lingering and sublime, you never want it to end. Pescatarian and plant-based menus are available for lunch and dinner seatings.
Good to know: The FYN team also owns the no-fuss ramen bar downstairs at street level.
- Opening times Monday – Saturday, 12 pm – 2 pm; 6 pm – 8.30 pm (last seating)
- Contact 021 286 2733, info@fynrestaurant.com
- Where to find it Church Square, 37 Parliament Street, Cape Town
Ouzeri
This convivial restaurant on Wale Street, channelling the Aegean islands with its curved white walls, mosaics and tapestries, is owner-chef Nic Charalambous’ tribute to his Cypriot heritage. It’s where you’ll find some of the most exciting cooking in Cape Town at the moment.
Nic takes you on a flavour odyssey, with thoughtful and beautifully presented dishes spotlighting the individual flavours of different Greek islands and regions. Snacks, meze and mains on the new menu include a delicious prawn savoro (cured in hibiscus vinegar), the incredibly moreish eliopita bread with confit garlic, coal-seared tuna from Serifos with a fresh yet robust fennel-and-cucumber sauce, and gorgeous anari dumplings with burnt tomato butter.
The drinks list includes wine from the barrel, and an eclectic music selection creates a lively ambiance. In keeping with its name, it’s the perfect spot for drinks and shared food.
- Opening times Wednesday – Saturday, 12 pm – 2.30 pm, Tuesday – Saturday, 6 pm – 9.30 pm
- Contact 061 533 9071, seeyou@ouzeri.co.za
- Where to find it: 58 Wale Street, CBD, Cape Town
Rust en Vrede
There’s an enduring magic about dining at Rust en Vrede. Sitting out on the terrace with champagne and the lightest of flavour-packed canapés, the old oaks, historic Cape Dutch buildings, and lawns leading to vines and a wooded mountain kloof conjure an away-from-it-all country house 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 Gregory Mutambe (there’s an impressive international wine list), 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 tasting room or on the terrace.
- Opening times Tuesday – Saturday, 6.30 pm – 11 pm
- Contact 021 881 3757, dining@rustenvrede.com
- Where to find it Rust en Vrede Estate, Annandale Road, Stellenbosch
La Petite Colombe
A veritable jewel in Franschhoek’s culinary crown, La Petite Colombe is perched amid vineyards on Leeu Estates farm and remains one of the Cape’s most coveted dining experiences. The sibling of Constantia’s superlative La Colombe (a regular on the World’s Best Restaurants List) is a relaxed yet refined and flawlessly five-star eatery helmed by chef Peter Duncan. A theatrical array of superb dishes flows out of his kitchen – from oysters and crayfish to the sweets trolley. The dazzling presentation, professional service and a smart winelist create a sense of occasion that makes dining here very special.
Good to know: The two menus (the full Chef’s Experience and Reduced Menu) both offer vegetarian options.
- Opening times Monday – Sunday, 12 pm – 10 pm
- Contact 021 202 3395, reservations@lapetitecolombe.com
- Where to find it: Leeu Estates, Dassenberg Road (off the R45), Franschhoek
The Pot Luck Club
Opened by acclaimed chef Luke Dale Roberts in 2011, this restaurant (inspired by 1950s “potluck” dinners) introduced us to the small-plate sharing concept – and is still a master of it under chef Jason Kosmas. Combining a dazzling location on the top floor of the Old Biscuit Mill with an uber-creative, umami-forward global menu, the kitchen team’s intention is simply to “blow you away” with flavour combinations. A delightful journey of the senses takes you from Southeast Asia and the Mediterranean to Mexico and South Africa (sometimes all on one plate!).
Good to know Also in the LDR stable are Salon, a multi-course fine-dining journey by Luke and The Test Kitchen Fledglings, a training initiative.
- Opening times Monday – Saturday, 12.30 pm – 2 pm; 6 pm – 10 pm
Sunday, 11 am – 12.30 pm (brunch) - Contact 021 447 0804, hello@thepotluckclub.co.za
- Where to find it: The Silo, The Old Biscuit Mill, 373–375 Albert Road, Woodstock
Grub & Vine
The casual name suggests a lack of pretension (true) but belies the delight of a meal at this Bree Street bistro – be it a leisurely lunch or atmospheric dinner. British-born chef Matt Manning does “no-nonsense, good tasty food and honest cooking”, which hardly conveys the nuance of his refined five-course tasting menu or shorter menu du jour. Beautifully prepared and plated dishes, combined with a superb wine list (it won Best Short List at the 2023 Star Wine List Awards) are served in the elegant dining room (with the bustling kitchen in view) or the Green Room, with garden-inspired decor and a tiny courtyard with two alfresco tables.
Good to know: Fabulous Saturday sharing-plate brunches come complete with bottomless bubbly, mimosas, and bloody Marys.
- Opening times Monday – Friday, 12 pm – 2.30 pm; 6 pm – 9.30 pm (last seating) Saturday, 11.30 am – 2 pm; 6 pm – 9.30 pm (last seating)
- Contact 021 216 0035, hello@grubandvine.co.za
- Where to find it: 103 Bree Street, Cape Town
The Table at De Meye
It’s the stuff of dreams and the epitome of la dolce vita: long, sybaritic lunches in the country with people you love, delicious food and good stuff to drink. Leigh Williamson and Brendan Thorncroft offer an honest-to-goodness experience on the beautiful (yet under-the-radar) De Meye wine farm. In a charming garden, at tables laid with vintage crockery, guests tuck into a three-course sharing menu of refined, slow-cooked comfort dishes that change often depending on what’s in season – along with freshly baked bread, homemade butter and decadent desserts.
In cooler weather, the white-washed farmhouse with large windows and wood-burning stoves is an equally attractive setting. It’s the kind of place you’ll return to time and again.
- Opening times Wednesday – Sunday, 12pm – 5pm (closed Wednesdays in winter)
- Contact 072 696 0530, bookings@thetablerestaurant.co.za
- Where to find it: De Meye Wine Farm, Muldersvlei Road, Klapmuts, Stellenbosch
Ëlgr
The name is Old Norse for “moose”; the aesthetic is forest-inspired, with a palette of charcoal, black, wood and sage green. The food is seasonal, earthy, authentic and beautiful… Swedish-born Jesper Nilsson is a cheffy chef at heart but his sharing-plates menu is made “to put people at ease”.
Different hubs suit different moods: there’s a streetside, light-filled front room with leather banquettes; the moodier heart of the restaurant; and a plant-filled courtyard, complete with a bar, sofa, café tables and pizza oven. It’s a place you can come for drinks with snacks or the chef’s choice menu paired with excellent wine.
- Opening times Tuesday – Saturday, 6 pm – 11 pm
- Contact 021 422 0384, reservations@elgr.co.za
- Where to find it: 75 Kloof Street, Gardens
De Eetkamer
Hidden away at the top of Dorp Street, this heritage building (formerly a stable) with an oak-shaded courtyard, now pays homage to heartwarming gatherings around the dinner table. (The name translates simply as “The Dining Room”.)
Here, chef Marco Cardoso celebrates elegant, indulgent small-plate eating in an array of punchy global flavours without a hint of pretension – from the Korean-style fried cauliflower (a menu fixture he dare not remove) to pan-fried gnocchi with French onion sauce and sushi-esque line fish tartare with jalapeño dressing, nori and rice. The short menu changes seasonally, the winelist features a fair number of unique labels, and the desserts are not to be missed.
- Opening times Tuesday – Saturday, 12pm – 3pm; 5.30pm – 9pm
- Contact 021 001 8308, reservations@de-eetkamer.co.za
- Where to find it 3 Drostdy Road, Stellenbosch