South Africa is home to diverse cultural influences that have resulted in an abundance of delectable cuisine that’s evident throughout its restaurants. Boerewors with tomato relish and pap, lamb potjie with soft potatoes and gravy — everything can be found here!
Discover South Africa’s finest dining experiences at these highly-acclaimed restaurants.
Galjoen
Galjoen quickly earned a place among Cape Town’s premier seafood restaurants last year, becoming known for using sustainably-sourced ingredients and creating an exceptional dining experience. Their new winter menu promises to impress, incorporating culinary expertise honed at sister restaurant Belly of the Beast; featuring dishes like braaied chub mackerel with tamarind chutney and fresh peach; farmed Saldanha Bay mussels served up with granny smith apple slices and red onions; plus much more.
Harrington Street restaurant in Cape Town’s East City prides itself on sourcing its seafood sustainably from local boats and aquaculture projects, helping keep its menu evolving while providing diners with unrivalled value.
Galjoen takes great pride in their sustainable approach and feature an extensive wine list consisting solely of wines from Western Cape regions. Each glass represents their respective terroir.
Neil Swart and Anouchka Horn’s second joint venture after opening Belly of the Beast in 2023. Seebamboes will offer an intriguing combination of nostalgic cuisine with contemporary influences – its dinner service will follow a set tasting menu with limited seats available.
Wolfgat
Wolfgat Restaurant can be found in a sleepy fishing village on South Africa’s Western Cape coast and features a 130-year-old cottage and cave that overlooks a beach, providing diners with seven-course tasting menus for 20 seats at once. Although relatively modest in appearance, Wolfgat was recognized at Monday night’s awards ceremony as Restaurant of the Year for 2017.
Chef Kobus van der Merwe began professional cooking at age 30, foraging along the Atlantic coast of Paternoster each day to source ingredients he calls strandveldkos (coastal plants with distinct flavors that combine with sustainable seafood, local lamb and venison) as part of his cuisine. He tries to source most ingredients within 10 kilometers from his restaurant.
Food is presented simply and artistically arranged into elegant dishes ranging from mussels to ostrich and springbok, accompanied by carefully chosen wines that reflect the region and its indigenous flavors, such as Chenin Blanc or Rhone varietals like Shiraz and Grenache.
Oep ve Koep and Wolfgat awards represent an audacious concept that takes regionality to new levels and may serve as an inspiration to chefs worldwide. Additionally, these accolades serve as a reminder that humility and dedication can go a long way toward garnering global accolades. Daisy Jones who dined at both restaurants noted how these awards “send a message that even in humble circumstances creativity, commitment and humility will attract attention; therefore this award is richly deserved.”
Kobus van der Merwe
Kobus van der Merwe can feel the salty air on his bare feet while strolling through Wolfgat, an idyllic fishermen’s village two hours north of Cape Town. Wolfgat’s Cave Restaurant – named for a nearby cave on its rocky coastline – is an intimate 20-seater housed within an ancient fisherman cottage built 130 years earlier.
Van der Merwe is renowned for his local foraging practices and strives to source as much of his ingredients from Strandveld (an arid coastal landscape). This includes cultivating rare herbs such as buchu and wild garlic in his garden and harvesting edible weldkos such as soutslaai and dune lettuce from its dunes – and even distilling indigenous plants into vermouth for table service!
Van der Merwe is unlike many of South Africa’s acclaimed chefs; instead he exudes relaxed charm with an easy smile and genuine passion for the products he uses. His seven-course tasting menu showcases regional ingredients like sustainable seafood as well as seasonal veldkos like Bokkom butter made from local salty seaweeds.
Van der Merwe is an ex-online editor for restaurant review site Open Table and took his culinary passion full time six years ago by moving out of his Cape Town apartment and into his parents’ West Coast townhouse, where they run a farm stall selling local produce and artisan gifts. Over time his beautiful yet humble space has become highly regarded dining destination that provides uniquely South African eating experiences like bobotie, snoek, and family antiques – earning high reviews from both critics and guests alike.
Kompanjiestuin
Kompanjiestuin (Company’s Garden), dedicated to commemorating Dutch East India Company shipwrecks from 1650, serves as an ideal spot to dine and learn some local history at once. Inside there’s even a restaurant, providing guests with an exquisite dining experience while taking in some local culture such as seafood from nearby oceans and herbs from surrounding gardens – ideal!
South African cuisine reflects its multicultural population. Indian communities in KwaZulu-Natal have added several curry dishes to traditional offerings; Bunny Chow (Durban street food) features half a loaf of bread filled with lamb, chicken or vegetable curry and then scooped out.
South Africa is an exceptionally diverse nation, home to over 35 indigenous languages and an immigrant population speaking multiple other tongues. No surprise then that its cuisine varies so drastically; with fresh produce available year-round and an abundance of exotic ingredients sourced here. With our carefully tailored itineraries you can experience everything this wonderful land has to offer in comfort and style – book your trip now!
