Our Top Five / Restaurants >>

Historically South Africa has not been known for its culinary prowess. The focus was on quantity (witness the average steak in any supermarket here) rather than quality. However this has changed in recent years and some South African restaurants are leading the way in carving out a niche for excellent, fresh and unique new world-style eating. There’s more to eating out now than just biltong, braai and boerewors.

However, it is still a mixed bag and we’ve had many a disappointing night at reputable restaurants. Ownership changes frequently, chefs move on and service can be surly with a focus on speed rather than enjoyment.

Our selection, therefore, is not meant to represent only the top restaurants in terms of quality (and therefore price) – there are excellent guides such as Eat Out for that. Rather we are recommending establishments where we’ve had reliably excellent food, value and service in settings that we think you’ll appreciate

We recommend asking us to reserve tables well in advance at all the below (apart from La Petite Ferme which doesn’t take bookings) as well as in top-end restaurants in busy areas, especially the winelands and Cape Town.

La Petite Ferme (Franschhoek, Western Cape)

Perched on the side of a hill looking down over the beautiful Franschhoek Valley, La Petite Ferme wins it for us over its more salubrious neighbours in Franschhoek such as Rubens and Le Quartier Francais. Its unpretentious formula of a small menu packed with fresh, locally-produced ingredients served by members of the families living on the wine farm works. The warthog and freshly-caught local trout are favourites. But sitting on their immaculate lawn whilst waiting for a table is an excellent excuse to sample a chilled bottle of their own wine. We were disappointed to hear “Sir, your table is ready”.

La Colombe (Constantia, Cape Town)

If the countryside around this oldest wine-growing area in South Africa vaguely reminds you of Provence, La Colombe removes any doubts. Combining a sophisticated menu with a relaxed ambience, this is an idyllic place to spend an afternoon making your way through many courses. The award-winning wine list helps lubricate the conversation. This is a different type of fusion cooking – French flair, style and sauces with uniquely South African ingredients such as springbok and ostrich. Awarded Top Restaurant 2009 by Eat Out.

Jardine (Bree Street, Cape Town)

Situated in the bustling City Bowl of Cape Town, this is our pick of a competitive bunch in the Mother City. Demonstrating that all good things come in small packages, the chef George Jardine weaves his magic through a tasting menu of five elegant courses with paired wines (if you want) in the intimate upstairs restaurant. The focus is on seasonal and local ingredients, with the menu changing according to what looked best in the market that day. Awarded second position in Eat Out’s 2009 Top Restaurants in South Africa Award.

Roots (Forum Homini, Near Johannesburg)

Gauteng is unfortunately the poor cousin of the Western Cape when it comes to cuisine. There are a lot of reasonable restaurants, but these are largely situated in shopping malls or hotels – not our idea of fine dining venues. However Roots is a clear stand-out. A reasonable drive from central Joburg gives your appetite a chance to build and by the final stretch through a game farm you’ll wish the springbok was in carpaccio form. The fixed menu with French influences (four courses for lunch, six for dinner) changes daily but is reliably excellent. If you don’t have the time or the budget for this top 10 restaurant, the snack platters served in the afternoon are a mouth-wateringly good alternative.

Michaela's (Cintsa, Eastern Cape)

Perched on top of forested dunes, high above one of our favourite beaches in South Africa, Michaela's location is superb. Accessed only by a vernicular, Michaela's offers solid, fresh hearty fayre at a reasonable price. The service is excellent and the setting simply demands arriving for lunch, but only leaving as the evening diners arrive. We don't consider ourselves gastro-tourists, but the prospect of Michaela's garlic prawns have been a deciding factor in our numerous return visits to Cintsa.

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