5 Best Restaurants in Stellenbosch, The Western Cape and Winelands

In the Coopmanhuijs Boutique Hotel, this small restaurant exudes the elegance of a French bistro with its white tablecloths and pretty wrought iron patio furniture. The menu combines classical French cuisine with uniquely South African ingredients in dishes like ostrich fillet with red wine jus. As well as à la carte dinners, a three-course set menu is available. Bring along that bottle of wine you bought—the staff is happy to cork it for you.

The setting on a golf estate and wine farm is pretty, but it's the excellent food and service that really stand out here. The menu changes regularly to make use of the fresh, local produce such as West Coast mussels, Karoo lamb, and venison, and there are tapas-sized portions as well as main meals. The wine list is small but includes several nice ones by the glass; try the barrel-fermented Chenin Blanc, one of the estate's best-kept secrets. 

Tucked away in a side alley off Bird Street, this elegant restaurant serves exquisite food championing local ingredients, but given a global twist by chef Matt van den Berg. Dinner is a sumptuous affair, with 12 creative courses, each with an optional wine pairing. At lunch you can opt for the "lighter" seven-course feast, or go all out and just eat all afternoon. Dishes include combinations like crayfish with coconut and yuzu, local trout with broad beans and mint, and grass-fed beef fillet with yellow potatoes. 

Hidden in the center of town, Spek & Bone is a cozy restaurant with a lush courtyard sheltered by a canopy of vines. The menu focuses on a South African interpretation of tapas, featuring ingredients like biltong, warthog, and kudu. An excellent wine menu accompanies the hearty dishes, featuring award-winners produced at nearby vineyards. This is one of seven restaurants from South African celebrity chef and pioneering foodie, Bertus Basson, lovingly named after his pets, a pig and a puppy.

The busy road and the swaths of invasive nonnative trees that need to be chopped down give absolutely no indication of the gem that lies beyond the entrance to Vergenoegd wine farm. Pomegranate chef Mike Israel is known for his fresh, contemporary cuisine, but you'll be hard-pressed to concentrate on the menu—the views are fantastic and the historic manor house has been wonderfully restored. Luckily, the menu is dead simple. Mike has gone for the less-is-more approach and simply lists fish, lamb, game, poultry, and vegetarian. This gives him plenty of scope to play with the fresh ingredients he has available. You could start with the famous Pomegranate tomato tart or opt for the beetroot carpaccio starter with goat cheese. There are field mushrooms served with rosemary and Gorgonzola in a poppy-seed crepe. Mains come with Mike's classic, flavor-filled sauces. The wine list is clever and has an excellent selection of good wines divided into three price categories, the cheapest cheekily referred to as Bank Manager's Choice.