40 Best Restaurants in The Western Cape and Winelands, South Africa

Loved as much for its airy, contemporary architecture as for its fine food, Cavalli is a perfect place for a lingering lunch or a special dinner. There's a heavy focus on sustainability, with much of the produce grown in estate gardens and some foraged from the surrounding mountains by chef Lucas Carstens and his team. While locally reared lamb, smoked snoek (a hardy cold water fish common in traditional South African cuisine) and West Coast oysters feature, there are also some innovative options for vegans and vegetarians. 

Set on the grounds of one of the Cape's oldest farms, Babel is a vision in white surrounded by lush fruit and vegetable gardens and a gorgeous backdrop of mountains. Everything about this farm is stylish: the restaurant is in a converted cow shed, and the menu includes inventive dishes influenced by whatever is bountiful in the garden that day. Expect bold flavors and unusual combinations. 

As is the case for Avondale, the vineyard where this elegant restaurant is based, Faber places a heavy focus on being sustainable. The menu changes often but always features carefully composed dishes using ethically sourced meat and fish, plus herbs and vegetables harvested from the estate garden. The confit duck with pickled blueberries and turnip fondant is decadent. You can order à la carte or opt for a six-course feast with wine pairings from the farm.

This popular restaurant and bar boasts a truly incomparable setting, right on the rocks on the edge of a natural rock pool in the Atlantic Ocean. Dine on the deck and you'll hear the crashing of the waves and maybe spot some whales swimming by. Or bring your swimsuit and take a quick dip while you wait for your drink to arrive. On the menu are classic tapas dishes like spicy lamb meatballs and crispy shrimp, all served with something from the extensive wine list or the superb cocktail selection. It's an absolute must while you're in Hermanus.

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.

Sister restaurant to Cape Town's fêted La Colombe, the food, ambience, wine selection and service at La Petite Colombe are simply impeccable. The decor is sleek and understated because the true work of art is the food—an 11-course banquet showcasing French cooking techniques and the finest ingredients. Also on-site is the tasting room for Mullineux & Leeu Family Wines, whose red wines in particular are revered. Reservations are essential.

For the true flavor of West Coast life, come to this open-air seafood restaurant on the beach south of Lambert's Bay. You'll watch fish cooked over blazing fires, snoek smoked in an old drum covered with burlap, and bread baked in a clay oven. Prepare to eat as much as you can of the fixed-price meal, using your hands or mussel shells as spoons. Be sure to try some of the local specialties like bokkoms (pungent dried fish) and waterblommetjiebredie (water-flower stew). Crayfish cost extra, but don't order them unless you have an enormous appetite. The restaurant consists of nothing more than a circular boma (enclosure) of packed muisbos (a local shrub whose name means "mouse bush") and haphazardly arranged benches and tables.

The restaurant is based in the estate's original cellar, but if weather permits, enjoy a pre-dinner drink on the rose-trellised terrace before you sit down. Chef Fabio Daniel serves contemporary French cuisine that also draws on his Brazilian and Italian heritage. For a real splurge, opt for the Experience Menu, with four to five hours of culinary surprises. They won't tell you what's on the menu, but you won't be disappointed. An incredibly knowledgeable sommelier, interesting wine pairings, and surprisingly reasonably priced wine list complete the picture.

The seven-course tasting menu at this award-winning restaurant from chef Kobus van de Merwe focuses on all that is local and sustainable, including fresh seafood, seaweed, foraged plants, and pickings from the garden. The food is sublime, but very experimental, so make sure you're up for something new and inventive. There are only 20 diners per sitting, so reservations are essential.

This friendly, long-running place on the main approach road to Riebeek Kasteel is a lovely spot to sit outside and enjoy a glass of the local wine. The menu is a meaty affair, with a range of perfectly cooked steaks and slow-roasted lamb neck. Vegetarians will have to settle for salad, but there is at least good selection.

In one of the village's original stone fishing cottages, Burgundy is one of the town's oldest and best-loved restaurants. Unsurprisingly, there's plenty of seafood on the extensive menu—try the creamy abalone with fresh sage—as well as a large choice of grilled meat dishes. The real reason for its popularity though, is the outdoor terrace with ocean views. It's not unheard of to spot whales right from your table.

Headed by former La Colombe chef Charné Sampson, Epice is inspired by spice blends from around the world. The menu—a 10-course tasting feast—features spices from Mexico, Ethiopia, and the subcontinent among others, married with dishes from across Africa, such as lamb with dahl and chermoula or West Coast mussels with passion fruit and cumin. For the slightly less famished there is a "reduced menu"—eight small courses. Reservations are recommended.

Dating back to 1870, this whitewashed stone cottage is a long-standing favorite. The menu focuses on seafood, but don't let that put you off the non-seafood options like miso chicken or beef curry with freshly made roti. There's also a chalkboard that displays daily specials that depend on what's fresh and in-season. The wine list has some excellent bottles, including options from the nearby Hemel-en-Aarde Valley. 

Right at the entrance to the town, this laid-back eatery is a great lunch stop, especially if you're traveling with kids. It serves pizza, pasta, and hearty meat dishes at tables in a shady, tree-lined garden. There's an excellent play area for kids. The attached tasting room offers juice and candy pairings, wine pairings, and tastings from the on-site craft brewery.

Based in a 19th-century fisherman's cottage, this lovely family-run restaurant is perched on the rocks overlooking a little beach. It's no surprise then that the specialty is seafood; kick off with Saldanha oysters or West Coast mussels, then try the citrus and coriander monkfish. There are a couple of meaty options as well as one or two vegetarian dishes. Reservations are recommended, especially in summer.

At this casual seafood spot in pretty Pringle Bay, expect fresher fish than you'll find just about anywhere else. It's prepared simply, usually with salsa verde or just garlic butter. Everything is cooked on a wood fire, and most dishes arrive on huge platters. Beer-battered hake and chips—served on newspapers, of course—makes the perfect lunch.

Harbour Road has a string of eateries you can choose from, but you can’t go wrong at this popular place with views of the ocean. Obviously, fish and seafood are the star of the show. You can taste it all in the signature seafood stew or a generous platter to share with the table.

A restaurant of this caliber is a real find in small-town South Africa. The husband-and-wife team of Salvatore and Nina Branda create beautifully composed dishes combining South African produce with avant-garde Italian cooking. The dinner menu comes as a two-, three-, or four-course option.

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. 

Miko is a contemporary fine-dining restaurant with seating indoors and out, both offering spectacular views of the Franschhoek Valley. As well as meaty fare like duck terrine and ash-cured venison, there are good vegetarian options including cauliflower steak with masala velouté. The daytime menu is a simpler affair, featuring salads, burgers, and fish-and-chips. 

Quirky and brightly decorated, this unpretentious eatery and its frequently changing menu are not to be missed. Not surprisingly, seafood is the main attraction—the oysters here are legendary—but meat-eaters will delight in a wide selection of pork, lamb, quail, and Chalmer steak. Enjoy your meal in front of a warm hearth when it's cold out, or dine under the canopy, dotted with fairy lights, on a clear night.

This long-running place is a local favorite, managing to serve delicious and delightfully plated food while remaining totally unpretentious. The menu is small and eclectic, featuring some Asian-inspired dishes, classics like steak and fries, or pan-fried catch of the day. Don't pass up hearty South African desserts such as malva pudding. Reservations are recommended on weekends.

At the Tulbagh Hotel, the Olive Terrace Bistro serves local wines and tasty food on a pretty terrace shaded by white karee trees. In winter there's a cozy indoor dining area with a roaring fire and a view of the snow-covered mountains. The à la carte menu features South African dishes made with locally sourced produce and homemade breads, jams, and chutneys. The menu is fairly broad and has a decent selection for vegetarians and vegans. 

This cozy eatery's small, seasonal menu changes often and features innovative fare and simple presentations. If the wildebeest with gooseberry and Amarula sauce is on the menu, do not miss out. The flavors of the popular ice-cream trio change often, but you can expect options like coconut and sesame, ginger and rooibos tea, or even curry and balsamic vinegar. The carefully chosen and well-priced wine list reflects regional labels.

The chic decor here is a bold contrast to the old-world charm of Huguenot architecture: a bright dining room in blue and white that evokes a house by the ocean. The menu is fairly compact and yet impressively varied, featuring venison or duck, beef, seafood, and a delectable vegetarian option. Food is beautifully presented and attentive staff offer optional wine pairings for each dish. 

In the opulent Grande Roche Hotel, the elegant restaurant serves beautifully presented dishes featuring innovative ingredients. Dishes include grilled swordfish with pineapple and chili glaze, and springbok with baked quince. The wine list is similarly impressive. There's also a delectable high tea served every afternoon featuring beef croquettes, smoked salmon blinis, and an array of cakes and tarts.

Best known as a celebrity judge on the local edition of MasterChef, Reuben Riffel's flagship restaurant in his hometown of Franschhoek is a wonderful blend of fine dining techniques and unpretentious surroundings. Dishes marry local ingredients with French techniques, and in many cases they have a sprinkling of Asian influence. The decor is minimalist but welcoming, with exposed brick walls and large windows, and the service is impeccable and well informed.

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.

Right on the ocean in the Mykonos complex, this convivial place serves sushi, seafood platters, and good Asian dishes. Try the General Tso's chicken or the Mongolian beer, or a platter of prawns slathered in tasty garlic lemon butter.

This corrugated-iron shack on the beach stood empty for years, then suddenly metamorphosed into a buzzing seafood restaurant. As well as the usual seafood and fish, you'll find fish curries, deep-fried calamari, and smoked snoek samosas on the menu. There are a couple of meaty dishes too, plus at least one vegetarian option. It's literally set on the sand and is an ideal location to take in the sunset.