Restaurants in South Africa
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Lekgotla
Traditional huts are a big theme at this super-stylish Afro-chic restaurant. It has huge wood-and-canvas domed ceilings, like several interconnected super huts, with the odd table under its own individual dome of leather straps and metal. White lanterns hang from the ceiling and the staff match nicely in all-white outfits with the odd splash of print. Outside on the square are cushion-strewn sofas instead of tables, and the unisex toilets have a long wooden canoe as the communal sink. As for the menu? It draws influence from all over the continent – from Tunisian curries to steak marinated in Ethiopian coffee.
reviewed
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A
Kapitan’s
Don’t let the grubby stairwell put you off – this is a Jo’burg institution, with authentic Indian food and eccentric decor that’s been attracting luminaries for years (Nelson Mandela and Oliver Tambo used to eat here in the 1950s). It is positively unpretentious and one of the few places in town where you’ll see young lions, black and white, drinking with hep cats, and grizzly city stalwarts groaning about how it’s all gone to the dogs.
reviewed
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B
Bambanani
Decked out with curved white-plastic chairs, leather booths and black chandeliers, this place may seem like a place for trendy young things, but look closely at the bold modern art and you’ll see that it features pictures of happy families, at whom this joint is aimed. At the back is a huge deck and garden area with a massive multilevelled children’s play den, and the menu features small tapas plates including mini-gourmet burgers for the kids and pumpkin purée for the babies.
reviewed
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C
Taste Restaurant
The menu here is divided into sections including ‘leafy greens’, ‘seawards’ and ‘gastronomical grills’ and the food is simple, fresh and delicious (the massive seafood platters are excellent), making good use of top quality locally sourced meat and veg. The restaurant is open on three sides, with a fire grate in one corner and a low-key jazz soundtrack. Be warned – order a glass of wine and you’ll get a hefty serving.
reviewed
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Pappas
Sitting on a corner with quirky antiques stores and bookshops, this place has a homely, arty feel about it. There’s outdoor space at the front and back, and the excellent cooked breakfasts and counter selling cakes and pastries make it the perfect place for a lazy weekend brunch. Also on the menu are bistro classics and South African favourites such as oxtail and potjiekos (meat and vegetables cooked in a cast-iron pot over an open fire).
reviewed
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D
Spice
At the time of research, Spice was moving to this new location, but wasn’t yet open. We’ve included it because, in short, those in the cuisine scene simply rave about it. Whether it’s because the likes of Bill Clinton have dined at the establishment’s former premises, or because the imaginative menu – South African and Indian fusion dishes – is so damned good, we’ll have to leave it up to you to decide.
reviewed
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E
De La Creme
The counter at the front hides some of the best bread and cakes in Jo’burg, but this is also a restaurant serving breakfasts, sandwiches and burgers as well as heavier main meals such as bobotie (delicately flavoured curry with a topping of beaten egg baked to a crust) and grills. There are large windows on all sides from where you can watch the street, and magazines for browsing. It gets very busy at weekday lunchtimes.
reviewed
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Jock & Java
The newest hit on the Nelspruit scene at the time of research, this rambling ‘outback style’ pub and separate tearoom set in large grassy lawns is a ‘great place to bring the kids’ with ‘a girly dining room’ and a revolving cake trolley that’s ‘bad for the hips‘. The whimsical explosion of reds, creams and gingham, and tea served in dainty floral cups, impressed us too.
reviewed
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F
Service Station
This large, airy deli-cum-cafe-cum-food store in a converted petrol station is very popular with locals. Help yourself from a selection of quiches, salads, tarts and other goodies (you pay by weight), order meals from the blackboard, or get seriously good cakes from the counter. It’s all available to take away, and when you’re done you can browse the hard stuff in the adjoining Wine Sense.
reviewed
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G
Café Riche
This historic Pretoria bistro was built back in 1905 and occupies pride of place in the city’s Church Sq. It’s popular with tourists and visiting dignitaries as well as local office workers, and is a great place for a spot of beer and people-watching. The menu has sandwiches, salads and bistro meals as well as a good-value lunch special ( Bokwurst, chips and a beer for R50).
reviewed
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Schwarma Co
It’s a cafe with a raised terrace overlooking the street, and a popular place to come for a Middle Eastern fix. It looks a bit like a standard kebab place from the outside but is far from it – excellent quality ingredients are used in the delicious platters of schwarma and kebabs, which come with bowls of pickles, olives, tahini and (particularly good) hummus as standard
reviewed
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I
Geet
The best place in Pretoria for a spice fix, Geet dishes up delicate and aromatic north Indian curries full of fresh herbs and spices. The dining room has lots of little nooks to get lost in and there’s a 2nd-floor balcony from where to look down on the street action. There’s an excellent range of dishes for vegetarians and a long list of ‘mocktails’.
reviewed
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J
Moyo
The newest kid in the uShaka complex, Moyo is more novelty than quality cuisine and a fun (if noisy) night out. The concept is great – the decor features sculptures and decorations from recycled materials – and there’s face painting, fabulous tableside serenades and bands of a high quality. But the food simply doesn’t match the entertainment pizzazz.
reviewed
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K
Rosehurst
Behind a rather chintzy gift shop in this lovely Victorian house is a delightful oasis – a quintessential English garden in the middle of ‘Maritzburg – complete with topiary trees, quaint chairs and tables. Relax under blossoms and pink bougainvillea while supping on fresh and very tasty salads, sandwiches and pastries. There’s good breakfasts, too.
reviewed
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L
Gramadoela’s
This 40-year-old restaurant is in its third incantation at Market Theatre, after stints in Hillbrow and Joubert Park. The restaurant’s dining room brims with curios and character, and has been graced by politicians, film stars and musicians, from the Clintons and Elton John to Morgan Freeman. The vibrant cuisine is a mixture of authentic African and Cape Malay.
reviewed
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Pesto
The red satin underpants and tea-towels in this Italian eatery’s window display would have you think ‘and what’s for pudding?!’ These skimpy items are not alluding to a striptease, but allude – or so we presume – to the washing lines of Italian villages. Needless to reveal, the pasta is fresh, tasty and very saucy.
reviewed
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M
News Café
This perennially popular branch of the News Café chain has a large terrace, a big-screen TV showing 24-hour news and free wi-fi. There’s an extensive breakfast menu as well as decent burgers and sandwiches, and an always-friendly vibe. It’s a good place to sit back with a book and a coffee, or surf the ’net for a couple of hours.
reviewed
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Food Barn
Masterchef Franck Dangereaux might have opted for the less stressful life in Noordhoek, but this doesn’t mean that his latest operation skimps on quality. Expect rustic, delicious bistro dishes; the three-course set dinner menu including a carafe of wine is a steal at R165. The deli stocks their baked goods and other locally sources edibles.
reviewed
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Neighbourgoods Market
Reserve Saturday morning for this brilliant ecofriendly, organic food market where some 90-odd vendors gather, serving everything from artisanal breads and tapanades to crepes and champagne. While here, also browse the design goods and kinder goods sections, selling fashions, accessories and kids’ clothes and toys by breakout Capetonian designers.
reviewed
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O
Aubergine
Harald Bresselschmidt is one of Cape Town’s most consistent chefs, producing highly creative yet unfussy dishes – his soufflés are divine. Service and ambiance are equally impeccable. A sommelier is on hand to advise on wine and service is uniformly excellent. From 5 to 7pm they only serve champagne, oysters and hors d’oeuvres.
reviewed
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P
Emily’s
Flamboyant in both its décor and approach to cooking, Emily’s beautifully presented dishes are a visual treat and make creative use of local produce. There’s also an epic wine list.
reviewed
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Cape Malay Restaurant
It’s dinner only at this long-running outpost of haute Cape Malay cooking, but pitch up earlier to enjoy the hotel’s splendid gardens or sip a cocktail in the chic Martini Bar. The three-course set meal might include refined versions of dishes such as smoor snoek (a soupy fish stew) and malva pudding.
reviewed
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Q
Cynthia’s Indigo Moon
The dining room of this Pretoria favourite exudes warmth. Gently lit, plastered with framed posters of all descriptions and surrounded by a colossal wine cellar, it has the buzz of a New York neighbourhood bistro. The place is best-known for its excellent steaks, which dominate the menu, but the fresh fish dishes aren’t bad either.
reviewed
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Gold
Based inside the Gold of Africa Museum the main deal here is the evening set meal and show, which includes, should you so choose, a djembe drumming session (R75 extra) at 6.30pm. The well-cooked, eat-as-much-as-you-like, Cape Malay and African cuisine buffet is complemented by a life-sized Malian puppet show.
reviewed
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Fishpaste
Fishpaste is a rare thing - a Free State restaurant with a trendy, funky interior and an interesting modern fusion menu. Choose from blackened Canadian salmon with green-bean salad, Vietnamese prawn rolls or rolled pork fillet. The fashionably black-clad staff are super-friendly, the bar is buzzy and the prices extremely reasonable.
reviewed