Cape Town
As much a cultural experience as a gastronomic one, Mzansi rates highly among travellers. Food is served buffet-style and features some traditional dishes…
Must-see restaurants in South Africa
West Coast & Swartland
This open-air restaurant offers a multicourse seafood buffet featuring traditional stews, salads and a range of smoked, baked and braaied fish. Allow…
Northern Cape
Locals swear that Zest serves the best coffee in town. It also has one of the most appealing menus, featuring salads, seafood, a decadent chicken dish…
Sea Point to Hout Bay
A hip homage to classic New York Jewish delis, Kleinsky's is a great casual daytime option, offering dishes such as toasted bagels with smoked salmon or…
Green Point & Waterfront
The Kalk Bay institution has set up shop at the Waterfront with a good white-tablecloth restaurant on the ground floor (ask for a table on the deck…
Drakensberg & uKhahlamba-Drakensberg Park
Baguettes, croissants and a range of sticky treats are baked on the premises (the owners even grow and grind their wheat). A quaint wrought-iron veranda…
Eastern Cape
Across a bridge from the main part of the village is this charmingly rustic farmhouse on a working dairy farm, where you can sit under the trees sampling…
Port Elizabeth
One of the most attractive restaurants in Richmond Hill, Two Olives serves a range of Spanish-, Portuguese- and Greek-inspired dishes in its busy dining…
Cape Town
Bookings are required for this charming 'pizza parla' that's found its natural home in Obs. Diego is the pizza maestro and Kikki the bubbly host and…
Western Cape
You can sample true local cooking at this restaurant overlooking the ocean in Kassiesbaai. It's a cheap and very cheerful place serving South African…
Cape Town
This all-day dining operation has a grand beachside position with swoon-worthy views of Table Mountain. The broad menu includes plenty of seafood, steaks,…
West Coast & Swartland
Locals are loving this excellent addition to Clanwilliam's otherwise uninspiring culinary scene. There's plenty of choice on the menu, from pizzas to…
Eastern Cape
Hallelujah! Storms River finally gets the cafe it so deserves. This atmospheric place offers tasty meals, including delicious pancakes and pizzas, as well…
Garden Route
Boasting one of Mossel Bay’s best locations, this low-key restaurant has picnic tables on the sand overlooking the ocean. Most of the dishes – including…
Route 62
Grab a spot under the trees and enjoy a lunch of home-baked pie and salad or a slice of cake with Montagu's best cup of coffee. There's a kids' play area…
Sunshine Coast
Just off the river front, Ocean Basket is a hot favourite among fish lovers. Nautically themed and run by a dynamic team, its seafood is a cut above most…
Durban
In a city that boasts a huge Indian population, this place is about as good as Indian food gets in Durban's restaurant scene. The outside looks like it…
Eastern Cape
This atmospheric hotel dining room has dark-wood panelling and richly upholstered furnishings in 19th-century English style. Service is attentive, and the…
Limpopo
If you’ve emerged from Kruger feeling like a hungry lion, stop here for some pub grub. It's a very meat-driven menu – for a lean steak alternative try the…
Route 62
With a small menu specialising in traditional South African fare, this long-running restaurant is set in an attractive old house and garden. After your…
Port Elizabeth
This snazzy cafe-cum-bakery makes splendid breakfasts, sandwiches, wraps, salads and addictive goodies as well as serving excellent coffee at affordable…
Northern Cape
Based in one of the town's oldest houses, Sutherland's best restaurant is cosy, tiny and very popular, so bookings are essential. The menu – like others…
Simon's Town & Southern Peninsula
Relaxed, beachcomber-chic cafe, with a menu big on seafood – from mussel-and-chorizo pasta to Jamie Oliver's beer-battered fish and chips. The Lighthouse…
Western Cape
Prince Albert’s smartest dining option has an ever-changing menu featuring modern takes on local classics such as Karoo lamb and game steaks. There are…
Winelands
As well as excellent coffee roasted on-site, you'll find a selection of cakes, plus tasty salads and sandwiches made with the freshest ingredients. Locals…
Sunshine Coast
Fresh ingredients, great coffee (and tea!), terrific waffles, savoury pancakes and crêpes, and top-notch smoothies make for a winning combination at this…
Western Cape
All bread is baked daily on-site and everything else is homemade too. The ocean-facing deck is a great place for a sandwich, a salad or just a coffee…
Winelands
Based in the Tulbagh Hotel, this restaurant serves a range of dishes including a few vegetarian options. The shady terrace is a delight in the Tulbagh…
Johannesburg
Taking inspiration from global street food, La Boqueria serves up gourmet snacks and meals in a dramatic double-storey space with walls covered with…
Cape Town
With a seasonal menu featuring dishes such as slow-cooked lamb with nettles and whisky mustard, Foxcroft is a delectable addition to the Southern Suburbs…
Johannesburg
Low lighting, slick tunes, a decked-out cocktail bar and waiters who happily skip down a flight of stairs to serve – Lucky Bean is one of most atmospheric…
Cape Town
This simple shopfront serves silky, decadent ice cream - definitely some of the best in the city. You'll usually find around a dozen of their 50-or-so…
Johannesburg
The whitewashed walls and simple decor of this little hole-in-the-wall eatery belie the excellence of the food on offer. Specialising in Neapolitan pizzas…
Johannesburg
The Cheese Gourmet sells a dizzying selection of South African cheeses, olives, breads and spreads. The staff members are incredibly knowledgable,…
Hoi Polloi Bistro & Boutique Caffe
Free State
A split-level restaurant adorned from top to bottom in oddities, antiques and memorabilia – but with two distinct menus. The creaky but elegant upstairs…
Johannesburg
Bergbron Plaaskombuis serves authentic Afrikaans cooking at rock-bottom prices in a setting right out of the South African Karoo. Modeled after a…
Mpumalanga
Locals and weekenders in the know head 5km west of town to dine beneath metalwork chandeliers in this barn-like contemporary space, its terrace…
Johannesburg
Opened in 2018 on a street crammed with popular high-end restaurants, Kolonaki became an immediate 'must-book-well-in-advance' kind of place. This modern…
Johannesburg
Chef James Diack owns several restaurants in Jo'burg, serving food primarily from his family's farm in the nearby town of Magaliesburg. Il Contadino is…
Johannesburg
In a city filled with high-end tapas bistros, NGC is among the best. Situated on an unlikely corner in the quiet suburb of Blairgowrie, NGC (which stands…
