Showing once again why we have one of the best restaurant landscapes on the continent, South Africa’s dining scene shows no signs of slowing down. From neighbourhood wine bars and all-day social spaces to ramen counters, fire-driven kitchens and seriously ambitious dining rooms, there is plenty to get excited about. Here are ten of the newest restaurants worth adding to your must-visit list.
BURI
CAPE TOWN
Few things are more unmistakably South African than a boerie roll, which makes Buri’s approach to the humble classic all the more interesting. Rather than reinventing it beyond recognition, the team behind Belly of the Beast, Galjoen and Seebamboes, has taken something familiar and treated it with the care it deserves.
You’ll notice the smell of charcoal before you even walk in, and inside, the vibe is relaxed and welcoming, almost an elevated fast-food diner feel. The custom boerewors, made with Frankie Fenner Meat Merchants, is the highlight, with choices from the classic O.G. to more creative options like the Special. With double-fried chips, great onion rings, tasty sauces, and fresh mini doughnuts, Buri shows that sometimes sticking to your roots is the best move.
99 Harrington Street, Cape Town
www.buri.co.za
AMAZON MENLYN
PRETORIA
Amazon Menlyn isn’t the kind of place for a quick bite. With space for about 400 guests, it’s meant to be an all-day spot where brunch can turn into lunch, cocktails, and dinner. The interior mixes lots of greenery with bold materials like timber, brass, and glowing onyx, making it feel more like an urban rainforest than a typical shopping-centre restaurant.
The food takes its cues from Brazil and South America, with Japanese influences appearing throughout the menu. Start with crispy chilli-lime squid, ceviche or wagyu nigiri before moving on to hardwood-fired picanha, grilled queen prawns or sea bass. Then there are churros, Brazilian pavê and grilled pineapple with rum caramel for those who still have room.
Menlyn Park, Pretoria
www.amazonmenlyn.co.za
BARE
CAPE TOWN
Bare takes the idea of an all-day restaurant and gives it a distinctly Cape Town personality. Set on Shortmarket Street, the 34-seater moves easily from daytime brunch spot to intimate evening bistro, with warm lighting and an interior that feels polished without becoming pretentious.
The menu is small and focused on comforting dishes with a twist. You’ll find Sunday roast, fish and chips with lime aioli, cheese and charcuterie, and smaller plates for sharing. Brunch is just as appealing, especially the boozy custard French toast with berries and mascarpone. Fun extras include truffle popcorn and matcha green tiramisu. It’s a great spot for lunch, after-work drinks, or dinner that turns into another round.
90 Shortmarket Street, Cape Town
www.wearebare.co.za
CULTURE WINE BAR NEWLANDS
CAPE TOWN
Cape Town’s wine-bar culture has been steadily expanding, and Culture’s arrival in Newlands feels like a natural next step. Created by chef and restaurateur Matt Manning, the new neighbourhood wine bar takes inspiration from the small, welcoming wine bars found throughout Europe, where a good glass of wine is accompanied by something simple to eat, and nobody is in too much of a hurry to leave.
That philosophy is what makes Culture Newlands so appealing. The focus is on wine without the usual intimidation, with the restaurant aiming to create a space for everyone from serious wine lovers to people who want a good glass after work. Small plates and tapas are designed to sit alongside the wine, while the warm, intimate setting gives the Southern Suburbs its own version of the Culture experience. No fuss, no snobbery, just good wine, good food and somewhere you’ll probably want to linger.
Kildare Centre, corner Kildare Road and Main Street, Newlands, Cape Town
www.culturenewlands.com
SMEUL
PAARL
There is something particularly ideal about opening a restaurant built around fire in the Winelands. At Zomerlust in Paarl, chef Kevin Grobler has made fire, smoke and flame the starting point for SMEUL, a restaurant that puts the ingredients of the Boland firmly in the spotlight.
The cooking is rooted in seasonality and local produce, but the approach is anything but old-fashioned. Kevin, who previously worked under Jan Hendrik van der Westhuizen in Nice, France, brings a global perspective to the menu, using fire as both a cooking method and a way of building flavour. Expect food that ranges from beautifully charred ingredients to more refined dishes that let technique do the talking. The setting helps too: Zomerlust’s historic estate and oak-filled gardens give SMEUL a sense of place that many new restaurants spend years trying to create. Think grilled cabbage, brown butter breadcrumbs, parsley emulsion with prosciutto to start, and char siu pork belly, with textures of corn and fermented gooseberries to follow.
Zomerlust Boutique Hotel, 193 Main Road, Paarl
www.zomerlust.co.za/dine
RAMENHEAD KLOOF
CAPE TOWN
Ramenhead is swapping Parliament Street for Kloof Street, moving into a new home on one of Cape Town’s busiest dining strips. The larger space gives the restaurant room to expand while keeping the focus where it has always been: on seriously good bowls of ramen.
The kitchen’s tonkotsu broth is simmered for 18 hours, while the noodles are made fresh and the menu uses carefully selected Japanese ingredients. There is plenty to explore before the ramen arrives, too, from pork chashu bites and edamame to gyoza filled with aubergine and sweetcorn or an unusual ostrich and wagyu combination. For the main event, the restaurant’s rich broths and handmade noodles remain the draw. Add sake, shared plates and Kloof Street’s late-night energy, and it feels like a move that could suit both Ramenhead and its new neighbourhood perfectly.
75 Kloof Street, Gardens, Cape Town
www.ramenhead.co.za
KLEINSKY’S
V&A WATERFRONT & CONSTANTIA, CAPE TOWN
Some restaurant openings are exciting because they introduce something completely new. Others are exciting because a place you already love has found somewhere else to go. Kleinsky’s belongs firmly in the second category.
The much-loved Cape Town deli has expanded its reach with new locations at the V&A Waterfront and High Constantia Centre, bringing its New York-meets-Cape-Town approach to two very different parts of the city. The formula remains reassuringly familiar: freshly baked bagels, pastrami, challah, pastries and the sort of generous deli food that encourages you to order more than you intended. The pastrami Reuben remains a classic, while the bagel menu stretches from smoked salmon and cream cheese to schnitzel, teriyaki brisket and the beautiful Norm’s Classic.
It’s comfort food with history behind it, but Kleinsky’s has never been afraid to have a little fun with the classics either. Its commitment to authenticity and care in execution has made it one of our regular eating spots, whether it’s for a great breakfast or a quick lunch on the go.
V&A Waterfront and High Constantia Centre, Cape Town
www.kleinskys.co.za
THE WIGGLE ROOM
CAPE TOWN
The Wiggle Room is the kind of restaurant where you arrive knowing very little about what you’re going to eat, and that’s exactly the point. Behind blacked-out windows on Bree Street, this tiny 12-seater chef’s counter has loosened the traditional fine-dining formula.
Chef Ismail “Fish” Amos cooks without a fixed menu, allowing the evening to develop around his own music selection, while mixologist and sommelier Lester Riffel creates cocktails and wine pairings to match.
The menu changes regularly, which means there is no point trying to decide what to order before you arrive. Instead, you surrender to the kitchen and let the evening unfold. Courses can move from bold South African ingredients to unexpected combinations, with the chefs interacting directly with diners throughout. It’s fine dining, but with considerably more personality and considerably less stiffness.
61 Bree Street, Cape Town
www.wiggle.capetown
THE ROOM
EMDLOTI, KWAZULU-NATAL
The Room makes an immediate impression. Set within Marine Walk Shopping Centre in eMdloti, the new restaurant from the team behind Tyler’s has been designed as an intimate escape, with the atmosphere changing considerably as the evening progresses.
The interiors, created by designer Tristan du Plessis, take their inspiration from vintage recording studios, using rich textures, sculptural details and carefully controlled lighting to create a space that feels immersive without becoming overwhelming. The food follows a French bistro foundation with a distinctly South African edge. Cape Malay prawns, truffle tortellini and a wagyu sando sit alongside steak frites served tableside, a dedicated wagyu selection and an indulgent bottomless chocolate mousse. It is sophisticated without taking itself too seriously, with the energy gradually building as lunch or dinner gives way to the evening.
Marine Walk Shopping Centre, eMdloti, KwaZulu-Natal
@the.room__
VLĀMO
SANDTON
Vlāmo brings a distinctly Mediterranean feel to Sandton Gate, with a dramatic marble bar and an interior created to feel like an escape from the usual Sandton dining experience.
The menu takes a broad approach to the Mediterranean, bringing together seafood, pasta, charcoal cooking and influences from across the region. The menu includes garlic prawns, grilled artichokes, Mediterranean tuna carpaccio, and a seafood tower, while the larger plates range from beef pappardelle and seafood cappellacci to charcoal chicken and premium steaks. For something more indulgent, there is even locally produced wagyu. With an extensive wine list and a dedicated cocktail bar, Vlāmo is clearly designed for lingering, whether you’re settling in for dinner or simply staying for another drink.
Sandton Gate, 25 Minerva Avenue, Glenadrienne, Sandton
www.vlamo.restaurant
