Fodor's Expert Review Societi Bistro

This much-loved neighborhood bistro offers a reliable and seasonal menu of French- and Italian-style classics. In a renovated 19th-century Georgian-style home just off Kloof Street, the dining room is all exposed brick and wooden floors, with roaring fires in the winter and a large, lovely garden in the summer. Classics like Caesar salad, spaghetti carbonara, and mushroom risotto are all consistently excellent. The roasted half chicken with crispy potatoes or sirloin with hand-cut chips and béarnaise sauce are also winners. A small but well-chosen wine list and perpetually convivial atmosphere add zing. The adjacent snug bar is a great place for a predinner cocktail or postprandial whiskey, though be aware that smoking is allowed.