38 Best Restaurants in South Africa

An East London institution, Buccaneers has been open since 1992, and not a lot has changed here in the last 20 years or so. There's hearty, unpretentious pub fare and atmosphere, lots of seafood, sports, draft beer aplenty, live music, raucous student nights, and spectacular sea views from the big sun-soaked wooden deck. The food and service aren't great, and neither is the decor inside, but there's usually plenty of atmosphere and on a hot, sunny Sunday afternoon it's an absolute must, at least for a drink or two, especially if you're staying at Sugarshack Backpackers next door. It's also a favorite with families and it has a kids menu.

Easy eating in a family-friendly atmosphere doesn't get much better than this café, deservedly beloved by the outdoorsy crowd that populates the Cape Peninsula. Sit outside under the oak trees or in, where reed-covered ceilings and a wood-burning stove create a cozy ambience, and enjoy hearty and tasty breakfasts and lunches. Comfort options like fettuccine with chicken in creamy herb sauce or a variety of burgers and wraps are balanced by healthy choices like seared tuna with a wasabi dressing and coriander, as well as unusually plentiful vegetarian and even vegan options. Breakfast treats include everything from muesli to a grilled bacon croissant, carb-free options, and great smoothies. Kids have their own menu and a dedicated play area, and freshly baked cakes and desserts are delicious and huge.

This family-friendly cafe has an extensive menu of pizzas, salads, sandwiches, cake, and coffee, as well as an added surprise—paint your own ceramics. Enjoy a light meal while you paint anything from dishes, bowls, vases, or figurines. With a large grassy area outside and a playground, this is a dream cafe for kids.  

The name of this laid-back cellar/tasting room, which spills out onto an open terrace and garden where children can run around and play, means "The Church Mouse" and a nod to what is a humble venue that is always striving for greatness. Service is incredibly friendly, and the food ranges from must-try pancakes stuffed with milk tart to delectable sirloin steaks, pork ribs, or gourmet burgers (made with two types of meat). It's a welcoming place, whether you come for a full meal, a serious tasting of the wines made using grapes grown along the Orange River, or a snack of decadent sweets accompanied by wine or coffee.

This lovely, casual restaurant at Die Mas van Kakamas Vineyards is a good place for a long, languid, pizza-and-wine lunch or a wine, brandy, or gin tasting that you can combine with the menu's reasonably priced and lovingly prepared pasta dishes or steaks. While waiting for your order, you can sit on the terrace overlooking the vineyards, and children can take a short stroll along a wooden walkway to see farm animals and a herd of springbuck that live nearby. The amenable cellar staff will show you around and discuss the wine-making and distilling processes. A second branch of this restaurant, Koker Kombuis, is at the quaint, quirky Die Pienk Padstal (The Pink Farm Stall) along Augrabies Road on the outskirts of Kakamas town. It's also wort of a visit, especially if you want breakfast or would like to buy boxes of grapes or some of the tastiest dates you'll ever eat.

Cecil John Rhodes used to stop for a drink at Halfway House, halfway between the Kimberley and Bultfontein mines, and because he was short, and it was difficult for him to mount and dismount, he was served on his horse. Today, Halfway House is a lively hotel with several restaurants—the best of which is Hussar Grill, a nationwide chain that many regard as the best steakhouse in Kimberley—and this lovely, relaxing courtyard café, where you can get excellent coffee, pizzas and flatbreads, and lovely cakes.

In an old homestead dating back to 1761, this is the spot for traditional Cape dishes like fragrant Malay chicken curry, hearty bobotie, and denningsvleis, a Cape Malay lamb stew flavored with tamarind. This is also a great place for tea. The lemon-meringue pie stands a mile high, and the chocolate cake is delicious. You can sit in the garden or on the verandah and watch the weaver birds go crazy in the nearby trees.

La Borie Wine Estate is nestled in the Paarl valley, with Paarl rock as its backdrop. Harvest, the on-site restaurant, offers elegant, relaxed dining for the whole family. You know you're in luck when you go to a restaurant headed up by Matthew Gordon, a fine chef who knows the business inside out. Enjoy an eclectic mix of South African cuisine on the oak-shaded terrace. Ingredients are sourced locally or grown in the restaurant's own garden. Look for free-range organic lamb, mussels, and fresh line fish. The menu also features scrumptious vegetarian options such as grilled large black mushrooms with a parsley crust and brown herb butter. The wine list includes wines from La Borie's own cellars and from KWV Wine Estate. Harvest is the winner of a Klink Award for best restaurant on a wine farm and has been voted among the top-10 most child-friendly restaurants, with a fabulous kids' menu that manages to avoid the tedious and overprocessed options so many other restaurants dish up.

Set in a 19th-century building at Groot Constantia, the Cape's oldest wine estate, this family- and group-friendly restaurant provides a hearty taste of the Cape's culinary heritage, as well as crowd-pleasers of the salads, burger, pasta variety. Traditional Cape Malay dishes worth trying include bobotie (spiced minced beef studded with dried fruit and topped with a savory baked custard), the karoo lamb curry, and smoked snoek (fragrant Cape oily fish) pâté. The South African dessert melktert, or milk tart—similar to baked custard—is both traditional and delicious, and the cheesecake is legendary.

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.

Right on the harbor, this cash-only establishment is the first choice for a generous portion of fish and chips. It's a great setting, and watching the waves break over the harbor wall when the sea is pounding (and you are inside) is thrilling, just be aware that the seagulls will fight for your leftovers, as will Robby, the resident seal. 

After a 20-minute drive out of Kimberley, you arrive in a blip-on-the-map farm town known as Ritchie, where George van der Merwe grows pecan nuts and brews a range of beers named for key moments and figures from Kimberley's history. He also has a restaurant where you can sample some beer; join George for a brewery tour; and settle in for steaks, burgers, or pizza. The vibe is extremely casual, with George's three doe-eyed dogs making the rounds and a large lawn that stretches down to the river where children can run around.

A Noordhoek-born business that has started expanding across the Cape, this tiny ice-cream store is the original location. From classic to funky flavors, and colorful kid flavors, this cafe will delight people of all ages and eating preferences as they have a selection of vegan, dairy-free, and sugar-free ice creams. Their freshly made cones are exceptionally good. 

As close to the Indian Ocean as you can get, this restaurant overlooking the main bathing beach has outside tables that are always packed with families sipping milk shakes or friends sharing a bottle of wine and having a bite to eat off a menu with broad appeal. Not the best food on offer in the area, but an unbeatable location.

Chef-owner Marc Friederich is a foodie with an instinctive feel for what will work. And work his restaurant does: it's consistently full, consistently interesting, and always a pleasure to eat in. What to choose? There's a Lebanese mezze for starters made up of mouthwatering dips, dolmades, falafel, and warm pitas for scooping, or you could opt for Marc's fish soup with a dash of ouzo and aioli crostini. For entrées there's organic beef, paella, or free-range duck breast with a fruity salsa. Children are also well looked after—there's spaghetti with tomato sauce, a choice of burgers with fries, and vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce as part of the deal for a very reasonable R50. Marc also serves as sommelier, so the wine list is comprehensive and he can help you with food-and-wine pairings.

Slick back your hair, put on your blue suede shoes, and sashay into this red-and-white checkered diner for a burger and fries or an indulgent chocolate toffee sundae. Posters of Elvis, the Beatles, and Marilyn Monroe adorn the turquoise walls while music from a jukebox plays classic tunes. Vintage motorcycles and a flamingo-pink roadster complete the scene.

Having begun as a pizza joint, this casual Hout Bay eatery located in an old barn now serves a range of delightfully simple Italian fare from antipasti to pastas, as well as what is still arguably Cape Town's best pizza. The "spuntini" or antipasti include classics like Italian meatballs, Caprese salad, and panfried spinach with toasted pine nuts. Pastas are great, but pizza is why you are here. Gluten-free options, craft beers, and warm service and an uber-casual ambience all make this place a local favorite. A small play area in the front and a huge one in the back make this a super family-friendly venue.  For groups of six or more, book ahead for the great-value and super-fun "Italian Feast" sharing option.

At Mike's Kitchen in Parktown, you'll find an extensive menu with hearty fare and a convivial atmosphere. The steak house is housed in an old mansion called Eikenlaan, which was built in 1903 for James Goch, a professional photographer and the first to use flash photography in South Africa. In 1985 the home was turned into a franchise of the Mike's Kitchen steak-house chain. There's a garden for kids to play in.

Sample the authentic tastes of Mozambique without ever crossing the border at this funky, vibrant restaurant. The eatery's rustic charm extends from the interior design to the service to the food, which has Portuguese, Arab, Indian, and Goan influences. Seafood and chicken are specialties and appear in some irresistible combinations—try the specialty seafood platter—and you can enjoy a cocktail while the kids are entertained in their own section. Dining here is definitely a case of eat, mess, and be merry. It's usually busy, so not ideal for a quiet rendezvous, but this diner has been so successful over the past decade that several franchise stores have since opened across the country. 

Next to the Seal Point Lighthouse, this restaurant, bakery, and deli has brought a sophisticated touch to the laidback holiday resort of Cape St Francis. At the helm is Wesley Randles, a celebrated Cape Town chef who moved to the Eastern Cape with his family, which has allowed him to be more adventurous with fresh seafood ingredients, bake decadent treats (like chocolate-filled doughnuts), and integrate a profound knowledge of sensual flavors with a knack for creative plating. Dishes are imaginative and flavorsome, and range from rib-eye steaks and burgers to prawns in a wood-roasted coriander "mojo" (which means "special sauce"). That said, you can also sit here and stare dreamily through the wraparound windows, watching the waves battering the promontory and admiring the old lighthouse as you sip coffee, nibble on delectable wood-fired potato bread, or slurp down fresh oysters. There's a take-away hatch where you can stock up on sourdough loaves or buy homemade ice cream.

Be sure to book a table outside near the lily pond at this relaxed restaurant that serves Cape-meets-Mediterranean-style food in a fabulous country setting. Though the menu is fairly small, you'll still be hard-pressed to make a choice between such tasty options as lamb tagine (stew) served with preserved lemon, venison shanks slow-cooked in red wine and flavored with juniper, and beef fillet dressed with a cracked-peppercorn-and-brandy sauce. If all that sounds too rich for a hot summer's day, try the chicken salad with a lightly curried mayonnaise sauce, almonds, and apricots. On Sundays a Mediterranean buffet (R190) lets you choose from 20 tapas and four main courses; dessert is not included. There's a good kids' menu, and children can have fun in the boats on the nearby dam or play on the lawn while you keep a watchful eye on them.