5 Best Restaurants in The Northern Cape, South Africa

What a nice and welcome surprise! Good coffee is generally hard to find in such remote parts, but the owners here have got this right. Though they are not quite baristas, their "flat whites" nevertheless taste like real coffee. The café is also a deli, stocking yummy chutneys (try the peach), relishes, and more. It's got a nice atmosphere and serves good, hearty lunches (it closes at 5). One interesting fact to know is that the owners' husbands work for opposing engineering firms, but that hasn't hindered their cooperation. If you're headed toward Springbok, it's worth calling ahead for a table; there are not many good places to eat here.

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.

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.

You can drop in for a meal or just a drink at the bar in this large, rowdy, and rustic franchise steak house and wine cellar. Wine bottles are packed into the walls from floor to ceiling, and numerous archways give the place a Mediterranean feel. A South African institution, Dros is best-known for in good hearty steaks, whilst other specialties include burgers and pizza. Overlooking a car park and a mall, there is seating outside and inside, and it's open daily from 9 am until late.

Burgers made with the finest ingredients, slabs of meat grilled to perfection, and absolute pride taken in making every plate a miniature masterpiece—Red Ox has high ambitions, as evidenced by both the food and the smart decor, which features lots of mirrors and a collection of paintings by the late landscape artist Walter Meyer. In addition to the menu of meat dishes (vegetarians note that, the menu states, quite explicitly, "No Meat, No Life"), there's a Sunday breakfast buffet, daily chalkboard specials, and options inspired by local tastes.