5 Best Restaurants in The Northern Cape, South Africa

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.

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.

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.