8 Best Restaurants in The Western Cape and Winelands, South Africa

For the true flavor of West Coast life, come to this open-air seafood restaurant on the beach south of Lambert's Bay. You'll watch fish cooked over blazing fires, snoek smoked in an old drum covered with burlap, and bread baked in a clay oven. Prepare to eat as much as you can of the fixed-price meal, using your hands or mussel shells as spoons. Be sure to try some of the local specialties like bokkoms (pungent dried fish) and waterblommetjiebredie (water-flower stew). Crayfish cost extra, but don't order them unless you have an enormous appetite. The restaurant consists of nothing more than a circular boma (enclosure) of packed muisbos (a local shrub whose name means "mouse bush") and haphazardly arranged benches and tables.

Reserve well in advance for the buffet lunch here at one of the Cape's most beautiful and historic wineries. A wide selection of soups, quiches, and pâtés prefaces a bewildering array of cold and hot main dishes, including pickled fish, roasts, and imaginative salads; traditional Cape dishes are well prepared. End with an excellent sampling of South African cheeses and preserves or a quintessentially Cape dessert such as malva pudding. Unobtrusive, professional, but friendly service complements the bounty, priced at R260 a head.

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.

Don't be fooled by the appearance of this tiny rustic bistro with retro garden area. The sensational and ever-changing blackboard menu is the ultimate in fresh, local fare. It features just-caught seafood, foraged plants such as wild spinach, and, occasionally, game meat. Oep ve Koep offers a limited menu, so fussy eaters beware. There is also an on-site bakery where you can pick up fresh bread and delicious South African pastries like koeksisters and milk tart. Reservations recommended.

At the Tulbagh Hotel, the Olive Terrace Bistro serves local wines and tasty food on a pretty terrace shaded by white karee tree on summer days. In winter there's a cozy indoor dining area with a roaring fire and a view of the snow-covered mountains. The à la carte menu features South African dishes made with locally sourced produce and homemade breads, jams, and chutneys. The menu is fairly broad and has a decent selection for vegetarians and vegans. 

Hidden in the center of town, Spek and Bone is a cozy restaurant with a lush courtyard whose tables and chairs are set under a canopy of vines. The menu focuses on what they call tapas, although they have an international flair rather than a strong Spanish influence. The set menu consists of seven dishes. There is an excellent wine menu to accompany the hearty dishes, featuring award-winners produced at nearby vineyards. This is one of six restaurants from South African celebrity chef and pioneering foodie, Bertus Basson, lovingly named after his two beloved pets.

If you're looking for a day trip, Waverley Hills Estate is a 20-minute drive from Tulbagh. This 320-acre estate is known for its organic wines with robust fynbos characteristics. As you drive onto the farm, keep a lookout for the ducks that do "snail patrol" through the vineyards. Waverley Hills also produces a range of organic olive products, which can be sampled in the tasting room. The restaurant, with panoramic views of the valley, serves South African–inspired cuisine such as smoked snoek pâte, olive tapenade, black mussels, and pork belly with sweet chili jam. They also offer chicken, hot dogs, and pizza for the little ones. A five-course organic food-and-wine pairing experience costs about R300 per person for either lunch or dinner (reservations essential). The restaurant is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner (twice a week), and picnic baskets can be ordered in advance. Given the dining options on site, this makes for a great day.