The top restaurants in South Africa (many of whom we are proud to call our longstanding clients) were announced at the prestigious 2022 Eat Out Woolworths Restaurant Awards on Sunday 20 November at GrandWest in Cape Town. The industry was celebrated in a glitzy display of gourmet food, trend setting drinks and fantastic entertainment, which had over 700 guests, including some of SA’s top celebrities, roaring in multiple standing ovations.
After a two-year COVID hiatus, the event was a huge success and a testament to the incredible resilience of our industry. This year opened a new chapter by introducing a star rating system, instead of ranking restaurants in a top 20. This means more restaurants across the spectrum of dining were honoured – from fine dining to casual cafes.
To be included, each restaurant had to achieve a minimum rating of 70 points out of 100. This was based on several factors including the quality of their food, wine list, décor, ambience and service. One star was awarded to those restaurants who scored 70 – 80, two stars to those scoring 80 – 90, and three stars to those scoring 90+, with Restaurant of the Year awarded to the restaurant with the highest score.
The highly respected judging panel included Michelin-starred chef and restaurateur Jan Hendrik van der Westhuizen, chef Karen Dudley, sommelier Moses Magwaza, food activist and cookbook author Mokgadi Itsweng, and food writer and broadcaster Anna Trapido.
Here are the restaurants that were allocated stars, plus the special award winners:
1 STAR RESTAURANTS
- Beyond, Constantia Cape Town
- Chefs Warehouse Tintswalo, Hout Bay, Cape Town
- Clara’s Barn, Stellenbosch
- Culinary Table, Lanseria
- Emazulwini, Waterfront, Cape Town
- Epice, Franschhoek
- Farro, Botrivier
- Forti Grill & Bar Menlyn Pretoria,
- Hemelhuijs, Cape Town CBD
- Indochine, Stellenbosch
- Les Creatifs Restaurant, Bryanston, Johannesburg
- Marble Restaurant, Rosebank, Johannesburg
- Modern Tailors, Rosebank, Johannesburg
- Ouzeri, Cape Town CBD
- Post & Pepper, Stellenbosch
- Riva Fish Restaurant, De Waterkant, Cape Town
- Rust en Vrede, Stellenbosch
- Rykaart’s, Stellenbosch
- Sejour, Houghton Estate, Johannesburg
- The Melting Pot, Elgin
- The Shortmarket Club JHB, Rosebank, Johannesburg
- Table at De Meye, Stellenbosch
- TTK Fledgelings, Cape Town CBD
- Waterside, Waterfront, Cape Town
- The Werf Restaurant at Boschendal, Franschhoek
- Ukko, Bryanston, Johannesburg
2 STAR RESTAURANTS
- Arkeste, Franschhoek
- Belly of The Beast, Cape Town CBD
- Chefs Warehouse Beau Constantia, Cape Town
- ëlgr, Cape Town CBD
- Foxcroft, Constantia, Cape Town
- FYN, Cape Town CBD
- La Petite Colombe, Franschhoek
- Spek en Bone, Stellenbosch
- The Potluck Club, Woodstock, Cape Town
- The Test Kitchen Carbon, Rosebank, Johannesburg
- Zioux, Sandton, Johannesburg
3 STAR RESTAURANTS
- La Colombe, Constantia, Cape Town
- Pier, Waterfront, Cape Town
- Salsify at The Roundhouse, Camps Bay
- The LivingRoom at Summerhill Estate, Cowies Hill
- Wolfgat, Paternoster
SPECIAL AWARDS:
Eat Out Woolworths Restaurant of The Year – The LivingRoom at Summerhill Guest Estate
Eat Out Woolworths Financial Services Chef of The Year – John Norris-Rogers of PIER
Eat Out WCellar Wine Service Award – Victor Okolo from Salsify at The Roundhouse
Eat Out Naked Malt Rising Star Award – Mmabatho Molefe from Emazulwini
Eat Out Woolworths Financial Services Service Excellence Award – Forti Grill & Bar in Menlyn
Eat Out Valpré Lannice Snyman Lifetime Achievement Award – Rudi Liebenberg
Eat Out Woolworths Lockdown Innovation Award – Liam Tomlin
Eat Out Woolworths Sustainability Award – FABER at Avondale
Eat Out VISI Style Award – Zioux
Eat Out Stella Artois Best Destination Restaurant Award – Nevermind in Cape St Francis
Eat Out Woolworths Icon Award – La Madeleine in Pretoria
Eat Out Retail Capital Best New Restaurant Award – Dusk in Stellenbosch
Here’s wishing all a big congratulations and continued success in the years ahead!
