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We sampled the 7 best restaurants in Stellenbosch!
One of the oldest towns in South Africa, Stellenbosch is certainly one of the more interesting and culturally significant locales in the country. The town, famous for its wine farms and cultural exports such as art and food, is a great destination for visitors and locals who want to learn more about South African culture and history.
Most importantly for me, it’s a town close to my heart because of how my ouma would take me and my family there for nice, relaxing vacations with great food.
Want to know the best places to sample the cuisine of such a storied town? We looked into Stellenbosch’s culinary scene and found some of the best restaurants.
Rust en Vrede Wine Estate
Media from rustenvrede1694
Website: https://rustenvrede.com/
Address: Annandale Rd
Phone: +27 21 881 3881
Price: $$
Rust en Vrede is a luxurious restaurant and wine estate serving some of Stellenbosch’s more unpredictable culinary offerings. With a menu that changes daily based on available wines and ingredients, this three-century-old restaurant is sure to keep you on your toes.
I visited Rust en Vrede on a trip to Stellenbosch with my partner, and we were both immediately impressed by the beautiful decor and scenery. The restaurant had an outdoor dining area and a wine tasting area, and it was right next to a lush, green vineyard.
We opted for the four-course meal consisting of an appetiser, first and second courses, and a dessert. The braised oxtail, pan-seared yellowtail, and white chocolate mousse tasted wonderful, especially for the price!
These were paired well with a comprehensive list of wines, which were the real stars of the show, in my opinion. Their wines have been perfected over centuries, and they’ve been the recipient of awards such as the Michelangelo International Wine and Spirits Awards.
| Pro tip: If you’re a wine aficionado or just want a taste of some globally acclaimed wines, consider joining the Rust en Vrede Wine Club! They offer newsletters, curated boxes of wine, and exclusive deals on meals at the estate! |
La Pineta
Media from: lapineta
Website: https://www.forest44.co.za/la-pineta-restaurant/
Address: R44, Stellenbosch NU
Phone: +27 21 880 0293
Price: $
Located near the Cape Winelands, La Pineta offers a comprehensive menu, food made from the freshest ingredients, and a stunning view of Table Mountain and the Winelands. With a lounge and bar area for adults as well as an outdoor play area for kids, the restaurant is a great fine dining experience for the whole family.
I went to Stellenbosch to visit my extended family, and La Pineta was a great place to catch up over some delicious, freshly made food. The kids had a ton of fun in the park, and we were able to dine in their open-air, fireplace-lit dining area.
La Pineta offers a wide selection on its menu, from classics like the American beef burger and a whole selection of freshly made pizzas to South African staples like traditional oxtail. They even had this unique oxtail pizza, which was such an interesting take!
| Pro tip: If you get there early enough, you can try out La Pineta’s breakfast menu. They offer unique breakfast items with funny names, such as “The Cereal Killer,” which is a slice of sourdough with poached eggs, bacon, tomatoes, and mushrooms. |
Mont Marie Restaurant
Website: montmarie.co.za
Address: Blaauwklippen Rd
Phone: +27 21 880 0777
Price: $$$
Mont Marie offers a unique, luxury riverside dining experience with a fusion cuisine menu using South African ingredients and cooking techniques. With both outdoor and indoor dining areas, you can enjoy the view of the Blaauwklippen River from your table.
The restaurant specialises in your standard luxury dining fare, with a wide selection of pizzas (including a pulled pork and pineapple pizza hilariously named the “Peppa Pig”) and main entrees like pork belly and catch of the day fish.
My personal favourite was the venison loin, a real South African approach to venison that was seared and cooked beautifully. I also enjoyed the fact that, especially for the price, their serving sizes were quite large and accommodated me and my family.
| Pro tip: Mont Marie has vegan and gluten-free options, such as Caesar salad, broccoli and burrata salad, and a breakfast health bowl which consists of Greek yoghurt, berry compote, and seasonal fruits. |
Post & Pepper Restaurant
Media from: postandpepper
Website: https://postandpepper.co.za/#home
Address: Unit 001, Oude Postkantoor, c\o Bird and, Plein St
Phone: +27 21 203 5165
Price: $
Priding itself as the “home of fun dining,” Post & Pepper foregoes the typical aesthetics and atmosphere of fine dining. Located in the former Stellenbosch Post Office, this restaurant’s wooden decor, cosy, light ambience, affordable prices, and focus on quality over quantity through a relatively more limited menu make fine dining accessible and lively.
Post & Pepper has three separate menus: one for lunch, one for dinner, and a vegan menu. I opted for their dinner menu, which was a set, 3-course meal with a respectable number of options to choose from.
The real standout of the menu, in my opinion, was the potato roosterkoeks served as an appetiser. It’s a traditional South African bread, typically served as a side to a barbecue or a braai. It’s a bread that’s near and dear to my heart!
| Pro tips: For wine lovers, Post & Pepper has a small but exclusive list of locally sourced wines from Stellenbosch that customers can order from. Book a reservation here, and observe their smart casual dress code upon dining. |
Good to Gather
Media from: goodtogather
Website: https://goodtogather.co.za/
Address: Rozendal Farm, Omega Rd, Rozendal
Phone: +27 71 610 0855
Price: $$
Good to Gather prides itself on fresh, farm-to-table food and empowering the local farming community.
While its limited, weekend-only only and booking-only dining schedule makes it a tad less accessible than other options on the list, this restaurant is a great fit for customers who want an intimate outdoor dining experience. It has an al fresco dining area and a revolving menu, which changes every week.
The menu that my partner and I were given during our date there consisted of sourdough and rosemary focaccia and cheese souffles for the appetiser, shoulder of lamb and courgette and fennel for the main course, and seasonally inspired sweets for dessert.
As we were selecting our meals, our server made sure to include little vignettes and anecdotes about the farms, farmers, and ingredients used to prepare our meals. It made the whole dining experience more personal!
| Pro tip: Want to bring a taste of Good to Gather back home or just see more of the area? You can spend some time after your meal exploring their gorgeous garden or shopping for meats, cheeses, and wines at their deli. |
Fat Butcher
Media from: fatbutcher_sa
Website: 1 Van Riebeeck St, Stellenbosch Central
Address: fatbutcher.co.za
Phone: +27 21 883 3857
Price: $$
Fat Butcher is, simply put, a meat lover’s mecca. I took my father here for Father’s Day, and we immediately had our mouths watering at the menu provided. It not only consisted of classic cuts, like sirloin and beef fillet, but it also had burgers, risottos, lamb, and local dishes, like oxtail and beef bourguignon.
While we did order some of their more standard options, we were also very curious about their signature steaks.
I opted for “The Drostdy,” which was a steak escargot with creamy peri-peri chicken liver and caramelised garlic sauce; meanwhile, my father went for “The Grosvenor,” a steak aux champignon (with mushrooms and black truffles).
My steak was incredible, with the creamy, tangy sauce cutting through the rich, savoury flavour of the steak, and my father was most pleased with his steak, as it was earthy, umami, and cooked to a perfect medium rare.
| Pro tip: Want to cook your own steaks at home? Fat Butcher also has—surprise, surprise—a butcher shop that sells prime cuts and even steak knives for that perfect cut! |
Stellenbosch Kitchen
Media from: stellenbosch_kitchen
Website: stellenboschkitchen.co.za
Address: Dorp St &, Andringa St, Stellenbosch Central
Contact: +27 21 883 2893
Price: $$
Bearing the name of your town in your business name can create a lot of expectations. Thankfully, Stellenbosch Kitchen does deliver on the promise of representing the town’s culinary arts through its inclusion of traditional South African food with a modern twist.
I took a friend to the restaurant as he was visiting the town so I could give him an authentic Stellenbosch dining experience, and we weren’t disappointed!
Their menu is extensive, including pizzas, burgers, breakfast items, and meals for kids. However, where they really shine is in their South African-inspired main course dishes.
My friend, a pescatarian, was a particularly big fan of the tempura-battered hake and the pan-seared kingklip. He loved how salty and fresh the fish tasted, and how it was a unique take on fish that he’s only experienced here.
| Pro tip: If you do try the lamb here, consider pairing it with one of the wines that the restaurant offers in their exclusive, locally sourced wine selection. I found that it paired best with the Spier Signature Sauvignon Blanc! |
