South Africa’s top chefs took the rare chance to trade aprons for tuxedos this week, as the 2023 Eat Out Woolworths Restaurant Awards were announced in Cape Town.
In the absence of the Michelin guide on local shores, Eat Out is seen as South Africa's most respected culinary rating system, with a panel of judges tasting their way across the country. And, unsurprisingly, Cape Town and the surrounding Winelands once again dominated this year’s listing, with 38 of the 51 awarded restaurants located in the city, or within a two-hour drive.
In a similar system to the Michelin Guide abroad, restaurants in the Eat Out Awards are given a one, two or three-star rating, with judges scoring everything from décor to service, diversity of the wine list to the quality and provenance of ingredients.
Of the 27 one-star restaurants, 20 are found within Cape Town or easy reach for a gourmet day trip. Notably, The Melting Pot by chef John van Zyl received a coveted one-star rating, and while his Elgin restaurant is well worth the drive travellers can also enjoy a seafood-focused taste of his inspired dishes at the Time Out Market Cape Town.
Seventeen restaurants claimed two-star awards, with 11 of the winners to be found in and around Cape Town. And here again, the chefs from the Time Out Market Cape Town excelled, with Bertus Basson’s Spek & Bone and Carla Schulze’s Salon hailed for their inspired cuisine. You’ll find them both at Time Out Market too: Basson with De Vrije Burger, and Schulze with delicious Asian bites at How Bao Now.
Remarkably, all seven of the top-rated Three-Star restaurants are in Cape Town and the Winelands, including FYN by acclaimed chef Peter Tempelhoff. Tempelhoff’s Ramenhead and Sushiya kitchens are amongst the most popular at Time Out Market Cape Town.
Also on the Three-Star list was La Colombe, which eventually walked away with the Eat Out Woolworths Restaurant of the Year Award, having won the highest score of any restaurant in the country.
Anwar Abdullatief – who brings his contemporary take on Cape Malay cuisine to the Market at Barakat – won the Eat Out Valpré Rising Star Award, with judges hailing him as a chef ‘with a future-forward approach, someone who is innovative, breaking down barriers and exploring new ways of working with food’.
The Eat Out Retail Capital Best New Restaurant Award went to Boma on Bree, a live-fire restaurant in the city centre that celebrates African culinary traditions. It’s helmed by chef Vusi Ndlovu, who channels that same inspiration into his menu at Mlilo Fires of Africa in the Time Out Market Cape Town.
Ndlovu has always taken a bold approach to shaking up the Cape’s culinary landscape, not unlike the winner of the Eat Out Woolworths Trailblazer Award, which went to celebrity chef Siba Mtongana, as judges praised her ‘unique culinary identity’ and highlighted how ‘her success goes beyond the kitchen, actively promoting inclusivity and diversity in the industry, and inspiring a new generation of chefs’.
But here's some good news: you won’t have to book a table at SIBA – The Restaurant – for a taste of her cooking. At Time Out Market Cape Town The Siba Deli dishes up a memorable menu of proudly South African plates.
Want to know more about the delicious adventures on offer at Time Out Market Cape Town? Head on over to our official Market page.