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At The Wes Bistro & Bar, winter is making a theatrical and somewhat indulgent statement. The newly launched winter set menu leans into classic French comfort, wrapped in a setting that feels pulled straight out of The Grand Budapest Hotel film.
The Backstory
Megan Kritzinger has built her name on instinct as much as intention. After growing Stellski’s into a Bree Street staple, she’s carved out something more personal with The Wes.
Positioned beneath The Trade Boutique Hotel, the restaurant opened at the end of 2024 as the hotel's breakfast bistro. It carries a distinct identity by design. As Kritzinger puts it, there simply couldn’t be two Stellskis.
Instead, The Wes draws from her time in Nice and a clear love of French bistro culture. It’s less about replication and more about interpretation, filtered through a playful lens - more specifically, the lens of celebrated American film-maker Wes Anderson.
Vibe
The immediate pull is visual. It’s Wes Anderson-coded in the best way: pastel-drenched, symmetrical, slightly surreal.
A central fountain anchors the space, alongside a chic cocktail bar, while curved banquette and parquet floors lean into old-world glamour.
It’s the kind of dinner spot that inspires you to dress up a little more. Not to be pretentious, but in a “lean into the moment” kind of way, and that adds to the fun.
The Food
In addition to its all-day breakfast, the bistro offers an à la carte French-inspired menu. Its winter set menu (R495per person) is a tight, well-considered edit of French bistro classics - exactly what you want on a cold Cape Town afternoon.
Starters include a deeply savoury French onion soup, while the chicken liver parfait is silky, balanced with just enough acidity from pickled veg to cut through. A crisper Melba toast would have been nice instead of the chunky sourdough, but that's just my personal preference.
Mains play to the classics like a buttery steak entrecote. My choice was the seared duck breast, paired with celeriac and a sauce poivrade. The steak frites does what it needs to -no fuss.
And then dessert is worth the wait. The crème brûlée delivers that essential crack, which is the whole point of ordering it. Overall, the selection offers good value, in a delightful setting and will be on offer until the end of August.
The Drinks
Drinks lean heavily into the restaurant's theme. Cocktails take direct cues from Wes Anderson’s film universe, with playful names like Captain Steve Zissou’s Revenge (a bright, slightly chaotic mix of vodka, Campari and citrus) or Mr Fox’s Sly Bourbon, richer and more composed, and, of course, the pastel purple Grand Budapest - pretty to look at, even better to sip as a seriously well-constructed, moreish cocktail.
The wine list is rooted in interesting local wineries, with plenty by the glass, making it accessible and very much in line with that easy French bistro philosophy.
Why go?
Because it delivers on more than just aesthetics! The Wes is visually striking and a fun venue. But underneath, they're serving up a proper winter brief: comforting food, good wine, and a cosy atmosphere that lets you disappear for a couple of hours. It’s not trying to be a make-shift version of Paris; instead, it's creating its own version of it right in the CBD.