Top 20 rated restaurants in South Africa

It’s a contentious debate about where the best restaurants are in the country, however, there is usually consensus over the top restaurants rated highly amongst diners. 

Dineplan, the restaurant reservation platform has done its first-ever Reviewers’ Choice Awards. 

They tallied over 200 000 diners who reviewed over 1 000 restaurants in the country. The reviews were dated between 1 October 2021 and 30 September 2022 on Dineplan. Over 3.6 million reservations were made, equating to 16 million guests seated at the platform’s venues around the country.

The top 20 rated restaurants in South Africa

1. Reverie Social Table
2. Good to Gather
3. The Table at De Meye
4. Belly of the Beast
5. Homespun by Matt
6. The Melting Pot
7. FABER
8. GOLD Restaurant
9. Cape Grace Signal Restaurant
10. Newstead Lund Family Vineyards
11. De Grendel Restaurant
12. Homespun Claremont
13. Epice
14. The Fat Butcher
15. 1777 @ The Old Rectory
16. 16th by KOI
17. SIBA – The Restaurant
18. Noop Restaurant
19. Jewell’s
20. Zest

If you guessed, the majority of the restaurants are based in the Western Cape. Reverie Social Table is based in Observatory, Cape Town, and is run by chef and owner Julia Hattingh.

It has been described as an intimate, 18-seater restaurant that “specialises in a bespoke dining experience and has been using the Dineplan platform since August 2016”. 

The reason it was voted at the top is because of its ambience, service and value while Good to Gather restaurant came out tops in the country for its food.

Thrilled with the news, Reverie Social Table’s head chef Hattingh said: “We are so thrilled to receive such a wonderful accolade. I have always said that we get the absolute best guests at Reverie! It’s not just another meal, you’re having actual conversations in person while breaking bread. 

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“Add fabulous local wine and food made with lots of love – and you get a dinner party.”

As it has become the norm in the industry, restaurants in Cape Town and the Western Cape province as a whole are rated in higher regard than other cities. However, Eastern Cape, The Hussar Grill in Walmer, Gqeberha is highly rated across ambience, service and value.

In Gauteng, the Morning and Afternoon Tea at Saxon Hotel is in the top three for ambience and service, while the 16th by KOI in Pretoria placed in the regional top three for ambience and service.

*Compiled by Sandisiwe Mbhele