It’s the perfect time of year to look back and take stock of what’s happened in the foodie world last year. While the industry experienced a post-COVID revival (read more about it here), financial constraints made it a tough year for many establishments.
But our restaurants buckled down and produced some truly spectacular experiences for diners. The various South African restaurant awards such as Eat Out, the Gourmet Guide, and our own Dineplan Reviewers’ Choice Awards offer some interesting insights into what’s happening at the pinnacle of our dining scene.
1. The Western Cape is still our culinary epicentre
The Western Cape and, more specifically, the Cape Winelands have undeniably become our ultimate foodie destination. With sprawling vineyards and generally breathtaking scenery, it’s easy to see why restaurants thrive here, and the results prove this.
All seven of the 2023 Eat Out Woolworths Restaurant Awards given the highest 3-star rating are situated in the Western Cape. Four are in Cape Town (Chefs Warehouse at Beau Constantia, FYN, La Colombe and Salsify), while the other three (ARKESTE, Dusk and La Petite Colombe) can be found between Stellenbosch and Franschhoek.
The JPH Gourmet Awards tell the exact same story. Six of the seven restaurants that received Three Plates (Chefs Warehouse at Beau Constantia, FYN, La Colombe, La Petite Colombe, Pier and Salsify) are Western Cape establishments.
2. The “Old Guard” is going strong
The top-ranked restaurants in the 2023 awards are not too different from the previous year’s rankings. While this says great things about the consistency of these institutions, it is interesting (and a bit concerning) that there are so few newcomers.
Only Dusk in Stellenbosch, which opened in 2022, can truly be given the title. Of course, perfection takes time, so perhaps this is only a temporary plateau.
However, the biggest hospitality news globally in 2023 was the planned closure of Noma. This is believed to signal the end of fine dining. Perhaps we’re also moving away from fine dining in South Africa, and our newer restaurants have a different focus. Indeed, the Eat Out Newcomer Award went to Boma on Bree, which pays homage to African desert and fire cooking, and offers a much more casual dining experience.
3. Destination and experience dining win
The Dineplan Reviewers’ Choice Awards show a more varied array of restaurants than the other awards, which are compiled by culinary judges. The restaurants loved (and best rated) by diners across the country highlight a common thread. Almost all of the restaurants in the Top 10 have an element of “experience” to them.
Many involve a trip out to the countryside, such as Good to Gather in Stellenbosch, Newstead Lund Family Vineyards on the Garden Route, or Schneider’s Cape Floral Kitchen in Stanford. Others, such as Reverie Social Table, offer opportunities to connect with other guests through a shared experience.
This mirrors trends in many other consumer sectors: diners are looking to immerse themselves in multi-dimensional activities, culture and place.
4. Despite being a foodie travel destination, we still don’t rank internationally
While the Michelin Guide (rudely) skips the entire continent of Africa in their map of the world, we’ve still managed to gain a reputation for being a travel-worthy eating destination. However, despite our glowing repute with travellers from all over the globe, we just don’t feature in international food awards.
Wolfgat on the West Coast was named the World’s Best Restaurant in 2019, which was a great feather in our caps. The Test Kitchen was the only South African restaurant to make it into San Pellegrino’s World’s Top 50 List, both in 2016 and 2019. Last year, only two of our top restaurants made it onto the San Pellegrino Top 100 list. FYN came in at number 75 and La Colombe ranked at 94.
Without diminishing these excellent achievements, it seems surprising that so few of our other incredible restaurants have made the cut. Perhaps we are still just a bit too far off the beaten track. Let’s hope the 2024 awards show us some more love, and show the rest of the world how much we have to offer.
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