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Epice

Reviewers' Choice 2025 - Top 100 Reviewers' Choice 2024 - Top 50
Fine Dining
Location Pointer Berg St & Huguenot St, Franschhoek, 7690, South Africa
4.8
(2319 reviews)
RRR+
Favourite

Attributes

  • Romantic
  • Gourmet Guide Plated
  • Reviewers' Choice 2022 - Top 20
  • Reviewers' Choice 2023 - Top 50
  • Reviewers' Choice 2024 - Top 50
  • Reviewers' Choice 2025 - Top 100

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Favourite

Epice – derived from the French word Épice meaning spice (and is pronounced eh-peace) - is an intimate fine dining restaurant located at Heritage Square, Franschhoek (opposite Leeu House)

"The restaurant menu will revolve around spices, but that doesn’t necessarily mean spicy hot - think of vanilla and saffron, or cinnamon and nutmeg, too," says Scot Kirton, Chef Proprietor of La Colombe.

Heading up the kitchen, head chef Charné Sampson is no stranger to refined, cutting edge cuisine- until recently she was the sous chef at La Colombe and is another one of Scot’s protégés to spread her wings. A graduate of Silwood, Charné also honed her craft in the kitchen of The Restaurant at Waterkloof and The Test Kitchen.

Gourmet Guide™ Description

Take a magic culinary ride to the iconic space in the old Le Quartier building in Franschhoek for a captivating treat at Epice (French for ‘spice’). The interior’s understated spice hues juxtapose perfectly with the bright sunshine and greenery outside, or you can appreciate the
crackling fire in winter.

Chef Charné Mouton is unapologetic about her passion for spices and the depth they impart to all dishes, whether sweet or savoury. She delights in introducing the full spectrum at your table from the start. The uninitiated may think of curry, but there’s true intellect in how she has married every ingredient with her first-choice spices. This spice queen celebrates each ingredient personally, drawing from her Cape heritage, with both her vindaloo sauce and fabled bread course creating a come-back-for-more scenario.

Choose from a traditional wine pairing, cocktail, or in-house tonic pairing. Whilst marrying beverages with spicy foods can be challenging, the team has worked hard to ensure successful surprises. Expect a little showboating with dry ice and tableside service, which all adds to the fun. Food is tasty and well-executed, and guests rave about the sweet potatoes with cumin, beef dripping, and berbere. In ‘feeding with passion’, La Colombe converts will be overjoyed to devour octopus cooked in passion fruit, cutting it open with scissors. You’ll leave with a spice box, some seeds to plant, and indelible memories.

Opening Hours

  • Monday CLOSED
  • Tuesday 18h30 - 22h00
  • Wednesday 18h30 - 22h00
  • Thursday 18h30 - 22h00
  • Friday 12h00 - 15h00, 18h30 - 22h00
  • Saturday 12h00 - 15h00, 18h30 - 22h00
  • Sunday 12h00 - 15h00, 18h30 - 22h00

Reviews (2319)

4.8 out of 5.0
Based on the past 12 months
Food 4.9
Value 4.6
Service 4.9
Ambience 4.6
  • Ugo B. Dined: 1 day ago
    3.8
    Food 5.0
    Value 2.0
    Service 5.0
    Ambience 3.0

    Reviewed on: Mon 02 Mar 26
    Very good food but definively too pricy: of It was not for the bread (the biggest food served) I would have come out hungry. The main dish, lamb, had a diametro of 4 cm; I don:t think that a 2nd One was not afforfable!

  • Bas R. Dined: 1 day ago
    4.5
    Food 5.0
    Value 4.0
    Service 5.0
    Ambience 4.0
  • galina shpaklevenberg S. Dined: 1 day ago
    2.5
    Food 3.0
    Value 1.0
    Service 3.0
    Ambience 3.0

    Reviewed on: Mon 02 Mar 26
    Dear Management, I recently visited your restaurant Epice, which positions itself as a premium dining destination with high standards of quality and service. Unfortunately, my experience did not fully meet those expectations. In one of the dishes served, I found a foreign, inedible object (appearing to be a hair). The staff responded promptly and replaced the dish without hesitation, which I appreciate. However, considering the restaurant’s pricing level and reputation, I expected an additional gesture of goodwill or compensation. While mistakes can happen, the way they are handled is what defines true high-end service. I hope this feedback will be taken constructively and lead to stronger quality control in the future. Sincerely, Galina, your guest from 01.03

  • Wolf M. Dined: 1 day ago
    4.5
    Food 5.0
    Value 4.0
    Service 5.0
    Ambience 4.0
  • John E. Dined: 1 day ago
    3
    Food 5.0
    Value 2.0
    Service 3.0
    Ambience 2.0

    Reviewed on: Mon 02 Mar 26
    Very good food,but very expensive even for London prices. Could slow down the service between dishes.and slow down the explanation for those people whose first language is not English.

  • Cat D. Dined: 3 days ago
    5
    Food 5.0
    Value 5.0
    Service 5.0
    Ambience 5.0

    Reviewed on: Sun 01 Mar 26
    The remains my favourite restaurant in the La Colombe group, and one of my favourite in the world. A superb tasting menu which perfectly balances local ingredients with spices from around the world. Genuinely hard to pick a favourite course. Everything was beautifully presented. The staff are charming and knowledgeable and the chefs, clearly passionate about what they do. Cannot recommend them highly enough!

  • Michael T. Dined: 4 days ago
    5
    Food 5.0
    Value 5.0
    Service 5.0
    Ambience 5.0

    Reviewed on: Sun 01 Mar 26
    Wow, what an outstanig dinner. The menu is breathtaking and the wine flight was outstanding with perfect fit to each dish. The restaurant is worth a trip to Franschoek.

  • Michael S. Dined: 1 week ago
    5
    Food 5.0
    Value 5.0
    Service 5.0
    Ambience 5.0

    Reviewed on: Sun 01 Mar 26
    Yet another fabulous experience at Epice! It‘s so nice to be welcomed by the staff and recognized as a returning customer. They gave us our favorite table and the food was once again amazing! We will definitely come back!

  • Alison C. Dined: 3 days ago
    4
    Food 4.0
    Value 3.0
    Service 5.0
    Ambience 4.0

    Reviewed on: Sat 28 Feb 26
    Significant increase in cost from last year for an evening we didn’t feel bettered that last one. Sorry.

  • Nicolai L. Dined: 3 days ago
    4.3
    Food 4.0
    Value 4.0
    Service 5.0
    Ambience 4.0
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