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Tokara Fine Dining

Contemporary South African
Location Pointer 3WJC+W3 Stellenbosch, South Africa
4.7
(7368 reviews)
RRR+
Menu
Favourite

Attributes

  • Romantic
  • Great Views
  • Gourmet Guide Plated

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Menu
Favourite

Tokara Restaurant, situated 400 meters above sea level on top of the Helshoogte Pass outside Stellenbosch, offers its guests terroir focused contemporary cuisine, award-winning wines and dramatic views over Stellenbosch and False Bay. The building housing the restaurant is a Cape architectural icon utilising glass, steel and stone.

Tokara Restaurant opened its doors in October 2001 and was one of the very first iconic winery restaurants established in the Cape Winelands area of South Africa.

Within the first year of taking of the reigns of the Tokara Restaurant kitchen, chef Carolize Coetzee won the “Haute Performance Award” as South Africa’s most promising chef in the 2020 JHP Gourmet Guide, while the restaurant was included in the authoritative The World’s 50 Best Restaurants new “50Best Discovery” list for 2020.

We offer an à la carte menu for lunch and a set menu, either four or six courses, for dinner.

Gourmet Guide™ Description

Hogging the top spot on the winding Helshoogte Pass, Tokara Restaurant provides a breathtaking visual feast, from views to sensory plates. Under the expert guidance of chef Carolize Coetzee, the menu celebrates refined, modern dishes that honour South African flavours, traditions, and beloved home-cooked classics with innovative, authentic flair. Drawing inspiration from seasonal, locally sourced produce, Carolize has crafted a menu that epitomises her farm-to-table philosophy. Ingredients harvested from on-site kitchen gardens are showcased alongside Tokara Estate’s celebrated wines and olive oils.

A stellar start is the exquisite assiette of beetroot with goat’s milk cheese, grapefruit, caramelised walnuts, sorrel wood, sunflower shoots, and a citrus dressing. The main event, a faultless lamb rump with spiced butternut purée, lentil ragout, butternut crisp, Thai basil, and marsala jus, is superbly complemented by the Tokara Syrah, aged for two years in oak, elegantly displaying its complexity.

Dining at Tokara is an undeniable destination experience, not just for the exceptional food and wine, but also for the service, which balances effortless charm with a high level of care. Conversations with the chef reveal her deep connection to food, inspired by her family’s culinary traditions and her commitment to seasonality. Her love for creating core memories linked to her dining experiences shines through.

Opening Hours

  • Monday CLOSED
  • Tuesday 12h00 - 15h00, 18h30 - 21h00
  • Wednesday 12h00 - 15h00, 18h30 - 21h00
  • Thursday 12h00 - 15h00, 18h30 - 21h00
  • Friday 12h00 - 15h00, 18h30 - 21h00
  • Saturday 12h00 - 15h00, 18h30 - 21h00
  • Sunday 12h00 - 15h00, 18h30 - 21h00

Reviews (7368)

4.7 out of 5.0
Based on the past 12 months
Food 4.7
Value 4.5
Service 4.8
Ambience 4.8
  • Thilo H. Dined: 1 day ago
    3.8
    Food 3.0
    Value 2.0
    Service 5.0
    Ambience 5.0

    Reviewed on: Fri 16 Jan 26
    Big disappointment We visited Tokara for the first time almost exactly 15 months ago. We were very impressed then and were really looking forward to today's visit. But we were quite disappointed. Just looking at the menus, we were quite surprised by the prices compared to our previous visit. But okay, never mind! If the quality is right, it shouldn't (almost) matter. But we were disappointed here too—especially since we had a very good comparison in terms of food and prices at Ernie Els and the Creation Winery we visited the days before. My wife's fish was pretty boring for a fine dining restaurant—there was no trace of finesse. And my fillet was neither particularly tender nor outstanding in taste. On the other hand, the portions were quite modest in size. When we mentioned this to the friendly waitress at the end, she said that the management was obviously not particularly interested in such feedback. That's why we skipped dessert and decided not to return to Tokara on our next visit. Oh yes, we also found it a shame that we had asked Dineplan if we could get a table for two on the terrace, but this wasn't possible. During our 90-minute visit, however, seven tables on the terrace were unoccupied. Customer focus is definitely not the priority here. Won't come here again....

  • Robert M. M. Dined: 2 days ago
    5
    Food 5.0
    Value 5.0
    Service 5.0
    Ambience 5.0

    Reviewed on: Fri 16 Jan 26
    Excellence in service

  • CHRIS B. Dined: 2 days ago
    5
    Food 5.0
    Value 5.0
    Service 5.0
    Ambience 5.0

    Reviewed on: Fri 16 Jan 26
    One of our favourite places on the Western Cape; great welcome, fantastic food coupled with brilliant service. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

  • Thomas M. Dined: 2 days ago
    5
    Food 5.0
    Value 5.0
    Service 5.0
    Ambience 5.0

    Reviewed on: Fri 16 Jan 26
    We enjoyed our lunch, added with the fantastic view. The service was great.

  • Andreas M. Dined: 6 days ago
    3.5
    Food 3.0
    Value 3.0
    Service 4.0
    Ambience 4.0

    Reviewed on: Wed 14 Jan 26
    Unfortunately, the quality of the food, especially the lamb and beef fillet, has declined compared to last year. We went there for lunch and all five of us found the quality to be rather average.

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