Choose a location

Or use your current location

Select

Tokara Fine Dining

Contemporary South African
3WJC+W3 Stellenbosch, South Africa
(7009 reviews)
RRR+

Attributes

  • Romantic
  • Great Views
  • Gourmet Guide Plated

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.

Reviews (7009)

4.7 out of 5.0
Based on the past 12 months
Food 4.8
Value 4.6
Service 4.8
Ambience 4.8
  • Andrew S. Dined: 2 days ago
    3.8
    Food 4.0
    Value 4.0
    Service 4.0
    Ambience 3.0
  • Jean C. Dined: 1 week ago
    5
    Food 5.0
    Value 5.0
    Service 5.0
    Ambience 5.0

    Reviewed on: Fri 25 Apr 25
    Fantastic experience with the most accommodating and amazing staff

  • Anna J. Dined: 3 days ago
    5
    Food 5.0
    Value 5.0
    Service 5.0
    Ambience 5.0
  • Sara R. Dined: 4 days ago
    4.5
    Food 5.0
    Value 5.0
    Service 4.0
    Ambience 4.0

    Reviewed on: Thu 24 Apr 25
    The Food is amazing and the value is just right! Love the views.

  • David B. Dined: 5 days ago
    3
    Food 4.0
    Value 3.0
    Service 3.0
    Ambience 2.0

    Reviewed on: Wed 23 Apr 25
    The food was superb if rather overpriced bearing in mind the size of the portions. The ambience was somewhat spoiled by our fellow diners, one at the next table who kept on sneezing without ever bothering to cover his mouth. I'm convinced I felt a few droplets. Service was average but my guest's glass remained empty on several occasions and I had to get up and get the bottle to top him up....not really what one expects at a premium dining establishment. The location and the view are spectacular. However....the wine list is clearly aimed at foreign visitors and is a rip off. Even the Tokara wines which have to travel all the way from the tasting room are heavily marked up. As for the price of the reds.....well, my guest is a very wealthy swallow but he also knows the retail price of some of these wines and agreed that Tokara is taking the piss out of the locals. I had my 60th at Tokara back in 2012 and held a book launch there. Sadly I won't be rushing back. Not because I can't afford it but because I become uncomfortable when I imagine staff sniggering behind my back at my gullibility when I put my PIN code in the credit card machine.

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

    Reviewed on: Wed 23 Apr 25
    Excellent food and service. The wine pairing made a great meal even better. Thank you!

  • Van Wyk Dined: 1 week ago
    4.8
    Food 5.0
    Value 5.0
    Service 5.0
    Ambience 4.0

    Reviewed on: Mon 21 Apr 25
    I particularly enjoyed my glass of Tokara Blanc de Blanc MCC which was served in a chilled glass to match the chill of the bubbly. The lamb was roasted to perfection - tasty, pink inside with crispy skin and delicious jus!

  • Andrea G. Dined: 1 week ago
    4
    Food 4.0
    Value 2.0
    Service 5.0
    Ambience 5.0
  • Deon D. Dined: 1 week ago
    5
    Food 5.0
    Value 5.0
    Service 5.0
    Ambience 5.0
  • Wiham W. Dined: 2 weeks ago
    5
    Food 5.0
    Value 5.0
    Service 5.0
    Ambience 5.0
Show More

Book a table

Favourite
Menu

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