For nearly three decades, the Eat Out Woolworths Restaurant Awards has set the gold standard for South African culinary excellence, honouring the visionary chefs and dedicated teams who deliver unforgettable experiences. Today marks the culmination of an intensive eight-month judging season as we announce the nominees for this year’s awards, where restaurants stand to receive one, two or three Eat Out Stars.
Spanning the seasons during 2024 and into 2025, the Eat Out judges and scouts undertook a nationwide culinary journey with 690 restaurant visits across South Africa. Their task was a focused one – remain true to Eat Out’s core mission of shining a light on consistency, attention to detail, quality ingredients, and the skilful preparation and delivery of flavourful dishes. Top of mind too was to acknowledge restaurants that pushed the boundaries through innovation, exploring a forward-thinking and progressive approach.
This mammoth undertaking was underpinned by further improvements to the Eat Out Awards’ already rigorous judging process. Not only was the Eat Out scorecard rating tool enhanced and refined, but the judging panel was expanded from six to eight judges and, most significantly, each of the shortlisted restaurants was visited by all eight anonymous judges. As has always been Eat Out’s protocol, all meals were paid for by Eat Out. This comprehensive system emerged from extensive consultation with industry stakeholders and diners, reinforcing Eat Out’s ongoing commitment to both market relevance and supporting industry upliftment.
We’d like to extend our deepest thanks to the eight Eat Out judges, whose extraordinary commitment made this all possible. Their unwavering attention to detail, industry expertise, eating stamina and willingness to be part of the panel, despite the demands on their personal and professional lives, are to be applauded. Their collective effort represents thousands of hours invested in ensuring that every nominee is well-deserving of their place on the list below.
The star winners for 2025 will be announced at the glittering Eat Out Woolworths Restaurant Awards ceremony on 31 March at the Baxter Theatre Centre in Cape Town.
The nominees are as follows:
Belly of the Beast (City Bowl, Cape Town)
Beyond (Constantia, Cape Town)
Cavalli Restaurant (Somerset West)
Chefs Warehouse at Beau Constantia (Constantia, Cape Town)
Chefs Warehouse at Maison (Franschhoek)
Chefs Warehouse at Tintswalo Atlantic (Hout Bay, Cape Town)
CHORUS (Somerset West)
Clara’s Barn (Stellenbosch)
Creation Wines Tasting Room (Hemel-en-Aarde Valley)
Culinary Table (Lanseria)
Dusk (Stellenbosch)
Eike (Stellenbosch)
Ëlgr (City Bowl, Cape Town)
Epice (Franschhoek)
FABER at Avondale (Paarl)
Farro (Botrivier)
Fermier (Pretoria)
Foxcroft (Constantia, Cape Town)
FYN (City Bowl, Cape Town)
Galjoen (City Bowl, Cape Town)
Hōseki (Stellenbosch)
Kapokbos (Bonnievale)
La Colombe (Constantia, Cape Town)
La Petite Colombe (Franschhoek)
Le coin Français (Franschhoek)
Les Créatifs Restaurant (Bryanston, Johannesburg)
Marble Restaurant Johannesburg (Rosebank, Johannesburg)
Meraki by Charlie Lakin (Hillcrest, eThekwini)
MERTIA (Stellenbosch)
Nevermind (Cape St Francis)
Orangerie at Le Lude (Franschhoek)
Ouzeri (City Bowl, Cape Town)
Pier (V&A Waterfront, Cape Town)
Post & Pepper (Stellenbosch)
Protégé (Franschhoek)
Restaurant Klein JAN (Tswalu)
Reverie Social Table (Observatory, Cape Town)
Rust en Vrede (Stellenbosch)
Rykaart’s Restaurant at Longridge Wine Estate (Stellenbosch)
Salon (Woodstock, Cape Town)
Salsify at the Roundhouse (Camps Bay, Cape Town)
Scape at Vrymansfontein (Paarl)
Spek & Bone (Stellenbosch)
Table Seven (Salt River, Cape Town)
The Chefs’ Table (Umhlanga, eThekwini)
The Jordan Restaurant with Marthinus Ferreira (Stellenbosch)
The LivingRoom at Summerhill Guest Estate (Pinetown, eThekwini)
The Pot Luck Club Cape Town (Woodstock, Cape Town)
The Red Room by Chefs Warehouse (City Bowl, Cape Town)
The Table at De Meye (Stellenbosch)
The Test Kitchen Fledgelings (Woodstock, Cape Town)
The Waterside Restaurant (V&A Waterfront, Cape Town)
Upper Union (City Bowl, Cape Town)
Vuur Goose Island (Stellenbosch)
Wolfgat (Paternoster)
Zioux (Sandton, Johannesburg)
