The Dineplan Reviewers’ Choice Awards 2026, presented by American Express, celebrate the South African restaurants and dining experiences that diners rate among the very best. American Express is operated in South Africa through its licensee Nedbank.
Now in their 5th year, the awards offer a different perspective on the country’s restaurant scene. Rather than being decided by a panel of judges, the list reflects the choices of everyday diners – the people booking tables, trying new restaurants, celebrating milestones and returning to the places they love.
This year’s Top 100 stretches from Cape Town to Johannesburg, Durban to the Winelands, bringing together restaurants that represent the breadth of South Africa’s dining scene.
The Top 10
At the top of the list are ten restaurants that have particularly captured the attention of Dineplan diners this year.
1. Good to Gather – Stellenbosch, Western Cape
Good to Gather began as a weekend pop-up at Rozendal Farm and has grown into a tiny farm-to-table favourite. Jess and Luke serve seasonal lunches using produce from organic growers and small producers, with their garden just metres from the kitchen. The booking calendar is already full through December 2026, so getting a table is no small feat.
2. Reverie Social Table – Cape Town, Western Cape
Dinner at Reverie is less about sitting at a table and more about joining a dinner party. Chef Julia Hattingh brings 18 guests together around one communal table for a five-course, wine-paired menu, with seats shuffled along the way so strangers leave feeling a little less like strangers. Come solo or with company, it’s an intimate way to switch off.
Leigh Williamson and Brendan Thorncroft let the seasons set the pace at The Table at De Meye. Their three-course set menu is served family-style, with generous dishes made for passing around and settling in for a long lunch. As the menu changes with what’s fresh, each visit brings something different to the table.
4. Farro – Cape Town, Western Cape
Farro has moved, popped up and started over more than once, but its diners have followed every step of the way. Now settled in Gardens, Eloise and Alex Windebank run an intimate 24-seat restaurant where fresh pasta is made daily and produce comes from small local suppliers. It’s the kind of place where you’re not just coming in for dinner, you’re becoming part of the story.
5. Tsala Treetop Lodge Restaurant – Plettenberg Bay, Western Cape
Dining at Tsala is about more than what’s on the plate. Surrounded by the treetops of an indigenous forest, the restaurant pairs thoughtful cooking with the warm hospitality Hunter Hotels is known for. It’s the kind of place where the setting, service and food come together to make a meal feel like part of the escape.
6. At The Courtyard – McGregor, Western Cape
Meg and Steve have created the kind of country bistro that makes a meal feel like an occasion without making a fuss about it. The menu brings together contemporary Mediterranean-inspired cooking and comfort-food favourites, while live performances and local talent add to the easygoing character of the space.
7. The LivingRoom at Summerhill – Pinetown, KwaZulu-Natal
The Richters bring a proper farm-to-table approach to fine dining at SummerHill. Johannes and Johanna take inspiration from the farm’s garden and the diversity of the Midlands, bringing together French technique and Asian influences in a style that’s unmistakably their own.
8. Melfort – Stellenbosch, Western Cape
Melfort’s roots go back to Tasmin Reed’s family farm in Zimbabwe, where meals followed the seasons and there was always room for one more at the table. After a health diagnosis changed her relationship with food, Tasmin looked more closely at where ingredients come from and how what we eat makes us feel. Today, she and Nick Melvin bring that thinking to Stellenbosch through seasonal, produce-led cooking.
9. Hari Kitchen Restaurant – Franschoek, Western Cape
Chef and sommelier Munashe Kwaramba puts a modern spin on the African flavours he grew up with at Hari Kitchen. From its name, inspired by the traditional Southern African clay pot, to its Afro-fusion cooking, everything is rooted in heritage. For Munashe, it’s about great food, good times and guests leaving happy.
10. Winshaw Tasting Room and Eatery – Stellenbosch, Western Cape
Four generations of the Winshaw family have called this Stellenbosch farm home, and now brothers JP and Pierre are opening it up to diners. With wine, grass-fed cattle and chickens already part of farm life, the restaurant keeps things small and true to its roots, with a menu built around what the farm does best.
Of course, the Top 10 are only the beginning.
100 restaurants worth knowing
The full Dineplan Reviewers’ Choice Awards 2026, presented by American Express, Top 100 is a snapshot of the restaurants diners have been choosing throughout the year. And there isn’t one type of restaurant that dominates the list.
There are destination restaurants worth the drive, neighbourhood spots that have become local institutions, ambitious new openings and old favourites that continue to earn their place at the table.
Worth the drive
Some restaurants are worth getting in the car for, especially when the food and setting give you another reason to make the trip. In Pinetown, The LivingRoom at Summerhill serves fine dining shaped by KwaZulu-Natal’s culinary diversity, local produce and the seasons. In the Paarl Winelands, Bistro at Brookdale pairs seasonal cooking with vineyard and mountain views. On the Garden Route, Newstead Lund Family Vineyards in Plettenberg Bay brings together wine, food and its beautiful farm setting. In Stanford, the Manor House offers another reason to venture beyond the usual stops. In Wellington, the James Sedgwick Whisky Distillery is where whisky and food come together in a setting that makes the trip worthwhile.
New names to know
Being new is one thing. Getting people to come back is another. In Cape Town, East City Grill has caught diners’ attention with South African fire cooking and Asian flavours, while Foxcroft has moved into a new home at Constantia Nek, bringing its loyal following along with it and giving diners a familiar favourite in a new setting. In Johannesburg, Obento Ramen Bar has quickly made a name for itself by serving proper ramen, while Karvouno has brought Greek-inspired charcoal cooking to Bedfordview, with seafood and steaks cooked over the coals. On the KZN coast, the Tightline family has added two new names in eMdloti. Owner’s Office for late-night dining, cocktails, DJs and an after-hours feel, while The Room takes things in a different direction with modern French bistro cooking, curated wines and a striking, intimate setting.
For a special occasion
Every now and then, the occasion calls for somewhere a little more memorable. In Pretoria, La Vie Lente Bistro & Venue is made for celebrations, with an intimate setting and spaces designed for everything from birthdays to bigger milestones. In Franschhoek, Orangerie at Le Lude brings the winelands setting and seasonal cooking to the occasion, making it a place where the restaurant becomes part of the celebration. In Cape Town, FYN Restaurant pairs modern African cooking with an intimate city-centre setting, while PIER offers an intimate tasting-menu experience at the V&A Waterfront. Both are the kind of places where the food, setting and service add something extra to the occasion.
The neighbourhood favourites
The best neighbourhood restaurants are the ones that become part of your regular plans. In the Cape, Café Orca has been a Melkbosstrand go-to for seafood for more than 25 years, while Vadivelu brings South African Indian and Tamil flavours to the table. In Stellenbosch, Genki Sushi has become a familiar name for sushi and Japanese-inspired dishes, while in Johannesburg, The Sushi Club Neighbourhood Square is where people go for their sushi fix. Butcher Boys Meyersdal has built a following around steaks and the kind of generous grill fare that keeps people coming back, and O Peri Peri Edenglen has been serving Portuguese favourites for over three decades. In Durban, Barnaby’s Grillhouse and The Hussar Grill Oceans are local legends for their steaks.
What the list tells us about South African dining
With more than 30+ million diners using Dineplan to discover and make 7+ million bookings at 2,000+ restaurants across South Africa, the Top 100 offers a snapshot of where people are choosing to eat right now. From established favourites to exciting new openings, the list reflects the restaurants that are getting people through the door – whether for a quick neighbourhood dinner, a long lunch or a special occasion.
Your next table awaits
The best thing about a restaurant list is what happens after you’ve read it.
Maybe there’s a name you’ve been meaning to try. Maybe you’ve spotted a favourite that you didn’t expect to see on the list. Or perhaps you’ve found a restaurant in a city you’ve never considered for your next weekend away.
Whatever catches your eye, the Top 100 is here to give you somewhere new to start.
Explore the Dineplan Reviewers’ Choice Awards 2026, presented by American Express, and discover the South African restaurants diners have been choosing this year. Then find your restaurant, choose your date and book your table on Dineplan.
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