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Tokara Fine Dining

Contemporary South African
Location Pointer 3WJC+W3 Stellenbosch, South Africa
4.7
(6909 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 (6909)

4.7 out of 5.0
Based on the past 12 months
Food 4.7
Value 4.5
Service 4.8
Ambience 4.8
  • Annette K. Dined: 1 day ago
    5
    Food 5.0
    Value 5.0
    Service 5.0
    Ambience 5.0
  • Amari Dined: 1 day ago
    4.3
    Food 4.0
    Value 4.0
    Service 5.0
    Ambience 4.0

    Reviewed on: Sat 28 Feb 26
    Very nice experience

  • Dirk Dined: 1 week ago
    4.3
    Food 5.0
    Value 5.0
    Service 3.0
    Ambience 4.0

    Reviewed on: Fri 27 Feb 26
    Couldn t sit on terrace for a cocktail, was reserved!!! The whole evening there was lot of space on the terrace. We were disappointed for that. The rest was perfect.

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

    Reviewed on: Fri 27 Feb 26
    Service was good, very lovely staff. The food was on point and the ambient at large was top tier

  • Ralf L. Dined: 2 days ago
    3.5
    Food 4.0
    Value 4.0
    Service 3.0
    Ambience 3.0

    Reviewed on: Fri 27 Feb 26
    Wir hatten ein Missverständnis mit der Weinbestellung anstatt das Problem sachlich zu klären hat das Management für uns unprofessionell reagiert. Dazu kamen 13 % Tip was in unseren Augen und wir geben immer ausreichend Trinkgeld, einfach nicht der Leistung entsprach. Schade denn wir waren über viele Jahre gern Gastein tokara!

  • Timothy M. Dined: 2 days ago
    4.8
    Food 5.0
    Value 4.0
    Service 5.0
    Ambience 5.0

    Reviewed on: Fri 27 Feb 26
    Excellent lunch with friends. Hard to think how to have a better lunch experience. Thankyou Tokara

  • Matthias S. Dined: 3 days ago
    4.8
    Food 5.0
    Value 4.0
    Service 5.0
    Ambience 5.0
  • Thomas S. Dined: 3 days ago
    5
    Food 5.0
    Value 5.0
    Service 5.0
    Ambience 5.0

    Reviewed on: Thu 26 Feb 26
    Immer wieder schön.

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