Tasleem Gierdien1 April 2025 | 8:42

2025 Eat Out Woolworths Restaurant Awards: Here are the winners!

The night called for culinary stars to shine.

2025 Eat Out Woolworths Restaurant Awards: Here are the winners!

The 2025 Eat Out Woolworths Restaurant Awards took centre stage at the Baxter Theatre Centre in Cape Town on Monday, 31 March.

The ceremony was a star-studded affair, bringing together South Africa’s leading chefs, restaurateurs and industry figures for an evening celebrating the country's culinary excellence.

As part of Eat Out’s evolution, the 2025 judging process took a more comprehensive and transparent approach.

Over eight months, a panel of eight anonymous, independent judges visited each shortlisted restaurant multiple times – during peak and off-peak periods – to ensure a fair and all-encompassing assessment. 

Eat Out’s star-rating system remains the gold standard in South Africa, with restaurants earning one, two or three stars based on their final scores.

The criteria cover every aspect of the dining experience, from food quality and technique to service, ambience and value.

The coveted three-star rating is reserved for restaurants scoring over 90 out of 100, while two-star and one-star ratings go to those scoring between 80 and 89 and 70 and 79 respectively.

Achieving even a single star is no small feat, with only the very best making the cut and setting themselves apart. 

And the winners for the one star awards are: 

  • Belly of the Beast (City Bowl, Cape Town)
  • Cavalli Restaurant (Somerset West)
  • Chefs Warehouse at Maison (Franschhoek)
  • Chefs Warehouse at Tintswalo Atlantic (Hout Bay, Cape Town)
  • Creation Wines Tasting Room (Hemel-en-Aarde Valley)
  • Culinary Table (Lanseria)
  • Eike (Stellenbosch)
  • Ëlgr (City Bowl, Cape Town)
  • Farro (Botrivier)
  • Galjoen (City Bowl, Cape Town)
  • Hōseki (Stellenbosch)
  • Kapokbos (Bonnievale)
  • Le cois Français (Franschhoek)
  • Les Créatifs Restaurant (Bryanston, Johannesburg)
  • Marble Restaurant Johannesburg (Rosebank, Johannesburg)
  • Meraki by Charlie Lakin (Hillcrest, eThekwini)
  • Nevermind (Cape St Francis)
  • Orangerie at Le Lude (Franschhoek)
  • Post & Pepper (Stellenbosch)
  • Restaurant Klein Jan (Tswalu)
  • Reverie
  • Social Table (Observatory, Cape Town)
  • Rykaart’s Restaurant at Longridge Wine Estate (Stellenbosch)
  • Scape at Vrymansfontein (Paarl)
  • Spek & Bone (Stellenbosch)
  • Table Seven (Salt River, Cape Town)
  • The Chefs’ Table (Umhlanga, eThekwini)
  • The Red Room by Chefs Warehouse (City Bowl, Cape Town)
  • The Table at De Meye (Stellenbosch)
  • The Test Kitchen Fledgelings (Woodstock, Cape Town)
  • Upper Union (City Bowl, Cape Town)
  • Vuur Goose Island (Stellenbosch)
  • Zioux (Sandton, Johannesburg) 

Two star winners are:

  • Beyond (Constantia, Cape Town)
  • Chefs Warehouse at Beau Constantia (Constantia, Cape Town)
  • Chorus (Somerset West)
  • Clara’s Barn (Stellenbosch)
  • Epice (Franschhoek)
  • Faber at Avondale (Paarl)
  • Fermier (Pretoria)
  • Foxcroft (Constantia, Cape Town)
  • Mertia (Stellenbosch)
  • Ouzeri (City Bowl, Cape Town)
  • Protégé (Franschhoek)
  • Rust en Vrede (Stellenbosch)
  • Salon (Woodstock, Cape Town)
  • The Jordan Restaurant with Marthinus Ferreira (Stellenbosch)
  • The Pot Luck Club Cape Town (Woodstock, Cape Town)
  • The Waterside Restaurant (V&A Waterfront, Cape Town)
  • Wolfgat (Paternoster)

Three star winners are:

  • Dusk (Stellenbosch)
  • Fyn (City Bowl, Cape Town)
  • La Colombe (Constantia, Cape Town)
  • La Petite Colombe (Franschhoek)
  • Pier (V&A Waterfront, Cape Town)
  • Salsify at the Roundhouse (Camps Bay, Cape Town)
  • The Living Room at Summerhill Guest Estate (Pinetown, eThekwini)

Special awards: excellence beyond the plate

The Eat Out Woolworths Restaurant Awards celebrate more than just outstanding dining – they recognise the trailblazers shaping South Africa’s culinary future.

The Special Awards honour sustainability champions, rising stars and industry icons who elevate the dining experience through innovation, service and craftsmanship. 

From mixology masters to dessert virtuosos, these awards highlight the individuals and teams bringing creativity and excellence to every aspect of restaurant hospitality.

  • Salsify at the Roundhouse in Camps Bay was awarded Eat Out Woolworths Restaurant of the Year, having attained the highest score of any restaurant in the country.
  • The Eat Out Woolworths Financial Services Chef of the Year award went to Johannes Richter of The LivingRoom at Summerhill Guest Estate in Pinetown.
  • The LivingRoom at Summerhill Guest Estate was the recipient of another special award: the Eat Out Woolworths Green Star Award (previously called the Eat Out Woolworths Sustainability Award).
  • This year’s Eat Out Rising Star is Nathan Clarke, executive chef at The Test Kitchen Fledgelings in Woodstock.

The remaining special award winners were:

  • Eat Out Woolworths Wine Service Award: Michelle Erasmus (La Colombe)
  • Eat Out Woolworths Trailblazer Award: Bertus Basson (Eike, Spek & Bone, Chorus, Clara’s Barn)
  • Eat Out Woolworths Financial Services Service Excellence Award: Mertia
  • Eat Out House of Suntory Lannice Snyman Lifetime Achievement Award: Franck Dangereux (chef-owner of The Foodbarn Café & Tapas and founder of La Colombe)
  • Eat Out VISI Style Award: Coy
  • Eat Out Lexus Best Destination Restaurant: Kapokbos (Bonnievale)
  • Eat Out Yoco Best New Restaurant: Cyra
  • Eat Out Callebaut Dessert Award: Epice
  • Eat Out Patrón Mixology Award: La Petite Colombe
  • Eat Out S.Pellegrino and Acqua Panna Chefs’ Chef: Ivor Jones 

Stay tuned to Eat Out’s social media channels in the next few weeks as we delve into more detail about these exceptional winners and share some behind-the-scenes fun from the event.

Scroll up to the audio player to listen to the conversation.