ANNOUNCED: winners of the 2023 Eat Out Woolworths Restaurant Awards
A burst of confetti at Cape Town’s GrandWest Grand Arena on Sunday 19 November concluded the much-anticipated 2023 Eat Out Woolworths Restaurant Awards ceremony, where over 800 guests gathered to celebrate South Africa’s culinary excellence.
Embracing the star-rating system introduced in 2022, South Africa’s top restaurants were awarded with 3, 2 or 1 stars following a meticulous judging process led by chief judge Abigail Donnelly. The criteria spanned the entire spectrum of the dining experience – from decor and ambience to service, the wine list and the quality of the ingredients – with restaurants needing to score between 70 and 79 out of 100 to win 1 star, between 80 and 89 to win 2 stars, and over 90 to win 3 stars.
Donnelly says: “This year’s winners have demonstrated a seamless combination of consistency and quality, coupled with a commitment to progression and experimentation. We have seen the young and upcoming shine and the established legends generously imparting their wisdom, fostering a wonderful spirit of mentorship within the community.
“The celebrated establishments tonight have fearlessly articulated their visions, captivating guests with exciting ingredients, unique spaces, exquisite service and a sincere love of their craft.”
1-STAR RESTAURANTS
• Acid Food & Wine Bar (Randburg, Johannesburg)
• Cavalli Restaurant (Somerset West)
• Chefs Warehouse at Maison (Franschhoek)
• CHORUS (Somerset West)
• Creation Wines Tasting Room (Hemel-en-Aarde Valley)
• Eike (Stellenbosch)
• FABER at Avondale (Paarl)
• Farro (Botrivier)
• Fermier (Pretoria)
• Le coin Français (Franschhoek)
• Les Créatifs Restaurant (Bryanston, Johannesburg)
• Madre Stanford (Stanford)
• Orangerie at Le Lude (Franschhoek)
• Ouzeri (City Bowl, Cape Town)
• Post & Pepper (Stellenbosch)
• Protégé (Franschhoek)
• Proud Mary (Rosebank, Johannesburg)
• Rykaart’s (Stellenbosch)
• Séjour (Houghton Estate, Johannesburg)
• The Chefs’ Table (Umhlanga, eThekwini)
• The Melting Pot (Elgin)
• 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)
• Zioux (Sandton, Johannesburg)
2-STAR RESTAURANTS
• Belly of the Beast (City Bowl, Cape Town)
• beyond (Constantia, Cape Town)
• ëlgr (City Bowl, Cape Town)
• Epice (Franschhoek)
• Foxcroft (Constantia, Cape Town)
• Meraki by Charlie Lakin (Hillcrest, eThekwini)
• Nevermind (Cape St Francis)
• PIER (V&A Waterfront, Cape Town)
• Restaurant Klein JAN (Tswalu)
• Rust en Vrede (Stellenbosch)
• Salon (Woodstock, Cape Town)
• Spek & Bone (Stellenbosch)
• The Jordan Restaurant with Marthinus Ferreira (Stellenbosch)
• The LivingRoom at Summerhill Estate (Pinetown, eThekwini)
• The Pot Luck Club Cape Town (Woodstock, Cape Town)
• The Pot Luck Club Johannesburg (Randburg, Johannesburg)
• Wolfgat (Paternoster)
3-STAR RESTAURANTS
• ARKESTE by Richard Carstens (Franschhoek)
• Chefs Warehouse Beau Constantia (Constantia, Cape Town)
• Dusk (Stellenbosch)
• FYN (City Bowl, Cape Town
• La Colombe (Constantia, Cape Town)
• La Petite Colombe (Franschhoek)
• Salsify at The Roundhouse (Camps Bay, Cape Town)
This article originally appeared on Eat Out