Tonight, at a lavish award ceremony in the grand ballroom at the Westin Cape Town, we announced the 10 best restaurants in South Africa, along with a host of other winners.

“It has been a dazzling year of fun dining,” said Eat Out editor and judge Abigail Donnelly. “I have seen local chefs prepare astonishing, world-class food, and the top restaurants in South Africa have shown tremendous talent, continuing to push the boundaries in terms of creativity, confidence and full-on flavour.”
International judge Bruce Palling was similarly impressed by the standard of cuisine of offer in this country. The UK-based food columnist, who writes for the Wall Street Journal Europe and is on the judging panel of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants, praised the range and dedication of South Africa’s leading chefs. “Some of the chefs would rank in my personal top twenty anywhere in the world.”

Without further ado, here are the winners of the 2012 Eat Out DStv Food Network Restaurant Awards:

The Top 10 restaurants:
1.     The Test Kitchen
2.     The Tasting Room
3.     Jordan Restaurant
4.     Overture
5.     Rust en Vrede
6.     DW Eleven-13
7.     La Colombe
8.     The Greenhouse
9.     Terroir
10.   Hartford House

Restaurant of the Year
The Test Kitchen

Chef of the Year
Margot Janse of The Tasting Room

Service Excellence Award
Rust en Vrede

The Lannice Snyman Lifetime Achievement Award brought to you by Paarl Media
Alicia Wilkinson of Silwood School of Cookery

Best Bistro
9th Avenue Bistro

Best Steakhouse
Carne SA

Best Country-style Restaurant
Fresh at Paul Cluver Wine Estate

Best Asian Restaurant
Saigon (Gardens)

Best Italian restaurant
Café del Sol

Boschendal Style Award in association with Visi
Green House at Babylonstoren

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Buy a copy of 2013 Eat Out magazine at selected Woolworths, Exclusive Books, CNA, Spar and Pick n Pay stores, or order one online.    

Want to know how the winners were chosen? Find out all about the judging process here.

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