Our latest Boschendal Style Award nominee blends Italian warmth with whimsical, contemporary design.

The restaurant

Family-run Randburg restaurant Café del Sol draws the crowds for scrumptious, modern Italian in a cosy, contemporary space.

The food

Café del Sol offers gourmet food that extracts the essence of traditional Italian flavours and serves them up with warm, Mediterranean hospitality. Specialities include the stuffed calamari, seafood risotto, fluffy home-made gnocchi and ravioli of the day. We hear their fillets and cheesecake are also not to be sniffed at.

The design

“Originally we wanted to open an inspiring bookstore and bake beautiful cakes and make coffees,” explains Chiara Viljoen, who runs the restaurant with mother Luciana Treccani and brother, Ryan Viljoen. Their friends and family however, thought differently, and with a little convincing, the bookstore became a fully-fledged restaurant.

Adrian Lombard from Essential Earth assisted with the design and although the books may not be evident, the space remains a cosy, whimsical and inspiring one. Quotes from everyone from Einstein and Mother Theresa to Ghandi and Tupac Shakuradorn the walls and the clean lines, single flowers, fresh bamboo and water features create a zen-like atmosphere. Custom-printed linen serviettes, adorned with a utensil design and fabulous foodie quotes add a little something – and reputedly fly out of the restaurant when a batch is printed for sale. The open-plan kitchen contributes to the warm, relaxed atmosphere. A true oasis in the concrete jungle.

Does Café del Sol have what it takes to win the Boschendal Style Award, at the Eat Out Awards?