Please note: the below is our 2014 guide. For a list of restaurants offering Mother’s day specials in 2016, click here.

While we’d all love to spoil our moms with unlimited manicures and Mauritian holidays, the truth is that even the smallest gesture of gratitude can mean the world to her. Whether it’s a lavish four-course lunch or decadent buffet, whisk her away for a special Mother’s Day meal at one of these restaurants.

• Johannesburg
• Pretoria
• Durban
• Eastern Cape
• Cape Town
• Winelands

Johannesburg

A la Bouffe (Linden)
Choose between a two-course meal (R145 per person; R190 with champagne) and a three-course meal (R160 per person; R205 with champagne). Highlights include chicken liver parfait, poached hake with ratatouille and new potatoes, and a selection of French cheeses.

Balata Restaurant (Randburg)
Treat her to a huge lunch buffet for R325 per person. The buffet includes a gourmet selection of fresh bread, oysters, soup, salad, cold starters, carvery, hot dishes, desserts and a cheese board.

Balata Restaurant. Photo courtesy of the restaurant.

Clico Boutique Hotel (Rosebank)
Pay R235 per person for a decadent Mother’s Day high tea with ten menu items and a glass of local bubbly on arrival. Snack on quiches, sandwiches, canapés, scones, petit fours, truffles, cheesecake and more.

Clico Boutique Hotel. Photo courtesy of the restaurant.

The Fat Olive (Lanseria)
Enjoy a three-course lunch with live entertainment and a surprise gift for Mom for R295 per person. The set menu includes treats like fried halloumi salad, aged rump topped with gorgonzola and pink peppercorn sauce, and chocolate fudge cake.

Hard Rock Café (Sandton)
Pay R230 per person for a three-course meal or add an original Hard Rock Café ‘Rocking Mom’ T-shirt and pay R269. The meal includes a starters platter, a choice of five main meals, and a mint aero cheesecake for dessert.

Hard Rock Cafe. Photo courtesy of the restaurant.

Luce at Southern Sun (Sandton)
Enjoy a three-course family-style lunch for R500 per person.

Maximillien (Sandton)
Spoil Mom with a three-course lunch buffet for R350 per person. (Children under 12 pay half price.) The buffet features an array of starters, main courses and a mixed berry panna cotta with crunch mint chocolate and seasonal fruit for dessert. Limited mother and daughter spa packages are available on the day for R690 each.

Maximillien. Photo courtesy of the restaurant.

Milner’s Restaurant at Sunnyside Park Hotel (Parktown)
Treat her to a three-course lunch buffet with a surprise gift for R245 per person. (Children under the age of 12 pay R120.) Highlights include lamb and lentil soup, roast pork belly with baked apples, chicken curry, malva pudding, and a cheeseboard.

Moyo (Melrose Arch)
Pay R285 for a three-course lunch with live entertainment, a welcome drink and a surprise gift for Mom. The set menu includes highlights like crocodile tail pies, springbok carpaccio, Durban lamb curry, and rooibos tea crème brûlée.

Moyo Melrose Arch. Photo courtesy of the restaurant.

Moyo (Zoo Lake)
Indulge in a breakfast buffet with bottomless tea, coffee and juice, and a surprise gift for Mom for R155 per adult. (Children between the ages of six and 11 pay R75; those under five eat for free.) Alternatively, enjoy a lunch buffet with live entertainment, a welcome drink and a surprise gift for Mom for R285 per person. (Children aged six to 11 pay R140; those under five eat for free.)

The Secret Tea Garden (Fourways)
Enjoy a breakfast buffet piled with croissants, muffins, fresh fruit, bacon and eggs and more for R195 per person. Alternatively, treat her to a lunch buffet for R220 per person. (Kids under 12 can order off a special menu for R65.) The buffet includes everything from minestrone soup and garden salads to roast beef, rosemary rice and crème brûlée.

The Terrace at Fairlawns (Morningside Manor)
Tuck into a three-course lunch for R475 per person. The set menu includes highlights like smoked turkey salad, butternut ravioli and fillet of beef, while a generous dessert buffet offers an array of treats.

Tradewinds Restaurant (Sandton)
Tuck into a four-course plated lunch at Tradewinds from 12.30pm on Mother’s Day, followed by a high tea experience later in the afternoon for R495 per person.

Winnie’s Soul and Jazz Restaurant (Wendywood)
Spoil your mom with a buffet lunch, afternoon tea party and live music and entertainment for R300 per person.

Pretoria

Al Fiume (Hennops River, Centurion)
Enjoy a three-course set menu for R395 per adult or R135 per child. Menu highlights include a trio of blue cheese and fig preserve, smoked salmon chipotle, and quail egg and pancetta salad; confit of duck al orange with mashed potatoes and seasonal vegetables; and a trio of caramelised nectarine, chocolate mousse and lemon cheesecake.

Al Fiume. Photo courtesy of the restaurant.

The Barn Restaurant at Irene Dairy Farm (Irene)
Express your appreciation with a traditional home-style Mother’s Day lunch for R179.95 per adult. (Kids pay R89.95.)

The Blades (Kameeldrift East)
Enjoy a three-course lunch, mini spa treatments and live saxophone entertainment for R295 per person. (Kids pay R125.) Choose a starter or a main from the set menu before tucking into a decadent dessert buffet featuring everything from Cap Classique panna cotta to key lime cheesecake. A kiddies’ buffet offers mini hotdogs, mac and cheese, and more.

The Blades. Photo courtesy of the restaurant.

Bruno’s (Centurion)
Treat Mom to a three-course set menu with welcome drinks and a surprise gift for R250 per person. Children under the age of six can eat for free at the kiddies’ buffet, while those aged between seven and 12 eat for half price. Children’s activities will be on offer and a child minder and lifeguard will be on duty to ensure parents can have a relaxing lunch.

De Kloof (Waterkloof)
Pay R355 per person for a four-course lunch with canapés and a sherry or juice on arrival. Children aged four to eight pay R175. Highlights include basil panna cotta with roasted tomato cannelloni and smoked mozzarella, and stout braised beef rib.

The interior at De Kloof. Photo courtesy of the restaurant.

Il Patio (Hennops River, Centurion)
Tuck into a three-course lunch buffet for R275 per adult or R135 per child. Highlights include melon and gorgonzola with balsamic and honey vinaigrette, roast leg of lamb with spicy red wine and balsamic jus, chicken chasseur, and caramel vodka-infused custard.

Kingsley’s Restaurant (Kameeldrift East)
Pay R300 per person for a Mother’s Day lunch buffet with a complimentary glass of bubbly. The buffet includes a selection of starters, salads, a casserole, two carvery roasts, vegetarian potjie, cheeses and desserts.

Kingsley’s Restaurant. Photo courtesy of the restaurant.

Le-Si Ristorante at Casa Toscana Lodge (Lynwood Manor)
Pay R290 per person for a Mother’s Day buffet lunch with live musical entertainment by Philip Moolman, who will be performing a Neil Diamond tribute along with his own compositions. The price includes a generous buffet, welcome drinks, a show, coffee and dessert platters.

Durban

9th Avenue Bistro (Morningside)
Pay R250 per person for a three-course lunch menu. Highlights include heritage tomato and fennel tart, prawn-tail pasta, braised lamb shoulder, and chocolate torte with chocolate ice cream, bittersweet chocolate sauce and orange essence.

Moyo (uShaka Marine World)
Pay R285 for a lunch buffet featuring an array of South African favourites, including Free State sweet potato and biltong soup, springbok carpaccio, Durban lamb curry, oxtail, seafood potjie, koeksisters, and bread-and-butter pudding. (Children aged six to 11 years pay R140; children under five eat for free.)

Moyo Ushaka. Photo courtesy of the restaurant.

The Ocean Terrace at The Oyster Box (Umhlanga Rocks)
Tuck into a four-course lunch for R750 per person. The menu includes crayfish and prawn cocktail for starters, a large buffet with two roasts and five curries, and a plated dessert.

The Ocean Terrace at The Oyster Box. Photo courtesy of the restaurant.

Rainbow Terrace Restaurant at Hilton Durban (Durban Central)
Treat mom to an exciting lunch buffet with a complimentary welcome drink and a surprise gift for R450 per person.

Eastern Cape

Africanos Country Estate (Addo, Eastern Cape)
Enjoy a lunch buffet with freshly baked bread on arrival for R165 per person. The buffet includes everything from Greek-style roasted lamb and fish tart to melanzane parmigiana and pumpkin fritters. A kiddies’ menu is available at R50 per person.

The Bayside Pantry (Summerstrand, Port Elizabeth)
Treat mom to a lunch buffet with champagne on arrival, live entertainment, a lucky draw and a special dessert station for R195 per person. Highlights include a curry station, grilled fish station, lamb tagine, braised oxtail and a wide selection of desserts and local cheeses.

Cape Town

Azure Restaurant at The Twelve Apostles Hotel and Spa (Camps Bay)
Celebrate Mother’s Day with a buffet lunch with live music and a surprise gift for mom for R415 per person. (Children under the age of 12 pay R215.) The buffet will include German baked breads with a selection of dips, a traditional cold meat platter, a cold buffet, carvery, a hot buffet and a wide selection of desserts. Look forward to items like Greek-style pulled lamb, roasted pork belly with candied apple and cider jus, and red velvet cake.

Azure at The Twelve Apostles Hotel and Spa. Photo courtesy of the restaurant.

Beluga (Green Point)
Take mom to try Beluga’s new winter tasting menu where you can enjoy a two-course lunch for R140 or a three-course lunch or dinner for R165. Expect everything from duck liver crème brûlée and dim sum to sushi platters, slow-braised beef ribs and white chocolate beignets.

Moyo (Blouberg, Kirstenbosch)
Enjoy a lunch buffet and a welcome drink for R285 per person. (Children aged six to 11 pay R140; children under five eat for free.) Expect everything from dusted chicken wings and West Coast mussels to Durban lamb curry, chicken tagine and Cape malva pudding.

Moyo Kirstenbosch. Photo courtesy of the restaurant.

Sevruga (V&A Waterfront)
Indulge in a two-course lunch for R165 or a three-course lunch or dinner for R210 from Sevruga’s new winter tasting menu. Highlights include prawn bisque, deboned beef ribs, deep-fried mozzarella balls, sushi platters and crème brûlée.

Stardust Theatrical Dining (Woodstock)
Pay R275 per person for a three-course set menu and live entertainment. Expect decadent treats like figs baked in honey with roasted nuts and homemade labneh cheese; roasted beef sirloin with wholegrain mustard and rosemary; and white-chocolate crème brûlée.

Sevruga. Photo courtesy of the restaurant.

Stonebreakers Restaurant (V&A Waterfront)
Indulge in a lunch buffet with a welcome drink for R225 per person. Highlights include roasted butternut and brie soup; sautéed trio of calamari, prawns and fresh crab meat; roast leg of pork with apple sauce and apricot and sage stuffing; and passion fruit cheesecake. (Children under 12 pay half price.)

Trees Restaurant at Townhouse Hotel (City Bowl)
Treat her to a four-course lunch menu designed by Michelin-trained chef Stefan Schmidt for R348 per person. The meal includes a choice of soup, plated starters, and a huge buffet, featuring everything from sticky citrus chicken to slow-roasted lamb. A decadent chocolate tiramisu pie is on offer for dessert.

Winelands

Bosman’s Restaurant at The Grande Roche (Paarl)
Celebrate Mother’s Day with a decadent dinner buffet and live music by Le-Lue for R335 per person. Buffet highlights include marinated Norwegian salmon, poached Franschhoek salmon trout, dark chocolate Amarula tart, and a cheese board. Please note that the buffet menu is subject to change.

Eight at Spier (Stellenbosch)
Celebrate with a hot English breakfast and continental platters piled high with mini scones and pastries for R155 per person. Breakfast takes place between 9.30am and 12pm.

The Governor’s Hall at Lanzerac (Stellenbosch)
Thank mom with a three-course lunch buffet for R320 per person. (Children under 12 pay R170 each.) The menu features everything from smoked salmon mousse with orange-cured Norwegian salmon to confit duck leg with Asian honey glaze and deep-fried pumpkin mousse cheesecake.

The Red Table Restaurant at Nederburg (Paarl)
Treat her to a fancy three-course lunch menu for R250 per person (excluding wine). Highlights include deep-fried camembert with cranberry and fig chutney; biltong-crusted fillet; and frosted Nederburg Noble Late Harvest with white chocolate and caramel fondant. Nederburg wines will be on offer by the glass and the à la carte menu will be available throughout the day.

Bosman’s Restaurant at Grande Roche Hotel. Photo courtesy of the restaurant.

The Rhebok Restaurant at Rheboksloof (Paarl)
Tuck into a Mother’s Day lunch buffet with a glass of sparkling wine on arrival and a surprise gift for every mother and grandmother for R325 per person. (Children aged six to 12 eat for R125 each; children under six eat for free.) The buffet includes delights like calamari and prawn salad, pork and prune terrine, roast sirloin and red wine jus, venison potjie, and chocolate torte.

Spier Hotel Restaurant (Stellenbosch)
Enjoy a Mad Hatter’s Lunch at Spier Hotel, complete with a savoury buffet, deserts, tea and cupcakes for R275 per person. (Children under the age of 12 eat for R120 each.) This event takes place between 1pm and 3pm on Sunday 10 May.

Taste Bistro (Somerset West)
Pay R225 per person for a special three-course lunch menu. Highlights include prawn rarebit with homemade fennel bread; beef sirloin with potato dauphinoise, vegetables and rosemary jus; and pavlova with yoghurt cream and Autumn fruit.

Have we missed a great Mother’s Day special? Please let us know in the comments section below.

Please note that while we take care to ensure the accuracy of this information, some offers and prices may change without our knowledge.