When a restaurant is listed as one of the Eat Out 500 – the top restaurants in South Africa as chosen by the Eat Out editorial panel – it’s kind of a big deal. A unique something, or many things, about these 500 eateries sets them apart from the rest. As for the restaurants below, it’s the magnificence of their red-blooded steaks that has secured them a place on the list.
These steakhouses really care about where their meat comes from, the age and diet of the animal, and the maturation process. While many diners won’t take too much notice of the steak’s journey from field to fork, all these factors do play a huge part in the taste and texture of their beloved T-bone, rib-eye or rump. We rounded up all the steakhouses listed in the 2014 Eat Out magazine and asked them to share their most popular cuts – and the sides to soak up the sauce.
Alpine Restaurant
Crowd-pleasing cut: Rib-eye and prime-rib steaks.
Sides: All cuts are served with demi-glace and roasted marrow bone. Sides include baked potato served with sour cream, hand-cut chips, potato purée, grilled asparagus, gorgonzola broccoli au gratin, sautéed baby spinach, roasted butternut, caramelised beetroot, baked sweet potato, zucchini slivers, caramelised red onion florets, crushed green beans or a side salad.
Butcher Shop and Grill
Crowd-pleasing cut: The fillet steak.
Sides: Baked potato, chips, garlic bread, sautéed seasonal vegetables, asparagus, baked pumpkin or creamed spinach.
The Local Grill (Parktown North)
Crowd-pleasing cut: Order the beef sampler platter to try the different cuts – fillet, sirloin or rump – on one plate.
Sides: Pap, mashed potatoes and beef jus, fries, onion rings, vegetables, a side salad and sweetcorn on the cob.
Saxon Qunu Grill
Crowd-pleasing cut: Rib-eye steak.
Sides: Shoestring fries or creamed mashed potatoes, a salad or grilled vegetables, and pepper, mushroom or BBQ sauce.
The Squires Loft
Crowd-pleasing cut: Rump steak.
Sides: All steak dishes are served with chips and onion ring garnish.
Thunder Gun
Crowd-pleasing cut: Fillet and sirloin steaks.
Sides: Chips, baked potato or mash and gravy.
Turn ’n Tender (Bryanston and Illovo)
Crowd-pleasing cut: Argentinean-style steak (choose your cut), which is spiral cut and served with a refreshing and zingy chimichurri marinade.
Sides: Chips, rice, baked potato, mash, pap ’n gravy, vegetables or a side salad.
Wombles
Crowd-pleasing cut: Fillet on the bone.
Sides: Seasonal vegetables are served with each main and you can choose between chips, mashed potato, pap, roasted rosemary potato wedges or roasted sweet potato.
Eisbein and Co.
Crowd-pleasing cut: Eisbein and oxtail.
Sides: Sauerkraut (cabbage), spinach and carrots.
Karoo Cattle and Land (Irene)
Crowd-pleasing cut: Rump steak.
Sides: Patrons receive unlimited salad from the salad cart with every main course, as well as a choice of baked potato, pap and sauce, vegetables or seasoned chips.
Butcher Block (Umhlanga)
Crowd-pleasing cut: Prim rib.
Sides: All grill are served with a choice of chips or seasonal vegetables.
Havana Grill
Crowd-pleasing cut: Fillet on the bone.
Sides: All grills are served with a choice of shoestring fries, baked potato, mashed potato or basmati rice.
The Highland Fryer
Crowd-pleasing cut: Rump steak.
Sides: Choose between chips, baked potato or mashed potato. Some of the meals come standard with vegetables, too.
Little Havana
Crowd-pleasing cut: Fillet on the bone.
Sides: All grills are served with a choice of shoestring fries, baked potato, mashed potato or basmati rice.
Belthazar
Crowd-pleasing cut: T-bone and Chicago cuts.
Sides: French fries, sweet potato fries, baked potato or mash.
Carne SA – Winner of the 2013 Eat Out Jacobsdal Best Steakhouse Award
Crowd-pleasing cut: T-bone steak.
Sides: Thin-cut fries, carne-fried potatoes, mashed potato, steamed tenderstem broccoli, sautéed spinach with olive oil, chilli and garlic, or a side salad.
Cattle Baron (Tyger Waterfront)
Crowd-pleasing cut: Chateaubriand (fillet flambéed with brandy).
Sides: All main courses are served with creamed spinach and butternut and a choice of chips, baked potato or savoury rice.
HQ
Crowd-pleasing cut: Sirloin.
Sides: Chips and a salad (of cos and iceberg lettuce topped with toasted pine nuts and parmesan shavings and drizzled with a mustard vinaigrette) come standard.
Hussar Grill (Rondebosch)
Crowd-pleasing cut: Fillet steak.
Sides: Choose between traditional fries, rice, mash or new baby potatoes. A side of creamed spinach and cinnamon butternut is available for a nominal charge.
Margarita’s (Bloemfontein)
Crowd-pleasing cut: matured beef steak, rump and fillet.
Sides: Seasonal vegetables.
New York Restaurant (Bloemfontein)
Crowd-pleasing cut: 350g rump
Sides: Two veg (creamy spinach and butternut), rice and chips (or potato).
Pioneers Butchery and Grill (Hazyview)
Crowd-pleasing cut: 400g aged rib-eye with the bone in.
Sides: French fries, baked potatoes, potato wedges, butter mash, savoury rice, side salad or vegetables.
The Zambezi Restaurant (St. Michael’s on Sea)
Crowd-pleasing cut: 300g Zambezi steak, flame-grilled and topped with creamy mushrooms and shredded biltong.
Sides: Starch (baked potato or chips), two hot veg of the day or salad.
Let’s hope Pescarne in Hout Bay makes into next year’s list! Outstanding steaks.
Currently the best steak in CT is from Tony Mason (ex Hard Rock Rondebosch from all those years ago) at his restaurant called The Avenue Grill, in 2nd Avenue Harfield Village! We eat there once a week, and have done so since he opened.
Too bad about his lousy, aggressive attitude… most of Harfield Village boycotts this place.
Damn sorry – I meant Brad from Brad’s Grill !
I tried the steak at The Avenue – it was “ok”,
**
I rate Barristers in Newlands highly.
Can’t believe that City Grill is not listed, the best steaks in town and better than Belthazar. What is the criteria and how was the decision made?
Hi Sonja. The steakhouses in this list were among the Eat Out 500 (the top-rated restaurants in SA) as chosen by our 50 expert panellists. Unfortunately Belthazar didn’t make the cut according to their ratings! All the best
By the way, Belthazar did make the cut according to their ratings and is among the Eat Out 500(the top-rated restaurants in SA).
You are quite right, Doron. We meant that City Grill didn’t make the cut. Sorry about that!
Our best steakhouse in Cape Town is The Avenue in Second Avenue,Harfield Village in Kenilworth Cape Town.
The owner, Tony Mason has been grilling steaks for at least 30 years and will be remembered from his Hard Rock Café days.
His meat is consistently superb,his roast veg and mash potato sides and handmade chips are unbeatable!
His pricing is fair,better than yours listed.
Best steak rstuarant in Jo’burg….wiuthout a question Fillet in Douglasdale.
Agree 100% but dependant on who is the Manager on duty. You cannot manage a restaurant sitting at a counter smoking, drinking and socialising with friends all the time!
Anybody heard of Buzbey in Cape Town? Best Sirloin ever!
Totally agree with Rainer. Buzbey steaks are excellent and so is the vibe.
There are hundreds of restaurants that claim to do great steaks. There are few who do. However, in my experience, there are VERY FEW that serve great steaks CONSISTENTLY. I have been delighted and disappointed time and again at having an awesome steak and then going back to experience a big disappointment. Now I only go to 2 restaurants where I know every steak will be perfect. I will not order steak anywhere else.
Are there no steak house options outside JHB / PTA , Durban, Cape Town ???
Sorry about that, we neglected the four other steakhouses in the Eat Out 500 that are not in the big cities! Added them in now. Thanks for the feedback.
Trevor – you need to tell us what those 2 restaurants are
Hi Graham. I live in Cape Town. The two restaurants I can vouch for here are 96 Winery Road between Somerset West and Stellenbosch http://www.96wineryroad.co.za and Dale’s Black Angus at Paddocks in Milnerton http://www.blackangus.co.za. (I have no interest in these restaurants besides enjoyment.)
In the western cape – Fowler’s Grill in Worcester is the best steak by far! Have dined at Balthazar several times before – VERY average and overpriced for what you get.
Buz bey Grill in Three Anchor has to be the best steakhouse in Cape Town!! All perfectly grilled by Jimmy himself & his recommendations are always spot on as are his steaks!! True steak lovers will never be disappointed !! Simple meals beautfully grilled!! Did your panel ever try Buz bey??? How Carne & Belthazar made the list is beyond me!
No attitude /simple menu & great quality meat! Always good friendly service and greeting from Jimmy. People in the know eat their regularly and are never disappointed!
I have regular visitors from Italy /Germany & UK and Mauritius & always first port of call is Buz bey(Jimmy).
Local grill parktown and turn ‘n tender Bryanston definitely deserve to be up there.