If you’re planning a road trip from Pretoria, be sure to add these restaurants to your itinerary.

Meat & Eat Deli and Coffee Shop (Hekpoort)

Hekpoort and Skeerpoort are two very small villages west of the Hartbeespoort Dam. It is an area rich in natural beauty, where one can truly experience the magic of the Magaliesberg. There is lots to do in the area, such as taking a hot air balloon ride. Meat & Eat Deli, as its name suggests, has an extensive retail section where one can purchase an array of homemade convenience products, such as their Chicken Box, which contains an innovative array of chicken products – among others, two marinated spatchcock chickens. They offer an extensive “build your own breakfast” option, which includes unusual items such as a slice of curried brawn or a baked bean and bacon salsa. They also have great meals to share such as their ploughman’s cold meat platter, which includes slices of selected Magaliesberg cold cuts, sausages, biltong, dried wors, preserves, chicken liver spread, bread and a variety of cheeses.

Silver Orange Bistro (Haartbeespoort)

Just a short drive from Pretoria – either over the lovely Hartbeespoort Dam bridge or on the N4 – you’ll find Silver Orange and it’s baby sister Almost Orange, tucked away in extensive orange groves that evoke thoughts of Spain. Silver Orange is an established, smart restaurant with everything that comes with white linen service. They are open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and the menu offers various innovative options such as their farmhouse breakfast that consists of fillet on a skewer, bacon, scrambled eggs, new potatoes, tomatoes and mushrooms. Their signature duck-and-fig samosas as a starter option come with plum-and-ginger sauce, pickled red cabbage and beetroot chips, while maple-and-mustard pork belly as one of the main options should not be missed. Almost Orange offers large platters of food to share communally, but one can also book this venue for private events and weddings. Be sure to plan long in advance and book your wedding in those few weeks at the beginning of spring when the orange trees are in bloom – nothing compares to the heady rich scent of orange blossom hanging low over the blossoming orange trees.

A dish at Silver Orange Bistro. Photo supplied.

Van Gaalen (Hartbeespoort)

Van Gaalen is located on the premises of a functional commercial cheese production farm, snug in the hills of the Magaliesberg. Needless to say, apart from gorging on their various interpretations of gouda (check out the farm shop), the many activities include tractor rides, an Easter egg hunt planned for April 2022, and a scenic 5km trail along the Skeerpoort River and Magalies River with “wine” stops every kilometre, where a particular wine estate’s wines are paired with Van Gaalen cheeses. There are many mountain biking trails, as well as tours introducing the cheesemaking process. One can partake in a range of menu items from fresh oysters, a terrace cheese platter and an extensive sushi platter selection to more family-orientated meals such as pizza, ribs, steak and egg, chicken schnitzel or espetada.

Lientjie’s at Queens Cottage (Cullinan)

Cullinan – a little town of big diamonds – has always been a popular place for outings over weekends, but as with many small towns, the spots of interest come and go over time. Lientjie Wessels, who used to ply her creative trade at LiBel but also in various other guises, possesses the ability to reinvent herself time and time again. This time around she is in a little house on the edge of town, which comes with an interesting story linked to British Royalty – ask her when you go for one of her innovative, bespoke meals. She is amenable to discuss your needs and design a meal at any time of day, which she serves all around her beautifully decorated home and garden – and it is strictly Bring Your Own to boot. She will mostly likely not serve the same menu twice, but a recent four-course menu included trout, creamy filled egg salad with dill-and-tarragon dressing, and parmesan croutons as an appetiser. This was followed by thinly sliced Koji beef fillet with ponzu sauce, roast vegetable and potato salad with aioli, followed by a second main course of sliced marmalade and soy glazed gammon, sweet potato and caramelised lemon confit. And, finally, Christmas cake ice cream, baked cake crumbs and brandy truffle to end the meal. Contact Lientjie for private parties and even in extreme cases (begging would help) catering at your venue.

Mrs Simpson’s (Dullstroom)

Mrs Simpson’s is, after a run of 17 years, a fully fledged Dullstroom institution. Restaurants often come and go as fast as trucks hurl down the steep slope on the Gauteng access road into the village, but Mrs Simpson’s has withstood the test of time long enough to be considered the matriarch of restaurants in this little vacation town. The owners are always on hand to guide you through the chalkboard menu (a practice adopted long before Covid forced other restaurants to follow suit), along with choices from the wine selection on display. The interior is quirky, garish and fun, and one cannot help but feel like you were treated royally after a visit to Mrs Simpson’s. Unfortunately, Wallis, the famous restaurant cat, passed on in June 2021, but her regular followers can still see a photo of her at her favourite spot under the signboard. The food offering celebrates local produce, such as trout and salmon fish cakes, and deboned stuffed fresh rainbow trout, as well as some other South African favourites such as springbok carpaccio, Cape Malay bobotie and locally sourced lamb shank, and a nod to international influences with dishes such as Moroccan prawn and mussel stew.

Vine Wine Bar and Eatery (Dullstroom)

Just off the main road in Beelaerts Street, behind Seattle Coffee, is one of the village’s newest culinary offerings that should not be missed by those travelling in or around Dullstroom. The décor of this spacious, double-volume venue can be described as sophisticated rustic, and the attention to detail is evident. Every item in the interior has been selected with a discerning eye, including art pieces from the nearby Dimitrov Art Gallery on the walls. The menu offers something for everyone, including tapas, pizzas, a selection of main courses, a cheese board and dessert. Some of the more imaginative dishes include pizza with roast pumpkin and chorizo, and raw zucchini noodles with basil-pumpkin seed pesto. The tapas menu features bacon-wrapped dates, Spanish garlic chilli prawns, pork belly and roasted pear skewers, smoked trout pâté, and camembert served with freshly baked French bread, which should pair perfectly with a Hermanuspietersfontein Postmeester. Do leave space for the roast pumpkin wedges – they are delicious. The waitering staff is friendly, attentive and helpful, which along with the cozy ambience and delicious food should contribute to a memorable experience. 

Stef’s Table (Hartbeespoort)

This delightful little French-inspired restaurant is situated in Schoemansville and not strictly in a rural setting, but you could seek it out if you do a road trip around the Hartbeespoort Dam. The owners are on hand to guide one’s food choices and to negotiate the tricky driveway after a few glasses of wine. The restaurant is housed in a couple of different rooms and on a small patio with a view of the dam, which in cooler times is warmed by with a large fireplace. Gnocchi Parisienne is served with a beautiful red pepper jus, while Mediterranean calamari comes with garlic and an exotic flourish in the form of chilli and coriander. Another firm favourite starter is the spicy prawn tails served with kadaifi cones and wasabi mayonnaise. Main courses include a beef fillet flambé Italienne with olives, pesto, sundried tomatoes and Grana Padano, and baked pork belly with a spicy apricot glaze. Other main course options include a grilled rack of lamb, fantastic duck Magret with brandied cherries, and seared Norwegian salmon with lemon caper butter sauce. For dessert, one would be hard pressed to decide between a perfectly baked chocolate fondant or lemon meringue tartlet. This culinary highlight is definitely worth a detour.