News
Revealed: the nominees for the Top 10 at the 2014 Eat Out Mercedes-Benz Restaurant Awards
Monday, October 6th, 2014
On 16 November, we’ll announce the brand new Top 10 restaurants in South Africa. Tickets to the glam gala event are on sale now. Ahead of that date, we’re thrilled to bring you the list of twenty nominees for this year’s Top 10.
The nominees, in alphabetical order, are:
Bread & Wine
DW Eleven-13
Five Hundred
Jordan Restaurant
La Mouette
Makaron
Overture
Planet Restaurant
Restaurant Mosaic
Rust en Vrede
Terroir
The Greenhouse at Cellars-Hohenort
The Kitchen at Maison
The Pot Luck Club
The Restaurant at Newton Johnson
The Restaurant at Waterkloof
The Tasting Room
The Test Kitchen
The White Room at Dear Me
Tokara
View our nominees on the map below. Click on the red pins for more information.
South Africa’s new Top 10 will be announced on the 16th of November at Thunder City in Cape Town. The glittering awards ceremony will see six celebrated chefs preparing a five-course meal paired with wine and beer for the largest audience yet. Tickets are on sale now via Webtickets.
This year Abigail Donnelly, Eat Out editor and judge for the annual restaurant awards, was supported by five anonymous judges, whose identities will also be revealed on awards night. With the determining factors being excellence in food, service and ambience, the judges ate at restaurants across the country to determine the nominees, and each judge scored restaurants individually on a scorecard.
Says Donnelly, “I am very excited about this year’s list of nominees. We’ve seen a number of significant and newsworthy changes at the country’s top restaurants over the past year, which means that – besides the excellent restaurants we’ve celebrated before – there are some very deserving newcomers on the list. We look forward to honouring these phenomenal restaurants for their stellar work at this year’s event, which is going to be the biggest awards ceremony we’ve hosted yet!”
The winners of the coveted Restaurant of the Year, San Pellegrino Chef of the Year, Grolsch Service Excellence Award, the winner of the Lannice Snyman Lifetime Achievement Award in Association with Paarl Media, and the Top 10 Restaurants will be selected from these 20 restaurants and announced at the ceremony.
The recipients of the awards for Best Steakhouse, Best Asian Restaurant, Best Italian Restaurant, Best Country-style Restaurant and Best Everyday Eatery, as well as the winner of the Boschendal Style Award and Nederburg Rising Star Award, will also be honoured on the night.
Follow @Eat_Out on Twitter to join the conversation and to see live updates on the night and like the Eat Out Facebook page. The Eat Out magazine 2015 will launch on the night of the Eat Out Mercedes-Benz Restaurant Awards and will be available at selected Woolworths, Exclusive Books, Pick n Pay, Spar and CNA stores.
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There are about five restaurants that belong on a list of this kind. The rest serve mediocre food in lacklustre interiors with amateur staff.
I agree, I do not know who does the selection, they have no taste buds!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I agree, I do not know who does the selection!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Terroir, menu 20 years old, food mediocre, overpriced, prawn risotto precooked and super salty, not Italian at all, one has, to have 2 portions for starter as they only give you 2 teaspoon of salty arborio rice.
Service, on one of our visits the waiter actually asked for the tip! last visited July 2014, the manager told
me that the risotto is an appetizer!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! hence the 2 teaspoons.
Rust en Vrede, on our last recent (July 2014) visit all the food at the table 4 people was salty the gnocchi was burned, it was reported to the waiter no response from manager or chef we were just ignored.
Service pathetic and super pretentious.
Surely South Africa has more that the usual suspects restaurants on your list! not many of my friends and acquaintances give much credit to your listings.
May it be “Five Hundred” or DW Eleven -13!!!!
They are really the best!!!!!!!
I agree wholeheartedly with Ritchie. Too much mediocrity being rewarded here, and there are some brilliant restaurants not nominated. Malie- my last experience at DW11-13 was abysmal. It used to be a favourite, but no longer.
I’m surprised Foliage in Franschhoek didn’t make the list, but perhaps they weren’t up and running when they judged/visited the restaurants?
It is great to see Mosaic is on the list!! Their five course breakfast is to die for, so I can only imagine what their lunch and dinner menus have to offer!! True hospitality, first class food and total grandness at this place!!
I have enjoyed a four course dinner and two course lunch at Jordan and agree that this is fine dining and something to shout about. The whole experience is great.
We had a four course dinner at Makaron last year in December and the experience, food and service was truly memorable!!! We are truly spoilt for choice here in the Cape!!
The only one that surprises me is Bread and Wine. I didn’t feel the experience was that great here. My friends had the overpriced burgers with miniature patties, and the food was really not special, I can’t even remember what I had! I enjoyed the ambiance of eating lunch here but it is not one I will run back for next week.
I look forward to seeing who makes the top 10!!!
Thanks for sharing your experiences Christine. With regard to Foliage: our guidelines state that a restaurant must be open for a year prior to being eligible for the awards, so unfortunately Foliage was not eligible this year.
I am a BIG fan of Terroir. Anyone that makes a prawn and lobster risotto like that (I had TWO helpings) will always get my vote. Also great service, friendly, but not PRECIOUS. Precious doesn’t impress me…… The Cape has EVERYTHING – am always so envious! Enjoy all that excellent food you lucky people
Good to hear that Gill! We’re craving risotto their now too, thanks to you.
Can not believe that there is not ONE restaurant in the other provinces – Specially Durban.
I totally agree in fact I was surprised to see that there were restaurants nominated from Johannesburg and not all from the mother city. I could name at least four restaurants in Durban that should be on that list, and at least five from Gauteng. But this is a Cape Town based project and as everyone knows everything is better in Cape Town, but in all sincerity there are only five or six of the Cape based restaurants that should be on the lisy
Same old same old…
not sure who did the nominating but they must have been on crack….
An awesome Indian restaurant in Blouberg Cape Town. Just based on indian curries n cater for vegetarians.Warm atmosphere and the owner as the most aaaaaaawesmemest Host Prim Reddy . Restaurant called the Indian Chapter.
Lovely list and some surprises! Glad to see some of our favourites there. Test kitchen always a winner, pity we struggle to get a booking on short notice but understand the popularity.
We visit Rust en Vrede often as we can as its so close to us and always special and last meal there two weeks ago was best ever! Tiramisu like I’ve never tasted it before and perfect Blesbok. Their wines are excellent.They asked about dietary requirements when we booked and had special printed menu to accommodate our friend’s restrictions!
Waterkloof seems to be better each time we go, as does Bread & Wine
Cant wait to see what happens at awards!
Lovely list and some surprises! Glad to see some of our favourites there. Test kitchen always a winner, pity we struggle to get a booking on short notice but understand the popularity. Service sometimes a little rushed.
We go to Rust en Vrede often as we can as its so close to us and last meal there two weeks ago was best ever! Tiramisu like I’ve never tasted it before and perfect Blesbok. Their wines are excellent.They asked about dietary requirements when we booked and had special printed menu to accommodate our friend’s restrictions!
Waterkloof seems to be better each time we go, as does Bread & Wine.
Cant wait to see what happens at awards!
No Black Bamboo? I have eaten at all the restaurants on the list and quite frankly black bamboo offers alot more that any one of them , A menu that keeps changing , every time we eat there we are amazing with super interesting combinations and flavors, a wine list that’s so unusual and beautifully paired with dishes. A clear leader in Pretoria!!
Hi everyone, My wife and myself have never been to a top fine dining restaurant before and with her birthday coming up, I would like to treat her to such an experience.
I thought I would just pick one of the nominees listed here, but it is proving to be more difficult than that with all the reviews/comments for each.So if anyone can recommend one of these restaurants as a excellent place to go for ‘first timers’ to experience a culinary sensation, I would really appreciate it.
We are a young couple based in Cape Town, towards the west coast, and prefer a friendly/bustling environment to a more serious one.
Thanks in advance.
Try La Mouette in Sea Point or also not listed but awesome Cheyne’s in Hout Bay
Thank you Shayla, I will have a look into these two as well.
At the moment Makaron caught my attention.
I’m extremely surprised to see that The Cube Tasting Kitchen has not been nominated. According to several sites they are rated the best restaurant in Jhb. Personally one of the best restaurants I have been to, worldwide.
A few months ago I had the pleasure of visiting the restaurant at Newton-Johnson vineyards in the Hemel and Aarde Valley Hermanus. What a an absolute delight! The setting, the views, the food, the service – all worthy of applause and recognition. So glad to see them on the list of nominees for this year. I live in the UK but will be back for more next year !
I must say I am very pleased to see The Tasting Room on the list! Fantastic restaurant! I am surprised there weren’t more Franschhoek restaurants on the list like La Petite Ferme?