New restaurant openings in Cape Town and the Winelands appear to still be on the slow side. Coco Safar has opened its Coffee and Rooibos Emporium, with a Brewery, a coffee roastery, a Parisian-style Pâtisserie, and eatery in Sea Point, its first global launch, with New York to follow. 1987 is opening in Hertex in Gardens. Chef Oliver Cattermole has opened his Bovine restaurant in the former Dutch East space in Franschhoek. Chef Piet Huysentruyt of one Michelin Star Likoké restaurant in France has a pop-up at The Conservatory in Franschhoek at the end of the month. The Benguela Collection has opened Nom Nom in the former Benguela on Main space. Chef Bruce von Pressentin has opened his restaurant at Molenvliet in Banhoek, Stellenbosch.

We update information about newly opened and closed restaurants continuously, and welcome such news.

Restaurant Openings

#   Coco Safar Parisian-style Pâtisserie and Café has relaunched itself, opening in Sea Point, having left Cavendish Square. (Photograph)

Coco Safar opens in Sea Point today, with world’s first Botanical Coffee and Rooibos Brewery and most advanced coffee roastery in Africa!

#. Benguela on Main has closed down, with the departure of its Chef Jean Delport to a sister restaurant in the Benguela Collection being opened in the UK. The Somerset West space has reopened as an everyday eatery and bakery called Nom Nom, with Chef Sebastian Smith heading up the kitchen. 

#. Villa 47 has relaunched its second floor restaurant Stuzzico as Seta, meaning silk in Italian, as a fusion cocktail lounge, serving cocktails, wines, and small plate food as well as sharing dishes.

# Villa 47 has relaunched its Restaurant restaurant, as Pierino Penati, in conjunction with Italian Michelin one-star restaurant owner Chef Theo Penati, the best fine-dining restaurant in Cape Town.

#. Chefs Warehouse at Maison in Franschhoek has opened, with Head Chef David Schneider.

#. The Kove Collection has opened Bilboa restaurant and Chinchilla Rooftop Café & Bar in Camps Bay.

# Chef Darren Badenhorst’s Le Coin Français fine-dining restaurant has opened in Franschhoek.

# Swirl has opened at Stellenbosch Vineyards, formerly the space of Bistro 13.

# Chef Sheldon Raju has announced the opening of an African restaurant in Camps Bay this summer.

# Bootlegger Café & Grill has opened in Constantia in conjunction with Chef Eric Bulpitt of FABER, next door to Foxcroft, in the former Greens.

# The Franschhoek Beer Co has opened its eatery.

# Marrow has opened in Loop Street.

# Harbour House is to open in Johannesburg

# Jamie’s Italian is to open in Cape Town.

# The Ritz Hotel in Sea Point has reopened, and its Revolving Restaurant is open for business, headed up by hotel chef Maveer Thulsie, Chef Bertus Basson and the hotel having parted ways. A Dom Pérignon as well as Veuve Clicquot Bar are offered, as are a Hennessy Cognac Cigar Lounge.

# The CASA restaurant has opened in The Ritz

# Solo Restaurant has opened on Loop Street.

#. Osteria Tarantino has opened in De Waterkant.

# Woolworths has opened a health restaurant NOW NOW on Longmarket Street, at Old Mutual, and in the Silo District in the V&A Waterfront. It is now run for the retailer by TriBeCa, operators of the WCafés.

# Chef Margot Janse is rumored to be involved in the transformation of the Santé Hotel and Spa in Klapmuts with Linda Coltart.

# Melissa’s has opened in Hermanus.

# Unframed artisanal ice cream has opened a second branch, in the V&A Food Market, and a pop-up in Camps Bay.

# Jason’s Bakery has opened on Main Road in Green Point.

# A Steakhouse is said to be opening in McGregor.

# An Italian restaurant is being built at Delaire Graff.

# Nonna Lina Sea Point has opened.

# Vigour & Verve has opened at the new Sunsquare in the Cape Town CBD.

# The Yard has opened in the Silo District in the V&A Waterfront.

# Kleinsky’s Delicatessen has opened on Church Square in Parliament Street.

# KapaTee has opened on Church Street, as a store and tearoom.

# La Paris Bistro & Deli, and wedding and event venue, has opened outside Franschhoek.

# La Petite Manoir is to open in Franschhoek in April.

# Chef Duncan Doherty has opened Duncan & Co, a long table-style restaurant at Colmant in Franschhoek.

#. Si Cantina Sociale eatery and bar has opened in the Silo District in the V & A Waterfront

# Manga sushi outlet has opened in Church Square.

# Seattle Coffee Co has opened in Church Square.

# Afro’s Chicken has opened at 4 Spin Street.

# Beerhouse is opening another branch in Cape Town, and in Durban.

#. Chef Jan-Hendrik van der Westhuizen of JAN restaurant is to open a restaurant in the Cape, but not in Cape Town itself, he has confirmed.

# Chef Jan-Hendrik van der Westhuizen has opened MARIA in Nice, as an event dining venue.

# Limnos Bakery has opened in the V&A Waterfront, and in Cavendish Square. A new branch will open in the Table View Mall in April.

# Oui restaurant has opened at Radisson RED in the Silo District of the Waterfront.

# Patina has opened in Newlands.

# Ribs & Burgers is to open in Table View Mall

# Khavé Road is a new coffee shop in Cavendish Square.

# The White Rabbit has opened in the V&A Waterfront, another restaurant in the Kove Collection.

# Skal Bar & Eatery has opened in Brackenfell.

# Brocha Urban BBQ is to open.

# Chef Bertus Basson has opened De Vrije Burger in Stellenbosch, his fifth ‘restaurant’, operating as a take-away!

‘Restaurant’ Review: Eat Out Top 10 Chef Bertus Basson’s De Vrije Burger below his stature, poor swop for The Ritz Revolving restaurant!

# Bar Di Bar has opened outside Paarl.

# The Botanical Bar is to open on Longmarket Street.

# Häzz coffee shop has opened on Bree Street.

# David Higgs is said to be opening his own restaurant, in Sandton in Johannesburg.

# The pop-up The Gin Dock at the V&A has opened.

# SALT at Paul Cluver, with Chef Mechell Spann, guided by Chef Craig Cormack, has opened.

# Rafael Lebanese speciality Coffee Shop is opening on Main Road in Sea Point.

# Moody Lagoon Restaurant has opened at Benguela Cove in Hermanus.

# The Nest Deli & Café has opened at Constantia Uitsig.

# The Bistro at Klein Constantia has opened.

# Kirsten’s Kick Ass Ice Cream has opened at Constantia Uitsig.

# Sushi Box has opened at Constantia Uitsig.

#   Curry & Craft has opened in Observatory.

# Chef Oliver Cattermole is opening Bovine in the Dutch East space on 3 February.

Chef Oliver Cattermole to open his first restaurant Bovine in Franschhoek on 3 February!

Restaurant Closures

# Searle’s in Greyton has stopped operating, and is for sale.

# Blues restaurant has closed down in Camps Bay, after 30 years of operating.

# Mezepoli has closed down in Camps Bay.

# Raya Kitchen, belonging to Kitima, has closed down on Wale Street.

# Mother’s Ruin on Bree Street has closed down

# Plant on Buiten Street has closed down.

# Flora’s Eatery in McGregor has closed down.

# Mangata in Simon’s Town has closed down.

# Marc’s Table in Green Point has closed down due to the sale of the Sugar Hotel, but is looking for new premises.

# The Bromwell in Woodstock appears to have closed.

# La Belle Bistro & Bakery in Mouille Point has closed down.

# Bardough by Jason has closed down on Loop Street.

# Melissa’s in Franschhoek has closed down.

#   Dutch East has closed down in Franschhoek.

#  The Big Easy is to close in Stellenbosch at the end of this month. 

Restaurant changes

# The Long Table Restaurant and Café at Haskell Vineyards closed in 2016, and will re-open after an extensive renovation, upgrade, and general maintenance, to be run by the winery itself when it re-opens.

# Adam Whitehead of The Power & Glory has taken over the Rafiki space to create a new eatery The Sunnyside Grill.

# The Classic Car Bar pop-up restaurant in the V&A Waterfront has closed down, with new Kove Collection restaurant Firefish having opened in the space.

# Chef Giorgio Nava has converted his Carné Constantia into 95 at Parks Restaurant, Bar & Lounge.

# Panama Jack is moving to the Cruise Liner Terminal in the Cape Town Harbour.

# Janse & Co has opened in the former Yuzu space on Kloof Street, owned by Chef Arno Janse van Rensburg of Maison, with Liezl Odendaal.

# Heritage Cottage has opened where Mon Desir used to be in Hermanus, operated by Chef Warwick Taylor of SOURCE, with Head Chef Dean van Huyssteen.

# Boschendal at Oude Bank has opened in Stellenbosch, where SCHOON de Companje used to be, as a Boschendal Farm Shop, Bistro, Bakery, and wine tasting facility.

Chef and Restaurant staff changes

# Chef Angelo Scirocco is opening Wood & Fire, his own restaurant, in Pretoria.

# Chef Warwick King has left The Stack and joined Delaire Graff

# Pastry Chef André Steyn has moved from Delaire Graff to La Colombe.

# Chef Jason Kosmas has joined The Stack, from Chefs Warehouse & Canteen on Bree Street.

# Chef Marco van Rooyen is heading up the restaurant at Rivendell, near Kleinmond and Bot River.

# Chef Martin Senekal is the new Group Pastry Chef at the Leeu Collection in Franschhoek.

# Chef Michael Deg of Delaire Graff has moved to Equus at Cavalli Estate.

# Chef Guy Bennett is the new Executive Chef at Grande Provence.

# Chef Kieran Whyte has left Charango, and is the new Head Chef at Delaire Graff.

# Jürgen Welp is now the GM at Harbour House Constantia Nek.

#. Simon Rudd has been appointed Deputy GM at the new Tiger’s Milk Kloof Street.

# Sommelier Pearl Oliver has left the Taj, to join the One&Only Cape Town.

# Nico Vorster is the new Chef at La Paris Bistro & Deli

# Alice Mfundsi has left La Paris Bistro & Deli, outside Franschhoek.

# Chef Albert Bronkhorst is the new Executive Chef at Dash Restaurant & Bar at the Queen Victoria Hotel in the Waterfront.

# Chef Bruce von Pressentin has left Delheim, and opened his own restaurant, at Molenvliet, on the Helshoogte Pass.

# Oliver Loxton has left Villa 47 as its Sommelier, moving to the UK. Dominic Bodenstein has taken over his position.

# Chef Rudy Smith has taken over the Kitchen at Delheim.

# Chef Oliver Cattermole has left the Leeu Collection.

# Chef Nicolaas Oosthuizen has left Foliage and is heading up the kitchen at the Franschhoek Beer Co.

We welcome all restaurant news: chrisvonulmenstein [at] gmail.com

Chris von Ulmenstein, WhaleTales Blog: www.chrisvonulmenstein.com/blog Tel +27 082 55 11 323 Twitter:@Ulmenstein Facebook: Chris von Ulmenstein Instagram: @Chris_Ulmenstein