Few Capetonians will have heard of the Rare Grill in Kenilworth, which has just been named the winner of The Wolftrap Steakhouse Championships 2017.  Little Havana in Umhlanga Rocks was the runner up, and The Local Grill in Parktown North took third place. The Championships is in its fifth year.More than 150 steakhouses entered the Championships this year, and the first level voting was done by the public, via Facebook. From this evaluation, the Top Ten finalists were selected, and evaluated unannounced, by a group of judges headed by Chef Pete Goffe-Wood. The quality of the steak, the side dishes, as well as of the hospitality were evaluated. 

The Rare Grill is the first Cape winner of The Wolftrap Steakhouse Championships, and also won the newly introduced Newcomer of the Year award. ‘For an intimate steakhouse like Rare Grill, such an accolade is really going to put us on the map!’, said Greg Bax, owner of the Rare Grill.  Chef Pete commented as follows about the steakhouse: ‘Rare Grill is a gem, an owner-operated steakhouse where Greg personally mans the grill and takes immense pride in the quality of his beef.’  The restaurant has won a year’s supply of The Wolftrap wine as part of its prize. 

The runner up, Little Havana from Umhlanga Rocks, was the winner in 2015, and in third place, The Local Grill from Parktown North, has three titles to its name.

Two further new awards introduced this year were Steakhouse Legend of the Year, which was awarded to The Godfather in Centurion; and Steakhouse Chain of the Year, which went to the Cattle Baron Group for having four outlets in the Top 30: Cattle Baron Tyger Waterfront, Cattle Baron George, Cattle Baron Tableview, and Cattle Baron Mossel Bay.

The Wolftrap Steakhouse Championships 2017 Top 10 are:

1. Rare Grill, Kenilworth

2. Little Havana, Umhlanga Rocks (2015 Champion)

3. The Local Grill, Parktown North (2013, 2014 and 2016 Champion)

4. The Godfather, Centurion, Pretoria

5. The Cricketer, East London

6. Beef Boys Grill, Potchefstroom

7. HQ, Cape Town

8. Karoo Cattle and Land, Irene, Pretoria

9. Jayz Grill, Pietermaritzburg

10. The Grumpy Griller, George

Newcomer of the Year: Rare Grill, Kenilworth

Steakhouse Legend of the Year: The Godfather, Centurion

Chain Steakhouse of the Year: The Cattle Baron Group

The Wolftrap Steakhouse Championships, www.steakhunter.co.za Twitter:@TheSteakHunter

Chris von Ulmenstein, WhaleTales Blog: www.whalecottage.com/blog Tel 082 55 11 323 Twitter:@WhaleCottage Facebook: Chris von Ulmenstein Twitter: @ulmenstein Instagram: @chris_ulmenstein