Our list of latest restaurant openings and closures fortunately lists more openings than closures, and will be updated continuously, as we receive information.
Cape Town
* Neil Grant, ex-sommelier of Rust en Vrede, has opened Burrata, a new restaurant in the Old Biscuit Mill. They will introduce a new 3-course food and wine pairing menu at the end of April.
* Luke Dale-Roberts, Eat Out Top Chef, is to open a real test kitchen, called The Kitchen of Dreams, a private experimental place to develop new recipes, at the Old Biscuit Mill in June
* Chef Bruce Robertson (ex-The Showroom) has opened Bruce’s Boat House for lunches, in Scarborough
* La Belle Café & Bakery has opened in the Alphen Boutique Hotel.
* 5 Rooms Restaurant has opened at the Alphen Boutique Hotel
* Sabrina’s, which opened about two months ago where Depasco was, at the corner of Kloof and Long Street, has also closed down
* Chef Craig Paterson has started as Executive Chef at Dash (Queen Victoria Hotel), the V&A Hotel, and Dock House
* Mitico has opened a pizzeria and ’spaghetteria’ on Kloof Street, where St Elmo’s used to be (son of the original Luigi from Hout Bay)
* Don Pedro’s in Woodstock has re-opened, under Madame Zingara management
* Myög has opened as a frozen yoghurt outlet, at 103 Kloof Street
* Thai Café has opened in the old Cape Quarter
* On a Roll has opened in Mowbray as a gourmet hot dog restaurant
* The Dog’s Bollocks has opened as a burger pop-up restaurant
* Jackal & Hide has opened on Kloof Street
* Graham Beck’s Gorgeous bubbly bar has opened at Catharina’s at Steenberg.
* Col’Cacchio is opening new outlets in Claremont and Westlake
* Dale Thebus is the new chef at Salt restaurant at the Ambassador Hotel.
* A new Vida é Caffe is opening on Prestwich Street
* A cupcake shop is said to be opening on Ebenezer Street, next to T & Co/Table 13, in Green Point
* Il Cappero is moving from Barrack Street to Fairway Street in Camps Bay, opening on 2 June.
* Saints on 84 Kloof has opened on Kloof Street
* Sushibox has opened at Newlands Village
* Richard’s Supper Stage & Bistro has opened on Main/Glengariff Roads in Sea Point, as a dinner theatre (from May), and Bistro restaurant, owned by Richard Loring and Roland Seidel
* ‘I ♥ my Laundry‘ restaurant has opened on Buitengracht Street
* West Street Café has opened in the new Woodstock Foundry, owned by Chef Alan West
* Orphanage has opened as a cocktail and tapas emporium on Bree Street
* Valora on Loop Street has closed down
* ACT Restaurant and Play Bar at the Baxter Theatre closed down
* Philip Arno Botes is the new Chef at Pure Restaurant at Hout Bay Manor.
* Maz Sushi has closed down on Main Road Sea Point
* Planet Green Salad Bar has opened on Kloof Street
* Vanilla in the Cape Quarter has closed down.
* Madame’s on Napier has opened in De Waterkant
* Moyo is to open where the Paulaner Braühaus was in the V & A Waterfront.
* Sinn has closed down its Deli at Wembley Square
* Table Thirteen is closing down in Green Point and moving to Paarden Eiland at the end of May
* Slug & Lettuce has opened on Kloof Street, where Mason was.
* Pizza Vezuvio has opened in the Tygervalley Waterfront
* Bistrot Milano has opened on Blaauwberg Road, Table View
* Forneria Italia has opened in the Bayside Centre, Table View
* Maharajah is selling food at the Baxter Theatre on a take-away basis prior to shows.
* Hussar Grill is to open at Steenberg
* Chef Fred Faucheux is the new Executive Chef at Nobu.
* Cassis is opening a new Salon de Thé in the Gardens Centre in May
* De Grendel has opened De Grendel Restaurant, with Chef Ian Bergh and owner Jonathan Davies
* Toro Wine and Aperitif Bar has closed down
* Piroschka’s Kitchen has moved from Bree Street to Waterkant Street, De Waterkant.
* Honest Chocolate is opening a second outlet with a ‘production kitchen’ in the Woodstock Industrial Centre next month
* The Fez is reopening as a nightclub on Friday, to be called Sideshow
* MasterChef SA finalist Guy Clark, who was eliminated in episode 9, has started as a chef at the Madame Zingara restaurant group next week.
* Josephine’s Cookhouse is to open in Newlands, where Caveau at Josephine’s Mill used to be, belonging to Societi Bistro owner
* A new Vida e Caffe is to open on Maindean Place in Claremont.
* Vovo Teli has opened in the V&A Waterfront, in half of the original Vaughn Johnson shop. They have branches in Port Elizabeth and Johannesburg already. The name is Portuguese, and means ‘grandfather’s place’.
* Orinoco has opened on Bree Street, serving Mexican and Venezualean food
* Rotisserie 360° has changed its name to Café Frank
* Gesellig on Regent Road in Sea Point is standing empty, closed down or undergoing a major renovation
* Sapphire has closed down in Camps Bay
* A new McDonalds is opening in the Sanlam Centre
* Salt Deli has chanegd its name to Salt Café
* Keenwa has opened the P.I.S.C.O Bar above its restaurants, open Thursdays – Saturdays from 5 pm
* Characters has opened on Roeland Street
* TRUTH Coffee has opened on Buitenkant Street
* The V&A Food Court is closed for renovations until November. A sign outside the construction area lists the following businesses moving into or returning to the area: Primi Express, Anat, Carnival, Nür Halaal, Royal Bavarian Bakery, KFC, Boost Juice, Simply Asia, Steers, Debonairs, Subway, Marcel’s, and Haagan Dazs.
Franschhoek
* Leopard’s Leap has opened its Tasting room and Liam Tomlin Food Studio and Store outside Franschhoek, and the new Deli will open at the end of June
* Reuben’s, which was said to be opening a Franschhoek branch in a building off the main road, when his Huguenot Road branch lease expires this year, appears to now be looking for an alternative restaurant venue on the main road, as the building purchase close to Place Vendome appears to have fallen through.
* Donovan Dreyer is the new Restaurant Manager of Indochine at Delaire Graff.
* Cheyne Morrisby is the new chef at the Franschhoek Kitchen at Holden Manz
* Chef Vanie Padayachee has joined Le Quartier Français
* Chef Darren Roberts is leaving Grande Provence for a new appointment in the Seychelles at the end of April. Chef Darren Badenhorst steps into his shoes.
* Alton van Biljon has been appointed as Restaurant Manager at Haute Cabriere.
* Wicked Treat has opened.
* FEAST is to open where Franschhoek Food Emporium was, in Place Vendome
* Deluxe Coffeeworks has opened, where the Reuben’s Deli used to be.
* The bubbly Inge Hoffman has left Leopard’s Leap, and is the new Brand Manager for Boekenhoutskloof
* Ryan’s Kitchen is now offering cooking classes on Friday mornings, starting on 1 June
* Okamai Japanese restaurant has opened at Glenwood wine estate
* Chef Shaun Schoeman of Fyndraai Restaurant at Solms Delta has the amazing honour to be working at Noma in Copenhagen for two weeks in July. He also shared that Fyndraai will move to another building on the wine estate in November, and will offer fine dining. The current restaurant will serve light lunches and picnics.
* Taste South Africa, belonging to Cybercellar, has closed down in The Yard off the main road. They have Tweeted that they are looking for new premises.
Stellenbosch
* Cavalli restaurant is said to open on the stud farm on R44, between Stellenbosch and Somerset West, this year or next
* Dorpstraat Deli has opened, where Cupcake used to be.
* De Oude Bank Bakkerij has opened a bar, serving Bartinney wines, and craft beers.
* David Higgs has resigned as Executive Chef from Radisson Blu Gautrain in Johannesburg (previously with Rust en Vrede). He starts at The Saxon in Johannesburg in May.
* Slug & Lettuce is to open where Beads is on Church Street
* Stables at Vergelegen Bistro has opened as a lunch restaurant in Somerset West. Its Lady Phillips Restaurant is being given a make-over by Christo Barnard, and will open in June, with a new name called The Vergelegen Restaurant.
* Warwick wine estate’s new chef is Dane Newton (ex-Chamonix, Cascade Manor).
* Chef Bjorn Dingemans is to open up The Millhouse Kitchen restaurant on Lourensford wine estate in July
* Chris Olivier has opened SimpliciTea Deli in Somerset West
* Chef Jonathan Heath has left Indochine, and will be opening a restaurant at Coopmanshuijs on Dorp Street in June.
* A new Hussar Grill is said to be opening in Stellenbosch
Wellington
* Chef Johan van Schalkwyk has left the Stone Kitchen at Dunstone Winery. He opens his own restaurant Twist Some More in Wellington in July.
Hermanus/Overberg
* Rivendell Estate and Bistro has opened as a restaurant and winetasting venue on the road between Hermanus and the N2, near the Kleinmond turn-off.
* Grilleri (ex-Mediterrea) has closed down, and Chef Shane (ex-La Vierge) is now heading the re-named La Pentola restaurant.
Riebeek Kasteel
* Mama Cucina has opened
Robertson
* Emile Fortuin has been appointed as Executive Chef at Reuben’s Robertson
Garden Route
* Katarina’s has opened at the Kurland Hotel.
Restaurant breaks
* La Colombe is closing for renovations from 17 May – 16 June.
* Constantia Uitsig is taking a winter break from 25 June – 24 July.
* The River Café is closing for a winter break from 13 August – 4 September.
* Tokara closes for a winter break from 22 April, re-opens on 4 May
* Nguni in Plettenberg Bay closes from 1 May – 31 July
* The Foodbarn will be closed for renovations on 7 and 8 May
* Bientang’s Cave in Hermanus is closed for renovations until 21 June.
* The Kove in Camps Bay will be closed from 1 May – 30 August
* The Test Kitchen will be closed from 13 – 28 May
* Burgundy in Hermanus will be closed for dinners until 17 June
* Makaron Restaurant at Majeka House will be closed in June
* Olivello at Marianne Estate will be closed from 30 July – 21 August
* Grande Provence is closing on Sunday evenings until the end of September.
* Pierneef a La Motte will be closed from 18 June – 13 July.
* The main Delaire Graff restaurant closes from 3 -24 June, but Indochine continues to trade.
* Blues will be closed from 1 – 30 June
* Waterkloof in Somerset West is closing for all June.
* The Franschhoek Kitchen at Holden Manz is closed for all of June
Chris von Ulmenstein, Whale Cottage Portfolio: www.whalecottage.com Twitter:@WhaleCottage
It was a surprise to see that Antonij Rupert Wines (correctly speaking Antonij Rupert Wyne, as per the gates, there not being an English translation) has started operating from its new tasting room in the previous Graham Beck Wines premises outside Franschhoek, and an even bigger surprise was to discover the Antipasto Bar, which opened five days ago.
not do a tasting, and on that basis I was allowed in. It was a surprise to meet Gidi Caetano there, as the Hospitality Manager, having left French Toast about six months ago, to help set things up. She was previously the manager of Salt Restaurant.
The Chef is HW Pieterse, who moved across when Café Dijon closed its restaurants in Stellenbosch, and was at Delaire Graff and the Grande Roche before. The menu has a small selection of dishes, but this list will grow, Gidi assured me. Three different olives, in three different marinades, cost R30; Artichokes marinated in thyme, lemon and olive oil cost R48; Caprese salad costs R60; Parma ham and melon costs R50; a selection of Italian cured meats costs R55; a platter with four Italian cheeses and fig preserve costs R75; artisanal bread is R20; a mixed antipasto platter R50/R85; and Biscotti costs R25. I ordered the Franschhoek smoked salmon trout bruschetta, which was served with crème fraiche. lemon, and pink peppercorns (R60). The restaurant will be sourcing supplies from the new L’Omarins 
(belongs to Johan Rupert too) organic herb and vegetable garden, and in future they will serve carpaccio from their own Wagyu cattle. Marinated white anchovies will be added to the menu in future. All dishes are offered with the L’Omarins olive oil, which won Silver in the recent Olive Oil awards, and the Terra del Capo olive oil range, which is still made for them by Willowcreek. They bake their own breads, and marinade their own olives. A new dessert special which is not yet on the menu, is Burrata, honey and strawberry, drizzled with balsamic, costing R35.
for R10; Protea reds (Cabernet Sauvignon 2010, Merlot 2011, Shiraz 2011, and Reserve 2011) for R15; The ‘TDC’, which is the Terra del Capo range (Pinot Grigio 2011, Sangiovese 2009, Arne 2008) for R15; ‘The Blends’ are Protea Reserve 2011, Terra del Capo Arne 2008, and Antonij Rupert Optima 2008 at R20; ‘The Unusual’ is a collection of Terra del Capo Pinot Grigio 2011, Sangiovese 2009, Cape of Good Hope Semillon 2010, and Pinotage 2008, at R30; The Cape of Good Hope whites (Sauvignon Blanc 2012, Chenin Blanc 2010, Semillon 2010, and Chardonnay 2010 at R30; ‘Merry Merlot’ comes from the Protea 2011, Cape of Good Hope 2008, and Antonij Rupert 2007 ranges, at R40; and the Antonij Rupert range, being Optima 2008, Merlot 2007, and Shiraz 2007, at R60. Some typos are unforgivable on this list.
