The best restaurants on the Garden Route, town by town

Every restaurant in this guide is within 90 minutes of our cottages; most within 45.

Kurz gesagt

The Garden Route's best-known restaurants include Serendipity in Wilderness (contemporary South African tasting menu), Kafé Serefé and 101 Meade in George, Île de Pain, Sirocco and the Drydock in Knysna, and Emily Moon, Hunter's Country House and Enrico's around Plettenberg Bay. Knysna is famous for oysters, Plettenberg Bay for its young wine farms, and Mossel Bay and Groot Brak for seafood. Book dinner ahead in December and January.

Fine dining

Serendipity (Wilderness), Tsala Treetop (Plett)

Oysters

Knysna: Thesen Islands and the waterfront

Wine lunch

Plettenberg Bay: Bramon, Newstead, Kay & Monty

Farmers market

Wild Oats, Sedgefield, Saturdays 07:30 to 12:00

Booking

Essential mid-Dec to mid-Jan and at Easter

The Garden Route eats well because it sits between two pantries. On one side is the Indian Ocean, with oysters from the Knysna estuary, line fish from Mossel Bay and calamari landed along the coast. On the other side, over the mountains, is the Klein Karoo with its lamb, figs and ostrich. Add a new generation of cool-climate wine farms around Plettenberg Bay and a strong farm-to-table habit, and you have one of the most rewarding food regions in South Africa.

This is our shortlist. Restaurants change hands and close, so we check it every season. Always confirm opening times before you drive.

Wilderness

Serendipity

The one to book first. Chef Lizelle Stolze and her partner Rudolf run a dinner-only restaurant on the banks of the Touw River, serving a set tasting menu of contemporary South African cooking with foraged mushrooms, house-cured meats and ingredients from local growers. Stolze has been named Garden Route chef of the year, and the restaurant is a regular on national award lists.

• What to expect: five courses, with a longer menu on some evenings; Eat Out lists the five-course menu at R860 per person.
• When: Monday to Saturday, from 18:30. Bookings essential, especially in summer.

The Girls on the Square

A village institution. Prawns, Portuguese-style mussels and a famous Cajun calamari steak, served without fuss. Casual, loud and busy. Arrive early or book.

Ilali

Wood-fired pizza if you want it, but also linefish, paella and seasonal plates, in a cosy room with a wood stove in winter and occasional live jazz.

Joplin's Steak Bar

Off the N2 at Pirate's Creek, just west of the Wilderness turn-off. Rump, sirloin or T-bone with a fried egg on top and chips on the side. That is the menu, and people drive from George for it.

George

George is the region's biggest town and has the widest choice.

• Kafé Serefé is a long-time favourite that blends Turkish cooking with Karoo ingredients: moussaka, slow lamb shank and mezze. Eat Out has listed it among the Garden Route's most consistently good restaurants for years.
• 101 Meade serves seasonal, locally sourced food in a historic building on Meade Street, with a fireplace in winter.
• The Apprentice is a fine-dining restaurant run as a training kitchen for young chefs. Good food at fair prices, and your bill supports a real career path.
• The Conservatory on Meade Street has been a Garden Route top-ten fine-dining name for years.
• Forester at the Hawthorn offers classic plates and a mountain view.

Knysna

Knysna is the region's food capital, and its signature is oysters. The estuary has been farmed for oysters for decades, and you will find them on almost every menu in town.

• Île de Pain on Thesen Island is a bakery-café with a national reputation: sourdough, pain de campagne, pastries and generous breakfasts. Come early at weekends.
• Sirocco on Thesen Island does oysters, sushi and grills, with a sunset bar and live music.
• The Drydock on the waterfront is the classic spot for oysters and seafood platters with a view of the lagoon.
• 34 South is a deli, bakery and restaurant on the waterfront, good for a long seafood lunch.
• Pembreys and Zachary's (at Pezula) have long held places among the region's top fine-dining tables.

Plettenberg Bay and the Crags

Plett is where the Garden Route's wine story is being written. Over the past two decades farmers have planted cool-climate vineyards on the hills inland from town, and several now run excellent restaurants.

• Bramon Wine Estate is known for its méthode cap classique sparkling wine and vineyard lunches.
• Newstead Lund Family Vineyards, Kay & Monty and Luka all serve food among the vines. Perfect for a long Saturday lunch.
• Emily Moon sits above the Bitou River wetland with antique African décor and a terrace made for sunset.
• Hunter's Country House (Sage restaurant) and Tsala Treetop Lodge offer fine dining in the forest; Tsala's restaurant is set among the treetops.
• Ristorante Enrico at Keurboomstrand is an Italian seafood place right on the beach, loved for fresh fish and pasta.
• The Fat Fish is reliable for sushi, fish and chips and tapas with a river view.

Mossel Bay and Groot Brak

• Café Gannet, next to the Dias Museum, has served fresh seafood and a long South African wine list for decades.
• De Vette Mossel in Groot Brak is an open-air beach restaurant with a set seafood feast cooked over fire: mussels, snoek, bread baked on the coals. Very much an experience.

Oudtshoorn and the Klein Karoo

If you drive over the Outeniqua Pass for the Cango Caves, stay for lunch. Jemima's has been named among the Garden Route's top ten for its regional cooking. Order Karoo lamb, and try ostrich at least once. It is a lean red meat, a little like beef fillet.

Markets and food experiences

• Wild Oats Community Farmers Market, Sedgefield. Saturdays from 07:30 to about noon. Organic produce, free-range eggs, bread, cheese, pies and coffee, with live music and half of Sedgefield in attendance. Go early.
• Fynboshoek Cheese near Tsitsikamma: goat's and cow's milk cheeses made by microbiologist Alje van Deemter. Book ahead.
• Inverroche Distillery in Still Bay, west of Mossel Bay, distils gin with fynbos botanicals and runs tastings.

Wohnen, wo diese Geschichte spieltBook a table in Wilderness and walk home under the stars. Or cook on your own gas braai.Drei Selbstversorger-Unterkünfte auf 21 Hektar über Wilderness. Direkt buchen zum besten Preis.Daten prüfen →

Cooking your own: the braai

Some of the best meals on the Garden Route are the ones you make yourself. Every one of our places has its own gas braai (barbecue). Pick up boerewors and lamb chops from a local butcher, fresh linefish from the harbour and vegetables from the Wild Oats market, light the fire at sunset, and you will understand why South Africans take this so seriously. Our culture guide explains the rules.

Practical tips

• Book in season. From mid-December to mid-January and over Easter, good restaurants are full days ahead.
• Tipping. 10 to 15 percent is standard for table service in South Africa. It is not usually added to the bill for small groups.
• Corkage. Many restaurants allow you to bring your own wine for a corkage fee. Ask first.
• Closed days. Many smaller places close on Sunday evenings and Mondays, especially in winter.

Häufige Fragen

What food is the Garden Route known for?

Oysters from Knysna, fresh line fish and calamari from the coast, Karoo lamb and ostrich from over the mountains, and cool-climate wines from around Plettenberg Bay.

What is the best restaurant in Wilderness?

For a special dinner, Serendipity, which serves a contemporary South African tasting menu. For relaxed seafood, The Girls on the Square.

Where can I eat oysters on the Garden Route?

In Knysna, especially on Thesen Island and the Knysna Waterfront, at places like Sirocco, the Drydock and 34 South.

Do I need to book restaurants on the Garden Route?

In December, January and at Easter, yes, for dinner at popular restaurants. Outside those periods, a same-day booking is usually enough.

How much should I tip in South African restaurants?

Between 10 and 15 percent of the bill for good table service.

Wir leben an der Garden Route und aktualisieren diesen Guide jede Saison. Etwas hat sich geändert? Sag es uns.