7 Best Restaurants in The Western Cape and Winelands, South Africa

For a no-frills lunch on the beach, book a table at Die Strandloper. Bring your own drinks and games and expect to linger for the afternoon. The focus is on the rustic outdoor braai (barbecue), where a 10-course feast is served over a couple of hours. If you're keen on seafood, this is the place. Dishes include grilled snoek, smoked angelfish, crayfish, mussels, and bokkoms (dried salted fish). For dessert, there's koeksisters (braided pastries) and strong coffee.

In one of the village's original stone fishing cottages, Burgundy is one of the town's oldest and best-loved restaurants. Unsurprisingly, there's plenty of seafood on the extensive menu—try the creamy abalone with fresh sage—as well as a large choice of grilled meat dishes. The real reason for its popularity though, is the outdoor terrace with ocean views. It's not unheard of to spot whales right from your table.

At this seafood restaurant, expect fresher fish than you'll find just about anywhere else. It's prepared simply, usually with salsa verde or just garlic butter. Everything is cooked on a wood fire, and most dishes arrive on huge platters. Beer-battered hake and chips—served on newspapers, of course—makes the perfect lunch. The restaurant is small, so reservations are advisable.

Harbour Road has a string of eateries you can choose from, but you can’t go wrong at this popular place with views of the ocean. Obviously, fish and seafood are the star of the show. You can taste it all in the signature seafood stew or a generous platter to share with the table.

Quirky and brightly decorated, this unpretentious gem is not to be missed. Because the freshest local ingredients are used, the menu changes frequently. Not surprisingly, seafood is the main attraction—the oysters here are legendary—but meat-eaters will delight in a wide selection of pork, lamb, quail, and Chalmer steak. Enjoy your meal in front of a warm hearth when it's cold out, or dine under the canopy, dotted with fairy lights, on a clear night.

This is one of the places where you can try abalone quite legally. At the big abalone factory the mollusks are cultivated, harvested, and packaged for local restaurants and overseas markets. The restaurant has a full sushi menu with everything from salmon and tuna to crab and eel. The fresh oysters and crayfish are sensational, but if you don't like seafood, expect to go hungry. The bar doesn't hold a liquor license, so bring your own alcohol.

This corrugated-iron shack on the beach stood empty for years, then suddenly metamorphosed into a buzzing seafood restaurant. As well as the usual seafood and fish, you'll find fish curries, deep-fried calimari, and smoked snoek samosas on the menu. There are a couple of meaty dishes too, plus at least one vegetarian option. It's literally set on the sand and is an ideal location to take in the sunset.