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Cafés & delis
Hearty, country breakfasts and delectable lunches are served in this open-hearted, roomy, friendly bistro. Fresh local produce and the seasons dictate the menu, with their own farm-reared pork and hand-crafted wines always a feature. In winter snuggle in next to the huge log fire and in summer watch the kids playing on the lawns from the shaded stoep. Be sure to pick up a few speciality delights from the adjoining deli on your way out.
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Distilleries
SA's first and only producer of internationally acclaimed Grappa and Eaux de Vie. Master distiller Helmut Wilderer has become a true guru and personally conducts tastings. His son Christian whose natural charm and passion for fresh ingredients is reflected on the ever-changing menu of his restaurant, Pappa Grappa. The Flammkuchen speciality is a must! World-class grappa, fantastic fresh food, outstanding service, value for money and a great vibe... a rare combination.
Restaurants
Built in 1754, Readers was the home for the Reader or Sick Comforter before it become the first school in the area, but has been a restaurant and gallery since 1997. This was the moment when Carol Collins first started impressing locals and visitors alike with a Cordon Bleu menu that changes depending on the availability of fresh ingredients. Take a small table on the front verandah and enjoy specials of ostrich fillet with rich gooseberry and amarula sauce or rack of lamb with feta and Pernod. They have a wonderfully relaxed hands-on approach.
With the soft tones of Louis Armstrong wafting from the 1974 Wurlitzer jukebox and an uninterrupted view of the entirety of False Bay before me, Johann opened a 1999 Sassicaia to complement my hand-made potato gnocchi, Parma ham, olive and sun-dried tomato. 'I could die with this wine; it sings to me!', declaimed Johann, who has brought a rare passion, talent and skill for fine wine and dining to this breathtaking new country venue. Capelands Restaurant Mangiare, with its outstanding setting, cooking and wine list, is poised to become a very bright star… very soon.
Just off Stellenbosch's famous Dorp Street is the shaded courtyard oasis Umami (5th taste). Toerie leaves nothing to chance. Sourcing local ingredients wherever possible, he literally makes everything himself on the premises, including ice cream, breads, cured and smoked meats and all his sauces and stocks. They specialise in pairing all their fab food with Stellenbosch's fine wines and the knowledgeable staff will guide you through a wonderfully creative and casual culinary treat.
Or select Eating and Drinking in another area by clicking on the drop-down menu below Select Eating and Drinking in... Cape Town, Western Cape Cape Winelands, Western Cape Cederberg, Western Cape Eastern Cape Garden Route, Western Cape Gauteng Karoo, Western Cape Klein Karoo, Western Cape KwaZulu Natal Limpopo Province Mpumalanga Overberg, Western Cape West Coast, Western Cape
Or find somewhere to stay in Cape Winelands, Western Cape
For sophisticates - like myself - who have come to expect the finer things in life, the Cape Winelands are the only place to go. They cover a relatively small area of verdant valleys and vertical mountains that spring up out of the sea on the far side of the Cape Flats, about an hour east of Cape Town. Centred around the towns of Stellenbosch, Franschhoek, Paarl, Wellington, Worcester and Robertson, this is the heart of the South African wine industry, encompassing more than 200 wine farms.
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