The Western Cape has claimed most of the tables on South Africa’s favourite restaurant list again, and some of Joburg’s most talked-about kitchens are nowhere on it, Cape {town} Etc reports.
Booking platform Dineplan released its 2026 Reviewers’ Choice Awards in October 2026. The list draws on more than 357 000 reviews, spanning 30 million diners and seven million bookings, according to The Citizen. This is the fifth edition of the awards, which launched in 2022.
The Cape takes the top shelf
The Western Cape has 82 restaurants on the list: 77 in the Top 100 and five newcomers. It also holds nine of the top ten places and 18 of the top 20. FYN, FABER, Jakkalsvlei and La Colombe are among the familiar names.
The province led in 2023 as well. Last year’s top two were Good to Gather in Stellenbosch and Reverie Social Table in Observatory.
The Top 10
Here are the 10 restaurants at the top of the Dineplan Reviewers’ Choice Awards 2026:
- Good to Gather – Stellenbosch, Western Cape
- Reverie Social Table – Cape Town, Western Cape
- The Table at De Meye – Stellenbosch, Western Cape
- Farro – Cape Town, Western Cape
- Tsala Treetop Lodge Restaurant – Plettenberg Bay, Western Cape
- At The Courtyard – McGregor, Western Cape
- The LivingRoom at Summerhill – Pinetown, KwaZulu-Natal
- Melfort – Stellenbosch, Western Cape
- Hari Kitchen Restaurant – Franschhoek, Western Cape
- Winshaw Tasting Room and Eatery – Stellenbosch, Western Cape
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Winelands tables fill up
Franschhoek has seven entries, including La Cotte Farm Restaurant, Hari Kitchen, Monneaux, ARKESTE and Orangerie at Le Lude. Stellenbosch, Paarl and Stanford are well represented too. Wine farms, vineyard tables and farm-to-table kitchens turn up all over the cuisine descriptions.
Where Gauteng landed
Gauteng has 17 restaurants on the list. Twelve are in the Top 100, and five are newcomers: Obento Ramen Bar, Ilios, Karvouno Restaurant, Club Como Neighbourhood and Dolci Ristorante Italiano.
The highest-placed Gauteng restaurant is La Vie Lente Bistro & Venue in Tierpoort at 24. None make the top 20. Between them, the Western Cape (77) and Gauteng (12) hold 89 of the Top 100 places, which leaves 11 for the rest of the country.
The missing Joburg names
Les Créatifs, Marble, Embarc and The Pot Luck Club Johannesburg are all absent. Each is a regular feature of Joburg’s dining conversation.
Eligibility may be part of the story. For the 2025 awards, Dineplan said a restaurant must have used its platform for the full 12-month review period to qualify for the Top 100, while newer venues compete for a Newcomer award. Dineplan has not said why any particular restaurant is missing from the 2026 list.
Casual spots win the repeat-booking game
What Gauteng does have leans neighbourhood. Pasta and antipasti at The Italian Job Food Emporium and Lupa Osteria sit alongside Butcher Boys Meyersdal, Franks Burgers & Ribs, The Sushi Club Neighbourhood and O Peri Peri Edenvale. The Club Como outposts and The Hussar Grill Silverstar Casino also appear.
Diners vote with their bookings here, with no panel of critics involved. A restaurant visited every other week has more chances to collect reviews than one saved for an anniversary. That could explain why a buzzy fine-dining room can miss out while a dependable local favourite climbs the ranks.
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