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

Housed in a Victorian building is a restaurant with French colonial decor—with rich plummy colors, lots of candles, and dark wood—and pictures of the Staffordshire bull terrier for which the place is named. The crab and shrimp cakes, served with a creamy lime dressing, are a standout item on the starter menu, but you'll also be blown away by Thai prawns, marinated in lime, chili, ginger and garlic, served on a Thai green curry risotto. Follow that with the Karoo lamb noisettes with a rich cabernet and rosemary sauce.Classic highlights are the famous crispy duck and satiny lavender-infused crème brûlée. In good weather, ask to sit in the garden.

Be sure to book a table outside near the lily pond at this relaxed restaurant that serves Cape-meets-Mediterranean-style food in a fabulous country setting. Though the menu is fairly small, you'll still be hard-pressed to make a choice between such tasty options as lamb tagine (stew) served with preserved lemon, venison shanks slow-cooked in red wine and flavored with juniper, and beef fillet dressed with a cracked-peppercorn-and-brandy sauce. If all that sounds too rich for a hot summer's day, try the chicken salad with a lightly curried mayonnaise sauce, almonds, and apricots. On Sundays a Mediterranean buffet (R190) lets you choose from 20 tapas and four main courses; dessert is not included. There's a good kids' menu, and children can have fun in the boats on the nearby dam or play on the lawn while you keep a watchful eye on them.

Overlooking the lagoon in Onrus, the Milkwood is a great place for a languid lunch. You can sit on the deck after a quick dip and eat some fresh fish (what kind of fish depends on the day's catch), grilled and served with a lemon or garlic-butter sauce.

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.