South Africa’s best restaurants just got their stars! The 2026 Eat Out winners are…
Cape Town, South Africa (26 March 2026) – South Africa’s top chefs and restaurants gathered at the Baxter Theatre Centre this week for the 2026 Eat Out Woolworths Restaurant Awards, one of the biggest nights on the local foodie radar.
FYN was named Restaurant of the Year, hot on the heels of earning its place in the World’s Top 100 restaurants!
“The judges said FYN delivered a world-class dining experience defined by precision, creativity and balance,” says Abigail Donnelly, Eat Out’s culinary director.
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Johannes Richter, executive chef of award-winning The LivingRoom at Summerhill Guest Estate, took home Chef of the Year for the second year running.
Ryan Cole received the Chefs’ Chef Award, voted for by fellow chefs. Cole runs Salsify at the Roundhouse in Camps Bay in the Mother City, and his second restaurant, COY at the V&A Waterfront.
The awards also confirmed just how strong the local dining scene is right now, with 66 restaurants earning stars across the country!
Eat Out’s star system is based on a scoring process carried out over eight months by anonymous judges. Restaurants are assessed across the full dining experience and then awarded stars based on their final score.
Three stars are reserved for restaurants scoring between 90 and 100, placing them at the very top of South African dining. This year, eight restaurants achieved that level. FYN, La Colombe, La Petite Colombe, MERTIA, Pier, Salon, Salsify at the Roundhouse and The LivingRoom at Summerhill Guest Estate all took home the honour of a star trio.
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Two stars are awarded to restaurants scoring between 80 and 89. Still exceptional but just below the top tier, while one star is given to restaurants scoring between 70 and 79, marking them as standout destinations in their own right.
Sustainability also took an earth-friendly leap forward this year. For the first time, three Green Stars were awarded to recognise restaurants leading the way in creating a more sustainable and responsible food industry.
“The introduction of the three Green Star Awards is an important step in recognising real progress towards a more responsible food industry. These awards back chefs and restaurants who are raising the standard not only in what they serve, but in how they operate and the impact they have.” shares Roy Bagattini, Group CEO of Woolworths Holdings.
The LivingRoom at Summerhill Guest Estate received the Rural Green Star as a standout community gem that makes the most of its space to grow its own food and rear animals.
Dusk took the Urban Green Star for leading the way in sustainable city dining by navigating the hustle of a busy commercial hub to find clever, eco-friendly ways to handle waste and operations without the luxury of farm space.
Terrarium was awarded the Emerging Green Star for hitting the ground running as an ambitious newcomer that has made ‘doing good’ for the planet a core part of its mission from the very first day!
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On the individual awards side, head chef Aren Pollack from Embarc was named Rising Star, while winemaker Ken Forrester received the Lifetime Achievement Award for his long-standing contribution to the industry.
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You can view the full list of winners here.
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