No fewer than three Cape Town eateries have been named in the top 100 World’s Best Restaurants list for 2025, solidifying the Mother City’s reputation as the top South African city to eat in.
No other South African restaurants in other provinces featured.
La Colombe (55th), FYN (82nd) and Salsify (88th) all made the list.
For La Colombe, it was a sixth appearance, while FYN appeared on the coveted list for a fifth time.
Salsify made its debut this year.
Each year, the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list highlights 50 exceptional dining establishments, accompanied by an extended list ranking restaurants from 51 to 100.
The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2025 ceremony will be held in Turin in Italy on Thursday, 19 June.
The World’s Best Restaurant website had the following to say about the three South African establishments:
No 55 La Colombe
Cape Town
Tucked away in the Silvermist organic wine estate at the top of Constantia Nek, with stunning views over the Constantia Valley towards the sea, South African fine-dining institution La Colombe is the flagship restaurant of Scot Kirton’s La Colombe Group, comprising a slew of the country’s top restaurants. Consistently winning local and international awards, chef James Gaag and his team create elegant dishes grounded in French technique and accented with Asian flourishes.
No 82 FYN
Cape Town
Pronounced ‘fayn’, FYN tells African stories with a Japanese accent on the fifth floor of a 19th-century silk factory in Cape Town. Using fish, poultry and meat from the best local suppliers, chefs Ashley Moss and Peter Tempelhoff serve a tasting menu with dishes such as the signature hazelnut-crusted springbok with salt-baked celeriac, black figs and mountain sage. General manager Jennifer Hugé runs the dining room, underneath which the team also oversees a casual ramen bar called Ramenhead.
No 88 Salsify at the Roundhouse – NEW ENTRY
Cape Town
As far as settings go, you’d have to go some to top this Camps Bay spot. Tickled by the Atlantic and with Lion’s Head for its backdrop, you’ll find this cosy, contemporary restaurant within an old 1700s guardhouse – now one of Cape Town’s finest dining destinations. A romantic setting with retro edge, it plays host to an exemplary six to 10-course menu devised by chefs Ryan Cole and Luke Dale-Roberts, driven by a mantra of simplicity and local and foraged produce from land and sea.
In your opinion, what’s the No 1 restaurant in South Africa?
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