It looks like the Eat Out team pulled out all the stops for a sensational awards event this year! Held at GrandWest in Cape Town on the 19th of November, South Africa’s top 20 restaurants were revealed in a glittering ceremony. This year, Eat Out recognised its top 30 restaurants in the country, and counted down from 20 to first place during the ceremony, as well as announcing the winners of special awards. The winners for the 2017 Eat Out Mercedes Benz Awards are:
Eat Out S. Pellegrino & Acqua Panna Chef of the Year: Liam Tomlin
Eat Out Restaurant of the Year: The Test Kitchen
Top 10 Restaurants:
- The Test Kitchen
- Restaurant Mosaic at The Orient
- The Restaurant at Waterkloof
- Chefs Warehouse at Beau Constantia
- Greenhouse at The Cellars-Hohenort
- Camphors at Vergelegen
- La Colombe
- The Shortmarket Club
- Overture
- The Pot Luck Club
Restaurants ranked from 11–20
- Jardine Restaurant
- Foliage
- Wolfgat
- Jordan Restaurant
- Fermier Restaurant
- Thali
- DW Eleven-13
- Hartford House
- Luke Dale-Roberts X The Saxon
- La Tête
Eat Out Service Excellence Award: Restaurant Mosaic at The Orient
Eat Out Rising Star: Kayla-Ann Osborn of The Chefs Table
Eat Out Retail Capital New Restaurant of the Year Award: La Petite Colombe
Eat Out Graham Beck Chefs’ Chef Award: Kobus van der Merwe of Wolfgat
Eat Out Wine Service Award: Moses Magwaza of Restaurant Mosaic
Eat Out Lannice Snyman Lifetime Achievement Award: Letitia Prinsloo of the Institute of Culinary Arts
Eat Out Style Award: Fermier Restaurant
Eat Out John Psillos Award for Outstanding Contribution to Service: Morné Wessels of La Petite Colombe
Eat Out Woolworths Sustainability Award: Camphors at Vergelegen
Woolworths TASTE Eat Out Bursary winner: Bryan Mlotshwa
The winning restaurants were determined by the scores of a panel of judges, led by Eat Out editor and head judge Abigail Donnelly, who dined around the country anonymously. Aside from Abigail Donnelly, the identities of the judges have not been revealed.
“2017 has been an exceptional, exciting and competitive year of eating out,” said Donnelly. “Restaurateurs, chefs, producers, waitrons and sommeliers have upped their game to offer world-class dining experiences. It goes beyond quality and consistency; it’s a commitment to excellence.”
The Test Kitchen won the top restaurant spot for the 6th consecutive year, an incredible feat for Chef Luke Dale-Roberts and his team.
“From the 30 nominees to our final 20 and the Top 10, plus all our individual winners, Eat Out has shone a light on an incredible group of restaurants that have elevated the dining experience in this country. With talent like this, it is easy to see why South Africa is viewed as a world-class food destination,” said Aileen Lamb, MD of New Media, which owns Eat Out.
