Dining spots to enjoy right now

New menus, new rooms and a couple of very good reasons to make a booking. From an East City ode to the humble boerie roll to a 400-seater Latin American spectacle in Pretoria, here's where South Africa is eating this season.

Buri

Looking for a new lunch spot in town? Buri, the newest opening in Cape Town's East City, is putting its own spin on a South African favourite: the boerewors roll.

lifestyle

Celebrate Women’s Day weekend at TANG waterfront with Moët & Chandon

The concept comes from Neil Swart and Anouchka Horn, the duo behind Belly Restaurant Group (BRG), the team responsible for some of Cape Town's most distinctive restaurants, including Belly of the Beast, Galjoen and Seebamboes. BRG has built its name on thoughtful food, strong concepts and hospitality that feels personal rather than predictable, and Buri is no exception.

The idea started with one of the country's most-loved casual eats. To elevate the traditional boerie experience, every element at Buri has been considered from scratch: a soft white bun made specifically for the restaurant, and a bespoke boerewors recipe developed exclusively with Frankie Fenner Meat Merchants. The result is a roll with its own distinct flavour, one that sets Buri apart from the expected.

There are three signature rolls on the menu:

The Classic – boerewors and fried onions, kept simple
The Farmer – leans into tradition with a rich, homely tomato-and-onion smoor
The O.G – brings the attitude, with garlic mayo, chilli chutney and rocket

A sauce station rounds things out with tomato sauce, mustard and chutney, alongside homemade BBQ, peri-peri and the signature Buri sauce.

Drinks follow the same tongue-in-cheek spirit. Buri's Adults' Soda Fountain is a playful nod to the classic corner-shop counter, all grown up, pouring brandy and Coke, gin and tonic, and beer and cider on tap alongside the kind of uncomplicated serves that belong next to a boerewors roll.

For those going all in, the Buri Loaded Fries pile that same boerie energy sky-high, topped with garlic mayo, chilli chutney, rocket and pieces of boerewors. It's built for sharing, or very happily, not sharing at all.

For dessert, soft mini doughnuts arrive with a rotating cast of toppings: think caramelised white chocolate and pecan nut, milk chocolate with hazelnut and Maldon salt, a Peppermint Crisp-inspired version with dark chocolate, and mini doughnuts dusted in tonka bean sugar.

"Everyone has a boerie roll memory," says Neil Swart. "It is one of those things that is so simple, but when it is done properly, it is brilliant. We wanted to have a bit of fun with that."

Amazon Restaurant

Amazon is the new Latin-inspired dining and lifestyle destination from Monseca Hospitality Group, now open at Menlyn Park Shopping Centre in Pretoria. Designed as an all-day destination, Amazon shifts naturally as the day unfolds, from morning mimosas on the cabana deck, to long lunches over shared plates, to dinner service beneath glowing onyx bars as the energy lifts into the night.

Brunch has quickly become one of the restaurant's defining offerings. Weekends bring live music, relaxed afternoons and groups gathering over bottles of bubbly and shared plates, making it a natural fit for girls' catch-ups, bridal brunches, birthdays, baby showers and long Sunday lunches that turn into dinner.

The brunch menu is generous and comforting: an Amazon Breakfast Board with crispy bacon, chipolata sausage, grilled halloumi, smashed avo, homemade baked beans and eggs cooked to order; Eggs Benedict layered with smoked salmon, avo and hollandaise; and lighter options like smoked salmon toast, breakfast burritos and house-made tropical granola. Warm Brazilian pão de queijo (airy cheese rolls, baked fresh daily) land on every table from lunch onward.

Starters range from crispy chilli-lime squid with avo salsa and charred corn, to roasted bone marrow with grilled bread, panko prawns glazed in tamarind turmeric, flame-finished lamb riblets and charred corn ribs with whipped peri-peri butter. The raw bar brings brighter dishes, including sea bass ceviche cured in citrus leche de tigre and tuna laqueado with passion fruit, pineapple salsa and sesame, while the sushi menu merges Japanese technique with South American flavour through salmon and tuna rainbow rolls, crispy rice deluxe with sriracha mayo, and wagyu tableside flambé nigiri finished with oscietra caviar and truffle mayo.

For mains, the hardwood-fired picanha remains the standout, served with burnt sage butter and smoked salt, alongside smoky peri-peri chicken basted over hardwood coals, grilled queen prawns, flame-grilled sea bass with shimeji mushrooms and béchamel, and premium steaks paired with creamy mash, coconut rice and crispy baby potatoes. Dessert keeps the South American thread going with warm churros and dulce de leche, grilled pineapple with rum caramel, and a Brazilian pavê layered with espresso-soaked biscuits and dulce de leche cream.

The cocktail list borrows its names from the rainforest itself, think the Toucan, the Iguana, Forest Town and Tropic Thunder, each built on bespoke syrups made exclusively for the venue, from green melon to spicy jalapeño.

The interiors, designed by award-winning Wesley Bremer of Soda Custom in close collaboration with Heinz Rynners, lean into solid wood, onyx, brass and verde marble, referencing the rainforest without tipping into theatrics. Three backlit onyx bars glow amber across the space, a living green wall actively oxygenates the room behind the main bar, and oversized butterfly artworks, carried over from Greenhouse, anchor the main dining room. The private dining room, which seats twelve, is wrapped in woven textures and a statement carpeted wall that runs floor to ceiling, giving it a warmth entirely of its own.

Signature dishes at Amazon Restaurant in Pretoria

Iron Steak

Iron Steak by Pan Collection is one of Cape Town's most popular steakhouses, and it's easy to see why. This is a spot that leans into its identity fully: vibey, unapologetically meat-forward, and built for diners who take their steak seriously without wanting a stuffy fine-dining experience to go with it. The energy on the floor matches the energy on the plate, loud in the best way, sociable, and geared towards long dinners with good company.

The menu runs through all the classics, T-bone, picanha and tomahawk, wagyu included, each cooked with the kind of confidence you'd expect from a kitchen that knows its cuts inside out. But the signature is the Flat Iron, sourced from the chuck and considered the second most tender cut after fillet. It's a cut that rewards those in the know: well marbled, deeply flavourful, and proof that the most tender option on the menu isn't always the most obvious one.

Beyond the steaks, there's a comprehensive cocktail menu designed to hold its own against the food, alongside a lineup of side dishes built to tempt even the most discerning palate, think the kind of thoughtful extras that turn a steak dinner into a full occasion rather than an afterthought. Dining kicks off on a memorable note too: a complimentary serving of popcorn cooked in wagyu beef drippings arrives at the table to whet your appetite, an unexpected, moreish little detail that sets the tone before the main event even arrives.

The steaks themselves are locally sourced, grass-fed and pasture-reared, a nod to quality and provenance that comes through in every bite, and are served simply with a fresh watercress salad, letting the meat do the talking. It's a small addition, but one that speaks to the kitchen's overall philosophy: get the fundamentals right, and the rest takes care of itself.

Ocean Basket

The beloved family-friendly seafood chain, a firm favourite for its generous platters and easy-going charm, has added two new locations to its ever-growing portfolio, each designed with a distinct crowd in mind.

In Pinelands, a newly launched, alcohol-free restaurant caters to Muslim diners and anyone who prefers to dine without alcohol on the menu. It's a thoughtful addition to the brand's footprint, opening up the Ocean Basket experience to a wider community of diners who may have previously felt overlooked by the mainstream restaurant scene. The space itself gets a modern, elevated refresh, think clean lines, warm lighting and considered finishes, while staying true to the brand's familiar, welcoming roots. It's the kind of place that works equally well for a quick family lunch or a leisurely dinner with friends, without anyone having to compromise on how they want to eat.

At Table Bay Mall, the focus shifts to scale and sociability. Stunning large round booths anchor the space, purpose-built for bigger groups and families who want to spread out, share plates and linger a little longer. The same quality food Ocean Basket is known for comes served in a fresh, contemporary setting, and this time, alcohol is very much on the table. So if a plate of fresh fish alongside a glass (or bottle) of chilled Chardonnay sounds like your kind of afternoon, this is the location to bookmark.

Across both new spaces, the fundamentals remain unchanged: generous platters, crowd-pleasing seafood classics and prices that won't break the bank, proof that Ocean Basket's expansion is less about reinventing the wheel and more about meeting more diners exactly where they are.