Activities

Food & Wine in South Africa — Braai Culture, Cape Cuisine & World-Class Wines

South Africa's food and wine: the braai culture, Cape Malay cuisine, biltong, Stellenbosch wines, Franschhoek restaurants, Durban curry, and where to eat in SA's cities.

⏱ 11 min readLast updated: March 2026
⚡ Quick Facts
Wine Regions: Stellenbosch, Franschhoek, Paarl
National Braai Day: 24 September (Heritage Day)
Wine Tasting From: ~R150–R300 per estate
Bunny Chow (Durban): ~R60–R120
Franschhoek Wine Tram: ~R300–R400 per person
SA Wine Exports: ~500 million litres/year

South Africa’s food and wine culture is one of the country’s most surprising and delightful dimensions. In a country most famous for wildlife and dramatic landscapes, visitors often arrive expecting functional food and leave talking about extraordinary wine estates, complex Cape Malay cuisine, the hypnotic ritual of the braai, and curries that changed their understanding of what spice can do.

This is a country shaped at the intersection of African, European, and Asian culinary traditions — producing food that is genuinely unique, deeply flavourful, and worth travelling for in its own right.

The Braai — South Africa’s Greatest Cultural Institution

Before we talk about restaurants, wine estates, or regional cuisines, we have to talk about the braai. Everything else in South African food culture exists in relation to it.

A braai (rhymes with “dry”) is a fire. A wood or charcoal fire, with a grid above it, on which meat — and other things — are cooked. But the fire is not really the point. The fire is the excuse for the gathering. South Africans of every background, from farm workers to corporate executives, from Cape Town to Limpopo, light a fire and gather around it. A braai is an invitation, a social contract, a declaration that the next few hours are for conversation, slow cooking, cold drinks, and the extraordinary pleasure of imperfectly char-grilled meat eaten with friends.

Essential Braai Foods

Boerewors: The heart of any braai. A coiled beef (and pork or lamb) sausage spiced with coriander seed, cloves, nutmeg, and vinegar. The word means “farmer’s sausage” and the recipe has been passed through generations. Good boerewors is the equal of any sausage in the world.

Sosaties: Marinated meat skewers — typically lamb — with dried apricots, onion, and a sweet curry marinade. A Cape Malay braai essential.

Lamb chops: South Africa produces extraordinary lamb — particularly from the Karoo, where animals graze on indigenous aromatic herbs that flavour the meat. Karoo lamb chops on the braai are transcendent.

Pap: Maize meal porridge (similar to Italian polenta but coarser) — the staple starch of southern Africa. Crumbled into stiff pap for eating with braai meat and a tomato-and-onion sauce called “chakalaka” or “sheba.”

Braaied corn: Whole mealies (corn on the cob) grilled directly on the coals until charred — sold by vendors outside every cricket ground and township corner.

Heritage Day (24 September) was renamed National Braai Day in a campaign that resonated across the country — the only public holiday defined by a cooking method is a very South African achievement.

Cape Malay & Cape Dutch Cuisine

Cape Town and the Western Cape have a culinary tradition unlike anything else in Africa, built on the 17th-century fusion of Dutch settlers, Indonesian and Malay slaves, and the indigenous Khoikhoi people.

Bobotie is the classic Cape Malay dish — spiced minced meat (beef or lamb) baked in a clay pot with an egg custard topping, served with yellow rice, sambal, and chutney. The spice profile (turmeric, ginger, apricot) is distinctively Asian; the technique is distinctively Cape. Almost every Cape restaurant has a version; the best are complex and aromatic.

Bredie is a slow-cooked Cape stew — traditionally waterblommetjiebredie (using the blossoms of a water lily that grows in the Cape’s wetlands), tomato bredie, or green bean bredie.

Koeksisters (Cape Malay version): plaited deep-fried dough soaked in cold syrup, flavoured with cardamom, cinnamon, and anise. Different from the Afrikaner koeksister (which is a twisted doughnut soaked in syrup but without the spicing). Saturday mornings in Bo-Kaap, when aunties sell freshly made koeksisters on the pavement, are among the great Cape Town food experiences.

The Cape Winelands

South Africa’s wine industry centres on the valleys within an hour of Cape Town — a landscape of Mediterranean beauty that happens to produce excellent wine.

Stellenbosch

South Africa’s wine capital, 50km east of Cape Town. The town itself is charming — historic Cape Dutch architecture, oak-lined streets, excellent restaurants — and the surrounding area has over 200 wine estates. Stellenbosch is best known for its Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinotage, and Shiraz reds, and excellent Chenin Blanc whites.

Wine tasting fees typically range from R150–R300 per person per estate, sometimes redeemable against purchases. Notable estates include Rustenberg, Kanonkop (legendary Pinotage), Jordan, Thelema, and Delaire Graff.

Eating in Stellenbosch: The town has outstanding restaurants. Terroir at Kleine Zalze estate, Jordan Restaurant, and Overture at Hidden Valley are consistently among South Africa’s top-rated. Book ahead.

Franschhoek

The most beautiful of the wine valleys — founded by French Huguenot refugees in 1688 and still carrying French street names, French-origin surnames, and a French culinary influence. Franschhoek has arguably the highest density of exceptional restaurants per capita anywhere in South Africa.

The Franschhoek Wine Tram (approximately R300–R400 per person) is a hop-on-hop-off tram running between estates in the valley — an excellent, relaxed way to taste at multiple estates without driving. Runs daily.

Cap Classique (MCC): Franschhoek is the heartland of South African sparkling wine. Graham Beck’s Blanc de Blancs was served at Barack Obama’s inauguration dinner. Simonsig’s Kaapse Vonkel was South Africa’s first Cap Classique. Tasting fees from approximately R150 per person.

Eating in Franschhoek: The Tasting Room at Le Quartier Français (one of South Africa’s great restaurants), Bread & Wine Vineyard Restaurant, and The French Connection are among the area’s best. Book months ahead for the Tasting Room.

Paarl & Swartland

Paarl, 60km from Cape Town, has some of South Africa’s largest wine estates (Nederburg, KWV) and excellent smaller producers. The Swartland, north of Paarl and Stellenbosch, has become the hotspot for South Africa’s new wave of natural winemakers — Sadie Family Wines, AA Badenhorst, Mullineux — producing complex, unmanipulated wines from old-vine Chenin Blanc, Syrah, and indigenous varieties.

A Word on South African Grape Varieties

Chenin Blanc (Steen): South Africa’s signature white grape, accounting for almost 20% of all plantings. Ranges from crisp, affordable everyday wine to complex, barrel-fermented expressions that age magnificently.

Pinotage: A South African original, bred in 1925 by Professor Abraham Perold at Stellenbosch University from Pinot Noir and Cinsault. Produces distinctively smoky, earthy, full-bodied reds. Divisive but at its best (from estates like Kanonkop) it’s world-class.

Sémillon: Beautiful old-vine Sémillons from Franschhoek — one of the few remaining significant plantings of this grape in the world.

Durban & KwaZulu-Natal Cuisine

Durban Curry

Durban has arguably the best curry outside of the Indian subcontinent. The city’s large Indian community — descended from the 152,000 indentured labourers brought from India between 1860 and 1911 — developed a unique curry tradition that evolved over six generations to become distinctly South African.

Bunny chow is the Durban street food par excellence: a half or quarter loaf of white bread, hollowed out, filled with curry (beans, mutton, or chicken), the “virgin” (the bread plug) placed on top. Eaten with one hand, no cutlery. Invented in the 1940s (exact origin disputed) and now eaten by everyone in Durban regardless of background.

For the quintessential bunny chow experience: The Britannia Hotel in the Durban CBD (approximately R80–R120). For a more upscale curry experience, Vintage India in Durban North or Spice Restaurant at the Elangeni Hotel.

Traditional Zulu Foods

Umngqusho: Samp (dried corn kernels) and sugar beans, slow-cooked — reputedly Nelson Mandela’s favourite food. Rich, filling, and deeply satisfying. Available at traditional restaurants and shebeens throughout KZN.

Isijingi: Pumpkin and maize porridge — a staple starch.

Imifino: Wild greens and maize meal.

Biltong & Other South African Snacks

Biltong is South Africa’s greatest contribution to the global snack world. Air-dried, spiced meat — beef, kudu, ostrich, springbok, or pork — with a distinctive flavour profile of coriander, black pepper, and vinegar. It is to South Africans what crisps are to the British or beef jerky (though incomparably better) to Americans.

Every petrol station, supermarket, and butchery in South Africa sells biltong. Specialist biltong shops allow you to choose your cut (flat vs. thick), dryness (wet vs. dry), and spice level. Buy it as hand luggage to take home (declared at customs in some countries — check before packing).

Droëwors (dry sausage) is the biltong-cured version of boerewors — thin, completely dry, intensely flavoured. Even better with beer.

Restaurant Recommendations by City

Cape Town

  • The Pot Luck Club (Woodstock): Innovative small plates in the Old Biscuit Mill
  • The Test Kitchen (Woodstock): Consistently one of Africa’s best-rated restaurants — book months ahead
  • La Colombe (Constantia Valley): French-South African fine dining with exceptional wine list
  • Codfather (Camps Bay): Fresh seafood market-style — choose your fish, they cook it

Johannesburg

  • Marble (Rosebank): Wood-fired grill with exceptional South African produce
  • The Marabi Club (Maboneng): Jazz, cocktails, and creative South African food
  • Canteen (Sandton): Consistently excellent for business lunches

Durban

  • The Maharani Hotel Curry Lunch (Sunday): A Durban institution — endless curry buffet
  • New Cafe Fish (Point Waterfront): The freshest Durban seafood

Wine Buying Tips

South African wine is astonishingly affordable in South Africa. A superb bottle of Stellenbosch Cabernet or Franschhoek Cap Classique costs R80–R250 in a supermarket — a fraction of what the same quality would cost in Europe. Woolworths Food and Checkers both have excellent curated wine selections. The Wine Village in Hermanus is the best independent wine shop in South Africa, with thousands of labels and knowledgeable staff.

Ready to Book Your Food & Wine in South Africa — Braai Culture, Cape Cuisine & World-Class Wines Experience?

Book tours, activities, and attractions across South Africa — skip the queues with instant confirmation on most bookings.

🎯 Book Tours & Activities on Klook 🏨 Browse Accommodation
Scan to open Klook on your phone

Scan with your phone to browse activities on Klook

We may earn a small commission if you book via these links, at no extra cost to you. This helps us keep the site running and the content free.

Frequently Asked Questions

Common Questions About Food & Wine in South Africa — Braai Culture, Cape Cuisine & World-Class Wines

A braai (from the Afrikaans word ‘braaivleis’ — roast meat) is a barbecue over wood or charcoal, but to reduce it to that description is like calling the Olympics a running race. The braai is a cultural institution that transcends race, language, religion, and class — it’s the one thing all South Africans share. An invitation to a braai is a profound social gesture. The fire-lighter (always wood, never gas — using gas is a serious faux pas) is called the ‘braai master’ and takes the role seriously. Boerewors (farmer’s sausage — a spiced, spiral-coiled beef and pork sausage unique to South Africa) is the essential braai meat. Heritage Day (24 September) was renamed National Braai Day in a famous campaign by self-styled ‘Braai Ambassador’ Jan Braai — making it arguably the only national holiday defined by a cooking method.
Beyond the braai, the essential South African food experiences include: biltong (air-dried, spiced meat — the original South African snack, made from beef, kudu, ostrich, or pork); bobotie (spiced minced meat baked with an egg custard topping, with Cape Malay origins — often called the unofficial national dish); pap en wors (maize porridge with boerewors — the most ubiquitous South African meal); bunny chow (a scooped-out half-loaf of bread filled with curry, invented in Durban’s Indian community); koeksisters (plaited deep-fried dough soaked in cold syrup — dangerously addictive); vetkoek (deep-fried dough balls, eaten savoury with minced meat or sweet with syrup); and umngqusho (Xhosa dish of samp — dried corn kernels — and beans, reportedly Nelson Mandela’s favourite food).
South Africa is one of the world’s top 10 wine-producing countries and has been making wine since 1659, when Jan van Riebeeck planted the first vines at the Cape. South African wines are excellent and often exceptional — Chenin Blanc (called ‘Steen’ locally) is the country’s most planted variety and produces outstanding styles from bone-dry to rich and complex. Pinotage (a uniquely South African grape cross between Pinot Noir and Cinsault, developed at Stellenbosch University) produces distinctive, smoky reds. The main wine regions are Stellenbosch (South Africa’s wine capital, producing excellent reds), Franschhoek (Huguenot heritage valley, excellent whites and Cap Classique sparkling), Paarl, Robertson, and Swartland (producing increasingly lauded natural wines and Syrah).
Durban curry is one of South Africa’s great culinary traditions — a style of curry developed by the Indian community who came to KwaZulu-Natal as indentured labourers from the 1860s onward. It evolved over generations to suit local ingredients and palates, becoming distinctively South African. Durban curry is notably hotter and more direct in its chilli heat than Cape Malay curry (which is sweeter and more aromatic). The classic Durban experience is a bunny chow — a quarter or half loaf of bread hollowed out and filled with curry (beans or mutton for vegetarians and meat-eaters respectively). The Britannia Hotel in the Durban CBD is legendary for its bunny chow, as is the area around Victoria Street.
Cap Classique (often called ‘MCC’ — Méthode Cap Classique) is South Africa’s answer to Champagne — a traditional-method sparkling wine made by fermenting in the bottle, as in the Champagne region of France. South Africa is prohibited by EU trade law from using the term ‘Champagne,’ but Cape Cap Classique at its best is genuinely comparable in quality. The Franschhoek valley is the heart of Cap Classique production; Graham Beck Wines (their Blanc de Blancs is justly famous), Simonsig, and Villiera are among the top producers. At approximately R120–R250 for an excellent bottle in a shop, South African Cap Classique represents extraordinary value.
Cape Town has one of the most exciting restaurant scenes in Africa. Key areas: the V&A Waterfront for excellent (if touristy) options; the De Waterkant and Bree Street area for Cape Town’s most innovative restaurants; Woodstock for relaxed, creative dining (Pot Luck Club in the Old Biscuit Mill building); Camps Bay for beachside sundowner dining. Specific recommendations change rapidly as the scene evolves — check Eat Out Awards (South Africa’s Michelin equivalent) and OpenTable for current top-rated restaurants. For authentic Cape Malay food, Bo-Kaap’s traditional restaurants (Bo-Kaap Kombuis) are excellent. For the best sunset cocktail view in Africa, head to the deck of the Loading Bay or the rooftop at The Shortmarket Club.