When summer — and the tourist season — roll around, it’s not uncommon to see a host of new, exciting fine dining restaurants open in Cape Town. However, the fact that this December sees the launch of no fewer than three restaurants by Michelin-starred chefs is quite unprecedented.
Le Bistrot de JAN
The iconic Table Bay Hotel at the V&A Waterfront has been refurbished and transformed into the InterContinental Table Bay Cape Town. With its reopening comes the arrival of Le Bistrot de JAN, a new restaurant by South Africa’s own Jan Hendrik van der Westhuizen. This talented local chef obtained his Michelin star in France—the home of the Michelin Guide — for his restaurant JAN in 2016, becoming the first South African-born restaurateur to do so. Now he brings his flair for French cuisine home in the form of a Cape Town counterpart.
Steering away from the formality of tasting menus, the Cape Town team, led by Executive Chef Giles Edwards, will serve an intentionally concise à la carte menu showcasing Chef Jan’s signature South African-French flair, complemented by wines from both nations. This exciting new dining establishment officially opens on 5 December. A surprising touch for a restaurant of this calibre is that walk-ins are welcome.
Amura
This December, the Belmond Mount Nelson is also opening a new restaurant: Amura, by Spanish chef Ángel León. This is the first restaurant outside Spain for the chef whose establishments have been awarded six Michelin stars — three for Aponiente and two for Alevante — with Aponiente also holding a Michelin Green Star for its pioneering sustainability efforts.
Amura, which derives its name from the Spanish word for the bow of a boat, draws its inspiration from the sea. Known as the “Chef of the Sea”, Ángel is not just a chef but also a fisherman. His approach to sea-sourced ingredients and responsible gastronomy has been groundbreaking. He has established a name for himself by incorporating rarely used ocean species — like phytoplankton, sea rice and bycatch fish — into his dishes.
It’s exciting to see him applying his vision for sustainability and creativity to the Cape’s unique marine ecosystem. The décor contributes to the immersive marine-inspired dining experience, while Amura’s wine cellar showcases rare Cape terroirs alongside Andalusian sherries.
Epoché
In the beautiful Upper Hemel-en-Aarde Valley (roughly 1.5 hours outside Cape Town) sits an unconventional seasonal restaurant that will run from December 2025 to February 2026. Here, Edwin Vinke — whose Dutch restaurant De Kromme Watergang holds two Michelin stars — is collaborating with Hasher Family Wines and the restaurateur Gonggrijp family to create a unique fine dining experience.
Epoché, meaning “a moment suspended in time”, invites diners to pause, step outside routine, and immerse themselves fully in the present. The restaurant is housed in an air-conditioned glass pavilion beside a tranquil dam. Chef Edwin takes inspiration from the land itself, blending his techniques with local and seasonal ingredients — including fresh fish from Abalobi and foraged fynbos — to serve a 15-plate meal across six courses. The menu is complemented by cool-climate wines from Hasher Family Wines.
The Michelin Guide in Cape Town
As it is the restaurant, not the chef, that is awarded a Michelin star, South Africa still technically has no Michelin stars. And while it’s undeniably impressive to enjoy a meal crafted by a chef who has earned that honour abroad, the truth is that many of our own local chefs and their restaurants are just as deserving of Michelin recognition.
Although the Michelin Guide has not yet expanded to include South African restaurants, there has been speculation for some time that this is on the cards. The fact that local hotels have recently been awarded Michelin Keys — the hospitality equivalent of Michelin stars —as recently as October this year supports this likelihood.
The likes of James Gaag’s La Colombe, Peter Tempelhoff’s FYN (he is also opening a restaurant this month — Arum at Boschendal), and Chef Ryan Cole’s Salsify at the Roundhouse, among others, could well be on the receiving end.
Cape Town’s reputation as a world culinary capital has been growing from strength to strength over the past few years, and it seems inevitable that institutions like the Michelin Guide will be compelled to recognise this sooner rather than later. The opening of these three restaurants marks a significant milestone, setting the stage for what many hope will soon be a city boasting a constellation of Michelin-recognised establishments.
