The 5 Best Restaurants in Johannesburg

By Lauren Hill |  September 26 2017

Celebrity chefs, the exceptional produce South Africa is known for and dining rooms with a view come together to provide gastronomes in Johannesburg with a wealth of outstanding fine dining restaurants. These are the five best restaurants in Johannesburg right now.

Luke Dale Roberts X the Saxon

Instagram @thesaxonhotel

Also of lauded restaurant The Test Kitchen in Cape Town, Luke Dale Roberts is one of South Africa’s most revered chefs. Taking inspiration from global gourmet food trends, this restaurant at luxury hotel The Saxon provides guests with a gastronomic journey through a five-course collaboration menu or eight-course tasting menu. Head chef Candice Philip oversees the culinary team here as they create dishes like langoustine and home cured lamb risotto with chevin goats cheese and lamb herb oil, and springbok with ash baked beetroot, pine needle, ricotta and peanut. Each menu is offered with tea or wine pairing.

saxon.co.za

Marble

Instagram @marble_sa

Another name to take note of here is chef and restaurateur David Higgs who set up the fine dining restaurant Marble with partner Gary Kyriacou. Placing the focus on South African cuisine and cooking over fire, Marble serves up meat and seafood that has been cooked on the wood-fired grill that takes pride of place in the dining room. Interiors are contemporary in design with wooden surfaces and expansive windows that let the light flood in and open up the view afforded by its location in Rosebank. Expect dishes such as flamed mussels with coconut and lemongrass, tuna grilled on the coals with smoked chipotle sauce, avocado, corn salsa and taco, and Northern Cape lamb cutlets with aubergine and tomato pickle. Savor these with Marble’s selection of South African wines.

marble.restaurant

View Restaurant

Instagram @fsjohannesburg

Located within the hilltop Four Seasons Hotel The Westcliff, this fine dining restaurant commands sweeping views over Johannesburg and the area’s sprawling greenery. Whether dining within the urban chic interior or out on the restaurant’s terrace, the focus falls on the contemporary cuisine that’s served here. The menu changes regularly to reflect the changing seasons but a meal could include plates such as ostrich tartare with quail egg, wakami, burnt cucumber, compressed cucumber and cinnamon smoke, or Wagyu beef with sweetbreads, chili daikon, burnt leeks and a red wine jus. A tasting menu with wine pairing provides guests with the full culinary experience.

viewrestaurant.co.za

AtholPlace Restaurant

Instagram @atholplace_hotel_and_villa

This award-winning restaurant lies within the Relais & Chateaux AtholPlace Hotel in the upmarket suburb of Athol. Surrounded by tropical greenery, the restaurant’s inviting dining space spills out onto a terrace overlooking the hotel’s manicured lawns and swimming pool. Here guests can dine on a three-course fine dining menu that’s created according to the seasons and the fresh produce available. These dishes can then be paired with fine wines from the restaurant’s extensive wine cellar or with a locally brewed craft beer.

morukuru.com

Clico Restaurant

Instagram @clicoboutiquehotel

An integral part of Clico Boutique Hotel in Rosebank, Clico Restaurant is considered one of Johannesburg’s stand-out fine dining venues with European-style cooking reflected in the menu. A new tasting menu is created each month by chef Marnus Scholly and his team, bringing together a series of innovative gourmet plates using local, seasonal and organic produce, complemented by local boutique wines. The dining space is classic yet modern with architecturally unique ceilings and sliding glass doors to bring the outdoors in.

clicohotel.com/clicorestaurant