Cold weather shouldn’t be a reason to cancel the reservation. This winter, a handful of Eat Out star restaurants are offering special menus that make leaving the house entirely worthwhile. There are a variety of menus to choose from including coastal tapas, cosy wine estate lunches, and multi-course set menus.

Don’t let the temperature talk you out of a great meal. Head out, eat well, and let the blankets waiting at home feel all the more deserved!

Here is a selection of winter specials worth adding to your reservation list.

Belly of the Beast – 2 stars
110 Harrington Street, Cape Town City Centre, Cape Town

Leave the decisions to the kitchen at Belly of the Beast, where there are no menus, no choices, and no set structure – just a sequence of dishes shaped by what is available on the day. In winter, expect richer, slower-cooked plates and deeper sauces. Lunch is served Tuesday to Saturday at 12.30pm, priced at R650 per person.

Beyond – 2 stars
37 Klein Constantia, Constantia Buitenverwachting Wine Farm, Cape Town

Set among the vineyards of Constantia, Beyond’s four-course set menu is available for lunch and dinner, Tuesday to Saturday, at R690 per person. Lunch runs from noon to 2.30pm and dinner from 6pm to 8.30pm. The special runs until 24 September. Beyond is also a joint recipient of the Eat Out Patrón Mixology Award, alongside sister restaurant FYN.

The Bistro at Brookdale Estate – 1 star
Hawequa Bos Pad, Klein Drakenstein Road, Paarl

Every Thursday this winter, the Bistro at Brookdale Estate lights the fire for its Fire & Wine Evenings, running from 14 May to 24 September from 6pm. The menu rotates weekly between prawn night, curry night, burger night, and bistecca alla Fiorentina for two, each served with a complimentary glass of Brookdale wine.

The Bistro at Brookdale Estate

BLOEM at Paul Clüver Family Wines – 1 star
Paul Cluver Estate Wines, N2, Kromco Turn off, De Rust Estate, Grabouw

Out in the Elgin Valley, BLOEM’s autumn chef’s set menu runs throughout May and June at R395 per person, featuring kudu tartare, pumpkin tart, and Kalahari lamb. A fried breakfast including a coffee is available at R135, and burger nights run every Friday evening.

Chefs Warehouse at Beau Constantia – 2 stars
Beau Constantia Wine Farm, 1043 Constantia Main Road, Constantia Neck, Cape Town

Chef Ivor Jones’s four-course winter set lunch menu is available Monday to Friday from 4 May to end of September at R895 per person. Highlights include coal-fired bread and butter, torched linefish sashimi with spiced coconut and turmeric sambal, and a choice of cherry and rose geranium mousse or citrus parfait with spiced poached pineapple for dessert. An optional wine pairing is available at R700 per person. The six-course dinner menu is also on offer at R1500 per person, with an optional wine pairing at R900.

CHORUS – 1 star
Chorus at Waterkloof Wine Estate Sir Lowry’s Pass Road, Somerset West

CHORUS is running an autumn special in May and June, with a seasonal menu priced at R950 per person. The new menu is a classic take on some of their diners’ favourite winter dishes.

CHORUS

COY – 2 stars
V&A Waterfront, Cape Town

Settle in at the V&A Waterfront for the COY EDIT, now available for both lunch and dinner, seven days a week, from noon to 8.30pm. The menu moves through raw, crisp, seared, and slow-cooked elements, with local touches like amasi crème fraîche, African pepper sauce, and bitter leaf. Walk-ins are welcome, but bookings are recommended.

CURATE at Ellerman House – 1 star
Bantry Bay, Cape Town

With the Atlantic stretching out below, CURATE’s winter menu draws deeply on South African culinary tradition, priced at R1200 per person with a heritage pairing available at R900 per person. Dishes include snoek and apricot hertzoggies, game tartar, dombolo with tomato bredie, KZN langoustine bobotie, and Piketberg lamb with chakalaka, leek, and boontjie. Dessert is a banana bread malva pudding with lime, caramel vla, and banana skin.

Ember & Oak – 1 star
Constantia Uitsig, Cape Town

Good things come in threes at Ember & Oak this winter. The restaurant is running a 3-for-2 small plates deal from Tuesday to Sunday for lunch and dinner, valid until end of June. Order

three plates and the cheapest is free. Happy Hour runs from Tuesday to Saturday from 4pm to 6pm, with two cocktails for R150 or two beers on tap for R80.

Ember & Oak

Epice – 2 stars
Le Quartier Francais Hotel, Franschhoek

Franschhoek’s Epice is running a winter lunch special at R695 per person, available Friday to Sunday only. The menu delivers bold, spice-forward flavours… think cumin-accented dishes, Cape Point tuna, asada-style lamb with jalapeño and avocado, carrot with spring vierge, and a sweet finale of petit fours.

FYN – 3 stars
Cape Town City Centre, Cape Town

Awarded the Eat Out Woolworths Restaurant of the Year, FYN is offering a five-course set lunch menu Monday to Saturday from noon to 2pm, priced at R1275 per person. This is a perfect opportunity to experience SA’s top restaurant at a reduced price. FYN is also a joint recipient of the Eat Out Patrón Mixology Award, alongside sister restaurant Beyond.

Galjoen – 1 star
99 Harrington St. Cape Town, South Africa

Galjoen meets winter head on with a lunch menu that leans fully into seafood comfort. Priced at R450 per person and served Thursday to Saturday at 12.30, the menu opens with fresh bread and steamed Saldanha Bay mussels, moves into fish and chips, and closes with a warm baked dessert. In the evenings, a multi-course dinner at R850 per person is served Monday to Saturday at 6.45pm.

Galjoen

The Jordan Restaurant with Marthinus Ferreira – 2 stars
Jordan Wine Estate, Stellenbosch

Chef Marthinus Ferreira is running a four-course winter lunch at R650 per person from noon to 1.30pm, available until 27 June. The menu includes a bread-and-butter course, starter, main, and dessert. Alongside the lunch special, the restaurant is hosting a series of winemaker dinners throughout the season. Follow their social media accounts for updates.

La Colombe – 3 stars
Silvermist Wine Estate Main Road Constantia Nek, Cape Town

La Colombe’s winter lunch menu is priced at R1395 per person and is available weekdays only. Expect to find the iconic tuna La Colombe in the mix as well as La Colombe’s homemade sourdough with jersey butter and truffle. A standout wine list awaits those who enjoy the art and experience of a drinks pairing.

La Petite Colombe – 3 stars
Leeu Estates, Dassenberg Road, Franschhoek

On the Leeu Wine Estate just outside Franschhoek, La Petite Colombe’s winter lunch special is priced at R1395 per person and is available Monday to Sunday. You’ll be treated to the moreish Leeu Estate olives to start and a handful of warming dishes like coal-roasted lamb with harisssa. Head sommelier Elton Damon was recognised with the Eat Out Wine Service Award for 2026 – so you’re in good hands where wine is concerned!

La Petite Colombe

Le coin Français – 1 star
17 Huguenot Road, Franschhoek

Le coin Français has taken a more flexible approach to fine dining this winter with its new Epicurean menu. A refined selection taken from the Chef’s Journey experience, it gives guests the freedom to select their budget, individual dishes and tailor their own personal dining journey, whether a lighter indulgence or a more extensive meal.

Melfort – 1 star
Marianne Wine Estate, Stellenbosch,

Winter Sundays in Stellenbosch don’t get much better than this. Melfort is hosting a Winter Breakfast Series every Sunday in June, with seatings from 9am to 10.30am at R425 per person. Guests are welcomed with Cap Classique and sorrel tonic, followed by a generous seasonal breakfast designed for sharing. Each week’s menu shifts slightly. Bookings are essential.

Meraki by Charlie Lakin – 2 stars
7 Builders Way , Hillcrest, South Africa

In Hillcrest, Meraki by Charlie Lakin is offering a three-course winter menu at R525 per person, available for dinner Wednesday to Saturday and lunch Thursday to Saturday, until the end of June. The special might be on offer again after the winter week break.

Meraki by Charlie Lakin

Nevermind – 1 star
Seal Point Lighthouse, Cape St Francis, Eastern Cape

At this laid-back coastal retreat in Cape St Francis, winter dining is all about bold flavours and plates built for sharing. The tapas menu for two is available Monday to Friday at R600 and includes potato bread with whipped tahini, chimichurri, and sumac, charred shishito peppers with pine nut and curry leaf dressing, and a blueberry cobbler with chocolate cookie crumb and vanilla ice cream.

Pier – 3 stars
V&A Waterfront, Cape Town

Right on the V&A Waterfront, Pier’s winter lunch special is priced at R995 per person and is available Monday to Sunday. Be prepared for the signature curried hake with lemon atchar, and bread with toasted yeast, and cultured butter. The views are breathtaking and a reason alone to visit!

Post & Pepper – 2 stars
Stellenbosch Central, Stellenbosch

From 1 June to 31 August, Post & Pepper in Stellenbosch is running a two-course set menu with a complimentary bread and snacks course at R715 per person. An optional wine pairing is available at R285 per person, and additional courses are charged at a flat rate of R150 per dish.

Post & Pepper

The Pot Luck Club Johannesburg – 1 star
The Peech Hotel, 61 North Street, Melrose, Johannesburg

The Pot Luck Club Johannesburg is offering two prix fixe options this winter. The Prix Fixe Light lunch menu is built around light, protein-forward dishes, including the Pot Luck Taco 2.0 with linefish ceviche and Japanese tuna tartare, and is accompanied by a sober-curious zero-percent cocktail menu. The Prix Fixe Loaded is the more indulgent option, featuring linefish sashimi with fermented pineapple, fish sliders with miso mayo, smoked beef fillet, and nostalgic desserts.

Protégé – 2 stars
Le Quartier Français, Huguenot Street, Franschhoek In Franschhoek, Protégé is offering a small plates menu and early dinner special this winter. Sink your teeth into items like barbecue pork belly rotis or Korean fried chicken. Upgrade your meal with bottomless Graham Beck Cap Classique for R495 per person.

Rust en Vrede Restaurant – 2 stars
Rust en Vrede Wine Estate, Annandale Road, Stellenbosch

Rust en Vrede is running a six-course winter special at R990 per person throughout June and again in August, after the team returns from their winter break. Reservations are essential.

Rust en Vrede

Salsify at the Roundhouse – 3 stars
Round House Road, Camps Bay, Cape Town

Chef Ryan Cole, recipient of the Eat Out S. Pellegrino and Acqua Panna Chefs’ Chef Award has on offer Salsify’s five-course winter lunch special. It is priced at R1090 per person and moves through the season with dishes like cured Cape game fish with corn roti and sumac, and Karoo lamb with sour fig and African garlic. An optional wine pairing is available.

Seebamboes – 1 star
99 Harrington Street, Cape Town

With just 16 seats upstairs, Seebamboes is one of Cape Town’s more intimate dining experiences. For the first time, the restaurant is offering a Saturday winter lunch at 12.30pm, priced at R550 per person. Dinner, served Tuesday to Saturday at 6.45pm, remains the more immersive experience at R1000 per person.

Terrarium – 1 star
V&A Waterfront, Cape Town

Terrarium’s five-course winter menu runs from 4 May to 31 August at R695 per person. Seasonal ingredients like plum, venison, and porcini take centre stage, with warm spices running throughout. The menu moves from lighter, delicate dishes into richer, deeper plates, closing with a Tanzania dark chocolate dessert. Terrarium is also the recipient of the Eat Out Woolworths Emerging Green Star Award.

Terrarium

The Test Kitchen Fledgelings – 1 star
Woodstock, Cape Town

For something a little more relaxed this winter, The Test Kitchen Fledgelings is serving a street food-inspired à la carte menu for lunch and dinner, designed for sharing. Dishes include vetkoek with smoked snoek pâté, Korean fried chicken, kebabs, and a signature beef slider, ranging from R70 to R275.

Upper Union – 1 star
3 Upper Union Street, Cape Town

Chef Amori Burger’s Neighbourhood Lunch is on offer seven days a week during lunch service at R300 per person. The menu includes Kubaneh bread and butter, a choice of main, and a paired side. Guests choose from one of three set menu options.

The Waterside Restaurant – 2 stars
Victoria & Alfred Waterfront, Cape Town

Cosy up by the water at this scenic V&A Waterfront restaurant, where the winter special is priced at R795 per person and is available for lunch and dinner (6pm seating only), Monday to Sunday. Be treated to things like Yellowfin tuna, ponzu, avocado, in Thai broth – a warming and hearty dish.