South Africa’s two best steak restaurants on the World’s 101 Best Steak Restaurants 2026 list

South Africa continues to earn global recognition for exceptional steak, with two restaurants featured on the prestigious World’s 101 Best Steak Restaurants 2026 list by World Best Steaks.

For travellers planning a foodie trip through South Africa, both restaurants deserve a place on your itinerary: VUUR Restaurant in Stellenbosch and The Blockman in Johannesburg. The official 2026 list confirms both among the world’s top 101 steak destinations.

VUUR Restaurant – Stellenbosch

VUUR Restaurant is ranked No. 74 on the World’s 101 Best Steak Restaurants 2026 list, making it the highest-ranked South African steak restaurant this year. Located on Remhoogte Wine Estate near Stellenbosch, it is one of South Africa's leading fire-cooking destinations.

Chef Shaun Scrooby’s restaurant is built around live-fire cooking, smoke, wood, and premium local ingredients. Set among vineyards and mountain views, it offers more than just steak—it is a full Cape Winelands dining experience and ideal for travellers looking for a memorable lunch or special occasion meal.

Why travellers love it:

• ranked No. 74 globally
• destination dining in the Stellenbosch wine region
• open-fire cooking and tasting-menu experience
• excellent wine pairing opportunities

Sieh dir diesen Beitrag auf Instagram an

Ein Beitrag geteilt von VUUR (@vuurrestaurant)

The Blockman – Johannesburg

The Blockman is ranked No. 97 on the World’s 101 Best Steak Restaurants 2026 list. Located in Parkhurst, Johannesburg, it is known for premium cuts, expert dry-ageing, and a strong butcher-to-table philosophy.

It offers a modern urban steakhouse experience and is a favourite for visitors wanting a high-end dinner in the city before or after a safari or international flight.

Why travellers love it:

• ranked No. 97 globally
• central Johannesburg location
• premium dry-aged steaks
• ideal for business travellers and city breaks

Final thoughts

South Africa is famous for safari, wine, and scenic road trips—but it is also becoming a top destination for world-class steak.

With VUUR Restaurant at No. 74 and The Blockman at No. 97, travellers now have two excellent culinary reasons to extend their stay in South Africa .

 

 

Subscribe for updates:

Subscribe to our newsletter for weekly updates, border info, road alerts, and travel inspiration for Southern Africa.  

South Africa crowned the World's Top Wine Tourism Destination for 2025!

South Africa has been named the #1 Wine Tourism Destination in the World for 2025, according to a global study released by Titan Travel. Beating out world-renowned contenders like Portugal and Italy, the country achieved a top score of 8.38 out of 10 - thanks to its unbeatable combination of affordable wine experiences, scenic diversity, and a surging global interest in local wine tours.
Titan Travel’s ranking, based on data from April 2024 to March 2025, assessed over 40 wine-producing countries. The scoring factored in average wine prices, wine tasting costs, the number of organized wine tours available, and global online search volumes. South Africa emerged as a standout with:

• Average wine prices as low as £3.42 (approx. R82 / $4.40 / €4.05) per bottle
• Tasting experiences starting from £11.73 (approx. R280 / $15.10 / €13.90)
• Over 279 wine tour options
• Strong global interest in regions like Stellenbosch, Franschhoek, Paarl, and the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley

While France still tops global search interest, it ranked only 9th overall due to significantly higher average tasting costs (over £180). In contrast, South Africa offers value without compromising on quality - from prestigious estates to family-run cellars surrounded by breathtaking mountains and vineyards.

The full Top 5 Wine Tourism Destinations for 2025, according to Titan Travel, are:

1. South Africa – 8.38/10
2. Portugal – 7.75/10
3. Italy – 7.00/10
4. Cyprus - 6.38/10
5. Chile - 6.25/10
6. Spain - 6.13/10
7. New Zealand - 5.63/10
8. Croatia - 5.50/10
9. France - 5.38/10
10. Armenia - 5.13/10

This latest recognition confirms South Africa's growing reputation not only as a world-class wine producer but also as a leading global wine tourism hotspot. Whether you're a seasoned oenophile or a casual wine enthusiast, there's never been a better time to explore the Cape Winelands.

Plan Your Wine Tour in South Africa
Stellenbosch, Franschhoek, Robertson, and Constantia are just the beginning. Discover tasting rooms, cellar tours, vineyard picnics, and wine tram adventures — all just a short drive from Cape Town.

Travel Tip: Visit between March and May for harvest festivals, cool-weather tastings, and spectacular autumn colors in the vineyards.

Have you explored the Cape Winelands? Share your favorite vineyard or tasting experience in the comments below!

 

Subscribe for updates:

Subscribe to our newsletter for weekly updates, border info, road alerts, and travel inspiration for Southern Africa.   

South Africa: Western Cape to host the World Rugby U20 Championship 2024!

The Western Cape in South Africa is set to host the World Rugby U20 Championship in June and July this year. According to World Rugby and South African Rugby (SA Rugby), the tournament will be played over five match days in Stellenbosch and Cape Town, with the participating teams grouped into three pools of four. The first round will take place 29 June 2024 and the final will be played at DHL Stadium in Cape Town on 19 July 2024.
Three-time consecutive winners France are in Pool A with New Zealand, Wales and Spain, who will make their debut after winning the World Rugby U20 Trophy in 2023. Ireland, Australia, Georgia and Italy make up Pool B, while South Africa's Junior Springboks are set to face England, Argentina and Fiji in Pool C.

Photo by Edgar Pimenta on Unsplash

World Rugby U20 Championship 2024 (29 June 2024 to 19 July 2024):

Venues:
Danie Craven Stadium (Stellenbosch), Athlone Stadium, DHL Stadium (both in Cape Town)

Pools (with 2023 ranking in brackets):
Pool A: France (1), Wales (6), New Zealand (7), Spain (12)
Pool B: Ireland (2), Australia (5), Georgia (8), Italy (11)
Pool C: South Africa (3), England (4), Argentina (9), Fiji (10)

Pool matches:
Match day 1: Saturday, 29 June 2024
Match day 2: Thursday, 4 July 2024
Match day 3: Tuesday, 9 July 2024

Playoff matches:
Match day 4: Sunday,14 July 2024
Match day 5: Friday, 19 July 2024 (final and ranking matches)

World’s Best Vineyards 2023: These three vineyards in the Western Cape are among 50 best!

World’s Best Vineyards has revealed the top wine destinations for 2023. The extensive list, which is compiled from all the nominations by a global Voting Academy, showcases the very best of wine tourism, highlighting the world’s finest and diverse vineyards across the globe. The academy of voters consists of over 500 leading wine experts, sommeliers and travel experts and they submit their nominations based on the different criteria that make the best destination vineyard, including quality of the overall experience, ambiance, cuisine, activities, views, staff, and value for money. The results are then collated and converted into the annual World’s Best Vineyards list.

According to the World’s Best Vineyards annual list for 2023, South Africa's Western Cape has three vineyards in the top 50 as well further two vineyards in the top 51–100. Creation Wines in the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley (Hermanus) was named fourth best vineyard in the World 2023, Klein Constantia in Constantia was ranked 32 and Delaire Graff Estate in Stellenbosch came in at 36. Benguela Cove Lagoon Wine Estate in Walker Bay closely missed the Top 50 and was named 53rd best vineyard, while Tokara Vineyard in Stellenbosch was ranked 93rd. Congratulations!
Catena Zapata in Mendoza, Argentina, was named the World’s Best Vineyard 2023, followed by Bodegas de los Herederos del Marqués de Riscal in Rioja, Spain, and VIK in Chile's Cachapoal Valley.

South Africa: Three destinations in the Western Cape are among the "Leading Places: The 100 Most Loved Destinations in the World"!

According to the findings of the global Tourism Sentiment Index (TSI), a travel data intelligence solution created by the destination marketing agency Destination Think, three destinations in South Africa's Western Cape are among the "Leading Places: The 100 Most Loved Destinations in the World" in 2022, with Hermanus ranking in the Top 20 at #18, Stellenbosch at #34 and Cape Town at #40.

Photo by Rudi De Meyer on Unsplash

The Tourism Sentiment Index (TSI) tracked the sentiment of travellers online across a staggering 1.6 billion online conversations and content pieces publicly available about 21,330 global destinations to determine how people felt about destinations around the world. The Tourism Sentiment Score® is a measure of a destination’s ability to generate positive word of mouth about its tourism offering. It is an aggregate score that focuses solely on online conversations and content that reference or affect a potential traveller’s perceptions of a destination’s tourism offering.

Rugby: South Africa to host next two World Rugby U20 Championships!

World Rugby and South African Rugby (SA Rugby) have confirmed that South Africa will host the next two editions of the World Rugby U20 Championship, in 2023 and 2024, while Kenya is set to host the U20 Trophy in 2023.
The World Rugby U20 Championship 2023 will take place from 24 Jun 2023 to 14 July 2023 and will be played over five match days in Stellenbosch, Paarl and Wellington, with the world’s best 12 U20 teams staying in Cape Town. The participating teams are: France, Wales, New Zealand, Japan (Pool A), Australia, England, Ireland, Fiji (Pool B), South Africa, Argentina, Italy and Georgia (Pool C).

Pool matches:

• Match day 1: Saturday 24 June 2023
• Match day 2: Thursday 29 June 2023
• Match day 3: Tuesday 4 July 2023

Knock-out matches:

• Match day 4: Sunday 9 July 2023
• Match day 5 (final): Friday 14 July 2023

Photo by Hanson Lu on Unsplash

The U20 Trophy, which will be contested by eight teams, will be hosted at the Nyayo National Stadium in Nairobi, Kenya, from 15 July 2023 to 30 July 2023. The participating teams are: Scotland (relegated from the U20 Championship in 2019), Kenya (hosts), Hong Kong (Asia), Samoa (Oceania), Spain (Europe), Uruguay (South America) and two teams still to qualify through regional competition from North America and Africa.

Five destinations in South Africa among the "Leading Places: The 100 Most Loved Destinations in the World"!

According to the findings of the global Tourism Sentiment Index (TSI), a travel data intelligence solution created by the destination marketing agency Destination Think, five destinations in South Africa are among the "Leading Places: The 100 Most Loved Destinations in the World" in 2021, with Knysna ranking in the Top 20 at #19, Stellenbosch #23, Hermanus #41, Cape Town #54 (all in the Western Cape) and Pretoria #73 (Gauteng).

Leading Places: The 100 Most Loved Destinations in the World

19. Knysna - Tourism Sentiment Score® 30.23
23. Stellenbosch - Tourism Sentiment Score® 29.31
41. Hermanus - Tourism Sentiment Score® 27.65
54. Cape Town - Tourism Sentiment Score® 26.44
73. Pretoria - Tourism Sentiment Score® 24.77

The Tourism Sentiment Index (TSI) tracked the sentiment of travellers online across a staggering 1.6 billion online conversations and content pieces publicly available about 21,330 global destinations to determine how people felt about destinations around the world. The Tourism Sentiment Score® is a measure of a destination’s ability to generate positive word of mouth about its tourism offering. It is an aggregate score that focuses solely on online conversations and content that reference or affect a potential traveller’s perceptions of a destination’s tourism offering.

Western Cape: Jonkershoek Nature Reserve & Assegaaibosch Nature Reserve are currently closed to the public! [update]

update (08 July 2021): All hiking at Jonkershoek Nature Reserve and the Assegaaibosch Nature Reserve including picnic spots are closed and will open on 6 November 2021

CapeNature, the public institution with the responsibility for biodiversity conservation in South Africa's Western Cape, has announced on its website that the Jonkershoek Nature Reserve and the Assegaaibosch Nature Reserve are currently closed to the public to allow recovery time after the recent devastating fires in the area. According to CapeNature, Jonkershoek Nature Reserve will be closed until further notice while Assegaaibosch Nature Reserve will be closed until the end of June 2021.
The Jonkershoek Nature Reserve, which includes the smaller Assegaaibosch Nature Reserve, is located about about 9km from Stellenbosch in the south-western part of the Western Cape.

World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC): South Africa got its first two "Safe Travels Stamps"!

The town of Stellenbosch is the first destination and Cape Town's V&A Waterfront the first attraction in South Africa to be awarded the "Safe Travels Stamp" by the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC). The "Safe Travels Stamp" is the first ever global safety and hygiene stamp, which allows travellers to recognise destinations and businesses around the world that have adopted health and hygiene global standardised protocols.
The protocols were defined following the experience of WTTC members in dealing with the coronavirus and based on the best available medical evidence. It follows guidelines from the World Health Organisation (WHO) as well as the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, USA) and is also backed by the World Tourism Organisation (WTO). Stellenbosch and the V&A Waterfront join an international list of over 80 top travel destinations and over 1 200 companies around the world to be awarded "Safe Travels stamp".

The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) represents the global private sector of travel and tourism. It is known for being the only forum to represent the private sector in all parts of the industry worldwide.

South Africa's best restaurants 2019!

South Africa's leading restaurant guide, Eat Out, has announced the winners of the 2019 Eat Out Mercedes-Benz Restaurant Awards at GrandWest in Cape Town on 17 November 2019. According to Eat Out, "La Colombe" in Constantia is South Africa's best restaurant of the year. The "The Test Kitchen" in Woodstock was named second best restaurant in South Africa, followed by last year's winner "The Restaurant at Waterkloof" in Somerset West and "Wolfgat", which was named "Restaurant of the Year" at the inaugural World Restaurant Awards 2019.

Sieh dir diesen Beitrag auf Instagram an

Ein Beitrag geteilt von La Colombe Restaurant (@lacolombect) am Nov 4, 2019 um 9:26 PST

The Top 20 restaurants:

1. La Colombe (Constantia, Cape Town)
2. The Test Kitchen (Woodstock, Cape Town)
3. The Restaurant at Waterkloof (Somerset West)
4. Wolfgat (Paternoster, West Coast)
5. FYN Restaurant (City Bowl, Cape Town)
6. La Petite Colombe (Franschhoek)
7. Eike (Stellenbosch)
8. Salsify (Camps Bay, Cape Town)
9. Restaurant Mosaic at The Orient (Elandsfontein, Pretoria)
10. Chefs Warehouse at Beau Constantia (Constantia, Cape Town)
11. Camphors at Vergelegen (Somerset West)
12. Overture (Stellenbosch)
13. LivingRoom at Summerhill Estate (Cowies Hill, Durban)
14. Chefs Warehouse at Maison (Franschhoek)
15. Greenhouse at The Cellars-Hohenort (Constantia, Cape Town)
16. Le Coin Français (Franschhoek)
17. La Tête (City Bowl, Cape Town)
18. The Shortmarket Club (City Bowl, Cape Town)
19. Tjing Tjing Momiji (City Bowl, Cape Town)
20. Rust en Vrede (Stellenbosch)

In addition to the announcement of the Top 10, stellar restaurants and individuals on the South African scene also received special awards. They are:

• Eat Out S.Pellegrino & Acqua Panna Chef of the Year: Bertus Basson, Eike and Overture (Stellenbosch)
• Eat Out Retail Capital New Restaurant of the Year: Jewell’s Restaurant (Paarl)
• Eat Out Nederburg Rising Star: Katlego Mlambo, The Marabi Club (Maboneng Precinct, Johannesburg)
• Eat Out Graham Beck Chefs’ Chef: Ivor Jones, Chefs Warehouse Beau Constantia
  (Constantia, Cape Town)
• Eat Out Woolworths Sustainability Award: Camphors at Vergelegen (Somerset West)
• Eat Out Nespresso Innovation Award: The Test Kitchen (Woodstock, Cape Town)
• Eat Out Service Excellence: The Test Kitchen (Woodstock, Cape Town)
• Eat Out Wine Service Award: Joseph Dhafana, La Colombe (Constantia, Cape Town)
• Eat Out John Psillos Award for Outstanding Contribution to Service: Jennifer Hugé
• Eat Out Bridget McCarney Game Changer Award: SA POC at the Table
• Eat Out Irna van Zyl Food Media Icon: Dorah Sitole
• Eat Out Lannice Snyman Lifetime Achievement Award: Annette Kesler
• Eat Out Style Award: FYN Restaurant (City Bowl, Cape Town)

Eat Out names South Africa's best restaurants 2018!

South Africa's leading restaurant guide, Eat Out, has named the winners of the 2018 Eat Out Mercedes-Benz Restaurant Awards. According to Eat Out, the "The Restaurant at Waterkloof" in Somerset West is South Africa's best restaurant of the year. The "The Test Kitchen" in Woodstock, the winner of the six previous Eat Out awards, was named second best restaurant in South Africa, followed by the "La Colombe" in Constantia and "Wolfgat" in Paternoster. Congrats everyone!

1. The Restaurant at Waterkloof (Somerset West)
2. The Test Kitchen (Woodstock, Cape Town)
3. La Colombe (Constantia, Cape Town)
4. Wolfgat (Paternoster, West Coast)
5. La Petite Colombe (Franschhoek)
6. Greenhouse at Cellars-Hohenort (Constantia, Cape Town)
7. Restaurant Mosaic at The Orient (Elandsfontein, Pretoria)
8. Camphors at Vergelegen (Somerset West)
9. Jardine Restaurant (Stellenbosch)
10. Chefs Warehouse at Beau Constantia (Constantia, Cape Town)
11. Fermier Restaurant (Die Wilgers, Pretoria)
12. Jordan Restaurant (Stellenbosch)
13. Foliage (Franschhoek)
14. Le Coin Français (Franschhoek)
15. The Chefs’ Table (Umhlanga, Durban)
16. Chefs Warehouse at Maison (Franschhoek)
17. La Tête (City Bowl, Cape Town)
18. Overture (Stellenbosch)
19. The Shortmarket Club (City Bowl, Cape Town)
20. The Pot Luck Club (Woodstock, Cape Town)

Sieh dir diesen Beitrag auf Instagram an







A brand new Number One! Congratulations to chef Gregory Czarnecki from The Restaurant at Waterkloof and his entire team on this well-deserved win! See you at the champagne tower for a cheers! With service described as a “type of magic that attracts your awe throughout dinner” by our judging panel, The Test Kitchen is this year’s recipient of the Eat Out Diners Club Service Excellence Award! The team was also crowned the Number Two restaurant in the country. Just look at that beauty! The 2019 edition of the Eat Out magazine will be on shelves on 26 November. Now it’s time for us to boogie the night away – it’s not a school night in the restaurant biz, after all 😉 Head to the link in our bio for all the winners from the 2018 Eat Out Mercedes-Benz Restaurant Awards! #eatoutawards

Ein Beitrag geteilt von Eat Out (@eatoutguide) am Nov 18, 2018 um 12:43 PST



• Eat Out S.Pellegrino & Acqua Panna Chef of the Year: Kobus van der Merwe, Wolfgat (Paternoster)
• Eat Out Diners Club Award for Service Excellence: The Test Kitchen (Woodstock, Cape Town)
• Eat Out Retail Capital New Restaurant of the Year: Janse & Co (Gardens, Cape Town)
• Eat Out Graham Beck Chefs’ Chef Award: shared by Chris Erasmus, Foliage (Franschhoek) and Ivor Jones, Chefs Warehouse at Beau Constantia (Constantia, Cape Town)
• Eat Out Nederburg Rising Star: Candice Philip, Grei (Sandhurst, Johannesburg)
• Eat Out Woolworths Sustainability Award: The Werf Restaurant at Boschendal (Franschhoek)
• Eat Out VISI Style Award: Saint Restaurant (Sandton, Johannesburg)
• Eat Out Wine Service Award: Moses Magwaza, Restaurant Mosaic at The Orient (Elandsfontein, Pretoria)
• Eat Out John Psillos Award for Outstanding Contribution to Service: Germain Lehodey
• Eat Out Lannice Snyman Lifetime Achievement Award: Abigail Donnelly
• Woolworths TASTE Eat Out Bursary: Thapelo Tsotsetsi

Western Cape: Jonkershoek Nature Reserve & Assegaaibosch Nature Reserve closed until further notice!

CapeNature, the public institution with the statutory responsibility for biodiversity conservation in South Africa's Western Cape, announced on their website that the Jonkershoek Nature Reserve and the Assegaaibosch Nature Reserve have been closed again to visitors until further notice due to protests and violence in the Jonkershoek Valley area.
The Jonkershoek Nature Reserve, which includes the smaller Assegaaibosch Nature Reserve, is located about about 9km from Stellenbosch in the south-western part of the Western Cape.