Winter dining treats to chase away the chill

Hibernation may be an option, but there are lots of restaurants plating up winter warmth and serving soulful food during the colder winter months.

We rounded up a few of our favourites, with perks included.

CAPE TOWN

The Pot Luck Club, Woodstock

The Sunday Brunch Winter Extravaganza is no light affair. For winter, executive chef Jason Kosmas has cranked up the heat to curate a decadent 10-course set menu of playful but refined plates. The menu is served with bottomless Graham Beck Cap Classique or access to a DIY Bloody Mary station complete with house-infused vodkas and bacon swizzle sticks.

“We find the format works well, and we put a lot of effort into creating new plates and tweaking old favourites,” said Kosmas.

The menu starts on a high note with a helping of oysters. It then moves through a luxurious march of flavour with lobster cornbread, a brioche with quail egg and truffle along with a signature Pot Luck twist on the classic Arnold Bennett smoked haddock omelette. From the signature to the seasonal, a delicious and comforting risotto course follows.

From there it's on to the main event. A family-style roast lamb with all the winter trimmings anchors the meal, followed by a delicate trio of desserts that ends the feast on a sweet, whimsical note. The entire experience is generous, warming and designed to linger.

Kosmas said: “It is about creating a homely atmosphere with a touch of something special. By this stage, guests should feel like they are enjoying a leisurely Sunday lunch, relaxing, chatting, helping themselves and coming back for seconds. It is laid back.”

The Sunday Brunch menu changes regularly according to seasonality and availability so your next visit could introduce you to different flavours.

Details: R1,250 per person for 10 courses, bubbles and Bloody Mary bar. Bookings from 11am to 3.30pm. Every Sunday until September 28.

Insider tip: Book well in advance. Seriously.

Chefs Warehouse at Beau Constantia

The drive alone sets the tone. Winding up into Constantia, trees towering as a guard of honour, you arrive at Beau Constantia, a glass-box restaurant cantilevered above the vines. The views are showstoppers, all valley and vineyard, and inside you’ll find yourself seated in a wood-lined, deliberate yet unpretentious dining area. On fair weather days, the terrace opens onto a timber‑decked veranda nestled among fynbos. For those seeking intimacy, the Protea Pod offers a suspended private dining space cocooned for a sense of exclusivity.

Given that this is a Chefs Warehouse production, there are no starters or mains, only a curated succession of small plates made to be shared and savoured. Chef Ivor Jones’ (formerly the Test Kitchen) winter menu hits all the seasonal notes without slipping into cliché, boasting his signature tapas-for-two format that leans into richness with restraint. Patrons can look forward to slow-cooked lamb neck with Jerusalem artichokes or crispy pork with mustard cream and pickled pear. As always, there’s the usual precision — chef Jones is a Luke Dale-Roberts alum after all — but the flavours feel playful.

Details: The seasonal four-course set menu is R995 for two. Wine pairings are optional, but encouraged. Open Tuesday to Saturday for lunch and dinner. 

Insider tip: Pair with estate wines on site (ask for the Pas de Nom MCC).

ëlgr, Kloof Street

Ëlgr (pronounced “el-greh”) hits the rare note of casual elegance without trying too hard, which positions it as an effortlessly stylish nightcap spot after a day of edible excess. Located on buzzy Kloof Street and warmed by a wood-fired oven, the modern European eatery is just the thing when you want dinner to feel like a treat rather than a performance.

The seasonal à la carte menu leans on local produce, featuring dishes that balance comfort and complexity — perhaps roasted celeriac with hazelnuts, or coal-grilled rib-eye with bone marrow butter. Everything is designed to share, but the flavours are so finely tuned you'll want to guard your favourites. The bread? Worth fighting for.

Design-wise, the restaurant’s minimal, Nordic-influenced design matches the understated excellence of the food. Chef Jesper Nilsson’s Swedish roots show up in subtle flavour pairings and an emphasis on purity of ingredient. Ultimately, this dining experience is as much about balance as it is about indulgence.

Details: À la carte menu with plates ranging from R90 to R280. A three-course special is available for about R495. Walk-ins welcome, but bookings are advised for weekends.

Insider tip: Arrive early and stop next door at AKJP Studio for a drink among racks of local high-end fashion.

JOBURG:

Les Creatifs, Bryanston

Chef Wandile Mabaso is steadfast on his promise to innovate with cultural heritage and this season’s winter menu excitingly brims with additional indigenous ingredients. This means more refined discoveries, comfort and nostalgia, which goes well with the space’s cosy elegance. What’s delightfully endearing is that he’s considering our pockets in his sustainable approach.

“What guided the creation of this season’s winter menu is my mood and the message I would like to put out using food as a medium. I have used more indigenous ingredients I discovered last year. I have also considered the state of the economy. I’m using less expensive ingredients and keeping the price sustainable for the restaurant and the guests,” he said.

Highlights include the warming Lesotho trout tartare with chipotle, fried oyster, caviar and coconut turmeric fish jus, and the Nguni beef tongue with madumbe artchar mousse, caramelised onion and potato confit.

There are surprises within the first course, which accentuate Mabaso’s creative storytelling. Playing with the idea of conception, Mabaso serves wild chicken (hard body) broth inside an empty egg shell, cuts up the chicken infused with flavourful spices and finishes off with a corn velouté.

“The egg shell represents the beginning, hence it’s the first offering you get as you sit down. We’re also playing on the concept of what came first, the chicken or the egg? Adding corn completes the cycle, since chickens are fed corn,” he said.

The eight-hour Krugersdorp goat is a popular dish in the mains, but the Mozambican kabeljou with pumpkin purée, beluga lentils, umfino and salsa verde wins for its nourishment value.

Details: The four-course meal costs R1,250, R2,050 with wine paring and R1,750 with cocktail pairing. The restaurant is open Tuesday to Saturday nights. 

Insider tip: The Centurion Vegetable Garden is a pretty and vibrant vegetarian dish included in the menu, but if you’re vegan or vegetarian, specify that when making a booking and the chefs will craft a full vegan/vegetarian menu for you.

Pot Luck Club at The Peech Hotel, Melrose

The Pot Luck Club Johannesburg’s move from Rosebank to the serene sophistication of The Peech Hotel in Melrose has been a successful story of reinvention. It seems Joburg can’t get enough of Luke Dale Roberts’ globally inspired tapas style dishes with an Asian slant, matched by head chef Elbie du Toit’s Cape Malay influences. Together with the Pot Luck Club group executive chef, Kosmas, they curate the seasonally inspired Prix Fixe menus to offer diners a selection of people's favourite dishes across their menu. These include family favourites such as Pot Luck Club fish sliders, sashimi, the zesty and fully-flavoured tacos and the warm and delectable smoked beef fillet. There’s also the flavour brilliance of the peri peri chicken boasting ajo blanco, kale and pepper salad and the marvellous braai vinaigrette.

“Peri peri chicken is firmly rooted in local culture, a dish which is nostalgic and reminiscent for most of us. I’ve taken the classic dish and elevated it slightly by adding my own unique touch. The braai vinaigrette is an ode to the way South Africans love to cook shisa nyama style, grilling meat over hot coals, which adds a beautiful intense smoky braai flavour,” Du Toit said.

The Prix Fixe concept was originally launched to entice a lunchtime crowd, who may be short on time, or to appeal to those more budget-conscious but keen to experience The Pot Luck Club.

“Due to overwhelming support, we've relaunched our Prix Fixe menus for winter to provide a flavour-packed experience highlighting dishes across our key flavour profiles (sour/salty/bitter/umami/sweet). The Prix Fixe experience can be enjoyed as 'Lite' (six dishes shared between two) or 'Loaded' (eight dishes shared). The two menus begin by introducing more subtle, light flavours before moving through to richer, more robust dishes and ending on a sweet note,” said Du Toit. 

The Pot Luck Club Johannesburg Prix Fixe menus take the guesswork out of ordering and lets you invite the chef to serve their recommendation. Trust the chef.

Details: For the Prix Fixe Lite sharing menu, you pay R495 per person for the food and R450 per person for wine pairing. The Prix Fixe Loaded sharing menu is R795 per person for the food and R750 per person for wine pairing. Until September 30. The restaurant is open Tuesday to Saturday nights.

Insider tip: Head to our Instagram page for a chance to win a staycation at The Peech Hotel where you can indulge in the hotel and The Pot Luck Club’s winter treats and pamperings.