Swellendam restaurants worth visiting

By Roxanne Reid
You’re spoiled for choice when it comes to restaurants in Swellendam, about 200km east of Cape Town. The town has more than 35 restaurants where you can get anything from a pastry to a pizza, a toasted sarmie to bobotie, a plate of pasta to a fine dining experience. Here are some ideas about Swellendam restaurants worth visiting.

There’s so much to do in Swellendam it really deserves a few days’ stopover. Don’t make the mistake of belting past this Overberg town on the N2 on your way between Cape Town and the Garden Route. Whether hiking, mountain biking or horse riding in the mountains is your thing, Swellendam has you covered. Would you rather visit a museum or national park? Go for a river cruise? Check and check. Read my post about 20 things to do in Swellendam, then book your accommodation and start looking for some of the best restaurants in Swellendam where you can refuel after your activities. Here are some of those I recommend.

I wouldn’t be cheeky enough to rate these restaurants on a number scale. I’ve listed them alphabetically instead so the first is no better than the last. Each is different and in its own way worth visiting.
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La Belle Alliance

Picturesquely situated on the banks of the Koornlands River, La Belle Alliance is a family restaurant that’s very popular for outdoor eating on the patio and deck. The setting is perfect: a canopy of stinkwood trees for dappled shade and a view overlooking the river if you’re lucky enough to get one of the tables on the deck extension.

The building that houses the restaurant used to be a Masonic Lodge and you can still see the Masonic symbol on the gable.

The menu is a mix of hearty breakfasts, traditional dishes like bobotie and lasagne and lighter options like sandwiches. I enjoyed a toasted chicken sarmie, while hubby had a burger and a yummy lemon meringue pie. Their apple crumble is also good and the slices are generous. Service was prompt and friendly, but we didn’t feel rushed. If you’re lucky and keep your eyes peeled, you may spot some birds in the trees.

Open daily for breakfast and lunch, but not for dinner.
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Christelle’s Bistro

Three rooms make up Christelle’s Bistro and the nicest if you visit for lunch is the sunny one at the back where you can hear the tinkling fountain outside. Better still, you can sit on the porch in front or under the trees and umbrellas in the garden at the back.

The theme inside is French, the walls painted with scenes from Paris and a small menu to match. Expect classics like French onion soup, quiche Lorraine, croque monsieur, salade Nicoise, cassoulet (duck, ham and beans) and bouillabaisse. We thought the menu was a bit limited, but each day there’s a blackboard special too. The evening we visited it was our favourite, lamb shank, so that was us well satisfied. Other blackboard specials might be chicken cordon bleu or oxtail. When I mentioned the limited choices to owner Christelle (yes, she’s French and has the accent to match), she said the bistro was only seven weeks old but might expand its options depending on feedback from the locals. We’ve heard since our visit that she’s now has different menus for lunch and dinner, weekly specials as well as the daily blackboard menu. 

For dessert we had a perfect-textured crème brulée but if you’re a crêpe fan you’ll be pleased to see that classic, crêpe Suzette, on the menu too.

Open Monday to Saturday for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
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The Conservatory at Schoone Oordt

The Conservatory restaurant at the five-star Schoone Oordt Country House, built in 1853 and lovingly restored, is elegant but relaxed rather than stuffily formal. The menu is definitely in the fine dining category with well-executed items like risotto, crème of cauliflower soup with cumin, lemongrass and citrus glazed seafood, soy glazed duck breast, Kudu loin with roasted vegetables, dark chocolate torte with gorgonzola ice cream or honey panacotta with ginger sorbet and poached pear.

If you’re lucky enough to be staying at the guest house, you’ll find that the kitchen staff continues the gourmet theme at breakfast, with a spread that includes fresh fruit salad, creamy yoghurt, home-made granola, muffins, scones, cheeses – and that’s just the first course. The second course might be flapjacks with berry coulis, followed by a delicious tower of mushroom, tomato, bacon and egg – a novel and attractive twist on the same-old, same-old hot breakfast.

Open for dinner in summer, closed from May to August except for Gourmet Getaways in association with some other Swellendam restaurants. It closed during the pandemic but reopens for dinner in mid-December 2021.
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The Drostdy Restaurant

​The lovely old building that houses the Drostdy Restaurant – ranked in the top three restaurants in Swellendam by Tripadvisor – has its origins in the 1750s. In the 1970s, it was relocated piece by piece from a farm between Swellendam and Bonnievale to its current spot in the museum district. Traditional methods were used to rebuild it and all the woodwork is original.

Walk through the attractive garden to get to the thatched and gabled building (see intro photo). Sit on the stoep in fine weather to enjoy a drink and the mountain views, then make your way inside to meet charming Annelie at front of house and taste what David and his staff come up with in the kitchen. Three rooms, one with a huge fireplace, are furnished with gleaming wood to create a pleasantly old-fashioned atmosphere that suits the historic building. 

The menu is fairly wide, featuring starters like garlic snails and Thai calamari salad with egg noodles. We chose liver parfait with red wine jelly and caramelised onion marmalade, and a cheddar and blue cheese soufflé with apple and celery salad – both scrumptious. For mains we enjoyed fall-off-the-bone slow-cooked lamb shank, and a trio of venison (impala, ostrich and springbok). The venison is a good bet if you like your meat medium rare to rare so it remains tender and succulent. Other mains include pork belly, beef fillet, Thai coconut chicken curry, and seafood curry, with a vegetarian risotto for the non-carnivores. It would be impossible to visit The Drostdy and not find something that gets your mouth watering.

For dessert we had a well-textured chai tea crème brulee (the flavour changes regularly), and an interesting strawberry and basil pannacotta. The flavour combination worked well, with the basil cutting through the sweetness of the strawberries without being too heavy-handed. All in all, a good meal in a convivial atmosphere.

Open Tuesday to Saturday for dinner only.
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Field & Fork

Photo: Field & Fork

Field & Fork restaurant is housed in a historic building adjoining part of the museum. It’s one of the town’s fine dining establishments. Wooden floors and tables create a warm ambience inside and service is both friendly and polished. We were lucky to visit in August when they were running a winter special of a three-course meal for a 40% discount on their normal prices.

My caramelised onion, beetroot and goats cheese in phyllo tart was scrumptious, the other starter of salmon and cream cheese roulade understandably less piquant. My husband ordered a main of fillet of Black Angus beef with beans, cauliflower purée and shiitake mushrooms with a cabernet jus. It was cooked medium rare and tender, just the way he likes it. I had duck breast with spiced cabbage, baby spinach and toasted almonds that was also tender and tasty.

For dessert we chose double cream vanilla ice cream with toffee sauce and toasted almonds, and an Amarula crème brûlée with Madagascan vanilla bean, just the right texture. I highly recommend this restaurant, especially if you visit when the winter special is running to make it more affordable.

Currently closed as a result of the pandemic, but it will reopen in February 2022, days still to be decided.
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The Garden Shack

​A visit to the Garden Shack is a bit like visiting an old friend who has two distinct personalities. First, there’s the garden atmosphere that has grown out of its earlier incarnation as a nursery. There are green plants, garden nooks and small ‘rooms’ made of plants that are pleasant places to sit. An old boat has been converted into a fish pond too.

Don’t stop until you’ve gone up the rustic wooden stairs to the upper level, where the second personality will greet you. The theme here is pure beach and ocean, with the décor accentuating surf boards, buoys, wooden fish, old signs and shells. There’s lots of beach sand too for that relaxed ocean-side vibe. Yes, the sand was brought in specially. Friendly owner Sid Vorster explained that he loves the sea so much he ‘brought the beach to Swellendam’. It’s clear that he and wife Des appreciate the wacky too, as you’ll realise when you spot mismatched tables and chairs, fancy red velveteen red chairs kicking back on beach sand in one corner, knick knacks like plastic snowflakes or a very low archway (hint, hint – parents stay away) leading to a jungle gym for kids

It’s all quirky and delightful but what about the quality of the food? It’s a seafood restaurant, and that’s deceptively challenging to get right. Blackboard menus announce everything from fish and chips or calamari and chips to combos and platters of fish, calamari, prawns and mussels. You’ll find chowder, fish curry and spicy paella on the menu too. For my lunch, I chose calamari and chips, a generous plate of it that was deliciously tender and not a bit oily. The chips were crisp on the outside and fluffy inside just how I like them.

The Garden Shack also has a specialist sushi chef so my husband ordered a platter of California rolls, fashion sandwiches and salmon roses. He declared it the best sushi he’d had in a very long time. I’m not a sushi fan because it often seems stodgy or soggy, but this wasn’t. I tucked in and licked my lips. I think I’m a convert now.

I recommend you visit soon and enjoy the whole fun experience, as well as a first-rate seafood meal.

Open Tuesday to Saturday for lunch and dinner.
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Grace + Merci

Grace + Merci has a superb position on Church Square, opposite Swellendam’s pretty Dutch Reformed church. The Koornlands River runs at the back and there’s off-street parking. It’s a family-friendly place, with enough room on the deck under tall trees to manoeuvre prams and even dogs on leads. If your kids are a bit bigger and unlikely to resist the allure of a playground, sit at one of the tables next to the grass below the restaurant so you can keep an eye on them as they play on the swings and seesaw. Inside you’ll find a fresh and bright space, with wooden floors and white furniture as well as a cosy fireplace that beckons in winter.

We sat in dappled shade on the deck where my husband enjoyed his mushroom, brinjal and courgette toastie with a drizzle of sundried tomato and basil dressing and handcut chips. I loved my house salad with shaved boerenkaas, slivers of raw carrot and beetroot, cherry tomatoes, seeds, toasted pecans and a honey-mustard dressing. I’d thought I wasn’t very hungry but it was so yummy I scoffed it in record time. Other menu choices include woodfired toasties, savoury tarts, salads, steak and pasta. There are choices to suit vegetarians and vegans too, and a special kids’ menu. Service is prompt and friendly, with staff going the extra mile to keep you happy.

If you have space after your meal (or are visiting for coffee) you simply must go inside to choose from an array of delectable-looking cakes. They change from day to day, but the last time we visited some of the choices nestling under tall glass cloches were a giant carrot-and-pineapple cake, moist dark chocolate cake, toasted almond cake and praline cheesecake. Nom nom.

Open daily for breakfast and lunch, but not for dinner.
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Greenlands Farm Table

​A visit to Greenlands Farm Table – about 23km from Swellendam on the R60 – makes a superb day in the country, an event rather than just a meal. Exploring the vast shed is like going on a treasure hunt, all put together with a theatrical quirkiness. There are bright-coloured runners on the tables, a great view through glass doors across vineyards to the mountains, a bookshop, a wine shop, art on the walls, a leather couch with leopard print throws, a giant red fibreglass cow, wine barrels, a wood-carved Indian temple that was shipped back to South Africa in 42 pieces. Pillars at the entrance are mosaiced with broken cups and saucers, there’s a flying dragon, elongated West African wooden figures, a full-size mokoro from Namibia perched on top of two wooden pillars from India. It’s like a travelogue of places vibrant owners Sara Webster and Glen James have visited and loved over the years.

Sara showed us around the small winery, from the underground wine vats to the barrels, tanks and wine press. They make their own grenache, chenin and cabernet, but send the other cultivars on the farm to the Bonnievale Co-op. There’s also a copper still where they create grappa, limoncello and gin, the latter using pinotage with added juniper, hibiscus and buchu.

Sara is a tour de force, with wide-ranging enthusiasms that made her guided tour and stories spell-binding. For instance, she told us about a cactus pear nursery project on the the farm, with more than 40 types. Apparently, they have multiple uses, from fruit for eating to cattle feed and substitute-leather from the leaves, and oil for the cosmetic industry from the seeds.

But what about the lunch, you may ask? Everything is locally sourced wherever possible. All meat and chicken is free range. The veggies are organic and now that the severe drought of the past few years has eased, they’ve started their own veggie patch too. Like the venue, the menu is something different. Each comprises a platter on a particular theme, such as Mediterranean or Asian. There’s a chicken and sesame platter, a salmon spring bowl, and a meat-focused XXL Ranch platter, even a platter for the little ones.

My Mediterranean platter included spanakopita, pita, lavash, hummus, tzatziki, grilled halloumi and a salad. It made my day and left a satisfied grin on my face. My husband chose the Spoil Me Asian platter, with succulent free range duck breast, Mandarin pancakes, egg fried rice, Asian salad and pickled ginger. He loved it all.

They also make ice cream, which they sell in the restaurant and at markets in Swellendam and Barrydale. It’s a flavour festival of everything from licorice and coconut to salted caramel or gorgonzola and honey. They were trying a new combination the day we visited – Turkish delight and cardamom – and Sara hauled us into the kitchen to sample it straight from the churn. Delicious. For dessert, we chose scoops of vanilla, almond nougat, lemon meringue and coffee – all yummy and more-ish.

It was a captivating few hours, the sort of place where you get chatting to the folks at the next table. Glen also came to see how we were doing, told a few stories, and helped us round off a thoroughly enjoyable lunch with a shot of their excellent limoncello. Visit for the views, the food, the wonderful hosts, and a chance to explore a fascinating, eclectic space.

Open for lunch on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays only.
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Ikigai Artisan Coffee Bar & Deli

You know you’ve found somewhere good when you return for more of the same the next day. The Ikigai Artisan Coffee Bar & Deli has a nice clean look and vibe, with tables outside and inside. Ikigai is a Japanese concept that means ‘a reason for being’ or the things that make your life worthwhile. And most people would agree that good coffee definitely makes life worthwhile.

Having enjoyed really good flat whites made using Origin coffee beans by a barista passionate about her coffee the day before, we returned for brunch the next day and discovered the food wasn’t too shabby either. Choose from croissants with scrambled egg and bacon, quiches, tarts, muffins, open sarmies and Belgian waffles. Think pulled pork gourmet sandwich topped with caramelised onions, or a hot pressed toastie of bacon, feta, avo and peppadew. You can choose between wholewheat, ciabatta, farm loaf or rye. Between the two of us we polished off multiple cups of flat white, they were that good.

Open Monday to Saturday for breakfast and lunch, but not for dinner.

Hot tip: there’s also an Ikigai in Riversdale.
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Koornlands

The Koornlands restaurant owned by Dutch chef Marianne and Scots partner Stephen ranks in the top three Swellendam restaurants on Tripadvisor. You’ll find it in a lovely Victorian building with a red iron roof and red-and-white striped awning that makes it stand out in a row of less vibrant iron-roofed houses. Inside, there are two rooms where guests enjoy their meals. The fireplace, wooden ceilings and art on the walls make for a warm and homely atmosphere.

Koornlands’ speciality is what they call Cuisine du Cap, with a hint of Africa sometimes creeping in with items like venison. A blackboard menu allows the chef to adjust the options at the drop of a hat, depending on what’s freshly available – always a good sign. The night we visited, they were offering a four-course menu for an incredibly good price. Whatever you do, don’t miss the excellent bitterballen to start. These yummy crumbed Dutch meatballs pay homage to the chef’s roots and remain perennially popular. 

For mains there was a feast of steaks (sirloin, rump, fillet and rib eye) as well as chicken curry, and tagliatelle with pork ragout. Lebanese tabbouleh with veg on the side was the vegetarian option of the night, and it was refreshing and tasty. The beef fillet was excellent, a fat portion cooked medium rare just how my husband likes it. He gave it the thumbs up for juicy tenderness.

For dessert we shared a classic malva pudding, and fruit/berries with meringue for a good balance of tartness and sweetness. Milktart and Amarula Dom Pedros were other sweet choices. Service was friendly and efficient, with a welcome touch of dry humour here and there.

Open Tuesday to Saturday for dinner only.
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The Old Gaol

The Old Gaol is a family-style restaurant that used to be opposite the Dutch Reformed church on the main road, but has relocated to a lovely old building at the other end of town at 241 Voortrek Street. Note that the Gaol in the name is the English spelling of the American word ‘jail’, so don’t go confusing it with those goal posts at the end of a soccer or rugby field!

Sit inside or outside under grape vines on the terrace or shade umbrellas on the upper deck. A restful garden spreads over different levels, with a pond that has fish and frogs, and a jungle gym for the kids. There’s a kiddies’ menu too.

The menu includes breakfast items like bacon and eggs, as well as quiches, salads, favourites like bobotie, burgers, chicken pie, waterblommetjie bredie, Cape curry and lamb shank. We enjoyed the spicy butternut soup with freshly made roosterkoek, and roasted vegetables on roosterkoek, drizzled with basil-infused olive oil and served with a Greek salad. These traditional breads are baked fresh every day and they’re beautifully light and airy. Kudos to the roosterkoek baker. For dessert or tea you might enjoy old-fashioned baked milk tart or delicious lemon meringue, our favourite. Our waitress was very friendly, helpful and efficient, an exchange that put some pep in our step.

[Update March 2022: following its involvement with chef Bertus Basson’s In die Sop TV series in March 2022, the restaurant has changed its name to Mill and Hops. There are to be menu changes too.] 

Open daily for lunch.
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La Sosta

Take a historic Cape Dutch building, add Italian/South African chef couple Salvatore and Nina and you get La Sosta. The vibe is cool, contemporary and uber-professional, the food poised and artistically presented. When you think Italian food, chances are you’ll remember the rich tomato-based sauces your nonna used to make. This is not that kind of food; it’s sophisticated Italian/European fine dining of a sort that consistently guarantees La Sosta the number 1 spot on Tripadvisor. 

For starters we had free range chicken liver parfait with merlot jam, and tortelloni stuffed with celery, carrots and onion with a basil oil velouté – the first bursting with flavour and the second understandably more restrained. My husband’s main of free range pork belly with seasonal veg was also delicious. So was my line fish with fennel, although as a fennel addict I’d have liked that flavour to be more front and centre. I understand, though, that keeping it reined in so as not to overpower the fish was probably a better idea and more in line with what non-addicts would prefer. The fish was cooked to perfection – none of that crime of overcooking that so many South African restaurants seem to commit.

All four choices were first-class, but it was the desserts that completely blew us away. You might think that tiramisù and lemon tart are nothing special, but the execution was exceptional. Probably the best tiramisù we’ve ever had – strongly flavoured and very smooth and creamy. And the glazed lemon tart with Amaretto, citrus crumble and vanilla ice cream was so heavenly I’ll be dreaming of it for years to come.

Open Tuesday to Saturday for dinner only.

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Tredici

You can see Tredici from the N2 that runs between Cape Town and the Garden Route and it’s worth making a stop, either for a meal or some high-class padkos. The architecture might seem more at home in Florence than the Overberg, but it’s a welcome addition to the foodie scene in Swellendam nonetheless. It’s a deli, patisserie, bakery and restaurant rolled into one, and it’s full of savoury and sweet treats. You can even pick up the odd bit of kitchen equipment.

I had a scrumptious (but hard to cut) artisanal toast with smashed avo, cherry tomatoes, rocket and feta. My husband ordered a croissant with scrambled egg and smoked salmon. Order this if you really love salmon; there was a huge slab but it was cut too thick for his taste. For lunch, there are gourmet salads, burgers, pizzas, wraps, and toasted sandwiches. The prize seats are outside on the porch if the weather is fine, or upstairs where it’s a little quieter.

Open Wednesday to Monday for breakfast, lunch and drinks (closes 18:00) but not for dinner.

Restaurants popular with Swellendam locals
Other Swellendam restaurants we haven’t experienced for ourselves but which are perennially popular with locals include:

• Barrel & Blues – pub, steakhouse and live music
• Republic of Swellendam – burgers, steaks, salads, pizzas, curry and toasted sarmies
• Woodpecker Pizzadeli – pizzas, pasta, burgers, schnitzels, salads, toasted sarmies.

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