Some of the top restaurants in South Africa were announced at the 2022 Eat Out Woolworths Restaurant Awards this past weekend.

• A new star rating system was revealed, with restaurants being awarded either one, two or three stars.
• To be included on the shortlist, each restaurant had to achieve a minimum rating of 70 points out of 100.
• This was based on several factors, including the quality of their offering – from the décor, ambience and service to the wine list, ingredients used and quality of the food.
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For the first time ever, the star-rated and winning restaurants were determined by a panel of judges that were not anonymous. Along with chief judge Abigail Donnelly, this year’s judging panel included Michelin-starred Chef and Restaurateur Jan Hendrik van der Westhuizen, Chef Karen Dudley, sommelier Moses Magwaza, food activist and cookbook author Mokgadi Itsweng, and food writer and broadcaster Anna Trapido.

One star was awarded to those restaurants who scored 70 – 80, two stars to those scoring 80 – 90, and three stars to those scoring 90+, with Restaurant of the Year awarded to the establishment with the highest score.

Twelve special individual awards were given out: the Eat Out Woolworths Restaurant of the Year Award, the Eat Out Woolworths Financial Services Chef of the Year Award, the Eat Out Retail Capital Best New Restaurant Award, the Eat Out Naked Malt Rising Star Award, the Eat Out Woolworths Icon Award, the Eat Out Woolworths Sustainability Award, the Eat Out WCellar Wine Service Award, the Eat Out Woolworths Financial Services Service Excellence Award, the Eat Out Stella Artois Best Destination Restaurant Award, the Eat Out VISI Style Award and the Eat Out Valpré Lannice Snyman Lifetime Achievement Award.

Some of The Sandton Times favourite eateries took top spots at the 2022 Eat Out Woolworths Restaurant Awards including:

1-Star Restaurants:
beyond (Constantia)
Culinary Table (Lanseria)
Les Créatifs Restaurant (Sandton)
Séjour (Houghton)
The Shortmarket Club Johannesburg (Rosebank)
The Waterside Restaurant (V&A Waterfront)
Ukkō (Sandton)

2-Star Restaurants:
FYN (City Bowl, Cape Town)
The Test Kitchen Carbon (Rosebank)

3-Star Restaurants:
La Colombe (Constantia)
PIER Restaurant (V&A Waterfront)

The Eat Out Woolworths Financial Services Chef of The Year is John Norris-Rogers. Norris-Rogers has a long history with the La Colombe group and is currently at the helm of PIER in the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town. He creates impeccably considered dishes that are skillfully crafted and imbued with sophisticated flavours. Presented with perfectly matched tableware, his personality shines through on each plate. And, what’s more, he has perfectly incorporated the restaurant’s scenic seaside setting into his menu.

Rudi Liebenberg, from Belmond Mount Nelson Hotel in Cape Town, was honoured with the Eat Out Valpré Lannice Snyman Lifetime Achievement Award. Rudi has made an indelible mark on the restaurant industry. An early champion of sustainability, he worked under influential local and international chefs before owning his own restaurants and running the kitchens in some of our top hotels – also in Sandton! Not merely satisfied with his own achievements, he has shared his knowledge widely and trained many people currently working in our industry.

The complete list of winners of the 2022 Eat Out Woolworths Restaurant Awards will be available on the Eat Out website.

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