Everyone who visits the village of Stanford just a two-hour drive from Cape Town should arrive hungry. There are so many good places to eat and to enjoy wine tasting that the town has become a drawcard for foodies and wine lovers from Cape Town and further afield in South Africa. Here are some Stanford restaurants and wineries to try when you visit.
Stanford restaurants
Birkenhead Brewery & Walker Bay Estate
The menu changes regularly but sticks to family favourites like burgers, steak, salads, gnocchi, flatbreads, ploughman’s platters to share, and so forth. There’s even a special menu for kids. We popped in for tastings mid-afternoon so didn’t eat here on our latest visit, but we have enjoyed their burgers and salads on a previous visit to Stanford.
The kitchen is open daily 11:00 to 16:00
Madré
We sat at one of eight tables on the verandah overlooking the garden, where Madré grows most of the veg and herbs she uses. A blackboard menu announced the freshly prepared dishes from this country kitchen, leaning heavily on locally sourced produce. I enjoyed my silverfish in creamy caper sauce, and my husband loved his pork belly with the perfect crackling, just the right balance of meat and fat, served with tamarind roast butternut. Other mains on the day we visited included lamb neck, confit duck and slow-braised springbok. Starters included butternut gnocchi and porcini risotto.
We shared a dessert of coconut panna cotta which was bland, but made up for by the accompaniments of sesame crunch, preserved quince and really yummy cardamom ice cream.
Sadly, on the day we visited, the man who handles front of house and serving duties was brusque and hassled, not the relaxed and polished professional the food richly deserves. Madré herself is always warm and welcoming.
Open Thurs to Sun, lunch only 12:00–17:00
Manor House
We shared a salt and pepper squid starter with puffed rice and spicy nduja mayo that was delicious. Options on the locally sourced main menu the day we visited included lamb neck, oxtail and fillet – perfect for the winter season. But I was seduced by the linefish crumbed with lemon zest and accompanied by divinely creamy coconut rice, with green beans for colour and crunch. My husband chose the pork belly which was fab, more meat than fat and topped with crispy crackling just the way he likes it. Accompaniments included mustard mash, bok choy and caramelised apple.
We first ate here when Chef Janine van der Nest was at the helm, and wondered if we’d be disappointed since she’d left. Not a bit. Her sous chefs are still doing good things in the kitchen. You don’t have to stay at Stanford Valley to eat in the restaurant but you do need to book ahead.
Open for breakfast, lunch & dinner daily except closed for lunch on Mon and Tues in the off-season
Ou Meul Bakkery
I had a good double-shot flat white (they use Bootlegger coffee). My roast vegetable sandwich with hummus on toasted sourdough had me smacking my lips, and my carnivorous husband enjoyed his Club toasted sandwich with bacon, chicken and cheddar. Don’t miss one of their pecan tartlets for dessert.
It’s a good quick stop for breakfast, mid-morning coffee and a pastry or filled croissant. For lunch, you can choose from a range of soups and burgers, bacon and mushroom pasta, coriander chicken curry or chicken schnitzel, and so forth. There are quite a few options for vegetarians, even a vegan black bean burger.
Open daily 7:00–17:00
Stanford Kitchen
There’s a wide variety of breakfast options from croissants and omelettes to the traditional bacon and eggs. They also do toasted sarmies, calamari, salads, burgers, chicken curry, and a variety of wood-fired pizzas (blue cheese, caramelised fig and rocket for the win).
If you love wine, you can do a tasting of Bruce Jack wines in a little bar in the same building as the Stanford Kitchen (see wineries below).
Open daily from 9:00–20:00
Ulumbaza Bar(n) at Springfontein
For mains, my husband chose lamb shank in tomato bredie with divine creamed barley. As usual, we tasted each other’s food and his risotto-style barley was so yummy, I could have eaten it all. I had linefish biryani, with crispy onions and mint yoghurt that lifted an everyday dish into something special. Other main options included oxtail potjie with dates and milkstout, and charred cauliflower, seasonal veg and pinotage caramel as a vegetarian option. If I had a bigger tummy, I’d have loved to try that too.
There’s also a fine dining restaurant called Wortelgat at Springfontein. It’s closed from the end of May until around September, so we weren’t lucky enough to try it on our mid-winter visit. It’s also in the hands of Chef Janine van der Nest, who is creative with her food while always keeping flavour and flavour combinations top of mind, so I’ll bet it’s a grand experience. Definitely one for a return visit.
Open daily 11:00–21:00
The Zesty Lemon
They do breakfast, from French toast or avo and poached egg on sourdough to the full Monty with eggs, bacon, wors and chips. Lunch items include toasties, steaks, pasta, and beer-battered hake with chips.
I ordered the butternut couscous salad with peppers, olives, feta and artichokes. It arrived deconstructed, but I reconstructed it because I’m not a fan of deconstruction and in a salad I prefer bits of different flavours in the same mouthful. The dressing added a piquant touch. My husband had the gourmet burger with bacon, brie and onion marmalade. He especially loved the fact that they delivered the patty medium rare as he’d asked. You’ll be surprised how few burger chefs get it right.
Open Mon 9:00–15:00, Tues to Thurs, Sat & Sun 9:00–16:00, Fri 9:00 –20:00
Other Stanford restaurants
Other restaurants in Stanford include the La Cantina (Mexican food and drink like nachos, tacos and of course tequila), Fork & Farm (fish n chips, pizza, burgers, Sunday lunch buffet) and Searle’s Garagiste (which styles itself as a wine bar but also offers breakfast and lunch/dinner dishes like burgers, hake n chips, steak, and pot pies). There’s a restaurant at Stanford Hills (the old Tasting Room restaurant was transformed into…
