We all love a restaurant that garnishes great food and drink with an unforgettable vista. From sexy city skylines to country cafés nestled in nature’s embrace, there is something special about a dining room with a view. What follows are a selection of excellent eateries where the scenery is as sumptuous as the supper.

High altitude hot spots

Epicure@onerosebank

Chef Coco Reinarhz’s new restaurant, Epicure@OneRosebank, sits at the summit of a sleek, recently completed skyscraper. Magnificent modern Pan-African cuisine can be savoured al fresco at rooftop terrace tables or within the shelter of a glorious glass-and-steel pavilion.

Both offer panoramic views – one offers open skies, the other a sculptural frame for the city’s splendour. Whether you savour plantain topped, Nigerian Jollof rice, Mozambican piri-piri prawns, Moroccan tagines or Zimbabwean peanut chicken, Afropolitan elegance is always the order of the day.

11th Floor, One Rosebank, 37 Cradock Avenue, Rosebank, Johannesburg. 082 577 4747. @epicurerestaurant

Forti Grill and Bar

Chef Fortunato Mazzone serves stylish modern Italian cuisine and grill house greats from the top floor of Pretoria’s coolest casino. The eatery’s outdoor terrace is ideal for summer sunset cocktails and starlit suppers.

There are seldom situations that justify the use of the word ‘awesome’ but Forti’s fabulous local and international wine list is one such occasion. Whether you decide to dine on prawn and pesto ravioli, a wonderful Wagu burger or coffee, marsala and mascarpone laden tiramisu, everything you eat is seasoned with sweeping views over Menlyn’s skyline.

Sun Time Square Casino, Corner Aramist & Corobay Streets, Menlyn, Pretoria. 012 003 6180 / 076 260 3025. @forti_grill_and_bar

The 11th Floor

City lights and stars embrace at this beautiful Bedfordview rooftop restaurant. Excellent antipasti platters compete for customer attention with superb seabass and perfect pasta. Plenty of local and international bubbles to celebrate special occasions. Sweet-toothed types adore the millefoglie’s alternating layers of creamy custard and crunchy puff pastry.

No wonder Luxe Restaurant Awards named The 11^th Floor their 2025 Rooftop Restaurant of the Year. Diners are as glamorous as the gastronomy so come dressed to impress…

Alpha Building, 28 Bradford Road, Bedfordview, Johannesburg. 010 045 0440. Instagram: @the11thfloorview

360 Restaurant

360 by name and nature, this eatery is at the top of the Magaliesberg mountain range and accessed via the Hartbeespoort Aerial Cableway. Menus change regularly but always include generous portions of homestyle fare.

Start the day with syrup-drizzled breakfast flapjacks or bacon and eggs. Indulge midday hunger pangs with pork belly or oxtail. Turmeric tossed cauliflower steaks for vegetarians. The food is pleasant but secondary to sensational views over the dam and across beautiful bushveld. On a clear day the distant outline of Johannesburg is visible – but don’t let that put you off…

Hartbeespoort Aerial Cableway.  Plot 3, Agricultural Holdings, R511, Hartbeespoort. 012 253 9912. hartiescableway.co.za/360-degrees

Mid-Altitude Marvels

Pablo Dos Manos

Mzansi meets Mediterranean with South American taste twists at this relatively relaxed but elegant eatery. Terrace tables have sweeping views over the Melville Koppies. Treat yourself to a lovely limoncello, Absolut Lime and Cinzano Capri Cooler cocktail. Mop up chimichurri, bone marrow butter with fabulous focaccia. Tuck into Karoo lamb chops with olives, oregano and tzatziki. While staying the night is magical, outside guests are always welcome.

Pablo House, 3 4th Avenue, Melville, Johannesburg. 066 215 0993. @pablohouse_

1947 on Vilakazi Street

Food is not why tourists come to Soweto’s signature street. Which is just as well because almost all the restaurants therein are not very good. 1947 on Vilakazi Street is a delicious exception to the rule.

Chef Junior Kotane specialises in hearty portioned heritage dishes. Umleqwa traditional chicken with ujeqe steamed bread and a superbly saucy oxtail take pride of place but there are also seafood platters and ribs worth getting seriously sticky for. Great malva pudding too. The local and international wine list is worldclass wonderful. The ground floor tables look out onto the hustle and bustle of Vilakazi street but for sensational Soweto skyline views (including FNB stadium and the Orlando Towers) insist on eating upstairs.

7156 Vilakazi Street, Orlando West, Soweto. 011 258 4463; @1947onvilakazistreet

Feet firmly on the ground fabulousity

Culinary Table

A casual observer of this eatery’s exterior could be forgiven for thinking that it is an uninspiring warehouse but step inside and a wonderland awaits. Chef Daniella Gutstadt has put tables into the vegetable and herb garden of her classy but casual and kid friendly bistro. Star shaped borage flowers, fennel fronds and heritage tomato plants bask in the sun. Pretty chickens with ridiculously fluffy feet cluck about.

On rainy days there is seating inside and also on the covered veranda. Blissful for breakfast and perfect for lingering lunches. Menus change seasonally but always include woodfired, sourdough pizzas and thyme velouté sauce drizzled free-range roast chicken – which may or may not be related to the afore mentioned fluffy-footed fowls. Lovely flourless chocolate cake too.

Unit 1, Lanseria Centre; Pelindaba Road (R512), Lanseria, Johannesburg. 011 017 0999. @culinarytable

Rose Garden Café

Come for the flowers. Stay for an excellent apple pie. This cute café on the northern edge of Pretoria is inside South Africa’s largest rose farm.

Visitors take tea and light lunches amongst the blooming beds. Floral flavours and countryside calm are everywhere apparent. Whether you want grilled halloumi with sweet chilli rose sauce, bobotie with rosehip chutney or a rose latte this is a sensory experience that blends botanical beauty with relaxed hospitality.

Plot 61, Haakdoornlaagte, Pretoria. 012 544 0144. @ludwigsroses