There are a handful of restaurants I try to put on every journey through Cape Town, and this is one of them. I grew up in this valley, and few places show it off better.
Beau Constantia is a small family wine farm high on the slopes of the Vlakkenberg, at the very top of the Constantia Valley. Its restaurant is a glass-walled room right on the crown of the hill, with the vineyards falling away in terraces below and the whole valley spread out to the sea. Lunch is lovely in the sunshine, and dinner, with the lights of the city coming on, is something else again.
The kitchen belongs to the Chefs Warehouse family, and here it is led by chef and partner Ivor Jones. His cooking is generous, clever and often funny. Flavours from all over the world, plates made by local ceramicists, and the odd dish that makes the whole table laugh. It is a long, happy lunch rather than a formal one, and it is just along the road from La Colombe.
John Sparks
Four courses, and a world of flavour
The menu is set, and it changes often with the seasons and with whatever has caught Ivor's imagination. Each of the four courses arrives as several small plates to share, so the table is always full and everyone tastes everything. You might find a Balinese sambal next to smoked snoek from up the coast, and there is usually a dessert that borrows from a childhood favourite. If anyone has dietary needs, tell us when we plan and we will make sure the kitchen knows.
Glass on three sides, the kitchen on the fourth
The dining room is open and relaxed, with the chefs cooking along one side and the valley on the other three. When the weather is kind, the wooden terrace opens too. It is decided on the morning, so we ask for it on the day. For a group of eight to twelve, the Protea Pod is a private room of its own, floating above the terrace with the same view. It is perfect for a family or a group of friends travelling together.
Beau Constantia
The farm's own wines are some of the most talked-about in the Cape. In 2026 Beau Constantia was named South Africa's Winery of the Year at the International Sommeliers Choice Awards, and its Syrah, Stella, took the top South African red at the International Wine Challenge. Its winemaker, Megan van der Merwe, was Tim Atkin's first Rising Star in 2025.
The wine list carries the estate's own bottles alongside the best of the valley and the wider winelands, so whatever you drink with lunch will have come from close by.
Lunch on the hill
More photographs, to look through
Thirty-three photographs of the view, the room and the table. View them large and download any you like.
Open the gallery ↗The whole valley at your feet, and the table full of small plates.
Before you go
Where
Beau Constantia, on Constantia Main Road at Constantia Nek, about twenty minutes from the centre of Cape Town.
When
Lunch every day, and dinner from Monday to Saturday. Lunch gives you the view in full daylight; dinner gives you the city lights.
Booking
Tables are in demand, so we book yours when we plan your days in Cape Town. For a group, we ask for the Protea Pod.
Allow time
Four courses of small plates take a happy two to three hours. Plan nothing too ambitious for afterwards.
Children
The restaurant welcomes children from the age of ten.
Pairs well with
A morning at Groot Constantia, the drive over the Nek to Chapman's Peak, a night at Tintswalo Atlantic, and its neighbour along the road, La Colombe.