Diemersdal Wine Estate — Attraction in Cape Town Ward 105

There are better places to eat an expensive meal on a winery property thus the 3 stars. In this competitive set of choices this kitchen is good but not outstanding. The food is winery grade with all that this description implies. There are many well prepared innovations (both tapas or small plates and with the main meal or larger plates) using farm to fork quality ingredients. However, there is nothing coming out of the kitchen which makes a crowd beat a path to the door. The kitchen made the extra effort to prepare a vegan - gluten free menu with four choices for one of our party as well as two desserts (with advanced notice given to the kitchen). The rest of the party enjoyed the steak, fish, and sides which were very straight ahead and without surprises. The dessert choices were quite small and fewer still for the dairy intolerant. A simple slice of cake would have been a nice option to have. Generally, the challenge for the diner is that the kitchen closes at 1500 hrs., the winery is a good 50 minutes to an hour (plus) from the Cape Town CBD and the Paarl CBD (opposite directions), and no matter which way you travel this is a haul to get there and a real chore to get back if you dine past 1500 hrs. Specifically for us, the challenge on our visit was the significant service failure somewhere between kitchen and our table. The vegan guest only got one of the dishes ordered (small plates) from the custom menu, and neither the server, the kitchen, nor the manager noticed until too late in the meal to correct it. The service failure can't be excused by a "slammed" restaurant - the restaurant was not particularly busy. Further, the failure must have been noticed by someone with the kitchen was closing, this "special" item still sitting in the pass-thru. Surely it must have occurred to someone to ask what that "risotto" was doing still sitting under the lights. The vegan guest went home hungry as a result. Operationally, the 3 stars is a gift, because the response of the front of house team - was the manager recommending that we pay full retail and take the now stale dish home. A single star would be more appropriate here where there was a complete absence of any effort to address the hungry diner once the failure was discovered - whether because the kitchen was closing - or because of some other failures - ignoring the hungry diner cannot be justified at this particular level of food service. A winery restaurant charging R500 for a steak - really needs to have a plan of some kind for handling a major service failure like this one. The plan shouldn't include a "shrug" or worse (indifference). The 3 stars are an acknowlegement that food service is a team enterprise and the failure here was major but not complete. If you are a tourist with limited time to spend then there are better winery restaurants to choose closer to the Mother City or the Winelands. You really don't need to drag yourself out to Diemersdal for a workmanlike meal and somewhat...

Having had great experiences from Diemersdal before, we decided to have an unplanned, Friday lunch at Diemersdal's restaurant.

We arrived at 14:00 and were greeted by a very friendly Rudi. Tables outside were full but they had some space available inside. With the lovely weather Cape town was experiencing, and us wanting to enjoy that, Rudi suggested putting us on a waiting list for the outside tables. We were nr2 on the list. While waiting for a table, he suggested us having a nice wine tasting on the above patio, which we decided to do.

While enjoying the wine tasting we were eagerly awaiting some tables to open up. We decided to order a small cheese board to ease the greatest hunger.

Eventually a table open up and we eagerly awaited someone to call us for what seemed like ages. I decided just to follow up and make sure they havent forgotten about us. To my suprise, when enquiring about the available tables, I was very enthusiastically informed :"oh our kitchen closed at 15:00".

When we initially put our names on the waiting list, we were NEVER informed the risk we would be taking as the kitchen was closing in a hours time. Should we have been informed, we would have opted to sit inside. When the kitchen did close and we were left waiting, no one had the courtesy to inform us at all.

In the end, we decided not to even finish our winetasting. We left at 4pm, having paid for 2 winetastings and a cheese plate we didnt want, extremely hungry and more than dissapointed.

I would not be returning and neither recommending...

Diemersdal Wine Estate is a truly charming and historic winery that combines old-world character with the natural beauty of the Durbanville wine valley. The estate has a classic, timeless feel with its traditional buildings and peaceful surroundings, which immediately sets the tone for a relaxing visit. From the tasting area you get lovely views over rolling vineyards, gentle hills, a small pond and scattered trees – it’s the kind of scenery that makes you want to just sit back and enjoy a glass of wine while taking it all in.

The wines themselves are excellent, with a strong sense of quality and craftsmanship. They are full of character and offer a great reflection of the estate’s long tradition in winemaking. Whether you are already familiar with South African wines or just starting to explore, Diemersdal has something to impress you.

What I really enjoyed here was the combination of history, natural beauty, and truly delicious wines. It feels authentic, welcoming, and deeply connected to the land. Diemersdal is definitely worth a visit if you are in the area – it’s the kind of place where you can easily spend a few hours and leave with both great memories...