Café du Vin — Restaurant in Stellenbosch Local Municipality

Recently, my partner and I had the pleasure of visiting Café du Vin in Franchoek for breakfast, and it proved to be an enchanting experience. This charming restaurant boasts a rich history and offers a delightful breakfast selection. While the service was commendable, there were a few minor setbacks that affected our overall enjoyment.

Stepping into Café du Vin Franchoek, we were immediately captivated by its beautiful setting. The restaurant exudes an inviting ambiance, combining elegant decor with a warm and welcoming atmosphere. The attention to detail in creating such a cozy and sophisticated space truly speaks to the establishment's history and dedication to providing an exceptional dining experience.

The breakfast selection at Café du Vin Franchoek was truly impressive. The menu featured a diverse array of enticing options, ensuring that there was something to please every palate. From classic breakfast favorites to innovative and unique creations, the culinary offerings delighted both in taste and presentation. We relished the flavors and savored the high quality of the food.

The service at Café du Vin Franchoek was attentive and accommodating, further enhancing our visit. The staff members were not only friendly but also displayed extensive knowledge about the menu and wine pairings. They efficiently took our orders and promptly addressed any inquiries we had, exhibiting professionalism throughout our dining experience.

However, it is worth mentioning that the seating arrangement outside the restaurant was somewhat compact. While the outdoor seating area provided a picturesque view, it felt a bit snug. Additionally, we were disappointed that the staff did not provide us with an umbrella to shield us from the direct sunlight. This oversight affected our comfort and hindered our ability to fully enjoy the outdoor seating. A little more attention to ensuring customer comfort would have made a significant difference.

Café du Vin's rich history and commitment to culinary excellence can be observed from their inception. Their enduring passion for providing a memorable dining experience shines through in every aspect of their restaurant. From their carefully curated menu to the tasteful decor, it is evident that they have established themselves as a beloved establishment within the community.

In conclusion, Café du Vin Franchoek is an enchanting restaurant that offers a delightful breakfast experience. The historical significance and meticulous attention to detail add an extra layer of charm to the dining atmosphere. While the outdoor seating area felt compact and the absence of an umbrella was disappointing, these minor inconveniences did not overshadow the overall positive experience. I highly recommend Café du Vin Franchoek to those seeking an unforgettable breakfast spot, where flavorsome cuisine and captivating...

disappointing meal & should learn of people’s dietaries

A Disappointing Decline After Chef Ahmed’s Departure

As a travel advisor, I’ve always taken pride in recommending only the best experiences to my clients—and this restaurant used to be one of them. Under Chef Ahmed’s leadership, the food was consistently outstanding: fresh, flavorful, and beautifully presented. I confidently sent many guests here, all of whom came back raving about the cuisine.

However, that standard has drastically changed.

The most recent clients I referred to the restaurant over Bastile weekend were extremely disappointed about their experience. Frankly, I was embarrassed. It was only after reaching out that I discovered the key reason: Chef Ahmed is no longer with the restaurant.

Since his departure, the food offering has noticeably declined in both quality and taste. It’s a shadow of what it used to be.

To the management: please understand how important consistency is especially when your clientele includes travelers who are trusting curated recommendations. Your previous standard was exceptional, and I hope you find a way to return to it.

And to anyone who knows where Chef Ahmed is now working: please share his contact information. I would love to continue supporting his culinary journey and send my clients his way once again.

To your reply

Thank you for taking the time to respond, though I must admit your reply reads more as a rebuttal than an attempt to understand the concerns raised.

I’d like to clarify one important point: as a travel advisor, my role is not to act on personal preferences, but to assess quality based on consistent guest feedback and real-time experiences. I don’t make emotional or subjective recommendations. My clients rely on me for honesty, accuracy, and discernment. I referred guests to your restaurant because of a track record of excellence, not because of any personal attachment to a chef.

The recent feedback I received from multiple clients who dined at Café du Vin over Bastille weekend was clear. The food and overall experience did not meet the standard I had come to expect from your establishment. Their disappointment reflects not just a personal opinion, but a shift in quality that was noticeable enough for seasoned travelers to comment on.

While I fully respect the hard work of your team, strong leadership, culinary or otherwise, can significantly influence the standard of an experience. To deny that is to ignore a truth that most professionals in hospitality would acknowledge.

This isn’t about assigning blame; it’s about recognizing when a change has had a visible impact. I sincerely hope Café du Vin will take this feedback as a prompt to reassess and realign with the level of excellence that once made...

Okay… what was that?! We’ve had a great tasting at a small boutique winery in Franschhoek and the charming lady highly recommended us this place to go out for dinner. I checked the wine list, found heaps of wines I was looking forward to enjoy and the meals didn’t sound too bad either. So we reservated a table for tonight and there we are… first, the tasting sipp out of the „wine machine“ was empty - no problem at all and I happily followed the waitress to join the Sommelière. To be honest, I haven‘t seen a more uninspired Sommelière in my life - scarce explanation on the wines, some tasting sipps (but nothing great) and finally they also brought the wrong wine to my girlfriend… but nothing to be too worried about. In the afternoon I studied the impressive wine list and selected two wines by the bottle I was really looking forward to. So after ordering it took ages for the stuff to find out, that they just can’t enter the cellar to get pretty much 90% of the wines of the wine list - just as if load shedding is a problem they‘ve dealt with the first time today?! So I couldn’t get any of my selected wines - but still nothing to really complain about - the by the glass list is also nice. The meals were nice, great starters and steak was perfectly cooked. But for the grand final, somebody from the stuff came out, kindly apologizing for not having access to the wines and offered us some dessert or instead some dessert wine on the house. So we said yes, looking forward to after the main course. But after the main course our main water just came and asked for desserts - so not mentioning anything „on the house - and finally seemed to be offended getting less than 10% tip after 1) not getting what we wanted 2) overall average to under average service which was garnished by not even wishing us a good evening or a simple good bye! Unfortunately one of the worst experiences we‘ve had on our whole trip to South Africa - although the food was nice. I really want to believe that we just had bad luck and that normally you have the awesome experience we‘ve been looking forward to!...