De Vleispaleis Steakhouse — Restaurant in Stellenbosch Local Municipality

We had a truly fabulous dinner on our last night in Stellenbosch. De Vleispaleis came recommended by our hotel and we didn’t know what to expect except that it was a delicious steakhouse. The restaurant is charming and on the corner of the block, we were greeted by a lovely hostess and sat at a table inside. The outside patio is lovely as well. Cara was our waitress and did an excellent job, and then the GM, Ryan, took extra good care of us and was a LEGEND. It’s hard to know where to begin with the menu but we got excellent guidance and had the oysters with the most amazing horseradish relish and then the Beef Kaiing which is a local dish we had never tried and was absolutely LEKKER! It was so tasty!!

Then we splurged on a picanha steak even though it was enough for 3 people and it was just my husband and I. We also got an incredible wine rec from Ryan and had the Kevin Arnold Shiraz. What a wonderful pairing!!!

The meat was the best we’ve ever had and my husband is from Nuevo León Mexico, known for its meat. Their house marinade is divine as are their fries. Everything was superb! The atmosphere and service is top notch and food is unreal.

We looked at all other other popular restaurants- Dusk, Delaire Graff, etc. but are some happy we went with this gem and would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a great dinner experience!

Or lunch! As we heard their burgers are the best in South Africa and I believe it! We’ll for sure be back next...

We popped in for a late lunch, when the restaurant was quiet. So we had a peaceful sit down in the quiet and lovely courtyard in the back. Though when it’s busy I imagine it being loud there.

We had a T Bone steak and a burger. Both were good, but missing the “wow” factor in terms of taste, which we hoped for in a steakhouse. The portions were huge, so that we didn’t even manage to finish.

The service was disappointing. Despite the restaurant being almost empty, it took a long time for the waitress to come take our order. When my husband wanted to order the long-awaited Wagyu he was told that it’s sold out! How disappointing! Why not tell us right at the start when we arrived? This is what we came for after all!

During the ordering process, the waitress got distracted, pausing the order, observing other people leave the restaurant for a little while. When we got her attention back, we continued to order. Suddenly she asked if she could leave and quickly serve another guest some wine, in the middle of us ordering. How rude! When she eventually came back 5min or so later, we finalised the order.

Our food arrived promptly, but it turned out the waitress forgot part of the order - my side salad was missing. We were 2 people, only ordering 2 mains and an extra side. How difficult can it be to remember?! The salad arrived half way through my meal.

All in all, a nice setting with good food but the poor service really ruined...

The Meat Palace in Stellenbosch

Upon entering, we knew that it was the right place for us. We got that happy staff vibe, not forced or fake. ✔️

GM Ryan made us aware that if anything wasn't to our liking, then just let him know about it ✔️

That happy vibe clearly started at Ryan and continued to the staff ✔️

A glass MCC and onto studying the menu, our waiter patiently explained the different options while we sipped away on our drink. ✔️ ( the MCC was on the house, something about a table mixup, not that that bothered us, but it would be rude to refuse a free drink🥂 )

Our starters were the bitterballen and Beef Tartar, holy cow that is one of the best Tartars I've ever got. ✔️

To test the steak knives, we selected the fillet with beranaise sauce and a Sirloin. Lots of grill flavour and really juicy, very happy about those steaks ✔️ ( and knifes)

Deserts was liquid, I had a good Irish coffee, and Malin a grappa from Dalla Cia, that one would make any Nonno proud. ✔️

Presentation is a big part of the restaurant experience. And we received a warm and...