South Africa has more than 1,200 hotels and 8,000 restaurants. The food they serve is as diverse as the ethnic groups that live in the country.
Many restaurants specialise in ethnic cuisines: African, English, Portuguese, Indian, Chinese, Lebanese, Vietnamese, and more.
Some restaurants serve exotic game fare like crocodile, zebra, giraffe, impala, ostrich, warthog, etc. meat.
With its coastal stretch of over 3000 kilometres, South Africa is just the right place for seafood lovers. To maintain the balance between gourmet requirements and protection of endangered spices, South African Sustainable Seafood Initiative (SASSI) has in place a Fish Line: before placing an order, consumers can send a text message to 079-499-8795 for instant information on whether the seafood of their choice can be eaten freely, is best avoided, or is illegal to catch or sell. This enables consumers to make the right decisions when choosing a meal and goes a long way in conserving the precious resources in Southern African oceans.
South Africa has several restaurant chains, some popular outside its borders:
Chicken Licken is the biggest non-American fried chicken franchise in the world. It is also the second biggest fast food brand in South Africa.
Steers serves mainly flame-grilled beef and chicken burgers. Steers is found throughout South Africa and in seventeen other countries across Africa and southern Europe.
Spur Steak Ranches is a South African steakhouse with Native American themes. Its menu features beef burgers, steaks and ribs, as well as vegetarian dishes. Spur has 240 South African and about thirty international outlets.
Smoking is not allowed in restaurants, except in the specially designated areas.
Tipping is discretion of the customers. The customary tip is 10 percent of the bill. Most restaurants do not include service in the final bill.
Also see:
Restaurant guides on the internet:
