Review Carpe Diem - Sandton

Food was nice,i loved their veges though their steak was a bit dry n hard.The restraunt were we sat was not well lit.

What a lovely evening spent. Lovely ambiance. The food is super fantastic(lamb shank to die for) as well as the service. The Manager (Power) is all hands on - he made sure that the whole experience was on point. Will definitely be going back for more.

I would like to say a big thank you to Evidence ;Abraham; Power ;Decide; Ntsiki and chef Todd for amazing service . I had the privilege to dine at this restaurant for 5 consecutive nights and the food was amazing and the service impeccable. They will go out of their way to meet your needs and always greet and service with a smile.Mouth watering see food aswell as traditional South african meal. Restaurant and bar has a great atmosphere aswell.

Wonderful service, and very accommodating. Each month our Motherland OMNi team, meet at a venue to come together and talk through everything that has happened throughout that month, we were welcomed and offered great service.

The dishes we had were fantastic - seafood penne beautiful sauce and char-grilled prawns with ample seafood. Salmon cooked rare, beautifully crusted. And at such a reasonable price - extraordinary. Parking may be awkward if there is a conference on, but plentry id seats upstairs.

This underrated restaurant is separately located inside the gated City Lodge property, so it’s easy to assume it’s a typical hotel restaurant… but in my opinion, Carpe Diem is one of Sandton’s better kept secrets, that has enticed me back for multiple visits for both dine in and take-out. Their food is consistently good, with hearty portions and reasonable prices. Their menu is quite extensive offering a variety of meat and vegetarian options and they serve high quality, tasty food at better value than you’d get at some of the higher end chain steakhouses, striking a delicate balance of being appealing but not overly pretentious. As with any good restaurant, the focus here is on the food, not the “fluff” or the fuss of the experience which in many cases tries to distract from or compensate for less than ideal food. Not here. Their pepper steak is one of my favorites, as are the Carpe Diem beef salad, Chicken salad and Chicken and Avo pizza. Their atmosphere is comfortable, understated, welcoming… not overbearing and the staff have always been friendly and provided great service that will keep me coming back. Highly recommend!

It was all things Kizomba with a capital K,loved it

This was a lovely place. A bit quiet for a Thursday evening but food and service was exceptional. The waiters were friendly and helpful and made us feel quite special. The food is reasonably priced. I had the seafood pasta, which, although tasty, included cream which was not specified so on the menu. Would definitely recommend nonetheless.

An excellent venue for weekend functions. We celebrated my sister's 40th here and I am blown away by the service and commitment of Teri and her staff who worked tirelessly to make it extra special. Food was lovely and service is great. All guests complimented the service. Thank you Teri and staff for making it an unforgettable night.

This restaurant is so convenient when you stay over at the City Lodge... It is not very busy... I think most people order room service. I CAN never get enough of their lamb chops... So delicious

Every single time I order from this restaurant, I get such nice food accompanied by such nice service. Love this place

Wonderful staff, great & peaceful atmosphere. The food is amazing. Plus Evidence.... 😉

Amazing! Food was excellent and great service! This place does not disappoint and really good pricing for quality food👌

The venue is great n staff its amazing had a great time

We had our wedding there last weekend and they were just amazing. Thank you so much Teri for making the day so special for us.

Smmaaaaaalll portions for beeeeeg prices....oily and charred/burnt to boot. Drying out salad ingredients. A bit sicky. All in all not worth it. :/

Such a hidden gem in Sandton. Has great service and the food is top notch as well. Being part of the hotel I guess it is not that full if the hotel is not full but nevertheless I had a good experience at yet another function that I was invited to. Venue is great , staff is friendly, food is good and management is accommodating.

Like me, you've probably driven past this place so many times on your way to work, on your way to the taboo and news cafe or even to the mall! <br/><br/>Really felt like I was entering the Kings palace on the way to the restaurant which is upstairs.<br/><br/>Carpe Diem on Katherine Street (where City Lodge is located) has old school, "I dined in a castle" vibes! I mean they had fresh white roses at every table! Now that's special! <br/><br/>Food was good! We had steak and lamb chops and my favorite SA dessert, malva pudding for dessert with the some of the best homemade custard I've had Ina long time! <br/><br/>Someone take me on a date so I can pretend to be princess!!!<br/><br/>#TastyTuesday #CarpeDiem

Great Food and service! I would definitely recommend them. Pity they are not that clearly visible from the road. This is a Hidden gem in Sandton.  Try them.

Fantastic service (ask for Cosmos), food was excellent and even got an after-dinner Italian kiss on the house. Food came quickly, was fresh and was a nice place to be. Tables are limited though, restaurant is barely visible from the road and the pricing is a bit on the expensive side. That said, a great restaurant to try. Thanks to Zomato for my voucher to Carpe Diem!

Having never been, I arranged my husband's birthday dinner at Carpe Diem, all via email until just days before the event. I have never found restaurant staff so willing to help and so accommodating before! The night went off without a single hitch, everything exactly as I had hoped. The staff were all super helpful and friendly, the service was great and the food was delicious! So unique to find a restaurant in Joburg that gave us a private dining experience without charging us a fortune. We were given the downstairs bar area for our event of 20 guests, with use of the balcony as well. We had delicious Mojitos and Cosmos to start, and so great to have instant access to the bar for further drinks. They even helped me decorate! Big thanks to manager Teri and to Prince and the bar and wait staff, we had an amazing night and I appreciate all the effort. Highly recommend!

Carpe Diem is run with a heart for service. This passion is often hard to find in the often ruthless culinary world. Their clients are treaded as gold, and this makes dining at Carpe Diem a pleasure.<br/><br/>The establishment is well hidden next to the Sandton City Lodge. I would have driven right past, thankfully there are signs pointing you in the right direction.<br/><br/>After a welcoming drink, we were treated to a tour of their extensive wine cellar in the bar area. See the attached images of the wines dating 1964 and 1966. Quite astonishing.<br/><br/>There is a warmer charm upstairs in the main dining area. Low hanging lights cast interesting shadows on the walls, and the table was laid out very nicely.<br/><br/>Our first course was a medley of Carpe Diem’s top starters. The game carpaccio with capers really stood out for me. The battered prawn and squid heads were also good. Everyone at the table loved the lemon squeezer, and we had a good laugh at how it would end up in our reviews.<br/><br/>For my main meal I chose the pistachio fillet. This was a 200g cut of steak which had been stuffed with a feta, herb and pistachio nut filling. The marinade on the steak was overpowering, and took away the subtle flavours the stuffing offered. Perhaps a complimenting marinade for the pistachio fillet would remedy this. The meal was still pleasant.<br/><br/>I ordered the pecan nut pie for dessert. This was served with a delicious port wine from 2005. The dessert was enjoyable, although unremarkable.<br/><br/>Although the food wasn’t anything I would return for - the passion, eagerness and kindness of the staff are the factors that would bring me back. A very enjoyable evening, and I look forward to seeing this restaurant go places in the future.

Carpe Diem is a hidden gem of a restaurant next to the City Lodge Sandton. Drive by too fast and you’ll miss it.<br/><br/>Zomato treated us to a wonderfully fun evening of delicious food and belly-clutching laughs.<br/><br/>Firstly, we were welcomed into the wine cellar. A wide variety of wines were on display, including some very impressive old bottles.<br/><br/>In typical foodie style, we all clicked away with our cameras before being led up into the restaurant.<br/><br/>A plate of a starters began our evening. The medley of food was all the classics; tempura prawns, grilled calamari, springbok carpaccio and caprese salad.<br/><br/>All very tasty … our evening was off to a good start.<br/><br/>Main meal was a choice of some tempting dishes, and I decided on a Pistachio Fillet. 200g of marinated steak stuffed with a delicious feta, herb and pistachio nut filling. I have never tasted a pistachio nut / meat combination, I thoroughly enjoyed it. The marinade was a tad overpowering, but still very enjoyable.<br/><br/>Dessert was a lemon meringue pie with a berry compote. The filling to crust ratio should have been swapped; less crust, more filling - then it would have been perfect.<br/><br/>The staff and owner Teri were extremely welcoming. The service was friendly and it was a lovely atmosphere.<br/><br/>Deviate from your regular haunts and give Carpe Diem a try. <br/><br/>

Carpe Diem (3.5/5)<br/><br/>A little undercover gem in Sandown, perfect for friends and family gathering.<br/><br/>*Disclaimer: A group of us was hosted by Zomato and Carpe Diem for a foodie meet-up, and this review is based on the experience of the night.<br/><br/>Carpe Diem literally does not have an address, so it's a little awkward Google Mapping this place. However, since it's right next to City Lodge and they share the same parking, use the City Lodge as your indicator. <br/><br/>The owner of Carpe Diem is a lovely host. She takes a very hands-on approach in managing the restaurant and her staff has a wealth of knowledge in the food and wine they serve. We had quite a large table so we waited for a while before all our food arrived. <br/><br/>The food is not inventive per se, but definitely delicious. For starters, I especially love the Springbok Carpaccio with capers. I ordered seared Salmon for main - the dressing was gorgeous and the salmon was cooked perfectly. I also really enjoyed the mixed veggies although I find the mash a little dry. But if I have to pick again, I'd probably go for the Pistachio Fillet. Not because the salmon was bad, just that the fillet was so tender and flavourful. The Malva pudding was divine, moist and not too sweet :)<br/><br/>The deco of Carpe Diem is a little dated, so I wouldn't pick Carpe Diem for a romantic night out but more for family and friends gatherings. After dinner, I'd recommend moving downstairs to their cozy bar area and enjoy some of their vintage wine. <br/><br/><br/>Bottomline: The price to quality and portion ratio are good, it's definitely worth a visit. However, definitely not with R200 for two, more like R200 per person.<br/><br/>Pros: great food, great service, great return :)<br/>Cons: difficult to find, lack of ambiance<br/>

If you're looking to be tailored to hand and foot for special occasions (well every day is a special occassion) this is the place to be. They have great service, great knowledgeable staff and beautiful owner (inside and out). They definitely know how to make you feel special and are warm and very friendly. I felt loved and appreciated which is always a great experience. Love is all we need! <br/><br/>OKAY ON TO THE AMBIENCE:<br/>This place is so tucked away behind a busy roads (Katherine & Grayston) and hotel that you would miss it. I think this hide & seek location qualifies it as a hidden gem. They started off the evening with reserved parking for us (special touch), and welcome drinks in the downstairs dark wood bar. Very nice winter atmosphere (it felt like it had a fireplace). They have a large private room with a wine cellar filled with Vintage wines. They have bottles from 1958... can you say Vintage. They even have 2 whole cabinets of Port. If you like Port, this is a must try place. Dinner was served upstairs with soft lighting, singke stem rose centre pieces.<br/><br/>THE FOOD: <br/>We started off with a medley of starters. Yum! And came with the neatest lemon squeezer gadget... (I need that in my life) <br/>• Grilled Calamari<br/>• Scampi<br/>• Springbok Carpaccio<br/>• Caprese salad <br/>The starters were delicious. The prawn scambi was perfection, crispy and fluffy and a complete must have. On the real though!<br/>Grilled calamari was cooked perfectly and I would pleased with a whole plate of those babies. <br/>Carpaccio was great! Traditional the way I like it. <br/>Caprese salad had a twist with sweet chilli sauce, woah, I did not expect that. It was delicious and could have used more basil :) one lil leaf kept me wanting more basil friends. Jodene Shaer next to me had no capers on he Carpaccio and not a single basil leaf. Oh well...<br/><br/>For mains, I had the Pistachio Fillet. My my my! Sheer goodness. It was cooked to absolute perfection. The steak was so tender. Yowza! The basting is quite sweet which I absolutely enjoyed. That pistachio glaze... Wow! Not as nutty as you would expect but a definite must try. Really delicious. I took it home and still enjoyed it the next day.<br/><br/>I tasted Alexandra Du Plessis Seafood pasta which disappointingly lacked a lot of flavour despite looking so appetising. <br/><br/>Desserts were deeeelicous. The pecan pie was amazing. Crispy crust with that homely, take-me-to-a-fireplace goodness! Let's just say I could do with a second serving! The malva pudding is equally good. Sofy, fluffy and creamy custard. Just skip the lemon meringue: dense, little filling and disguised by berries. <br/><br/>Overall a good experience. <br/>Plenty of little gems: 2 private rooms, downstairs wine cellar, upstairs private room. Vintage wines and sensational service. <br/>The little man at the door even holds real vegetable (cute). <br/><br/>#ZomatoXCarpeDiem #ZomatoMeetUp <br/><br/>

If you are someone who appreciates the opportunity to dine in private restaurant areas and use them for occasions, then Carpe Diem is a must. There's a choice of hosting a dinner in the wine cellar (which is a wine wonderland) or in another spacious private room. Although Google can't figure the location, it's not hard to miss if you're on Katherine, heading towards Grayston and it's so worth driving around the block for. The service is great, with friendly and efficient waiters and the food was really great. Although I was there for a Zomato event (thanks guys) and didn't get to choose off the menu, I will definitely be back to do that and I doubt I will be disappointed.

I went for dinner at Carpe Diem last night. Despite having passed that intersection HUNDREDS of times in my life, I had absolutely no idea that a restaurant was hidden in there.<br/><br/>Carpe Diem is located on the same property is City Lodge Sandton, which is a bit unfortunate as it inadvertently waters down the sophistication that I think Carpe Diem is trying to achieve.<br/><br/>In terms of interior styling - I can see that it was renovated quite recently although the decor still seems quite dated and generic in my opinion.<br/><br/>For starters, I enjoyed a medley of springbok carpaccio, scampi, calamari and caprese salad. Wasn't a huge fan of the carpaccio and the calamari was cold - but the prawn scampi and caprese salad were just delicious. I wish there had been more of it!<br/><br/>For my main, I ordered the Seafood Supreme linguine. It was neither good nor bad - but unfortunately not a meal I would return for. <br/><br/>I had pecan pie with ice-cream for dessert, which was my favourite part of the meal. The filling was absolutely scrumptious and they managed to get the crust just right.<br/><br/>My cappuccino was a bit sad unfortunately. The foam was flavourless and the coffee itself was watery. Not the end of the world though - I drank it anyway.<br/><br/>What makes this a difficult review is that it has the opposite problem to most other places I've been too. I've been to a lot of great restaurants that ruin it with shocking service. While Carpe Diem's food was nothing exceptional, the amount of care and passion that I could see in all the staff made up for it.<br/><br/>A really great evening with even better company. Thank you, Carpe Diem!

I was delighted to have shared an evening with amazing people at Carpe Diem. It was difficult navigating the restaurant but if you know where White Boy Shebeen was then it should be easy to find. For starters we had a medley of eats, I thoroughly enjoyed the prawns. For mains I had the salmon with sesame seeds and wasabi mash. The mash was a bit too chunky and rather enjoyed the salmon with their creamed spinach. Also try their pistachio fillet  which was a winner amongst the other foodies. The service is great and waiters are attentive, great place for dinner with friends or family.thank you Zomato & Carpe Diem for the lovely experience.

We were lucky enough to attend the Zomato Foodie meet up at Carpe Diem restaurant. Even though it's situated along one of Sandton's busiest roads it's definitely a hidden gem - possibly overlooked, as it shares a premises with a hotel chain where a restaurant of its calibre would not be expected. The first floor of the double story restaurant features a bar and magnificent wine cellar - stocked with some unbelievable vintages - while the main restaurant is on the second floor. <br/><br/>We have to congratulate the team on a fantastic dinner service. They went above and beyond to ensure we had a sensational evening! <br/><br/>For starters we had a tasting plate of springbok carpaccio, calamari, scampi and a caprese salad. The presentation was beautiful and the food tasty although admittedly this section of the menu seems dated especially compared to the impressive mains available. <br/><br/>For our main course we had a sensational pistachio fillet. The steak was stuffed with feta, herbs and pistachio and finished off in a delicious glaze. We ordered medium rare and our steak was cooked to perfection. We were especially impressed by the balance of the dish as there was just enough pistachio for the flavour to come through without being overpowering. <br/><br/>For dessert we opted for the pecan pie with ice cream. Simple yet delicious, a nice bake on the pastry and a scrumptious filling. As with starters, we feel this part of the menu could be raised to match the calibre of the mains. <br/><br/>Overall a really enjoyable evening with good food and fantastic service. A perfect example of not judging a book by its cover. We definitely recommend a visit! #thejoburgfoodie <br/><br/>

Thanks to Carpe Diem for a wonderful evening! What a beautiful hidden gem. The service is incredible, and they have such an extensive menu. I had the caprice salad and tempura prawns as a starter, it was the perfect size to still have place for the main course. I had the seared salmon which was cooked to perfection, and glazed in an amazing soy sauce mix with creamed spinach as a main, and the delicious malva pudding for dessert. This is a great restaurant, go give it a try :)

Had a lovely evening there this evening for a Zomato Foodie meet up!<br/><br/>On arrival we were treated with some fruit juice and Champagne. The bar down stairs is lovely with a beautiful bar counter made with stones. There is a wine cellar attached to the bar, where you can actually have dinner. It is stunning and full with wine through all the ages!<br/><br/>We were taken upstairs to be seated with all the other customers. The table was elegantly decorated with stand alone roses. Very beautiful.<br/><br/>Bread was brought to the table and we were provided with wine and a starter. The starter was based on a few of their different starters. The caprice salad had a twist, instead of basil it was made with sweet chilli sauce, the twist was inventive however, I prefer the traditional way, the springbok and prawns were divine! Really delicious and I would definitely recommend them! I was sadly disappointed with very cold calamari. But you need to taste those prawns!<br/><br/>As a main I tasted the sea food penne, which I was not overly impressed with, it looked amazing! And they were very generous with the prawns, however it needed a bit more flavour.<br/><br/>On the other hand I had their pistachio fillet and it was juicy and divine! The butternut was really tasty and cooked to perfection. The fillet was divine, as I said before, it was stuffed with basil pesto and feta which really was infused incredibly well. I would highly recommend this streak, my only criticism is that I did not find or taste any pistachio. I love mashed potatoes, I could live on them, but this sadly was not what I expected. It was wasabi mash which was served to me (without my knowledge) and I did not like it at all.<br/><br/>Malva pudding! A must have with a dreamy taste! Accompanied with a delicious cup of coffee. The pudding was really something special and tasted home made.<br/><br/>The staff had such great knowledge and were so accommodating. It was a beautiful place and it really had fantastic food.<br/><br/>I would certainly recommend this restaurant to anyone looking for a smart casual meet.

Good food but extremely disappointed to hear that they had limited desserts to offer at the end of the meal. They had run out of malva pudding, pecan nut pie and cheese cake by the end of the day. Did they not think to replenish their desserts on a daily basis? Landed up with ice cream and chocolate sauce, which I could have picked up from macdonalds! This occurred on a Saturday night, which is the peak for most restaurants over a weekend, especially a valentines weekend.

Outstanding food, great waiter - ask for victor, he went out of his way to help us. The pistachio glazed fillet is a winner-a real little gem.