Review Rust En Vrede Restaurant - Stellenbosch

I had an outstanding 5-star experience at Rust en Verde wine estate during lunch. The picturesque setting, combined with the delectable cuisine, made for a memorable visit. Our server, Arno, truly elevated the experience with impeccable service and genuine enthusiasm. His knowledge of the menu and wine pairings enhanced our meal, leaving us thoroughly impressed. Rust en Verde and Arno exceeded our expectations, making it a must-visit destination for wine enthusiasts and food connoisseurs alike.

Amazing experience. The quality is outstanding both for food and service. Food and wine tasting were really worth it. The location of the estate is also a great experience! I'd definitely recommend Rust & Vrede. Additionally, the staff recommended a bar Stellenbosch wine bar in town with live music

What a treat! As you can't book a table for this popular estate, my friends decided to take me for my birthday midweek. Absolutely fantastic experience. Our waitress was very informative about the wines we were tasting. One thing to note is that they only serve salmon or steak - NOTHING else. The fillet was outstanding and cooked to perfection. I would definitely revisit this Estate in the future

Amazing. We went for the special which is until beginning of September 2023. Great value for money for the food but wine and water incredibly expensive. The wine pairing though is good value. Staff professional and knowledgeable.

One of my top places to visit. They don’t disappoint, they deliver excellent wine and the food is amazing and staff is always friendly. Visit them and combine your wine tasting with their renowned Winemaker’s lunch, a simple set menu of either steak or salmon accompanied by a glass of wine. It is the ideal setting for a wonderful afternoon out in the winelands with family and friends. Remember to try their brandy as well.

We visited the estate on 16/11/2023, and had a wine tasting and lunch. Our tastings were guided by Saskia, who did a fantastic job. She was friendly, knowledgable and very enthusiastic. The estate is beautiful, and the wines are excellent. Also a great place to have lunch. Definitely worth a visit!

Probably the best wine estate in Stellenbosch. It is definitely a bit more on the expensive side but the wines are exceptional. I would also recommend the wine makers lunch, salmon dish. We have probably had it 6 times already. The service is also amazing. I must take my hat off to the people working here and the management team.

A truly fantastic spot to eat a delicious fillet or sirloin with chips and a glass of wine. The quality is excellent and consistently good. Make sure to sit outside underneath the trees to fully appreciate what the winelands has to offer. Large open grass area for the kids to play in while the adults enjoy good wine too! Make sure you wear your mask! Temperature taken upon entry.

Chef Fabio Daniel is my new favourite chef. The food was amazing and the tastes sensational. I’ve been waiting a long time to go back there with like minded people who really enjoy the fine dining experience. The staff took excellent care of us and the wine pairing was great . Loved it⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Amazing gardens, which are rich in plants and trees. The staff was attentive and professionals. Food is simple for lunch with only three options ( beef fillet , sirloin or salmon). The fries could be hand cut and the salad a bit proper. Tasty wines. I would come again

A thoroughly enjoyable outdoor dining experience, with great views on a beautiful day.

Delectable food and wine experience. We had the winemakers lunch, which is a must if you're in the area. I had the steak, which was perfectly cooked, and my girlfriend had the salmon, also beautifully done. We followed it with a mini tasting of their three wines: a cab sav, Syrah, and blend. A nice way to finish it off.

Great place, kind of difficult to find. 3 dishes for lunch sirloin, filet or salmon filet - outstanding good. Great wines - no wonder that this Vinyard is listed under the top 100 globally

This is one of my favourite Stellenbosch estates. Wonderful environment, great lunch and excellent wines. Happy to give this estate 5 stars. I'd give 6 if I could. This was the steak that I was given during the tasting. Also, top quality fillet.

Fantastic place. The restaurant lunch menu is ideal..only 3 choices on the menu but such excellent choices, you really don't need other options. Staff is friendly, great ambience and the food is exceptional. The grounds are beautiful and sitting outside when the weather is ideal, is the best way to experience Rust en Vrede.

Besutiful garden. Seems to be a place for lunch (three options to choose from), as it was packed when we arrived at 2pm. Nice tasting. Got to taste three of their reds.

One of the best restaurants you will visit in South Africa. Service is extraordinarily good (attention to detail makes all the difference) and the food is near flawless. No-pretence fine dining done extremely well. Superb!

Fantastic. Amazing setting and awesome food. We had the Winemakers Lunch - Chalmar Sirloin served with French fries, a garden salad and a glass of red wine 🍷 If I ever happened to be on death row, this would be my last meal 😂

The best food, wine, service & ambience. Without a doubt our favourite restaurant. After multiple visits, we have never ever been disappointed! ���

Tasting lunch with a couple of glasses of wine. fantastic ambience, beautiful view. Great company. Our waiter couldn’t have been more helpful and was knowledgeable about the wines. Bought a couple of bottles of wine too. Next time I’ll try the main restaurant.

Beautiful location & delicious food! The waiters were super friendly! We highly recommend this place! ��

Last week Thursday, the 11th of January, I got to be as lucky as one could be, to celebrate the most exciting day of my life at Rust en Vrede. With the help of the head chef Fabio and the head pastry chef, Izelle, I was blessed the opportunity to ask the love of my life to marry me. It was a yes, and it’s a heck yes to the question of whether we will return there for future celebrations. My fiancé and I concurred that this was the most wonderfully run kitchen we have ever seen. Every plate of food we had was perfect. Every wine that was paired with each course perfectly complimented the food served in that course. The service was incredible. Rust en Vrede is by far now my favourite restaurant even after just one visit. What truly made the experience though, wasn’t just the food. It was the love and care that everyone there puts into making sure that everything runs smoothly and that you as an individual feel comfortable and that you enjoy every aspect of your time there. I was a complete ball of nerves the entire day and once I arrived at Rust en Vrede and everyone gave me their support and went out of their way to make me feel more calm. Everyone who works there was in on the secret and they kept it and were genuinely excited to share the moment with my fiancé and I. Furthermore they in their own way celebrated with us while still delivering the best service and food to every individual in the restaurant. I am truly blown away. Thank you Fabio and your team. Thanks to you we had the most wonderful evening and got to celebrate the most exciting day in our lives with you and for that we are truly grateful. I would recommend Rust en Vrede to anyone for any occasion. They make five star feel like home. � From the future Versfelds

What a beautiful setting for wine tasting and a delicious steak. If you're looking for good wine, good food, good service, all in a good environment... Rust en Vrede is not it... Because it is GREAT in every category!

Outstanding afternoon lunch. We were a table of six having a business lunch. The steaks were spectacular the staff were really awesome and of course the wine is just outstanding!! Rust en Vrede never disappoints!

Excellent Food ..Excellent Wine.. The best of the best!! No restaurant can compete with Chef Fabio and his team - Congrats and well done An evening to cherish and remember Jan and Rhonax2 Meyer

Had the most super time. Great food and wine...get there early for a good spot...try Syrah 2013..the staff could not have been more welcoming. Felt really at home..German and Austrian friends loved it

The best steak with great wine, amazing stuff and unbeatable views!

Beautiful chilled lunch with great service . The wine went down so well. A venue that never fails to deliver.

What an experience! Top notch service, amazing ambiance, flawless food. Chef Fabio, what a great host and inspired chef. The perfect evening!!!!!

Was such a lovely experience, the food was excellent, service stupendous and I would return again with the company to match!!!

We recently had dinner at Rust en Vrede Estate restaurant  with wine pairing which was very disappointing..<br/>Although the service was amazing and a lot of attention to the dietary requirements towards allergies on sunflower oil , we were really disappointed in the food and especially the wine pairing.<br/>I was expecting Rust and Vrede wines with the pairing of food , but received inferior different wines from all over the place which were mostly sweet white wine which I did not like .The wine pairing was overrated and too expensive. Be careful when you arrive as the pre- drinks offered to you can set you back another R350 on top of very pricey food pairing bill. There were to many sweet wines paired with the food .<br/>This is the response from  Ingrenette Pienaar    from Rust en Vrede<br/> <br/>"We deeply apologize for we will give even more attention to the food and wine pairing in the future.<br/>We wish to host you and your wife again in the future!<br/>

Last week Thursday, the 11th of January, I got to be as lucky as one could be, to celebrate the most exciting day of my life at Rust en Vrede. <br/><br/>With the help of the head chef Fabio and the head pastry chef, Izelle, I was blessed the opportunity to ask the love of my life to marry me. <br/><br/>It was a yes, and it’s a heck yes to the question of whether we will return there for future celebrations. My fiancé and I have a considerable amount of history in the hospitality industry and this was the most wonderfully run kitchen I have ever seen. Every plate of food we had was perfect. Every wine that was paired with each course perfectly complimented the food served in that course. The service was incredible. Rust en Vrede is by far now my favourite restaurant even after just one visit. <br/><br/>What truly made the experience though, wasn’t just the food. It was the love and care that everyone there puts into making sure that everything runs smoothly and that you as an individual feel comfortable and that you enjoy every aspect of your time there. <br/><br/>I was a complete ball of nerves the entire day and once I arrived at Rust en Vrede and everyone gave me their support and went out of their way to make me feel more calm. Everyone who works there was in on the secret and they kept it and were genuinely excited to share the moment with my fiancé and I. Furthermore they in their own way celebrated with us while still delivering the best service and food to every individual in the restaurant. <br/><br/>I am truly blown away. <br/>Thank you Fabio and your team. Thanks to you we had the most wonderful evening and got to celebrate the most exciting day in our lives with you and for that we are truly grateful. <br/><br/>I would recommend Rust en Vrede to anyone for any occasion. They make five star feel like home. <br/><br/>From the future Versfelds

We were sitting on the outside , either steak or fish . Thats your choices . My meat was soft and cooked to perfection the place was packed but there was no buzz , its was peaceful . They have a variety on wine and service was attentive . The coffee from bean in love is really good ! Loved the coffee !!!!

Rust & Vrede deserves a 5 from me. We almost drove past it and I am glad to say we didn't. We were took by surprise to what was waiting for us. This has definitely been one of the best wine tasting experiences we've had. The food was amazing and the wine was EXQUISITE!<br/>I did not have a favourite wine but rather each one I tasted was my next favourite. <br/><br/>To top this all off, the view and atmosphere was incredible. It was warm and tranquil and I felt like I was dining on cloud 9!

Another wine farm, but with a fantastic venue and an awesome steak and wine (or can be substituted for Salmon). The chefs does a perfect Medium Rare while the setting is enough to ensure you have a relaxing afternoon meal.

We were so fortunate to dine here on Chef John Shuttleworth's last evening at Rust en Vrede. And what a treat! He designed a special (and extensive) menu to celebrate his last dinner - 24 courses to be precise! It was paired with amazing wines. The service was spot on. Can't fault them on a thing and we feel privileged to have shared this farewell dinner with them.

I had the privilege of dining at one of SA's top 10 restaurants last night - Rust en Vrede, on a warm, windless night, surrounded by picture perfect gardens and breathtaking views of the mountains. I had been looking forward to this evening ever since my better half told me that he would be treating me to dinner at this fine establishment. And it exceeded my expectations!<br/><br/>Upon arrival, we were greeted by the friendly hostess and shown to the patio, where we enjoyed a couple of gin and tonics along with an array of bit sized canapés. Tiny grilled cheese sandwiches, mini burgers, some sort of crumbed mushroom vetkoek, and snoek pâté made for a great way to wet our appetites. <br/><br/>Once we were done with our pre drinks, we were shown to our table. I love the comfy chairs spaciously placed around large tables, with ample room for you cutlery and food. There's only about 13 or so tables in the entire restaurant, so the whole experience is very personalized. They also have an open kitchen, so it's amazing to be able to see how the chefs work their magic. We were brought a selection of 4 different types of bread with 2 types of butters. Each was delicious and freshly baked - if you fed me that the whole night, I would've been happy! <br/><br/>We decided to do the 4 course menu, since I'm more into seafood whereas my better half is more carnivorous. At the end of the day, it made for a fantastic variety of dishes. We started off with maple smoked salmon and chicken terrine. The salmon was interesting, because none of the flavors tasted nice on their own, but together they worked like a charm! The terrine was also delicious and could not be faulted. Next, I settled for scallop and mussels, whereas my better half went for the pork belly. I loved the grilled scallop and the mussels were perfectly cooked. But what made the dish was the mussel sauce that it was drenched in - talk about wow factor! The pork belly was also outstanding, and again faultless. Our mains consisted of kabeljou and a deboned saddle lamb chop. The dish of the night for me was definitely the kabeljou - one of my favorite fish, coupled with an amazing sauce and sides that worked perfectly with the fish. It was enough to leave my tastebuds begging for more! I savored every last bite of it! As for the lamb, the chefs once again outdid themselves. A perfect piece of meat, you couldn't make it better even if you tried, it was just that good! <br/><br/>We ended our delicious evening off with the peanut butter mousse and the chocolate dessert. Being a massive peanut butter fan, I was in heaven with my choice of dessert. My better half enjoyed his chocolate, which was nicely balanced with a refreshing bit of strawberries and raspberries. <br/><br/>Along with pre starters, complimentary canapés and breads, pre desserts and after dinner treats, as well as a goodbye gift (a chocolate brownie), this restaurant is definitely worth its price in gold! Very expensive wines, especially the by the glass options, but I'd definitely recommend going all out and pair your food with the fantastic wines on offer. A special thanks must go to our waiter, who was very helpful, knowledgeable, friendly and a real gentleman. It made our evening so much more enjoyable!<br/><br/>Unfortunately, the wallet needs some time to recover now, but it was money well spent! Highly recommended! You need to visit this gem of a restaurant at least once in your life time! It earns a well deserved place on Eatout's top 10 restaurant list!

Highly recommend wine tasting at Rust en Vrede. Service was great and the wine selection was extensive. The view of the rolling vineyards under the mountains are breathtaking.

This place is my little piece of heaven in the wine lands. I absolutely love it in December and Jan as all the flowers have bloomed. The food is amazing and the wine is some of the best the world has to offer. Highly recommended. <br/>

Had lunch in the wine cellar for my wife's birthday. The food was amazing, enjoyed with some wine tasting. Great atmosphere and service. I would definitely recommend this to anyone.

I set out to have a lovely experience with my wife when we received horrible service at the hands of the Sommelier. I reported the matter and absolutely nothing was done about it. Terrible service ....

What a dinning experience! I have never seen service as good as this place. You cannot come here and be in a hurry. All of the dishes were delicious and beautifully presented, paired with great wine!

Wow if you ever in CT you have to make a point of setting aside the budget to have dinner here. This place was such an experience and the way they make you feel is even better. The staff take note of what you like and go the extra mile. The food was absolutely amazing, a gastronomic experience to be had by all. Attention to detail and perfection in all aspects. BOOK NOW!!!

Day 2 of our 3 day culinary splurge in the Winelands ....<br/><br/>Always a bit harder to review a restaurant which did not meet expirations. Also sad, as the service at Rust en Vrede is incredible, with a lot of focus on detail, and the small things other places often overlook (always serving from the right, not collecting and stacking plates, serving a palet cleaner, gift for the wife on departure ect.) I have to give a nod to all the serving staff which are extremely well trained, impeccable service and knowledgeable on all dishes prepared. PLEASE REMEMBER TO TAKE A LOOK AT THE END OF THE REVIEW FOR INSIGHT AS TO HOW I APPROACH REVIEWS.<br/><br/>Anyone that might have paid attention to my efforts to find those restaurant gems, will be acutely aware that for me - taste and texture is the deal breaker...<br/>That is where Rust en Vrede disappoints to some extent. For some reason, all the elements that makes up a luxurious fine dining restaurant is absolutely found at this establishment. Take a look at any picture on Zamoto and it will show that this is a beautiful restaurant, with beautifully presented food, in a postcard perfect wine estate, but when I close my eyes and take a bite from every course, I do not feel overwhelmed with amazing tastes and textures. It is as if the tastes have not married yet (as a famous chef-friend of mine would put it) it sure tastes good, but unfortunately, no WOW factor. No thoughts of "... this is insane, let me check if im still on earth..."<br/><br/>Considering the price, I prefer to go WOW for the food, and not WOW for the bill. Once again, if the tastes and textures, sweep me of my feet, and I need to remind myself that this is really not heaven yet, I seldom even look at the price of the bill - life is too short to worry about money after an amazing dine experience...<br/><br/>Before I once again go totally off topic, lets discuss the food... Though we intended to go for the 6 course menu, we fealt that there was too many courses that we do not particularly like (I would prefer a naughty, tempting chocolate desert above a fruit parfait as an example). With the 4 course you have options in each course, so we went with 4 courses. You might say - "Marcello, that's your mistake, the best is actually found in the 6 course - you narrow minded chocolate junkie!"! But as I said in previous reviews -there should not be booby prizes at a restaurant that pitches themselves on this level.<br/><br/>For some reason, me and the wife needed up with exactly the same choices :-(<br/>1) Mushroom starter - probably the best dish of the evening, beautifully presented, subtle tastes, no mind blowing textures.<br/>2) Rabit and prawn - good tasting, yet no Wow factor<br/>3) Duck, perfectly prepared, but unfortunately the sauses, and additions in the plate did not really contribute to an incredible taste sensation.<br/>4) Backed Alaska, I get the idea that an attempt was made to do a fusion type dish of a lemon meringue and a traditional baked alaska. Unfortunately the dish was too sweet, and too sour. To make a good lemon meringue (tart) is a challenging endeavor by itself (and with a tart, at least all temperatures are the same). The temperature differences in a baked Alaska, can result in unpredictable sweetness behavior of the desert...<br/><br/>To end, the last time a walked into a restaurant, and had to tell my wife that she must in future keep a spare jersey close by for me so that I can drape it over my shoulders and tie the sleeves infront of my chest, was when we visited a restaurant in Fancourt golf estate (George) a few years ago... So unlike Terroir, and Jordan, (our recent other visits in the Winelands), Rust en Vrede has a slightly more stiff atmosphere, or maybe some of the guests fealt this this is a fancy place so lets do everything extra slow, and have academic discussions about the way that Max Plank derived the Plank constant...<br/><br/>I wish to specially commend our watress, impeccable service, and thank Rust and Vrede for the effort made with the little things (great breads, great gift from te kitchen, and the Chocolate gift for the wife on our departure! It remains a special evening.<br/><br/>PLEASE KEEP IN MIND:<br/><br/>How I Rate and review an establishment :<br/>1: Terrible, will never return will never recommend.<br/>2: Ok, not worth special effort, I can make the food better at home...<br/>3: Satisfied, restaurant offer good service and satisfactory food, the money paid is in line with quality of food received.<br/>4: A gem, worth visiting for a treat or special occations and referring friends.<br/>5: The very rare and best - fine dining, incredible food, fantastic taste, texture, presentation, and service. Honestly no more than 6 such places in South Africa !<br/><br/>Establishment: Fine dine<br/>Related restaurants in this class: The Tasting Room at Le Quartier Français, The Test Kitchen, La Colombe, Jordan, Greenhouse, Jardin<br/><br/>Food - 6/10<br/>Service 10/10<br/>Romantic factor 8/10<br/>Decor 9/10<br/>Value 8/10<br/>Satisfaction 7/10<br/><br/>Lastly take note- I do not have time to review every chicken coop that sell food or to rate typical places, we all know what you get at these establishments and the average person does not need advice on eating at your local Debonairs or Spur, nor are you really interested at all in the beautiful kakao-powder pattern that Mug & Bean has just now sifted through a paper doily onto my cappuccino's foam!

They had the meanest steak I ever had, mustard was a blessing on top of that. This was back in 2013. I would definately always give them a chance..!

Simply the best dining experience my wife and I have ever had to date.<br/>Superb food served over many courses, sublime wine and great sommeliers to assist.<br/>We loved.<br/>It's not cheap but you get what you pay for here.<br/>Amazing.

I have always loved their wines and decided it was fine for a visit and a wine tasting. This is one of the oldest wine estates in the Cape Town region and an estate that have chosen to only produce red wines, which they are very very good at. The setting is beautiful amongst huge trees and rolling lawns and stunning rose bushes and other flowers. Their are a couple of different wine tasting options and we chose to taste from the Estate collection. The red wines are really outstanding and I would recommend buying in large quantities and then storing so that they can reach optimal age. Fantastic wine tasting and I would come back to test their restaurant which I understand is also very good.

I'm not sure what was better the service , the food, or the wine pairing. All I know is that it was an assault on the senses ... Magnificent and perfection and precision in every dish.

The scenery is just breathtaking and being right up next to the mountains under the trees I mean it's one hell of a location. I mean that's what dreams are made of ... Wind through the hair! Okay but right back to business ... Haha!! They have this lunch special at the normal wine tasting area! R200 pps and you get to choose a steak and chips or salmon and veg! I ate the steak and it was gorgeous! Oh but wait you also get a glass of wine on the house with this special !! So the wine is a winner and the venue location just fantastic ... Food really great and delicious so go have a go and let me know! My next stop is definitely trying the salmon ;)))

Definitely one of the best restaurants in the country and the BEST fine dining in South Africa!  These folks do not miss a single detail.  The service is impeccable, and the food is no less than amazing!  Just to start, you'll have about six types of mini homemade breads from which to choose!  Nothing short of amazing.  All of the food comes bursting with flavour, and the wine list is over 200 pages long!  Not to worry, they also have one of the best sommeliers in the business!!

The most delicious steak I have ever eaten. Its so beautiful and has a relaxing atmosphere. The service is amazing and the wines are to die for. A bit pricy but its all worth

When we were having dinner at Cavalli, Dorothy told us that John had secured them a booking at Rust en Vrede (Rest and Peace) to celebrate their first wedding anniversary. I mentioned that I had wanted to go there for a while, and could she please let us know how it was so that I knew whether to book or not. John then suggested he change the booking to four, and that we join them and make it a joint wedding anniversary celebration. As our is 4 days before theirs, this made perfect sense.

This is, by far, one of my favourite restaurants in South Africa. I never go through Stellenbosch without stopping by at least once.<br/><br/>The wine is exceptional and the food even more so. Definitely worth a 5! <br/><br/>P.S: Try the steak

Probably the best eating experience we have ever had. The food was outstanding and the service was excellent. Can't wait to go back. A must for all foodies.

Went to the winemakers lunch on Saturday and what a pleasure. You don't need to book so you just arrive between 12 and 3pm. Seating is on the terrace with a beautiful view. Great for a sunny day! They serve only steak and salmon and both are top class.. Not to mention the wine!

Honestly- one of my favorite restaurants in the World. <br/><br/>Even though the menu is really small, each food item is extremely tasty and the wine is great to pair with certain dishes.<br/><br/>It's always a nice escape from the city and have never had bad service, a dish that I wasn't satisfied with or a bad "vibe". <br/><br/>It's a must try!

A group of us went to Rust en Vrede for the day for lunch.<br/><br/>We were only given 2 choices: Salmon or Steak. I of course chose the salmon. It was cooked well done with a crispy skin, it came with baby potatoes and asparagus and I got served white wine with my meal. <br/><br/>The salmon was delicious with the crispy skin, the crispy skin definitely was the best part of the meal. The potatoes came with mustard butter, I'm not usually a fan of mustard but the taste was very light but gave the potatoes a slight different taste to the usual ones.<br/><br/>The wine I got with it was so good, I had 4-5 glasses and I don't even drink wine. <br/><br/>The place is also very beautiful and of course had wine tasting available. If you go as a big group for wine tasting, you actually get to sit in the cellar and taste wines. <br/><br/>It is a really beautiful and scenic place. I had a really good time and the service was great!

What an amazing food experience. Best meal of my life so far. The food and wine parings were expertly explained and complimented each other perfectly. The service was impeccable and can't wait to return to do the 10 course taste experience.

Undoubtably beautiful surroundings and sublime food. I was particularly impressed at the service when I forgot to let the waiter know that I was allergic to an ingredient in a dish and although it was my fault a new dish was prepared with no extra charge. The mixing of old world charm and contemporary design of the restaurant was refreshing and attracts quite a diverse crowd. My kinda dining experience.

Rust En Vrede Wine Estate - Stellenbosch<br/>True Balance & Perfect Harmony<br/><br/>You could spend many a day visiting all the wine estates on offer in the region.It is only when you arrive at Rust en Vrede that you feel that you have found true balance and perfect harmony. <br/><br/>There are many wine estates in the Stellenbosch area. Some wine estates fall short of their mark.There are those who meet expectations.Then you get the few gems.Those Wine estates, who meet and exceed all expectations.<br/>Rust en Vrede, not only boast sublime scenery and a remarkable venue but embraces a staff compliment that share a real passion for the Estate.The variety of superb wines on offer are world class.<br/><br/>In Summary - It is seldom that one can enjoy fine wine and great hosts in surroundings that remain etched in your mind, long after the sun has set.<br/>I thank You all for affording me the opportunity to visit your home.<br/>Mr.G   -   Marcus Gibbons