There are 20 nominees on the list from which the Restaurant of the Year, Chef of the Year, Service Excellence Award as well as the Top 10 Restaurants will be chosen.
Restaurants from across the country are eligible for the awards.
The Eat Out DStv Food Network Restaurant Awards are judged by Eat Out's editor, Abigail Donnelly. The criteria are stringent and assisting Donnelly in the compilation of the short list was Eat Out's national panel of over 30 professional restaurant reviewers, as well as consumer reviews received on www.eatout.co.za.
Donnelly said of this year's nominees: "2011 is definitely the year of the egg and the wild sorrel. Many chefs have displayed a strong sense of nature through foraging in forests or veggie gardens and pure South African storytelling has also been celebrated. I have tasted remarkable creations cooked with enthusiasm, and the combination of flavours and rigorous techniques has made sure that the element of surprise is sustained."
The awards will be announced at a gala function at The Bay Hotel in Camps Bay, Cape Town on Sunday, 20 November. A limited number of tickets are available to the public via www.eatout.co.za.
