Countdown to the 2019 Eat Out Mercedes-Benz Restaurant Awards

In 2018, The Restaurant at Waterkloof walked away with the Restaurant of the Year title, moving up two places from number three in 2017, and disrupting The Test Kitchen’s six-consecutive-year reign as the number one restaurant (since 2012).

The shake-up means that anticipation is higher than ever before to see who, of all the country’s culinary geniuses and fantastic restaurants, will receive the top honours of being announced the 2019 Eat Out Restaurant of the Year and the Eat Out S.Pellegrino & Acqua Panna Chef of the Year.

“The South African culinary scene grows from strength to strength every year,” says chief judge Margot Janse. “This awards ceremony is the ideal platform to acknowledge and celebrate our extraordinary chefs and all they have accomplished in the industry.”

Janse, who is highly respected by chefs in the industry, has been involved with the Eat Out Mercedes-Benz Restaurant Awards since 2018. Aside from Janse, all judges will remain anonymous, as done in previous years and in line with international restaurant assessments.

As always, the judges’ scorecards will be audited before the announcement and chefs will be able to obtain feedback from Eat Out after the awards. The criteria to determine the nominees and winners may be viewed here.

Nominees announcement

Eat Out will announce 30 nominees before the event and count down from 20 to 11 at the ceremony, before finally revealing the Top 10.

In addition to naming the hotly-contested Top 10 restaurants, 2019 Eat Out Mercedes-Benz Restaurant Awards will recognise the Eat Out S.Pellegrino & Acqua Panna Chef of the Year, the Eat Out Retail Capital New Restaurant of the Year and the Eat Out Nederburg Rising Star.

Winners will also be announced for the Eat Out Graham Beck Chefs’ Chef Award, the Eat Out Service Excellence Award, the Eat Out Wine Service Award, the Eat Out John Psillos Award for Outstanding Contribution to Service, the Eat Out Lannice Snyman Lifetime Achievement Award, the Eat Out Woolworths Sustainability Award, the Eat Out Nespresso Innovation Award and the Eat Out Style Award.

Tickets for 2019 Eat Out Mercedes-Benz Restaurant Awards are now available via Howler.