La Petite Colombe

Finally a Michelin dining experience that truly lives up to the hype!! I can be very skeptical of a Michelin reservation because sometimes I leave feeling inspired by the service, the atmosphere, the experience, but underwhelmed by the actual quality and quantity of the food. Not at Petite Colombe though... this was spectacular from start to finish. The setting is stunning and the dining room feels relaxed, despite laser focused service. The food was innovative but also satiating. The experience was also the perfect length of time for a lunch. Truly a must-do if you are in the wine lands.

La Petite Colombe in Franschhoek delivers exceptional fine dining in every way. The setting is beautiful and serene, with stunning views that perfectly complement the meal. Each dish is a masterpiece—creative, beautifully presented, and full of extraordinary flavours. From the playful garden-inspired starters to the flawless mains and delightful desserts, every course surprises and delights. The service is warm, professional, and perfectly paced. A truly world‑class culinary journey. Highly recommended!

Unfortunately I had a poor experience at La Petite Colombe. The main failing was service, it started off very badly when my waitress tried to put my with my back to the restaurant as a single diner and then was obviously not pleased that I wanted to move. I felt pressurised into upgrading the main course, was over sold the wine pairing, even though I said I was driving, my waitress went missing in action, when I wanted to order a glass of wine and get the bill. The food was generally good, especially the fish dishes. The bread course was too big for a tasting menu, and some of the butters were very strange. The cheese dessert was very strange, and there were elements that I couldn’t eat. There’s lots of theatre, but I knew there would be, as that’s La Colombe’s style. So all in all, very disappointing, especially at the prices charged. I did email them, and to be fair the GM did call me, which was very appreciated. Hopefully they can fix some of the service issues. But it’s a beautiful restaurant and the wine list is very good, especially the rare by the glass offerings

Went for the taster menu at lunchtime and I wasn’t disappointed. The table was at 12 and it was initially pretty quiet, but soon picked up. As you would expect from a restaurant of this quality, the staff were very informative and helpful. I would definitely recommend the espresso martini. Probably the nicest one I have ever tasted. The total bill came to about 6,000 Rand

Amazing venue, fantastic staff and superb food. Everything is right into detail. It’s menu with several courses, so go prepared and hungry. They gave us a nice table for our honeymoon together with some sweets, which was very thoughtful. They are very creative in the presentation of the food. The gardens are incredible and everyone of the maybe 20 staff members you meet are super friendly, from the entrance gate until the armed security guard.

The long drive from the gates of Leeuw Winefarms to the restaurant only served to increase our anticipation for what was to come - a world class dining experience that was just sensational. Upon arrival, we were warmly greeted & whisked to a lounge area where the history, philosophy & background was explained. A “picnic” basket of 3 delightful morsels of taste sensations were served with the last being an “olive” which simply bursts in your mouth with olive flavours. Great start before being shown to our table. What followed next were 13 courses of simply delectable courses (some bite sizes, some more substantial). The chef definitely knew what he was doing & all our senses : sight, taste, smell were teased & satisfied. Several dishes had the wow factor with combinations & textures that I had not experienced. Some dishes were a little overdone in the sense that so much was going on that it was easy to not notice certain ingredients but overall it was a great experience. South African wines featured heavily but an international selection was also available. Service was exemplary & dinner was served at a nice pace. Overall it took us just over 3 hours & it was delightful. The restaurant ambience was very nice, lighting subdued but bright enough to see what we were eating clearly. As the restaurant is located in the middle of a winefarm, daytime views must be stunning but as we dined in the evening, we could only imagine the views! Cheese & dessert were served as separate included course followed by a dessert trolley at the end which took us by surprise. We were practically rolling ourselves out by the end as very happy & satisfied customers. A must do experience if you are after a fine dining experience in Franschhoek & reservations are essential. Kudos to the entire team for an excellent experience!

Second experience at this amazing restaurant. It is impossible for me to describe the experience in words. Everything, absolutely everything is perfect. The atmosphere, the waiting staff, the environment, the experience is on a level that I have never experienced. The food is an amazing experience, I enjoyed every single course and I cannot fault anything. Something that must be experienced. Thank you to everyone at La Petite Colombe

I have no word to describe how excellent, delicate, tasteful the food was. The staff is over the top, the location is a piece of paradise. I highly recommend this restaurant, which was one of my highlights of my trip to SA.