One Of The Best Restaurants In South Africa Closes After 11 Years

It’s a sad time for the South African culinary scene, as one of the country’s finest establishments announced its permanent closure. French-born chef Gregory Czarnecki ramped up the restaurant scene in South Africa when he opened the Restaurant at Waterkloof 11 years ago on one of the best wine estates in Stellenbosch.

Several factors went into the upscale and award-winning restaurant’s decision to close, including the financial impact from COVID-19. The coronavirus pandemic has forced some of South Africa’s oldest and most beloved restaurants to close down permanently. 

A statement signed by the chef was posted on the wine estate’s page states:

“Despite all our best efforts to keep the restaurant afloat, our dream alive, and to pursue our passion in these strange and difficult times, it has become impossible for us to follow our business model. “When I started the journey at Waterkloof 11 years ago, I could not have ever conceived that it would end this way. It is, unfortunately, a battle that we can no longer keep fighting and so, we have decided to hang up our aprons.”

Posted by Waterkloof Wines on Monday, 9 November 2020

Born in Beaune Burgundy, France, and raised in 19 different countries, chef Gregory Czarnecki won top honours at the 2016 Eat Out Awards. The chef de cuisine crafted menus for elite eateries in Brussels, Geneva and Lyon and cooked for some of the world’s most high profile personalities, like Tony Blair, Paul McCartney and Woody Allen.

Apart from his culinary skills, @czarneckigregory has an Instagram feed filled with nostalgic images of his magnificent culinary creations.

The closure of the Restaurant at Waterkloof is a big loss for the South African fine dining scene. Since the announcement of the heartbreaking news over social media the chef and his team received an outpouring of support and condolences. For those who had the opportunity to experience the food, best you savour the memories.

The last service at the Restaurant at Waterkloof will be lunch on Sunday 22 November.