The Final Five Steakhouses for 2014 (in alphabetical order):

Fahrenheit (Edenvale) – Johannesburg, Gauteng
HQ (Cape Town) – Western Cape
The Godfather (Centurion) – Pretoria, Gauteng
The Local Grill (Parktown North) – Johannesburg, Gauteng
Theo’s Grill (Mouille Point) – Western Cape

The judges visited all five finalists multiple times during June and while these five are South Africa’s favourites for 2014, when it came to judging, two of the five, both in Gauteng, stood out above the rest: Parktown North’s The Local Grill and Centurion’s The Godfather.

Ultimately, it was The Local Grill’s expertise in all matters meat, consistent service and accurate grilling that makes them, for the second year in a row, South Africa’s Steakhouse Champion, with The Godfather in Centurion as the worthy Runner-Up. We congratulate them heartily and thank the public for a fantastic second year.

The 2014 Champion was announced on 24th June at an impressive function in Johannesburg, hosted by last year’s winner, The Local Grill in Parktown North. All five finalists were present as well as an excited group of media and friends from the industry. Steve Maresch, owner of The Local Grill, and his dedicated and passionate team pulled out all the stops at the luncheon, treating the guests to a 4-course lunch, served with The Wolftrap wine; including delicious 90-day aged Charolais Sirloin from Karan Beef. The room erupted in jubilation when outstanding hosts, The Local Grill, were announced as The Wolftrap Steakhouse Champion for the second time, and Steve Kobrin of The Godfather Restaurant in Centurion received the Runner-Up award.

This is how The Wolftrap Steakhouse Championships 2014 worked: during the Open Round, South Africa voted for its favourite steakhouse; and then the Top 20 went through to the following round where the public selected their Top 5. These five were visited, unannounced, by expert judges Pete Goffe-Wood, Reuben Riffel and Arnold Tanzer and were assessed according to a strict score sheet.

This makes The Wolftrap Steakhouse Championships a blend of public involvement and expert arbitration – and the ultimate winner is therefore not only very good indeed, but also a public favourite. For the winner the spoils: the ultimate bragging rights of being the Champion for a year, and also a full year’s supply of The Wolftrap wine.

More Information:
For the second year, The Wolftrap Steakhouse Championships selected South Africa’s favourite steakhouses by public vote – and then identified the best of the best by expert judging. Last year saw The Local Grill of Parktown North emerge as South Africa’s Steakhouse Champion for 2013 – and at the beginning of March 2014 the hunt began for this year’s best. Around 140 steakhouses were nominated and voted for by the public during the open voting round in March and April – and on Voting Day, 7th May, the Top 20 Steakhouses for 2014 were announced, followed by the Final Five on the 2nd June. During June, the judges visited all five a number of times and scored them according to strict criteria. The winner was announced on 24 June 2014.

The Local Grill’s 90-day aged Charolais Sirloin from Karan Beef served with The Wolftrap wine;
The Local Grill team left to right: Lance Phiri, Reason Ndlovu, Steve Maresch, Oscar Chatsika and Siphiwe Khumalo;
The Wolftrap Steakhouse Championships 2014 winner:
The Local Grill Parktown North;
The Local Grill Parktown North team receiving The Wolftrap Steakhouse Championships 2014 award;
The Local Grill Parktown North team receiving The Wolftrap Steakhouse Championships award for 2014:
Left to right Heinz Brunner, Popi Tomazos, Steve Maresch and behind Llewi Mateza (all from The Local Grill) and Inge Hoffmann (The Wolftrap), and competition judges Pete Goffe-Wood and Reuben Riffel;
The Wolftrap Steakhouse Championships 2014 Top 5 finalist and Runner-Up:
The Godfather Restaurant in Centurion: Left to right Dan Nicholl (MC), Steve Kobrin (The Godfather), Inge Hoffmann (The Wolftrap) and head judge Pete Goffe-Wood;
The Wolftrap Steakhouse Championships 2014: Left to right Dan Nicholl (MC), Marc Kent (The Wolftrap) and JP Rossouw;Llewy Mateza of The Local Grill with the 90-day aged Charolais Sirloin served at the Awards function.