Buying a bottle of wine in addition to your meal can be an expensive affair, but there are a few spots that don’t charge a corkage fee, which means you can splash out a little more on the menu. Here are five places in Cape Town where you are welcome to bring along your own bottle. I suggest a bottle from the Van Loveren family vineyards, as these wines are both affordable and very quaffable!

1. The Hussar Grill  
The Hussar Grill is famous for two things – their delicious steaks and their no corkage fee. They claim they will never charge a corkage fee as they would rather you indulge in one of their prime steaks. Which you certainly will if you like a good steak! If you are on a budget, they have a wonderful lunch deal where you can enjoy a one-course meal for R69 or a two-course meal for R125.

As I had already saved some bucks by taking along a good bottle of Van Loveren Pinotage, I treated myself to the two-course meal – a yummy oxtail soup and a 200g 28-day matured rump served with a creamy mash. I also got snacks (biltong, vegetable crisps and olives) when I arrived, making this one of the best deals in town for your money!

The one-course lunch options include a Durban-style chicken curry, a tomato bredie, a beef or chicken burger, grilled hake and a peppered fillet salad. The one-course lunch deal is available Monday to Saturday from 12h00 to 17h00 and the two-course deal from Monday to Saturday from 12h00 to 17h00 and all day on Sundays.

Note: Unfortunately the lunch deals are not available at their Camps Bay restaurant, but you can enjoy them at their eight other branches, including Somerset West. www.hussargrill.co.za