The man behind the best restaurant in South Africa in 2025

·3 Apr 2025

Ryan Cole is the chef and co-owner of Salsify at the Roundhouse in Camps Bay, which was awarded Eat Out Woolworths Restaurant of the Year in 2025.

Cole was born on 9 February 1989 into a Cape Town fishing family, where he developed a love for the flavours and smells in the kitchen.

In high school, each student did a shadow week, and he selected the hospitality industry, where he worked for three days in a hotel kitchen. He loved what he saw.

“I loved everything about food. It includes the endless creativity and the limitless discovery. It allows you to go as far as your mind allows you,” he said.

Cole attended the South African Chefs Academy, after which he embarked on an international career as a chef.

Between January and December 2010, he worked as a junior sous chef at Launceston Place in South Kensington in London.

In December 2010, he became a senior chef de partie at The Square, after which he served as a sous chef at La Trompette in London.

In September 2013, he returned to South Africa and worked as a senior sous chef at Pierneef al La Motte in Franschhoek.

In 2015, he joined the award-winning Cape Town restaurant The Test Kitchen as a sous chef and later became its head chef.

The Test Kitchen, opened in 2010 by Luke Dale-Roberts, has won numerous awards, including being featured in the World’s 50 Best Restaurant Awards.

It was also named in the Elite Traveler Top 100 Restaurants and won the South African Restaurant of the Year award multiple times.

In 2018, Dale-Roberts and Cole announced they planned to open a new restaurant at the historic Cape Town Roundhouse overlooking the Glen in Camps Bay.

The building dates back to 1786 when it served first as a guardhouse and then as a hunting lodge for the 19th-century Governor of the Cape, Sir Lord Charles Somerset.

When Dale-Roberts and Cole walked into the building for the first time, it was dilapidated and tired-looking.

However, after they cleaned the building and provided it with new décor and furnishings, it became “a beautiful pearl”.

The food at Salsify

Salsify, which shares a name with a root vegetable and is known as the oyster plant because of its similar taste when cooked, has a strong focus on seafood.

Dale-Roberts and Cole highlighted that Salsify would not be another The Test Kitchen, and would offer a fine-dining experience without the snobbery.

Cole told Eatout that Salsify would push boundaries of flavour and technique and develop its own signature and style.

“My food is understated, balanced. I carefully consider the secondary ingredient rather than telling guests what to look for. This creates mystery in every course,” he said.

He explained that his food is minimalistic, true to the ingredients, and season-led. “I call the food New Age South African,” he said.

He explained that Salsify offers what he believes South African food should be. “It has South African based ingredients with international influences,” he said.

“I don’t cook French or Asian food. I cook my version of what South African food should be,” Cole said.

He sources food from numerous passionate suppliers in the area, which helps to shape the seasonal menus.

Salsify at the Roundhouse quickly made a name for itself and started raking in the awards since its launch in October 2018.

It included being recognised as one of the best restaurants in South Africa by the Haute Grander Global Restaurant Awards.

Salsify at the Roundhouse the best restaurant in South Africa

Salsify at the Roundhouse in Camps Bay was awarded Eat Out Woolworths Restaurant of the Year, achieving the highest score of any restaurant in South Africa.

The 2025 Eat Out Woolworths Restaurant Awards ceremony was held at the Baxter Theatre Centre in Cape Town on Monday, 31 March.

It brought together South Africa’s leading chefs, restaurateurs, and industry figures for an evening celebrating South Africa’s culinary excellence.

As part of Eat Out’s ongoing evolution, the 2025 judging process took a more comprehensive and transparent approach.

Over eight months, eight anonymous, independent judges visited each shortlisted restaurant multiple times, ensuring a fair and all-encompassing assessment.

“This year’s winners represent the pinnacle of South African dining,” said Abigail Donnelly, Eat Out’s Culinary Director.

“The new judging process ensures that every star awarded truly reflects consistent excellence, from innovation on the plate to the overall guest experience.”

Salsify won the Restaurant of the Year award because it offers a unique combination of excellent food, a great setting, and exceptional service.

“It is a restaurant that balances the history of its unique setting, acknowledging its past while celebrating its immediate environment through hyper-local foraging,” the judges said.

“This storytelling runs through its menu, complemented by attentive, knowledgeable and friendly service.”

“There is a wonderful sense of generosity here, and guests feel special from the moment they arrive.”