The Spier Farm Café celebrates local food & design
Housed in a graceful gabled Cape Dutch building, the Spier Farm Café is now serving breakfast and lunch served by friendly, attentive staff against the serene backdrop of the rolling lawns and ancient oaks of Spier Wine Farm’s historic Werf (farmyard).
The Spier Farm Café’s Chef, Hennie Nel, was previously at Vadas Smokehouse and Bakery where he served as head chef under the restaurant’s founder and acclaimed chef, PJ Vadas. Nel’s extensive cheffing experience includes stints in the kitchens of Open Door (formerly at Constantia Uitsig) and the former Maze by Gordon Ramsay at One & Only Cape Town.
Nel is passionate about cooking honest, authentic and unpretentious food made with top quality ingredients. Passionate about the environment, he and his team recycles as much as possible, sending minimal waste to landfill.
In keeping with Spier’s sustainability ethos, local and ethical sourcing is also a priority. Farmer Angus McIntosh supplies the Café with meat reared on Spier’s pastures (without hormones or routine antibiotics) as well as eggs laid by happy, outdoor-roaming hens. The Café’s fresh bread and exquisitely flaky croissants are baked a stone’s throw away, at Vadas Smokehouse and Bakery.
Simple, seasonal and sublime
For breakfast, the star dish is the eggs benedict; another favourite is the sourdough waffle with dark chocolate, raw honey and cream. Enjoy with freshly squeezed daily juice or expertly poured Tribe coffee in cups handcrafted by Kleinmond-based ceramicist Corinne de Haas.
The signature lunch dish is the 200g beef burger with yummy pork fat fried potato roasties. A fantastic option for family-style sharing is the Farmer Angus rotisserie chicken accompanied by wholesome potatoes and veggies.
“We want every diner to enjoy themselves here, and to leave happy and satisfied,” says Nel.
This commitment means ensuring a wide range of mouthwatering options for vegetarians and vegans too. Be sure to try the colourful vegetable tartine and nutritious cauliflower and harissa grain salad.
Of course, no lunch in the Stellenbosch Winelands would be complete without a glass of wine. The Spier Farm Café offers a selection of Spier’s acclaimed wines, to be enjoyed by the glass or bottle. There is a range of non-alcoholic options too.
At home on the farm
The Café’s ambience encourages leisurely lingering – whether under the yellow umbrellas on the sun-drenched stoep or inside the farmhouse-chic interior conjured up by designer Marguerite Louw. Handcrafted oak furniture from Houtlander, tiles handmade by artisans at Spier and marble counters all evoke a sense both of artistry and practical, elegant design. This effect is accentuated by the bar area’s large Art Deco-style mirrors, brass railings and glass shelving. Sitting proudly on these, from floor to ceiling, are Spier wines and giant jars of homemade pickles, jams and preserves.
Roughly 20 minutes from both Stellenbosch’s town centre and Cape Town International Airport, the Spier Farm Café is the ideal venue to meet friends for a catch-up, quietly catch up on work, or enjoy a glass of wine and salad while the kids play on the Werf’s expansive lawn.
The fine print
The Spier Farm Café serves breakfast from 8.00 to 11.00 and lunch from 12.00 to 15.00 from Tuesday to Sundays. Hours will be extended during December. Keep an eye on Spier’s social media pages for more information on events and opening hours.
By choosing Spier, you are supporting Spier’s Growing for Good learning initiatives that empower communities to create positive social and environmental change.
