Cape Town - Three Cape Town-based restaurants, two of which opened during the Covid-19 pandemic, have expressed delight at being recognised and awarded in the UK’s LUXlife Restaurant and Bar Awards 2023.
The annual awards programme, which returned for its seventh consecutive year, showcases those who stand out within the hospitality industry.
SIBA The Restaurant, run by multi-award winning cookbook author and former TV host Siba Mtongana, was named Most Exclusive Fine Dining Restaurant 2023 – Cape Town.
Situated at the Table Bay Hotel, V&A Waterfront, the restaurant was opened during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.
“We couldn’t have achieved this award without our amazing and talented Front of House team as well as the engine – our chefs in the back, our support team at The Siba Co Group, our landlords at The Table Bay Hotel and everyone else who believed in this crazy dream,” Mtongana said.
Pakwaan (Royal Indian Cuisine) in Burgundy Estate was named Best Indian Restaurant 2023 Cape Town.
Pakwaan first opened its doors on July 28, 2018 and is currently closed due to the impact of load shedding, owner Anika Sharma said.
“The competition is tough and carving out a niche in the busy Indian cuisine sector in Cape Town has been challenging. Pakwaan is my heart and soul. Being recognised and awarded on an international platform like LUXlife is a dream come true.”
Italian restaurant Italo’s in Newlands won Best Family-Run Restaurant 2023 – Cape Town.
“The Italo’s team was delighted to be contacted by LUX magazine and informed that we had won an award. We have always understood ourselves to be a family run deli-restaurant in the spirit of Casa Mia e Casa tua,” owners Angelo and Patrick Stipinovich said.
“Having opened our doors just six weeks before the first hard Covid-19 lockdown, having struggled through these difficult economic times, having done our best to keep going without any staff retrenchments, has not always been easy. It honours and encourages us to be recognised by an international magazine like LUX.”