Decameron Restaurant

Stellenbosch diners are continually grateful that Mario Ladu swapped a career in winery engineering for the restaurant business in 1987. Named after Boccaccio's 14th-century masterpiece Il Decameron, in which a group of friends gather in a villa and trade stories of love, wit and human folly, Decameron Restaurant has become exactly that: a place where families, friends and loved ones have gathered over the past four decades to eat, drink and talk. Inside, the walls are covered floor to ceiling in Italian Renaissance prints and paintings; outside, the spacious terrace overlooks bustling Plein Street. The menu is classic Italian – signature plates, wood-fired pizzas, handmade pasta – prepared with quality ingredients and enduring consistency. And rumour has it that Anton Rupert (yes, that one) occupied Decameron’s legendary corner table to seal some of South Africa’s biggest business deals …

Don't leave without trying:
The baby chicken al forno (a whole baby chicken cooked in the pizza oven with chilli, garlic, wine and herbs) or the veal trippa della nonna (veal tripe with carrots, onions, celery and garlic).