Ultimate Guide to South African Food and Wine in Atlanta

By Allison Ramirez

Last Updated March 24, 2026

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South African food is one of the world’s great untold culinary stories — a living record of migration and cultural fusion built over centuries.

Long before European settlers arrived in South Africa, indigenous peoples hunted game, gathered wild plants, and cultivated sorghum and millet. When Dutch colonists arrived at the Cape in the 1650s, they brought enslaved workers from Indonesia, Malaysia, India, and Madagascar, and it’s this Cape Malay influence that gave South African cooking much of its most distinctive character. Fragrant spices like turmeric, cumin and cinnamon made their way into stews and braised meats, giving rise to classic dishes like bobotie, a curry beef casserole. Later, indentured laborers from India brought curries, chutneys and bunny chow (a hollowed-out loaf of bread filled with curry) that became inseparable from South African identity.

The result is a cuisine with no single origin: Zulu and Xhosa, Cape Malay and Indian, Afrikaner and Portuguese, all at once. At the center of it all is the braai: South Africa’s beloved tradition of cooking meat over open flame, and less a cooking method than a way of bringing people together.

South African Cuisine in Atlanta

After a 16-year absence from the FIFA World Cup, South Africa is scheduled to play a group stage match in Atlanta in June, and the whole country is buzzing with national pride. So what better time to explore the bold, layered, soulful flavors South Africa has to offer right here in the city?

Atlanta’s South African dining scene is small but special. Read up on our favorite spots around town to try delicious South African dishes and wines. 

Yebo Beach Haus

Opened by South African restaurateur and former professional soccer player Justin Anthony, Yebo Beach Haus has been serving biltong (traditional South African beef jerky), sweet-and-savory bobotie crepes, sosaties (marinated lamb, chicken, beef or pork skewers) and more since 2012 in a coastal, beach-bungalow-style setting. 

Where: 56 E Andrews Drive NW

The Cape Restaurant & Beach Bar

Another Justin Anthony restaurant, the Cape in Alpharetta, is an all-day spot with a menu similar to Yebo’s. Start with the peri-peri Cape popcorn, ostrich sliders or Haus fondue. Here, you’ll also find peri-peri shrimp tacos, a crispy fish sandwich with a peri-peri tartar sauce, and other fish and meat dishes. 

Where: Alpharetta

Nando’s Peri-Peri

A fast-casual spot with locations in Peachtree Corners and Perimeter, this cult-favorite South African chain (born in 1987 in Johannesburg’s Rosettenville neighborhood) finally spread its wings to Atlanta in 2024.

The concept is simple and addictive: fresh, never-frozen chicken marinated for 24 hours in peri-peri (the African Bird’s Eye Chili, sourced from small-scale farmers in Mozambique), then flame-grilled to order and served at your preferred heat level — from a mild lemon-and-herb to the super-spicy XXHot. Round out your order with peri mac ‘n’ cheese, fried Brussels sprouts or grilled halloumi sticks. One extra cool thing about Nando’s: the proprietors make a point of featuring decor and music that represent their homeland. They are also officially the world’s largest collector of Southern African contemporary art (with more than 20,000 pieces). 

Where: Peachtree Corners and Perimeter

The Whelan 

If you want South African flavors in a laid-back West Midtown pub setting, The Whelan on Huff Road is your spot. The neighborhood pub puts a South African twist on American bar staples, with standout dishes such as a family recipe red curry with chopped chicken breast, red peppers and potatoes served over jasmine rice and fried plantains, and a boerewors sandwich, a traditional South African beef and pork sausage served with warm tomato-onion relish in a hoagie roll. With 30-plus beers on tap, pool tables, darts, and a dog-friendly patio, it’s the kind of place you pop in for a quick pint and end up staying all afternoon, or all night. The Whelan is open until 2:30 a.m. Monday through Saturday, and midnight on Sundays. 

Where: 1133 Huff Road NW

South African Wine in Atlanta

3 Parks Wine 

With two locations across Atlanta, 3 Parks Wine rotates a thoughtful and ever-changing selection of South African bottles alongside its broader natural wine focus. The best move here is to call ahead or stop in and ask what’s currently on the shelf — the staff knows its stuff and they love to talk through what’s new from the Cape. Whether you’re after something orange, something sparkling or a serious red from Stellenbosch, there’s usually something worth taking home or, at the Old Fourth Ward shop, popping open on the patio with friends.

Where: 405 North Angier Ave. NE and 451 Bill Kennedy Way SE

Dom Beijos

A Kirkwood wine shop that specializes in Portuguese wines, the cozy and charming Dom Beijos has a little bit of everything, including chenin blanc, pinotage and syrah varietals by the bottle from South Africa’s The Winery of Good Hope. Drop in for a $20 tasting Tuesday through Sunday (what’s on offer changes weekly) or grab a bottle from the Stellenbosch region to go. 

Where: 2033 Hosea L. Williams Drive NE

Elemental Spirits  

Poncey-Highland’s beloved Elemental Spirits is a bottle shop in every sense of the word. Here, you’ll find vintage glassware, tequilas, sherry, vermouth, all the spirits and lots of wine. There is a nice selection of South African wines in stock, including a sparkling, two whites and two reds. Next time you stop in, keep an eye out for these: The Van Hunks Cap Classique Brut is a chardonnay and pinot noir blend with notes of green apple, lemon zest, brioche and a fine mousse. The Craven Stellenbosch cinsault is 100% cinsault — light and fresh with cranberry, pomegranate and clove. And then there’s the Luddite Saboteur White Blend, a blend of chenin, viognier and blanc fumé that’s bone-dry with hints of peach, lemon blossom and saline. 

Where: 602 North Highland Ave. NE

Larakin

This tiny, sunlit coffee-and-wine bar with a big, spacious patio in Midtown punches well above its weight when it comes to its bottle list. Owner Jordan Chambers approaches wine the way he does coffee: low-intervention, small-production and built to surprise. The list changes frequently, and right now that means you can find Craven’s “Firs Vineyard” syrah by the bottle. This is one of the most exciting reds coming out of South Africa’s Stellenbosch. Grab tinned fish, focaccia and a table outside if the weather’s nice, and settle in for a glass or two (or three) before walking it off in Piedmont Park.

Where: 208 Twelfth St. NE

Madeira Park

This intimate Poncey-Highland wine bar and restaurant is a paradise for bottle hunters, and its list quietly holds some of South Africa’s most important names. Right now, that includes wines from Sadie Family Wines — the project of Eben Sadie, who helped put the Swartland region on the international wine map. The shop also recently added Testalonga’s “Keep on Punching” chenin blanc by the glass. Organically grown in Swartland, it ages in both stainless steel and neutral French oak, landing somewhere between Granny Smith apple, fresh pineapple, white flowers and ginger, with a bright acidity that keeps things lively. 

Where: 640 North Highland Ave. NE

Perrine’s Wine Shop

With multiple locations around Atlanta, Perrine’s carries one of the more robust and rotating selections of South African wine in the city. The inventory varies by location, so the best way to see what’s in stock is to browse the online shop or stop by a brick-and-mortar store. Either way, you’re likely to find something that surprises you — whether it’s a Swartland natural, a classical Stellenbosch red or a crisp coastal white.

Where: Westside, 1168 Howell Mill Road NW; Buckhead, 3112 East Shadowlawn Ave. NE; Sandy Springs, 5920 Roswell Road

Side Saddle Wine Saloon 

Situated on the new Beltline extension in Boulevard Heights, Side Saddle is pouring two South African gems worth the trip. The 2024 Lubanzi “Rainboat” pét-nat is a funky, cloudy pink cinsault bursting with strawberry, wild berries and herby kombucha vibes. And the 2023 Aslina Sauvignon Blanc from trailblazing winemaker Ntsiki Biyela (South Africa’s first Black female winemaker) is all tropical fruit, lemon zest and silky finish. These are warm-weather essentials that pair perfectly with the sunset and a pre- or post-drinks Beltline stroll.

Where: 680 Hamilton Ave. SE

Vine Fine Wine

This Downtown Decatur gem stocks a handful of crowd-pleasing South African picks alongside some genuinely distinctive finds. The sustainably produced, wild-fermented False Bay chenin blanc and pinotage are reliable, food-friendly bottles at great prices, and the Barebones cinsault is exactly what it sounds like — playful, partially carbonic, and easy to love. But don’t overlook the showstoppers: “I think either Flower Girl pet nat or the Mary Delaney Collection pinot noir from Botanica would be the cutest bottles we have from South Africa,” said shop owner Sam Pilch. 

Where: Downtown Decatur

Check out more flavors from around the world in our Must-Try Restaurants list.

Allison Ramirez is an Atlanta-based freelance journalist with over a decade of experience writing for publications like Travel + Leisure, the Daily Beast, Eater, Thrillist and others. Her recent work spans art, architecture, travel, and food & beverage stories, focusing on diversity within those spaces in the South and beyond. 

Originally Published March 23, 2026