The August dining specials worth getting the girls together for

August is Women’s Month, which means the group chat finally has a reason to become a reservation. From long Sunday lunches and proper dinners to a coastal brunch and a Winelands escape, these are the tables worth getting everyone around.  

August is Women’s Month in South Africa, which means there is no shortage of reasons to get the women in your life around a table. Not every gathering needs to be a grand occasion, either. There are the friends you see every week, the ones you mostly know through the group chat, the colleague who has become a real friend, and the old friend you have been meaning to see since February. Some catch-ups call for a quick lunch between commitments; others require an afternoon, a bottle of wine and nowhere else to be.

Our Women’s Month dining edit covers the lot.

Cape Town

Club Kloof

Sunday Club Steak, Frites + Wine: R295pp | Sundays | Tiramisu add-on R100pp

Sunday lunch is a particularly good format for sisters who want to keep the family tradition but take it outside. At Club Kloof, the combination of steak, frites and a carafe of red wine makes a strong case for a cosy hangout at the Milan-inspired red room, while the dining room’s 1980s Milanese-inspired interiors give the occasion a little more glamour than your average weekend lunch.

The Sunday Club menu is R295 per person, with tiramisu available as a R100 add-on. Go for lunch; leave when the conversation runs out.

Reserve via Dineplan

Iron Steak and Bar

Steak + Frites Special: R265pp | Monday–Sunday

Iron Steak and Bar sits somewhere between neighbourhood restaurant and modern steakhouse, making it an easy choice for a low-fuss dinner with friends and sisters. Its 200g flat iron steak is cooked over an open-fire grill, with Wagyu beef-dripping popcorn, a green leaf salad and salted caramel ice cream completing the meal.

It is generous without being overly formal, and the kind of menu that works well when everyone is more interested in eating well and catching up than making a production of dinner.

Reserve via Dineplan

Obi

R100 Bento Box Lunch: R100pp | Tuesday–Saturday

On Long Street, Obi makes a convincing argument for turning an ordinary weekday into a lunch date. For R100 per person, its bento box comes with miso soup, a salmon rose, salmon and tuna nigiri, four prawn California rolls, four vegetable tempura and dip.

There is plenty to sample, and with enough change left over, nobody has to call it an extravagant outing.

Reserve via Dineplan 

Our Local

Set Menu Special: R225 for two courses / R295 for three courses | Thursday–Saturday | Kloof Street + Sea Point

Our Local has the comfortable feel of somewhere you could imagine knowing the owners, with abundant plants, vintage furniture and a menu designed around generous, familiar flavours. The set menu includes dishes such as baked Camembert, roasted pumpkin, beef ragu and creamy orzo.

Two courses are R225 and three are R295, making it a straightforward choice for an end-of-week dinner when you want good food and a proper catch-up.

Reserve via Dineplan

Kraal Restaurant at Joostenberg Wagenhuis

Wine Country Lunch: R350pp | Friday–Sunday

Some plans are better when they involve leaving Cape Town altogether. At Kraal Restaurant at Joostenberg Wine Estate in Muldersvlei, Stellenbosch, a three-course lunch built around farm-to-table cooking gives you a reason to make the trip, with locally reared lamb and beef alongside seasonal produce.

The R350 per person, lunch includes a tasting flight of three estate red wines, making this one to book when the destination is as much a part of the plan as the meal. Make a day of the Winelands and settle in for a leisurely afternoon.

Reserve via Dineplan

ALSO READ: Three ways to revisit House of BNG brut rosé this winter

Pretoria

Brasserie de Paris

Brasserie de Paris brings French-inspired cooking and contemporary European influences to the Karl Jooste House in Waterkloof Ridge. Its intimate setting, à la carte menu, and tasting menus make it a more considered choice for dinner with the best friend who has heard every chapter of the story already but will happily sit through the latest over a properly good meal. There is also a curated wine list and an in-house sommelier, adding to the sense that this is a dinner to take your time over.

Reserve via Dineplan  

Garden Route

Barrington’s

Women’s Month Sunday Brunch Special: R250pp | Sundays, 10:00–13:00 | 2–30 August 2026

Barrington’s in Plettenberg Bay makes a compelling case for turning brunch into a destination. Its four-course Women’s Month brunch, available on Sundays this August from 10:00 to 13:00, includes a complimentary Pink Valley Aperol Spritz and live music to set the ambience.

This is the sort of booking that works particularly well as part of a weekend away: good food, a long morning and a reason to take the scenic route.

Reserve via Dineplan 

Durban

Hussar Grill, Oceans

Tuesday Date Nights: R499 for two courses / R599 for three courses per couple | Tuesdays through 31 August 2026

Tuesday is not traditionally the night associated with going out for dinner, which is precisely what makes it a good one. At Hussar Grill in Oceans, Umhlanga, the Tuesday Date Night menu offers two courses for R499 per table of two or three courses for R599.

The offer includes a complimentary bottle of Hussar Grill Premium Red Blend, HER Sauvignon Blanc or HER Chenin Blanc, or two soft drinks.

The HER wines are a fitting detail for Women’s Month, but the real appeal is simpler: steakhouse classics, a polished setting, and a reason to make an ordinary Tuesday a day to look forward to. Better yet, make it a date with your work bestie.

Reserve via Dineplan

This article was not sponsored and contains no affiliate links. All opinions expressed are those of the editorial team.