Southern Africa
The Southern African hot list
Autumn 2026
The Southern African hot list is our dossier of what’s shaping the cultural and creative landscape across Southern Africa. It tracks hot new openings, design-forward projects, restaurant and hotel moves and events worth planning around. Everything is selected for relevance and pull, with clear names, locations and the detail that helps you decide quickly.
Table of Contents
Top photography courtesy of The Ritz-Carlton Masai Mara Safari Camp
00
1/2
Little Fox
Cape Town, South Africa
At Constantia Nek, Little Fox gives the La Colombe Group a relaxed, à la carte room for lunch, dinner and a post-hike bite. It sits in the historic Nek buildings, first opened as a tearoom in 1929, with mountain air and traffic hum outside. Chef-proprietor Glen Foxcroft Williams runs it with head chef Keanen Jaftha. The menu focuses on flavour-driven small plates designed for sharing rather than theatre. It follows the group’s small-plate lineage, keeps the mood casual and turns the Constantia Nek landmark into a regular stop.
Little Fox
Constantia Nek
Cape Town
South Africa
Cape Town
South Africa
Affiliate link (what is it?)
Photography courtesy of Little Fox
00
1/2
Foxcroft
Cape Town, South Africa
High Constantia was the warm-up. Foxcroft has moved to Constantia Nek, taking chef-proprietor Glen Williams’ small-plates discipline into a southern suburbs landmark with valley views. La Colombe Restaurant Group holds two Eat Out Awards stars (2025) and runs tasting-style menus built on tight flavours and clean technique. Expect herbed-salt bread with jersey butter, truffled cauliflower and roasted yeast, yellowtail ssam and tomato kimchi with Namibian crab and perilla. Later courses lean bolder: crayfish with mushroom, jollof and berbere, cannon of lamb with turnip and denningvleis, then chestnut, mascarpone and burnt vanilla. Petit fours land at the end, as they should.
Foxcroft
Constantia Nek
Constantia
Cape Town
South Africa
Constantia
Cape Town
South Africa
Affiliate link (what is it?)
Photography courtesy of Foxcroft
00
The Cole
Cape Town, South Africa
Sea Point’s promenade energy is a few steps away, but the mood inside The Cole stays low-lit and sculptural. It sits right by the beachfront. South African architect Robert Silke designed an undulating façade influenced by tropical mid-century modernism, with curves repeating in balconies, windows and bespoke furniture. Upstairs, Figo is the rooftop restaurant, cooking over wood and coal, with freshly rolled semolina pasta, seafood and grilled meats. Downstairs, Script is the lobby bar for clean classics and a pre-dinner reset. A spa and a rooftop pool keep it from feeling like a sleep-and-go address. Book a sea-facing balcony if the point is to hear the Atlantic, then head out.
The Cole
1 Church Rd
Sea Point
Cape Town
South Africa
Sea Point
Cape Town
South Africa
Affiliate link (what is it?)
Photography courtesy of The Cole
00
18/12
&Beyond Phinda Zuka Lodge
Ngwenya, South Africa
In South Africa’s KwaZulu-Natal, deep in the Zuka Hills of Phinda Private Game Reserve, &Beyond Phinda Zuka Lodge keeps it intimate: four thatched suites facing a private waterhole, set up for exclusive-use stays up to 10 guests. The 2025 refurbishment by Hubert Zandberg Interiors leans warm and tactile, with natural tones and African craft rather than safari set dressing. Each suite has a private sala for shaded lunches, reading or post-drive decompression. There’s also a dedicated Family Suite for multi-generational trips.
&Beyond Phinda Zuka Lodge
Phinda Private Game Reserve
KwaZulu Natal
South Africa
KwaZulu Natal
South Africa
Affiliate link (what is it?)
Photography courtesy of &Beyond Phinda Zuka Lodge
Share this
You might also like
Book your stay in Africa
Stay in the know
Sign up for the latest hotspot news from Southern Africa.
