Mertia — Contemporary South African / Fine Dining, Stellenbosch
Mertia is an intimate 28-seater restaurant opened by Marais Kirsten-Uys — who previously worked at a 3-Michelin-star restaurant in San Francisco — and Matt van den Berg, formerly of La Colombe and The Test Kitchen, who have evolved their own approachable fine-dining style in seasonal tasting menus of sublime elegance and precision.
The cooking at Mertia reflects the combined experience of two chefs who trained at the absolute summit of fine dining: the three-Michelin-star San Francisco precision and the La Colombe and Test Kitchen legacy of Cape Town’s most celebrated restaurants, synthesised into a style that is specifically and confidently South African while operating at an international technical level.
The wine programme draws on the Stellenbosch Valley with the specificity that two chefs building a restaurant around hyper-local ingredients naturally demands.
Mertia is the Stellenbosch restaurant for those who want the most technically accomplished and personally invested fine dining available in the Winelands in the most intimate possible setting.
Best Occasion: Birthday
A 28-seater with three-Michelin-star and La Colombe pedigree, seasonal tasting menus of sublime elegance, and the intimate personal investment of two chefs building their finest work: Mertia is the birthday address for those who want to mark the occasion at the Winelands’ most accomplished table.
Best Occasion: Close a Deal
Three-Michelin-star pedigree, La Colombe experience, and 28 seats of personal attention: Mertia provides the most intimate and technically accomplished business dinner available in Stellenbosch.