The gala ceremony was held at The Rotunda at The Bay Hotel in Cape Town where guests sampled gourmet creations from award-winning chefs. The 20 exceptional nominees were judged on stringent criteria, recommendations from Eat Out’s national panel of professional restaurant reviewers as well as their very vocal online audience of 75 000 users, were taken into account by Judge and Eat Out Editor Abigail Donnelly. Restaurants are judged on food, service and ambience and other aspects that make or break the eating out experience. This year’s awards also boasted a host of new categories, making it the most extensive culinary award in the country. 2011’s long awaited winners are: Chef of the Year Luke Dale-Roberts Restaurant of the Year The Greenhouse Top 10 Restaurants 1. The Greenhouse 2. The Test Kitchen 3. The Tasting Room 4. The Roundhouse 5. Overture 6. Terroir 7. DW Eleven-13 8. Jordan Restaurant 9. Nobu 10. La Colombe Service Excellence Award The Roundhouse Lannice Snyman Lifetime Achievement Award (in association with Paarl Media) Garth Stroebel Best Asian restaurant (new category) Kitima Best Italian restaurant (new category) 95 Keerom Best Steakhouse (new category) The Local Grill in Boksburg, Parktown North and Sandton Best Country-style restaurant (new category) The Table at De Meye Best Bistro (new category) Bizerca Bistro Boschendal Style Award (new category) Makaron Woolworths Taste Bursary Zahir Isaacs City Press VIP Sunday Breakfast Award Salvation Café Donnelly said: “The winners this year have shown astonishing talent in world class establishments.” Nick Thorogood, Managing Director at Food Network EMEA: “All of the award winners and nominated restaurants tonight should be very proud of their achievements. We’re pleased to be involved in these awards and supporting local industries, as they really showcase the very best of South Africa’s culinary delights. This is particularly important to us as we aim to produce more local content throughout 2012.” Carmen Bennett, DStv Brand Manager: Marketing and Sales: “We are proud to be associated with the Eat Out Awards and we would like to congratulate everyone who participated in making this a mementos occasion.” To find out more, visit www.eatout.co.za. For a full list of the winners click here and visit our Facebook page for photographs of the event. On Twitter, search #eatoutawards for commentary from the night. Photos courtesy of New Media Publishing.