No run of Mill bistro

LUXE RESTAURANT AWARDS WINNER: SIMPLICITY, ATTENTION TO DETAIL

- Jim Freeman

Overnight success is nothing new in the restaurant business; being judged the best bistro in South Africa only eight months after opening its doors is another thing entirely.

What makes Stellenbosch's Mill Street Bistro's (www.millstreetbistro.co.za) win at the 2025 LUXE Restaurant Awards all the more remarkable is that chef-patron Phil Carmichael and his team were nominated just two months after commencing service.

LUXE Awards founder Chad Fourie said Mill St Bistro was "the kind of place that perfectly balances sophistication with comfort. Under the leadership of Michelin-starred chef Carmichael, it has carved out a unique identity - one that celebrates South Africa's finest ingredients with an honest, ingredient-driven approach."

Carmichael said: "The team was over the moon when I texted the result from Johannesburg.

"This place was packed with diners and none of them initially understood when all the staff started cheering.

"Winning was the validation of everything we have been striving to achieve."

Carmichael said the restaurant is a dream he has nurtured since leaving Cape Town for London with his Pretoria-born wife a dozen years ago.

"It has been a passion project, the culmination of 30 years' graft in other people's kitchens and winning awards on their behalf".