MERTIA RESTAURANT CELEBRATES
THE BEST OF STELLENBOSCH

The newest star on the Western Cape’s fine dining landscape sees two sons of Stellenbosch unite to bring MERTIA back to the second oldest town in South Africa.

Named after owner and founder Marais Kirsten-Uys’ grandmother, she taught him that anything worth doing is worth doing well. Masterminding the seasonal, set menu is Chef Matt van den Berg, whose flair for elevated dining is informed by fresh, local ingredients. Together, Marais and Matt are realising their shared dream of inviting you into an intimate space – right in the heart of Stellenbosch – where there is an open dialogue between guests and the kitchen, and where the experience evolves with you through every course and every detail, right down to the wine pairing.

We now invite you to celebrate the best of Stellenbosch with us.

MENU

The menu at MERTIA has deep roots in the tradition of cooking with local flavours and fresh, organic ingredients, with a nod to local heritage. Drawing from their combined experiences, the menu will also be infused with Marais and Matt’s global influences, presented in a relaxed, accessible way, whether dining at our wine and snack bar or at the table.

Over multiple courses – paired with rare and fine local wines – MERTIA will take every guest on a culinary voyage that evolves with them, and where no two experiences are the same.

Please note for dinner- only 12-course tasting menu available.

Spring Seven-Course Tasting Menu

Blood Orange, Black Pepper, Jonkershoek Olive Oil


 

Caesar Choux, Bread & Klein River Butter


 

Fish Collar, Ratatouille, Mussels


 

Hen’s Egg, Truffle, Soubise


 

Grass Fed Beef Fillet, Yellow Potato, Milk Bun


 

Guava, Cabra, White Chocolate & Lime


 

End of the Vine

R1250 per person

Wine Experience R950 per person

Dry Experience R450 per person

A gratuity of 12% is added to your final bill.
This will be shared across the whole MERTIA team.

Menu subject to change due to seasonality and product availability

Spring Twelve-Course Tasting Menu

Blood Orange, Black Pepper, Jonkershoek Olive Oil


 

Lamb, Tostada, Sorrel


 

Caesar Choux, Bread & Klein River Butter


 

Lourensford Trout, Broad Bean, Bergamot & Mint


 

Crayfish, Coconut, Kosho


 

Fish Collar, Ratatouille, Mussels


 

Hen’s Egg, Truffle, Soubise


 

Iberian Pork, Walnut, Turnip


 

Zuney Wagyu, Yellow Potato, Milk Bun


 

Thai Green Curry


 

Guava, Cabra, White Chocolate & Lime


 

End of the Vine

R1750 per person

Wine Experience R1350 per person 

Dry Experience R700 per person

A gratuity of 12% is added to your final bill.
This will be shared across the whole MERTIA team.

Menu subject to change due to seasonality and product availability.

STORY

In the heart of Stellenbosch, South Africa’s oldest town after Cape Town, two of the town’s sons have joined forces and returned to create MERTIA, an elevated dining experience with a taste for the finer things. MERTIA is the culmination of a lifelong dream. Crossing the antique gracht from De Wet Square is a rite of passage that allows every guest to leave the hustle and bustle of the vibrant town behind, opening yourself up to true South African hospitality elevated to world-class status, and to surrender to the ever-evolving experience of celebrating being together.

TEAM

Marais Kirsten-Uys

Marais remembers dreaming about owning his own restaurant since he was 12. At 16, he jumped right in, working front-of-house at some of the best restaurants in the Cape over the next decade. After completing his B-Com studies in Stellenbosch, he hopped across the Atlantic to work at the NoMad Hotel – sister restaurant to the world-renowned Eleven Madison Park – in New York City. Returning to South Africa in 2020, he helped assemble the team at Chef Jan Hendrik van der Westhuizen’s Restaurant Klein JAN in the Kalahari, after which he returned Stateside to work with Chef Dominique Crenn (of Atelier Crenn), the only female three-Michelin-star chef in the US. After creating unforgettable experiences for more than a decade – from the Cape and the Kalahari to New York and San Francisco – Marais knew it was time to return home to Stellenbosch, where his dream would finally become a reality.

Matt van den Berg

Matt was introduced to fine dining by his sister, who is also a chef. Like Marais, Matt studied B-Com before pursuing his true passion for hospitality. Since qualifying as a chef, Matt has worked at some of South Africa’s top restaurants, including Waterkloof, Greenhouse, The Test Kitchen and La Colombe, where he refined his culinary vision under mentor, Chef James Gaag, and co-founded the wildly popular, upscale street food eatery How Bao Now at the Timeout Market and OZCF Market in Cape Town in 2020.

As a chef, Matt is intuitive – responsive to every guest’s individual needs – and passionate about local, fresh, organic produce and South African heritage cuisine, but infuses his creations with global sensibilities in a way that is accessible and easy going.

20 Bird Street, Stellenbosch, Western Cape.

Reservations

Your reservation at MERTIA is made via our online booking system  (Dineplan) and a deposit is required to confirm the booking. 

Deposit

A deposit of R250 per guest is paid at the time of booking and will secure your reservation. Please be aware that non-payment constitutes a cancellation of the provisional booking. In the event that a reservation is made for a specific number of guests and fewer than the reserved number attend, we reserve the right to retain the deposit for those who do not arrive.

Cancellation

Should you cancel your booking no later than 48 hours beforehand, we will gladly refund the full amount.

In the case of a late cancellation or no notification of modifications by the guest or a no show, the full deposit per cancelled or absent guest will be held. 

Please note that all cancellations made within 48 hours of your reservation will result in the loss of the deposit.

LUNCH

Wednesday – Saturday
From 12:00

DINNER

Tuesday – Saturday
From 5:30

BAR

Tuesday-Saturday:
4pm till late

Reservations

Your reservation at MERTIA is made via our online booking system  (Dineplan) and a deposit is required to confirm the booking.

Deposit

A deposit of R250 per guest is paid at the time of booking and will secure your reservation. Please be aware that non-payment constitutes a cancellation of the provisional booking. In the event that a reservation is made for a specific number of guests and fewer than the reserved number attend, we reserve the right to retain the deposit for those who do not arrive.

Cancellation

Should you cancel your booking no later than 48 hours beforehand, we will gladly refund the full amount.

In the case of a late cancellation or no notification of modifications by the guest or a no show, the full deposit per cancelled or absent guest will be held. 

Please note that all cancellations made within 48 hours of your reservation will result in the loss of the deposit.

LUNCH

Wednesday – Saturday
From 12:00

DINNER

Tuesday – Saturday
From 5:30

BAR

Tuesday-Saturday:
4pm till late

Dietary Requirements

We can accommodate reasonable dietary requirements indicated at the time of booking.

Regrettably, we are unable to accommodate any dietary requirements or menu adaptations on the day of service.

Child Policy

Please note that MERTIA is a re-fined dining restaurant. As such, we welcome children older than 12 years.

Photography

Photography is welcomed, however no flash photography will be permitted.

If guests would like to bring a photographer to their MERTIA experience, they will need to notify the restaurant atleast 24 Hours in Advance. A photography fee of R2500 will also be charged, if MERTIA approves your request.

Wheelchair accessibility

Our restaurant and bathroom are wheelchair accessible.

Gratuity

A 12% gratuity is added to every table that will be split by the whole team.

Private Events:

For any inqueries on our private events options or the exclusive booking of MERTIA, kindly send an email to carin@mertia.co.za.

Get in touch

You are welcome to contact us if you have any enquiries about reservations or would like to arrange a special occasion.

reservations@mertia.co.za

For group bookings or functions, please email carin@mertia.co.za

Our office hours are from 10:00 – 16:00 from Tuesdays to Saturdays.