RESTAURANT
KLEIN JAN
RESTAURANT KLEIN JAN IS SITUATED ON ONE OF SOUTH AFRICA’S LEADING PRIVATE GAME RESERVES, TSWALU KALAHARI, A REFUGE – UNTAMED, UNTOUCHED, UNSPOILED – THAT CELEBRATES THE SIMPLE, AUTHENTIC SPLENDOURS OF THIS MAGICAL REGION. KLEIN JAN TELLS THE STORY OF SOUTH AFRICAN CULTURE THROUGH FOOD, FROM THE WAYS OF OLD TO THE NEW.
Creating Restaurant Klein JAN has been Chef Jan Hendrik van der Westhuizen’s great homecoming project. Growing up on a farm in South Africa’s rural Mpumalanga province, he felt an instant connection to the vastness of the Kalahari and knew that the time had come to return the spirit of JAN – his Michelin-star restaurant in Nice – to home soil.
The Kalahari felt like a blank canvas with unlimited possibilities. The region’s underexplored ingredients were the perfect inspiration to open a new restaurant and bring fine dining home – giving the food from the Kalahari the global stage it deserves.
Executive Chef: Marnus Scholly
Head Chef: Etienne Wessels
SOMMELIÈRE: Loraine Magombo
Operations manager: Tika Michaux
Restaurant Klein JAN, was awarded in the international Hidden Gem category at the prestigious La Liste 2022 gala evening in Paris. The La Liste Awards recognise chefs, restaurants and regions that are making waves in the industry through excellent cuisine, innovation, sustainability and authenticity; and the fact that a proudly African restaurant rooted in the heart of the Kalahari has received this honour on an international stage is a tremendous testimony to the incredible Klein JAN team’s work.
The team at Restaurant Klein JAN have been honoured by the Tourism and Hospitality Counsel of South Africa at the 3rd annual Luxe Restaurant Awards in three categories: Culinary Pioneer, Restaurant of the Year (Restaurant Klein JAN) and Chef of the Year.
The Luxe Restaurant Awards is hosted by the Tourism and Hospitality Counsel of South Africa, a management consulting firm that services the South African hospitality sector, focusing on the sustainability and growth of the industry.










Due to the nature of the Klein JAN experience,
visiting the restaurant is not suitable for children under the age of 12.
Please note that our online booking process has been updated due to the high volume of reservations requests that we receive.
Our reservations now operate on a queued system and are only confirmed once you have received a payment request. If you have not received a payment request, please note your reservation is not confirmed.


More details will be communicated after booking confirmation.
@restaurantkleinjan  |  #restaurantkleinjanÂ
KLEIN JAN IN THE PRESS


Designed and sited to make the best of Tswalu’s dramatic and expansive views, The Motse and Tarkuni provide exclusivity, privacy, and unfettered access to one of southern Africa’s last true wildernesses.