Brandy, tequila & gin tastings with your cuts of meat at Char’d

Steaks are the main event. The tastings complete the experience

Last updated: Wednesday, 18 March 2026

Brandy is as quintessentially South African as steak, and Char’d Grill offers the best of both. The tasting tray of 100% locally-made brandy makes for an ideal pre-dinner experience, followed by fantastic steak which Char’d prepares and ages in-house. And if brandy isn’t your thing, there’s also craft tequila, gin, and a great wine list.

Char’d prepares and ages all of its steak on site. Image: Char’d Grill and Bar

100% LOCAL BRANDY & TEQUILA TASTINGS

While steaks may be the drawcard, it’s the tastings served in Char’d’s steampunk interior that complete the experience. Exposed pipes and vintage pressure gauges line the walls while waiters in mechanical goggles serve you the tasting tray. 

The brandies on offer are Oude Molen VS, which uses a unique Spanish maturation process for an ultra smooth finish; Ladismith 8yr, a triple international gold award-winning brandy from the Klein Karoo; and Joseph Barry XO, which has gentle hints of vanilla, sherry and apricots.

Meanwhile, the tequila tasting features Leonista, a Karoo spirit made the traditional Mexican way where the agave is smoked. Leonista Honey is infused with wild Cape honey and has a smoky finish, while Leonista Black swaps the smokiness for rich notes of butterscotch and caramel.

The spirit tastings are a wonderful way to end off dinner at Char’d. Image: Char’d Grill and Bar

EVER HEARD OF A GIN ATOMISER? 

Beyond the excellent brandies and tequilas, there’s one more unique tasting: The interactive gin atomiser. You squeeze the balloon-like atomisers at the tasting station to smell the infused ingredients of the gins. 

You’ll be able to sniff the orange blossom and exotic marula fruit of African Craft Marula Gin, or the orange, lemon, and lime notes of Triple 3 Citrus. Then pick four for your tasting.

There is also a wine list of over 45 labels that showcase some of the best wineries of the Overberg region, like Benguela Cove, Hermanuspietersfontein, and Creation, which won Number 1 in Africa in the World’s Best Vineyards Awards for four consecutive years.

Smell before you sip. The gin atomiser is a fun way to choose your tasting. Image: Char’d Grill and Bar

GRAIN-FINISHED CUTS PREPPED IN-HOUSE   

After the tastings, you’ll have worked up an appetite for the grain-finished steaks prepared entirely in-house. Grain-finished cows, unlike grain-fed cows, eat grain and grass for their entire lifespan, which improves the quality and taste of the steak. 

That flavour is bolstered at Char’d’s onsite butchery, where the beef is cut, coated in a smoked salt seasoning, and dry-aged with Himalayan rock salt. The salt draws out moisture and creates a tender steak with an amazing crust.

We spoke to Petri Hendriksz, the owner of Char’d, and got his recommendations for cuts of steak at Char’d Grill.

People drive from all around the province to eat at Char'd. Image: Char’d Grill and Bar

VISIT CHAR’D GRILL & BAR   

Char’d Grill is open: Monday to Saturday, 11:30am - 10:30pm (kitchen closes 9:30pm). Sunday, 11:30am - 10pm (kitchen closes 9pm)
Find it: Shop 4, Hermanus Waterfront, Western Cape
Contact on: 028 312 1986, @chardhermanus, Char’d website 

---

DISCOVER MORE FOODIE FUN 

This hidden gem is on a lagoon in Onrus, just outside Hermanus. 

See what else you can get up to in Hermanus. 

There’s so many things to do this weekend in Cape Town.

---

Loved discovering this? Make sure you get our popular weekly newsletter. Follow and like us on Twitter ❤ Facebook ❤ LinkedIn ❤ Instagram ❤ Pinterest for updates.