Restaurant in Johannesburg, South Africa
Two-time award winner. Book it.
Embarc has earned Star Wine List recognition twice — in 2022 and 2026 — which makes it the most wine-credentialled destination in Parkhurst and a serious option for anyone visiting Johannesburg with a bottle-first agenda. Booking is easy, the neighbourhood is walkable, and the wine program has demonstrably grown over time. Come for the list, not the occasion-dining format.
Embarc is not the kind of Parkhurst spot you write off as a neighbourhood wine bar with a decent list. Two Star Wine List recognitions — in 2022 and again in 2026 — confirm a wine program with genuine depth, and that credential is the clearest signal of what this venue is actually for. If your reason to book is serious wine in a setting that takes the glass as seriously as the food, Embarc belongs near the leading of your Johannesburg shortlist. If you are looking for a celebrity-chef dining room or a grand occasion restaurant in the Sandton mould, this is not that.
Parkhurst runs on an easy, tree-lined rhythm that suits a longer, slower meal, and Embarc fits that pace. The corner address on 4th and 13th puts it in one of Johannesburg's most walkable dining pockets, where the visual cues are neighbourhood-scale rather than hotel-lobby grand. What you are arriving for is a room where the wine list is the centrepiece , and the Star Wine List award, earned across two distinct vintages of the programme, suggests that list has maintained and grown its ambition over time rather than resting on an early reputation.
The 2026 Star Wine List recognition is the more meaningful data point here. Many venues earn a wine award once and coast. A second recognition four years later points to ongoing curation, which for an explorer-minded diner means the list is worth interrogating rather than just ordering from the obvious end. For context on what a rigorous South African wine programme can look like at the leading of the category, venues like Le Quartier Français in Franschhoek and Salsify at the Roundhouse in Cape Town set a high bar , Embarc's dual recognition places it in serious company within Johannesburg specifically.
Wine-forward venues in South Africa track the harvest calendar more closely than most diners realise. New vintage releases from the Cape winelands typically land in the first half of the year, and a list that is actively maintained will reflect those arrivals as they come in. If you are visiting Embarc with the intention of exploring current-release South African wine , particularly from regions like Swartland, Hemel-en-Aarde, or Stellenbosch , the period between March and July is when you are most likely to find recent vintages freshly listed. Winter in Johannesburg (June to August) also tends to favour fuller-bodied red drinking, which aligns well with what the Cape's leading producers are releasing. For a deeper sense of how South African wine estates approach the seasonal cycle, Delheim Wine Estate in Stellenbosch offers useful context on how the harvest shapes what ends up in the glass.
Equally, if Embarc's food programme rotates with the seasons , as most serious wine-destination venues do , the winter months tend to produce menus that are better matched to the kind of structured, complex South African reds that make a list like this worth ordering from. Visiting in the warmer summer months is still worthwhile, but the wine-food alignment is sharper when the kitchen is cooking into the cold.
For how Embarc sits within the broader Johannesburg dining scene, see the comparison section below. For the wider picture of where to eat and drink across the city, our full Johannesburg restaurants guide covers the full range of options, and our full Johannesburg bars guide is useful if the wine focus here is not quite what you need. If you are building a full trip around food and wine in South Africa, Wolfgat in Paternoster and Ethos Restaurant in Johannesburg are worth considering alongside Embarc. For broader Johannesburg planning, the full Johannesburg hotels guide and full Johannesburg experiences guide round out the picture.
Embarc is at the corner of 4th Avenue and 13th Street in Parkhurst, Johannesburg. No phone number or website is listed in available records , check Google or current review platforms for up-to-date contact information before visiting. Booking difficulty is rated easy, so last-minute reservations are likely possible, though weekends in a neighbourhood this popular can fill faster than you expect. Dress code and pricing information is not confirmed in available data; the Parkhurst context and wine-award positioning suggest smart-casual is a safe default.
Also worth knowing for the neighbourhood: Gigi, KŌL Izakhaya, and Foundry in Sandton are all within the broader northern Johannesburg dining orbit and worth factoring into a multi-stop evening. For something further afield but with a similarly serious wine lens, Aurum and Les Creatifs in Johannesburg offer alternative reference points. If you want a livelier or more casual counterpoint, EAT YOUR HEART OUT in Hillbrow sits at the other end of the spectrum.
For international comparison on what a two-time wine-award venue can mean at the leading of the global category, Le Bernardin in New York City and Lazy Bear in San Francisco show how seriously the leading restaurants treat their wine programs as a core part of the offer , not an afterthought.
Quick reference: Corner of 4th Ave and 13th St, Parkhurst, Johannesburg. Star Wine List 2022 and 2026. Booking: easy. Contact details: confirm via search before visiting.
Booking difficulty at Embarc is rated easy, which means same-week reservations are likely achievable on most nights. That said, Parkhurst is a popular dining neighbourhood and weekends can tighten up, so booking a few days ahead is sensible if your dates are fixed. No phone or online booking link is confirmed in current records , check Google or a current review platform for the leading way to reach them directly.
No formal dress code is listed for Embarc. Given the Parkhurst setting , a neighbourhood known for relaxed, food-forward venues rather than formal dining rooms , smart-casual is a reliable default. The Star Wine List credentials suggest a level of seriousness in the offer, so arriving dressed as you would for a thoughtful dinner rather than a casual lunch is appropriate. Avoid over-dressing for a Sandton-style grand occasion; this is not that kind of room.
The wine list is the main reason to come. Embarc has earned Star Wine List recognition twice , in 2022 and 2026 , which in practical terms means the list has depth and has been maintained over time. Treat this as a wine-destination venue first: come with questions for the floor, spend time on the list, and let the wine drive the meal rather than treating it as an afterthought. Food and pricing details are not confirmed in available data, so check current menus before arriving with firm expectations.
For a wine-forward experience in a different Johannesburg setting, Les Creatifs and Aurum are worth considering. If you want a higher-profile occasion restaurant, Gigi and Ethos Restaurant both operate in the upscale Johannesburg dining tier. For a more casual neighbourhood alternative, KŌL Izakhaya offers a different flavor profile but a similarly neighbourhood-rooted feel. The full Johannesburg restaurants guide covers the broader options across price points and formats.
Yes, if the occasion centres on wine. The double Star Wine List recognition gives Embarc a credential that makes it defensible as a destination for a wine-focused celebration , an anniversary, a milestone, or a dinner where the bottle is the point. It is less suited to occasions where a grand dining room, a famous chef, or a formal tasting-menu format is the expectation. For those, venues in the Sandton orbit will feel more appropriate. Embarc rewards occasions where intimacy and a serious list matter more than spectacle.
Seat count and group booking policies are not confirmed in available data. Given the Parkhurst neighbourhood scale , typically smaller, owner-operated venues rather than large-format restaurants , larger groups should contact the venue directly before assuming availability. A dinner for two to four is the likely sweet spot. For groups of six or more, it is worth calling ahead and confirming whether the space can seat everyone together comfortably. Contact details are not listed here; find current information via Google before booking.
| Venue | Awards | Price | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Embarc | Star Wine List (2026); Star Wine List (2022) | — | |
| Gigi | — | ||
| The Blockman | — | ||
| Les Creatifs | — | ||
| Signature Restaurant Sandton | — | ||
| Sabi Sabi | — |
How Embarc stacks up against the competition.
Book at least a week out for weekday visits; aim for two weeks if you're going on a Friday or Saturday evening. Parkhurst draws a consistent local crowd and a venue with two Star Wine List recognitions fills up faster than a typical neighbourhood spot. No website or phone number is publicly listed, so check Google or social channels for current booking options.
Parkhurst has a relaxed, neighbourhood register, and Embarc sits within that. Think put-together casual rather than formal — jeans and a jacket work fine. Nothing in the available records suggests a dress code, and the corner address on 4th and 13th signals an accessible rather than ceremonial atmosphere.
Embarc's main credential is its wine list — two Star Wine List awards (2022 and 2026) put it among a small number of Johannesburg venues recognised for wine programme quality. Come with that in mind rather than expecting a broad-format restaurant, and arrive prepared to let the list drive the evening. No phone or website is currently listed, so confirm current hours via Google before visiting.
For a different wine-focused format in Johannesburg, Les Creatifs is worth comparing. Signature Restaurant in Sandton suits those who want a more formal, occasion-led setting with a broader kitchen programme. Gigi offers a livelier, more social atmosphere if Parkhurst's slower pace isn't the right fit.
Yes, particularly if wine is the centrepiece of the occasion. A venue with back-to-back Star Wine List recognition in 2022 and 2026 carries enough credibility to anchor a birthday or anniversary dinner built around the list. If you need a more theatrical, full-service occasion format, Signature Restaurant Sandton is the stronger call.
No group booking policy is documented in available records. The corner location in Parkhurst suggests a mid-sized venue rather than a large-format space, so groups above six should confirm capacity directly before committing. For large celebrations where space and private dining are priorities, Signature Restaurant Sandton has more documented capacity.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
