“9.8 Out of 10”: UK Gent Praises South Africa’s Cheap but Amazing Steak

• A UK travel content creator visited a top-rated steakhouse in Cape Town, calling South Africa the land of cheap and amazing steak
• He ordered a piece of 350g fillet steak from the restaurant and was blown away by the quality, calling it really cheap
• Locals fired back with offers to braai him a better steak at home for the same money

A UK travel creator named Kieran Brown, who goes by @kieranbrowntravels on Facebook, had South Africans split right down the middle after sharing a video from a Cape Town steakhouse on 19 February 2026. He posted it with the caption: "South Africa: The land of cheap and amazing steak." In the clip, he headed to a highly recommended steakhouse called NV-80, ordered a large 350g fillet steak, and sat down to give his honest verdict. He admitted he cannot use a knife and fork properly and asked people not to judge him, which only made the video more entertaining. After his first bite, he gave the steak a 9.8 out of 10 and said it was one of the best things he had ever eaten.

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The price he paid was £20, which converts to roughly R455 at current exchange rates. For a visitor from the UK, where beef prices have been climbing steeply, the cost felt like a bargain. According to protein trends experts, beef prices globally have been rising sharply due to decades of shrinking cattle herds in major producing countries and a surge in demand for ground beef and burger patties. The US cattle herd has dropped from around 130 million animals in 1979 to closer to 87 million today, and the supply squeeze has pushed prices up across the board. South Africa, which produces its own beef locally without the added cost of importing, has been somewhat shielded from the worst of the global price surge, which is why a quality steak here still feels like value for money to international visitors.

For South Africans though, R455 for a steak without sides told a very different story, and they were not shy about saying so.

Watch the Facebook clip below:

Mzansi disagrees with the UK gent's take on SA steak

The comments section was lively with many discussing Facebook user @kieranbrowntravels's opinion on the price of the steak:

@Joel De Freitas said:

"I can braai you a 1kg for that price and will throw in chips."

@Trevor Stuart added:

"My fellow South Africans, let the tourists enjoy those restaurants. We all know the true SA experience is a fire at home with a brandy and Woolies meat for under R1000."

@Rui Jorge wrote:

"Steak for R400? No thanks. Let's beef up our search for a local favourite instead."

@Darren Nisbet pointed out:

"All these international tourists only go to Cape Town. There are a whole lot of other South African cities and towns that produce even better food."

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@Kelly Wileman de Haas said:

"That is pricey. There are a lot of great places where you can get a great steak for under R250 with sides."

@Hendrik Breed offered:

"For that price, I will treat you to a grill at my home that will blow your socks off."

More tourists falling in love with SA food

• Briefly News recently reported on a South African woman in the US who got her friends from five countries to try malva pudding.
• Three Australian tourists wanted to try everything on a menu at a South African Indian restaurant.
• An American food creator hit seven spots across Joburg in one day, trying unique SA food.

Source: Briefly News