Deux Lions (La Bourgogne)

Deux Lions at La Bourgogne: Wine, olives and dining on Excelsior Road

Deux Lions is the visitor-facing restaurant and tasting brand on La Bourgogne Farm, set on scenic Excelsior Road in the Franschhoek Valley. The official site positions the property as barefoot luxury: seasonal, locally sourced food; estate 1694-range wines made from grapes grown on the farm; and olive products pressed at the farm’s own Olive Shed. For travellers building a Franschhoek itinerary that mixes a proper lunch with a short tasting—rather than a pure cellar-door flight stop—Deux Lions is one of the valley’s clearer wine-and-dine combinations.

The farm name and tasting brand nod to Franschhoek’s Huguenot story. Tertiary winelands directories record La Bourgogne as a subdivision of an early Huguenot farm proclaimed in 1694, historically linked to Pierre de Villiers and later long-term Le Roux farming involvement. Deux Lions’ own tasting menu brands the house range 1694—Shiraz Rosé, Family Reserve Blend, and Unwooded Chardonnay—so the date is part of the visitor experience, not only a history footnote. Guests should treat detailed ownership timelines from older directories as background and rely on deuxlions.za.com for current menus, hours, and bookings.

What to taste: 1694 wines and olive oil

The official tasting-and-collection menu (PDF hosted on the estate site) lists two focused experiences:

• 1694 Wine Tasting (R100) — Shiraz Rosé, Family Reserve Blend, and Unwooded Chardonnay from grapes produced on the farm.
• Olive and Oil Tasting (R150) — a selection of four olive styles plus one olive oil; olives are grown on the farm and pressed at the Olive Shed as cold-pressed extra-virgin olive oil.

Olive varietals described on the site include Mission, Frantoio, Leccino, Coratina, and Kalamata, with notes on table-olive versus oil styles. Retail collection items on the same menu historically included bottled 1694 wines, marinated and smoked olives, and olive oil in several bottle sizes—confirm availability and prices on visit, as stock rotates.

This dual offering is useful for Franschhoek itineraries: many valley stops are wine-only; Deux Lions lets you compare estate wine and estate olives in one sitting before (or after) a meal.

Restaurant: seasonal food on the farm

Head chef Shaun and team cook from farm produce and local seasonal ingredients. The live site presents sharing plates, starters, mains, and desserts—examples include farm olives with brioche, charcuterie and cheese selections, a Deux Lions braai platter for two, seafood and Winelands meat mains, and desserts that play with olive and berry flavours. Spring special and braai-platter menus appear alongside the à la carte offering; the kitchen notes that the curated menu does not offer swap-outs and that allergens (including nuts and shellfish) are present.

Reservations are handled via reservations@deuxlions.za.com, +27 21 876 3245, and the site’s Book Now / Dineplan pathway. Advance booking is wise for lunch on weekends and for Friday–Saturday dinner.

Hours, location and practical tips

Per the official Visit Us page (fetched for this guide):

• Wine tastings: Wednesdays–Sundays 11h00–16h30
• Lunch: Wednesdays–Sundays 11h00–17h00
• Dinner: Fridays & Saturdays 18h00–22h00 (last seating 20h00)
• Wednesday/Thursday dinner, events, or special occasions by request at least one week ahead
• Closed Mondays and Tuesdays during the winter period

Address: Excelsior Rd, Franschhoek, 7690. The Franschhoek Vineyard Hopper lists Deux Lions among hop-on valley stops—still confirm tasting and restaurant hours before you plan a hop. Parking and seating are farm-based; this is not a village Main Road walk-in café.

Practical notes for Western Cape wine-route planning: pair Deux Lions with other Excelsior Road / Robertsvlei-side producers if you are driving the quieter side of the valley, or combine a midday tasting-and-lunch here with a village evening booking. Prices on the tasting PDF (R100 wine / R150 olive) should be reconfirmed on arrival—menus update seasonally. No invented awards or unverified “best of” claims belong in a planning brief; the honest draw is the combination of farm wine, farm olives, and a full restaurant calendar.

Why visit Deux Lions on a Franschhoek day

Choose Deux Lions when you want wine tasting plus olive tasting plus a real meal on one historic Excelsior Road farm, with published Wednesday–Sunday hospitality hours and a clear booking channel. It suits couples and small groups who prefer a paced lunch over a rapid multi-farm tasting sprint—and it gives olive lovers a structured tasting that many Franschhoek cellar doors do not offer. Always book dinner and larger tables ahead; always check winter Monday–Tuesday closures on the official site before you drive out from Cape Town or Stellenbosch.

Planning a stop on Excelsior Road

Excelsior Road runs along a quieter Franschhoek corridor away from Huguenot Road’s denser hospitality strip. Deux Lions therefore works well as a dedicated lunch destination rather than a two-minute tram hop. If you are self-driving from Cape Town via the N1/R45, allow time for Franschhoek village traffic before the turn toward Excelsior. Shuttle guests on the Vineyard Hopper can request Deux Lions among listed stops, but restaurant seating is independent of any hop-on ticket—still reserve a table.

For groups, the braai platter and sharing plates scale more easily than à la carte alone; for couples, the 1694 three-wine flight plus olive tasting is a compact pre-lunch ritual. Children under 12 have a small dedicated menu on the estate PDF (fish fingers, nuggets, toasted cheese)—useful context for family travellers, without turning the venue into a kids’ park positioning.

Wine-list context beyond the house 1694 range: the drinks menu also lists neighbouring and valley bottles (for example La Bri, Colmant Cap Classique, Chamonix, Eikehof, and others), so diners who want a second glass after the estate tasting can explore Franschhoek more broadly without leaving the table. House wines by the glass are marked on the menu where available.

Sustainability and “farm to table” language on the site is practical rather than certification-heavy: olives and grapes from the property, seasonal menus, and a chef’s note about comfort and honest flavours. That tone matches the barefoot-luxury branding—polished service without a stiff fine-dining dress code claimed on the homepage.

Finally, double-check winter Monday–Tuesday closures and last dinner seating at 20h00 on Friday and Saturday nights. Franschhoek fills quickly in festival weeks (Bastille, harvest events); Deux Lions’ combination of tasting and full kitchen makes it popular precisely when walk-ins are hardest. A confirmed reservation is the difference between a relaxed Excelsior Road afternoon and a scramble for village tables.