Food & Cuisine in Garden Route

For the culinary adventurer, there is no place like South Africa. Here you can get a taste of unusual delicacies such as crocodile sirloins, fried caterpillars, and sheep heads. For those who prefer to stick with the familiar, there are lots of dishes to choose from - biltong (dry salted meat), bobotie (like Shepherd's pie but much improved), and boerewors (farm sausages made by hand and grilled on an open fire), to name a few.

You will feel at home in most eateries with their familiar offerings of hamburgers, sushi, pad thai, spaghetti bolognaise, and other globally known food. And the good news is that the water is safe to drink.

This Garden Route Restaurant guide will help guide you through some of the most memorable restaurants along the garden route. Sitting down to indulge in some traditional culinary delights is a perfect way to end your day after some Garden Route Shopping. More general information about food in South Africa can be found by going to our South African Restaurants page.

Food & Cuisine along The Garden Route

The posh restaurants along the Garden Route sometimes have the occasional fusion dish on the menu; not the commonly found fusion of the east and west, but a marriage of north and south - oxtail ravioli with saffron cream sauce at the Bartholomeus Klip in Hermon on the Cape west coast; marinated ostrich carpaccio at Sage in Pretoria; and believe it or not, tandoori crocodile at the Pavilion in the Marine hotel in Hermanus.

Or you can find places that offer different versions of the familiar, such as a variety of biltongs in all the cafés in the big cities and even in the little dorps (small villages and country towns in South Africa). On the weekends, the mouth watering aroma of spicy sosaties grilled over the braai wafts from the various neighbourhoods, whether rich or poor. You can even find boerewors on the menus of the steak houses that serve their speciality - grilled aged sirloin.

However, if it's authentic South African food and cuisine you're looking for, you'll have to look pretty hard. There are several Garden Route restaurants that have crocodile, kudu, impala, and warthog on the menu. Fortunately, seagulls and penguins are out of the picture today, but once they were the staple diet of a Khoi community of strandlopers (beachcombers) who lived on the Cape shore, as well as for the Dutch and Portuguese sailors who landed here.

Modern South Africa owes much to the Dutch East India Company, which used the country as a half way refreshment stop when it sailed to Java in the mid-1600s in search of spices. It was then that the company established a farm at the tip of Africa.

Eating out along the Garden Route is an integral part of the local culture. There are so many styles of cuisine available, including traditional South African and West African dishes (or their modern versions). In addition, you can find a large number of local chain restaurants, such as Spur and Dulce Cafe.

Fast food restaurants in South Africa are mushrooming all over the place at an alarming rate, and the international players like McDonald's and Kentucky Fried Chicken fight for territory with local chains such as Nando's and Steers. Several of the local fast food chains have successfully ventured beyond the borders of the country.

Settler Cookery

From the 17th century onwards, South Africa was colonised by settlers from the Netherlands, France, Germany, and the British Isles. These people introduced European cookery styles to the country, and settler cuisine was born.

Cape Dutch

‘Cape Dutch' is the term often used to describe the traditional cuisine of South Africa. What sets this cuisine apart is its use of spices such as allspice, nutmeg, and hot peppers.

Interestingly, Cape Dutch owes much of its flavour to the slaves brought here by the Dutch East India Company from Bengal, Java, and Malaysia. You'll see this influence reflected in the eastern spices that characterise this cuisine, as well as in the names given to the dishes.

Indian Cookery

Many of the Indian dishes came along with the Indian labourers who were brought to South Africa in the 19th century. The curries of India enjoy great popularity with all the ethnic groups in the country.

Port wine flourishes in South Africa, especially in Calitzdorp, known as South Africa's ‘Port Wine Capital'. The city owes this honour to its five famous wine cellars - Die Krans, Boplaas, Withoek, Axe Hill, and the Calitzdorp Wine Cellar. Port wine in all its variety is celebrated in a Port Festival and the Kannaland Food and Wine Festival.

The charming village of Calitzdorp is also significant for its brandy, superb fresh and dry fruits, and the most wonderful of South African dessert wines, Muscadel. The village, which lies at the foot of the craggy Huis River Pass, overlooks the spectacular Gamka River Valley, and gracious old homes line its broad streets. There is a lot to see in Calitzdorp - a local history museum, wine farms, the Gamka Mountain Nature Reserve which has 6 walking trails (choose a short walk or a 2-day conducted hike), and the secluded Groenfontein Valley which is a 12,500 ha conserved area with beautifully preserved historical buildings.

Calitzdorp lies along Route 62, the world's longest wine route. At the Calitzdorp Spa, you can relax and refresh yourself in the hot springs rich with minerals, or explore the Klein Karoo by car. While here, don't miss out on the Seven Weeks Poort (Bosluiskloof to Gamka Dam), considered as one of the world's most beautiful mountain passes. Before the Calitzdorp Dam Road joins the R62 on its way to Oudtshoorn, it takes you through the Kruis River Valley and the magnificent Red Hills (Rooi Koppe).

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