Dunes, Hout Bay, Cape Town: Restaurant Review

Dunes
1 Beach Road, Hout Bay
Cape Town | Map

Category: Casual
Fare: Seafood, of course; and pub grub.
Price range: Medium
Open for: Breakfast (weekends only during off-season), Lunch, Dinner, Coffee
Under review: Lunch
SA Blog recommends? Definitely

Snippet
Dunes is a good place for a long, lazy lunch, but check the weather before you toddle over.

(See full review below.)

This outing cost: R80 per person
Including tip? Yes
Including wine? N/A
Food score (out of 10): 6
Service score (out of 10): 6
Reservations? Yes
Corkage? 20
Closed? Never

Contact Information
Tel: +27 (0) 21 790 1876, Fax: +27 (0) 21 790 1306
dunes@worldonline.co.za

Review
Dunes is a good place for a long, lazy lunch, but check the weather before you toddle over (best way to do this: call ahead). The restaurant’s chief attraction is its upper-level deck, and diners can be driven off it by rain or a stiff, sandblasting wind.

The owners weren’t kidding when they named their establishment: the dunes of Hout Bay beach have marched right over and surrounded the place. The views, of the Sentinel on the right, Chapman’s Peak on the left, and the sparkling harbor waters in the center, compete for attention with the menu, which comprises, however, most of the fare that one expects of a down-to-Earth seaside restaurant. Between my order (ostrich burger, Red Grapetiser, single espresso) and my lunch companion’s (breaded calamari, Corona, double espresso), she had the best of it in every way – which is not to say that my fare wasn’t good, just average. And I envied her that Corona!

The point of eating at Dunes is that the food is largely a secondary consideration: this restaurant has the three position! position! position! bases extremely well-covered, and that you get to eat while gazing off to sea is a bonus. Second bonus: there’s a large kiddie playground on the premises. This makes it a perfect stop for post-Chapman’s Peak family activities.

Also reviewed in: Rossouw’s Restaurants