Destination Guidebook for Durban, South Africa
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| Dining Overview | Top  |
In Durban, the cuisine is as diverse as the population. You'll find Portuguese, Moroccan, Greek, French, Japanese, Chinese, Thai, Italian, Mexican and German eateries, among others. But Natal curries are what this city is best known for, and no visitor should leave without tasting some of the local Indian delights.
Durban is said to have the largest population of Indians outside of India, and their presence has greatly influenced the local appetite. Curries can be mild, hot, very hot or "exterminator" hot, and unless you're accustomed to pungent foods, we suggest you tell your server "mild, please." While there, try breyani (a specialty offered at many restaurants), samosas (three-sided, deep-fried triangles with spicy curry fillings) and roti (a flat, round pancake-type bread).
If you're lucky enough to get invited to lunch or dinner at the home of an Indian family you know, definitely accept the offer. You will experience a feast fit for royalty, as Indians are known for putting on a big spread. And don't be surprised if your hosts eat with with their fingers: It's common.
"Bunny chow" is a favorite local dish, eaten with your fingers, and it's unique to Durban. As the story goes, bunny chow got its start during the apartheid era when blacks were not allowed to be seated inside restaurants, but could be served takeaways from a back window of restaurants. An innovative restaurateur got the idea to scoop out the middle of a half-loaf of white bread, fill it with curry and replace the inside as a lid. Today, bunny chow is a staple food of students, surfers and laborers, as it's tasty, filling and inexpensive. Bunnies come in halves and quarters and can be found at many takeaways.
Not surprisingly, fresh seafood features prominently on area menus, with langoustines and prawns from Mozambique among the most popular dishes offered. And in the past few years, several restaurants serving traditional African fare have opened in the city. Try pap, which is made from maize meal (Africa's staple food); mogodu (dumplings), umqushu (tripe), samp and beans, smiley's (boiled sheep's head), amadumbe (a potatolike tuber), morogo (African spinach) and always inyama (meat). Expect to pay within these general guidelines, based on the cost of dinner for one, not including drink, tip or tax: $ = less than R60; $$ = R60-R100; $$$ = R101-R150; $$$$ = more than R150. | Local & Regional | Top |
Nandos, home of flame-grilled peri-peri chicken, is so loved in South Africa—its irreverent commercials are so legendary that they're often the topic of conversation around office water coolers—that the takeaway chain can claim that it's as famous as many of the country's historic landmarks and leaders. Nandos got its start in Johannesburg in 1987, and you'll find restaurants selling the fiery-hot, Mozambican-Portuguese style of peri-peri chicken in every neighborhood in the city. Open daily for lunch and dinner. Ulundi is the place to go to taste the Durban version of traditional Indian dishes, and it's done so with elegance and style. Impeccable service. This is the place to go when you're not hurried and have ample time to sit and savor your meal. All of the curries served there, especially the prawn curry, are excellent. Open daily. $$$-$$$. Most major credit cards. 267 Smith St., Durban. Phone 333-6000. http://www.theroyal.co.za. Don't try to pronounce the full name of this restaurant, which is hidden upstairs in a narrow building on Musgrave Road; just remember Palki (prounounced PAL-key). This place is not much to look at, the decor is kind of basic and worn and not all the waitstaff speak English fluently, but the food is excellent. Vegetarians will find a bounty of selections on the menu, and there are plenty of meat dishes, too. Open Tuesday-Sunday for lunch and dinner, Monday for dinner only. $$-$$$. Most major credit cards. 225 Musgrave Road, Berea, Durban. Finding good sushi is not so easy in Durban. Fortunately, Green Mango and its chef Roger Watchara Sirvajanakul are filling the gap. Sushi, sashimi and Thai dishes are featured on the menu at this stylish restaurant. Open Monday-Friday for lunch, Saturday for lunch and dinner. $$-$$$. Avonmore Centre, Ninth Avenue (in the Morningside area of Durban), Durban. Phone 312-7054. When we dine at Jaipur Palace, we always opt for the R89.95 buffet, which is great value for the variety of fine North and South Indian curries served there. This place is plush, with great Indian decor, and there are side rooms that allow for more intimacy if you don't want to sit in the main dining area. Open Sunday-Friday for lunch and dinner, Saturday for dinner only. $$. Most major credit cards. Suncoast Casino, beachfront, North Durban, Durban. Phone 563-0287. http://www.jaipurpalace.co.za. Saagries, a favorite among foreign visitors, serves superb Southern and Northern Indian cuisine. Open Monday and Wednesday-Saturday for lunch, daily for dinner. $$-$$$. Most major credit cards. Holiday Inn Marine Parade, Durban. Phone 332-7932. This is the place to go to find fresh pasta and other Italian cuisine. Chef/owner Luciana Conte named the place for her son, Marco, and she cooks like an adoring mother, putting her heart into every dish. Open Monday-Saturday for lunch and dinner, Sunday for dinner only. $$$. 45 Windermere Road, Greyville, Durban. Phone 303-3078. Years after a first visit to this revolving restaurant on the top floor of John Ross House in central Durban, we can't remember the meal we ordered, but we definitely remember the breathtaking views we saw of the bay and beachfront. Opened in 1973, Roma holds claim to the only revolving restaurant in the Southern Hemisphere, and both its windows and floor revolve. The Italian cuisine there is quite good, too. Roma is especially known for its top-quality veal. Open Monday-Saturday for lunch and dinner. $$$-$$$$. John Ross House, 32nd Floor, Victoria Embankment, Durban. Phone 337-6707. Somehow the words taco and Zulu don't seem to go together. But the owners of this bright, trendy restaurant seem to have reconciled the two. The food there is not exactly authentic, but it's good and very reasonable. You won't find any surprises on the menu. It's typical Mexican fare—quesadillas, tacos, flautas, burritos, enchiladas, etc. $-$$. 237 Florida Road (in the Morningside area), Durban. Phone 303-9584. | Breakfast & Brunch | Top |
Breakfast is seldom memorable, or savored. But memorable it is, when served on the terrace of the Waterfront Restaurant of the Balmoral Hotel on the Durban beachfront. There's nothing quite comparable to starting the day with a traditional English breakfast—eggs, sauteed mushrooms, beans, halaal bacon, bangers (sausage), a slice of grilled tomato, a basket of hot toast with a full complement of butter and jams, and your choice of fresh-brewed coffee or tea with hot milk—served on a white tablecloth with the Indian Ocean in full view. The restaurant also offers a breakfast buffet in case you prefer a wider selection, which includes lighter fare such as cereal and yogurt, or fresh fruit. Whichever you choose, and if it's not too hot and the weather is otherwise agreeable, sit outside on the terrace as opposed to inside. There, you'll get a snapshot of Durban life as it whisks by. Open daily for breakfast, lunch and dinner. $$-$$$. 125 Marine Parade, Durban beachfront, Durban. Phone 368-5940. Located in an old electricity substation, St. Tropez features a large range of pizzas and other Mediterranean dishes. If it's a nice night and the bugs are not biting, sit outside next to the park. Jazz on Sunday. Open daily 7 am-9 pm (Monday till 4 pm). $$-$$$. Located at the corner of Essenwood and Berea roads in the Berea area, Durban. Phone 201-9176. Middle Eastern and North African dishes such as lamb tangine are offered at this restaurant, which vegetarians will love. Live music Wednesday and Friday nights. Open Tuesday-Saturday 9 am till late, Sunday 10 am till late. $$$. 127 Davenport Road (in the Glenwood area), Durban. Phone 201-0090. Try to get a window/deck table if you go to this waterside restaurant on the Durban harbor. The menu features seafood and, well, more seafood, with a reasonably priced wine list. $$$. Most major credit cards. Wilson's Wharf, Durban harbor, Durban. Phone 307-2935. Langoustines, prawns, oysters and all things seafood are served in a nautical setting at the Famous Fish Company. The wonderful harbor view is free. Open daily for lunch and dinner. $$-$$$. Most major credit cards. 3-9 Kings Battery Point, Durban. Phone 360-1060. http://www.thefamousfishco.com. Generally, we don't recommend chains or takeaways, but this one deserves mention. Ocean Basket offers diners an excellent selection of fresh seafood at exceptionally reasonable prices and with consistently good service. You will find Ocean Basket restaurants at uShaka Marine World on the beachfront (phone 337-0356), at the Pavillion shopping center (phone 265-1627) and in Umhlanga (phone 561-6103). Open daily for lunch and dinner. $$. Located in the stately, historic Edward Hotel, which opened in 1909, The Brasserie is famous for its seafood and Mediterranean buffets. It has an extensive a la carte menu that features everything from T-bone steaks and filet mignon to African cuisine such as inyama yegusha nama quebelengwara (mutton casserole on the bone with chakalaka and dumpling; chakalaka, for lack of a better description, is sort of like chow chow, a hot relish found in the American South). But it's the buffets, particularly the one featuring seafood, that gets high marks for sheer selection. Offered are tiger prawns, langoustines, mussels, salmon, squid, crayfish tails, crab, fresh linefish, seafood salads and casseroles, and more. The atmosphere in the Brasserie can be a bid stodgy. It has an elegant and somewhat formal feel to it; it's not a place to go if you have small children who prefer to jump in and out of their seats and roam around. Open daily for dinner, with a carvery of lamb, roast beef and ham Sunday noon-3 pm. $$$-$$$$. Phone 337-3681.
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