If you are organizing a trip to South Africa with children, one of your concerns might be that your kids won’t like the local cuisine or that you won’t find options for ‘Western’ dishes when looking for places to eat in South Africa with children.
To put your mind at ease, I’ll tell you that during my 4-week adventure with three children aged 5, 3, and 1 through this country, I found it very difficult to find traditional dishes in South African restaurants . In all tourist areas, the culinary offering is based on many of the dishes you’ll find in any other destination: pasta, pizza, rice, fast food, soups… In other words, if your little one is one of those who finds it hard to try new things, you won’t have any trouble finding places to eat in South Africa.
What do people eat in South Africa?
My recommendation is that you try local foods such as, among others, bobotie, a spiced meat pie with au gratin egg on top, or vetkoek, a type of very tasty fried meat dumpling. My children loved these two recipes, for example.
Keep in mind that in South Africa, having barbecues is a ‘national sport’, so get ready to eat meat and more meat. All the hotels in South Africa where I stayed, as well as the exchange houses, had barbecues in gardens and porches. It will be hard for you to leave without lighting a fire to cook some boerewors (sausages) on the barbecue, or at least without trying them in one of the restaurants in South Africa.
Another gastronomic religion in South Africa is biltong, spiced strips of dried meat, similar to jerky, eaten as a snack. There are even shops that only sell biltong and many varieties to choose from. I recommend starting by trying the simplest one because some can be very strong and spicy. If you find the right one, it will be a hit.
Luckily, when you reach the coastal areas, fish and seafood will appear to vary the ‘carnivorous’ diet of South Africa a bit.
Is it expensive to eat in South Africa?
Surprisingly, eating out wasn’t as expensive as I thought, but rather quite affordable. For example, many restaurants in South Africa have children’s dishes at a very reduced price. But the best part isn’t just the price, but that the portions are usually very large and, sometimes, a single dish was enough for two children to eat. Even the adults ordered those children’s portions because they were very cost-effective. A very generous and delicious child’s portion of fish and chips cost less than €3, for example.
As for the rest of the portions, the price obviously went up, but it was still affordable. In the most touristy restaurants, and therefore the most expensive ones, a meat bobotie cost about €7 and a fish and seafood dish went up to about €12. But, for example, in Cape Town, in the middle of Victoria & Alfred Waterfront, we ate three typical South African dishes, the three you see in the photo above, for just over €10 in total.
Do you leave a tip in South Africa?
Yes, it is common to leave a tip of at least 10% of the total cost. When they bring you the bill, there is a space at the end for you to add the amount you want to leave as a tip. The waiter will add that amount to the price of the food and charge you all together.
Although you can pay by card in almost all restaurants in South Africa, I recommend always carrying some cash because with the frequent power outages, card machines stop working.
South African restaurants to visit with children (or without them)
I’m sharing some of the restaurants where to eat in South Africa that we liked most as a family, whether for having children’s areas where the kids had a great time, or because the food was a success, or because of the animals…
Where to eat in Kruger
The main camps in Kruger have restaurants to recharge your batteries after an intense morning of safari.
In Lower Sabie, for example, you have a restaurant with a large panoramic terrace with beautiful views of the Sabie River where the food is very good and from where you can spot animals such as elephants, or others, going to drink.
But the restaurant in Kruger to visit with children that I recommend is Kruger Station, in Skukuza camp. Take note of it, not only for the huge playground where my kids enjoyed themselves a lot, but because it has an authentic train locomotive converted into a cafe. To make it even more kid-friendly, they bring the little ones crayons and coloring sheets.
Where to eat in St. Lucia
In touristy St. Lucia, we tried two different places recommended by our host from the HomeExchange house where we stayed, and both were a complete success.
– John Dory’s On the outdoor terrace of this seafood restaurant they have a small outdoor area with a little house with a slide, and a blackboard. But the best part was that they have an entertainer who painted the children’s faces, played with them in that small park, and even took care of the baby for a moment (always in our sight) so we could eat and chat calmly for a while.
Oh, and as far as food is concerned, the pan of fish, shrimp, squid, mussels, and rice we ordered for about €10 was delicious.
John Dory’s address: 166, McKenzie St.
–Reef & Dune. Almost opposite the previous one, this restaurant has a huge children’s area that includes an outdoor wooden park with walkways and an indoor area perfect for rainy days with a trampoline, painting tables, legos, toys… A paradise for children!
Oh, and here you can try the bobotie, which was delicious, although they are also famous for their wood-fired pizzas. Address: 51, Mckenzie St.
Where to eat in Tsitsikamma
-Tsitrus Cafe A great place to enjoy an outdoor meal while the kids play in an incredible and very well-maintained wooden sandpit area (sorry I don’t have a photo). Also, the stuffed crepes (huge) and pizzas were delicious. The five of us ate for only €21, including beers and Savannah cider (I recommend it).
If it rains, the interior with wooden ceilings and craft pieces for sale is also very cozy and beautiful. Address: 43, Formosa St. Stormsrivier
Where to eat in Mossel Bay
–Anchor Viking was quite a discovery and the only place we dared to go out for dinner at night because it was on the street next to the Flower Box Cottages accommodation where we stayed. They have a huge sandbox with buckets, a blackboard, and, in the middle, an authentic real boat converted into a slide and playhouse. In addition, there is a small shelf with children’s stories. Address: 23, Bland St
As for the food, they cook fresh fish barbecues for about €5 or €6 on a bonfire in front of you, and they have live performances. Oh, and the floor is beach sand. It’s well worth going!
– Krotoa The only treat of having breakfast out in South Africa we gave ourselves was at this beautiful cafe, which also has a small table with chairs for the little ones to color or read stories while you enjoy some eggs benedict or the classic pap, a white corn porridge, with honey.
Where to eat with children in Plettenberg Bay
–Roadside Café. This charming restaurant is perfect for enjoying a delicious meal or a coffee with cake outdoors with children. They can run around safely, play barefoot in the wooden park and swings, greet the horses from the nearby riding arena, and visit the farm animals they have (the latter, although they loved it, I didn’t like at all).
In addition, the staff is very friendly, the food is great, and you can have an ice cream, buy crafts, or do handicrafts in the premises. Address: 4, Piesang Valley Rd.
Where to eat in Hermanus
–Milk on the beach This restaurant on the shore of Onrus beach, and next to the river of the same name, was another recommendation from a HomeExchange host, and we liked it so much that we went twice. The setting alone was worth it.
The first time we went for lunch (delicious poke bowls for the adults and fried fish for the kids, both highly recommended) and the second time for a snack of their famous waffles at a stall they have in the lower area with direct beach access.
It was a joy to let the kids play in the sand and, with a lot of luck—we didn’t have any—you can even see a whale from the shore. Address: 1 Atlantic Dr, Onrus River.
-Bosman Hermanus. A radical change, from the beachfront to a winery with vineyards surrounded by mountains. At first glance, a winery doesn’t seem like the most suitable place to go for lunch with kids. However, thanks to the couple from Bona Vida Travel, whom we met during the whale-watching excursion in Hermanus, we decided to go for a wine tasting and it was a success!
The place is very bucolic, both due to the surroundings and the wood and glass interior with a covered porch, ideal for the rainy spell we had. Additionally, it had a wooden playground with swings under a large tree that delighted the little ones despite being wet.
The five-glass wine tasting cost about €5 and the food was really good and very reasonably priced.
- If you like wine tourism, from Cape Town, you can take a tour of the Stellenbosch vineyards on South Africa’s famous wine route.
Where to eat in Simon’s Town
–Seaforth. We stumbled upon this restaurant ‘out of desperation’ in the middle of a childhood hunger crisis after a whole morning visiting the Cape of Good Hope before going to see the Boulders Beach penguin colony. We couldn’t have landed in a better place.
Although it is a fairly touristy restaurant to eat fish and seafood, the best part was when, from the outdoor table where we were sitting, we saw several penguins swimming to Seaforth beach. At that moment, the food went cold on the table and we went to enjoy one of the best experiences of the trip with the children. No playground was needed here… Address: Beach Seaforth Rd. Simon’s Town.
Where to eat with children in Cape Town
– Seven Colors Although the selection of restaurants in Cape Town is immense, I definitely recommend a small food stall on the first floor of the V&A Food Market,, at Victoria & Alfred Waterfront.
It is called Seven Colors and is run by chef Nolu Dube-Cel who cooks authentic traditional dishes of South African cuisine at a very good price and also tasty and delicious. Totally recommended if you want to try local food!
You can order them and take them down to the tables outside next to a very small playground and, with luck, with live music. In Victoria & Alfred Waterfront, there are plenty of leisure options so do not miss taking a walk and heading to the play area where there are face painters and fountains to splash around in.
Sigue leyendo sobre Sudáfrica: Viajar a Sudáfrica:guía práctica Hoteles en Sudáfrica Qué ver en Ciudad del Cabo Guía para visitar Table Mountain Las mejores excursiones desde Ciudad del Cabo Visitar el Cabo de Buena Esperanza Qué ver en la Ruta Panorama Wild Card ¿merece la pena? Sudáfrica con niños 10 restaurantes en Sudáfrica para ir con niños Guía para viajar a Esuatini Hlane National Park Hermanus, el paraíso de las ballenas
