The 10 Best Restaurants In Port Elizabeth, South Africa

Vovo Telo has become something of an icon in South Africa. There are now a total of 14 Vovo Telo bakeries across the country, but the original is the flagship store in Port Elizabeth. Located in the fashionable Richmond Hill area of the city, Vovo Telo began with Matt Repton, who was inspired by watching local bakers creating fantastic quality bread whilst on a holiday to Madagascar. Vovo Telo offers customers a relaxed and sophisticated culinary experience founded upon using the finest fresh ingredients and allowing diners to watch the bakers at work. The quality of the breads, pastries, pizzas, rolls and coffee on offer is famously high and the passion and care put into the food shines through in every meal. If you are looking for the ideal place for lunch then be sure to drop in. Courtesy Vovo Telo

The Royal Delhi seems unassuming from the outside, being located in a simple renovated house in central Port Elizabeth. Step inside, though, and you are greeted by a mass of brightly coloured walls and ornate decorative features. The family-run restaurant has a reputation for offering some of the finest curries and Indian cuisine in the city. There are curries from all round India including tandoori dishes and traditional favourites like chicken tikka masala, madras, palak paneer, and if you are feeling extra adventurous, there is a vindaloo option. Also of note are the oxtail madras, calamari curry, and beef tripe curry, which feature curious and rarely seen ingredients. There are also excellent seafood options including a popular sole de bonne femme with prawns and asparagus, and grilled meat dishes.

Fushin has a reputation for being the trendiest restaurant in Port Elizabeth, with award-winning and exotic food prepared by owner and chef Mark Oosthuizen. Located in the fashionable Richmond Hill area, the atmosphere is relaxed and the décor elegant and contemporary. Oosthuizen began his career working in various kitchens in Cape Town, receiving a thorough grounding in Japanese cooking methods from master chefs before opening Fushin. Particular favourites from the menu include tempura prawns and Asian tapas. The kitchen staff go to great lengths to source the finest flavours for an excellent dining experience, and exotic produce used at Fushin includes Australian eels, salmon from Norway, Alaskan snow crabs, and Peruvian scallops.

Tabú prides itself on offering a wonderfully light and relaxed atmosphere and provides a unique all-round dining experience. Patrons can enjoy their food whilst gazing out over the Indian Ocean from their seats. The restaurant is part of the outstanding Radisson Blu Hotel and is situated in Summerstrand, just to the south of central Port Elizabeth and north of the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University Nature Reserve. The décor is suitably chic and modern whilst the menu is simple and unfussy, promising big, honest flavours in dishes that range from traditional meaty South African favourites to Indian curries and seafood cooked according to European methods. If you are feeling inspired by the proximity of the ocean then opt for the catch of the day or the pan-fried salmon with mange tout and spring onion velouté. Or, if you are looking for a more hearty meal full of strong flavours, then go for the grilled fillet of ostrich with chilli tulle.

Flava stands in Richmond Hill, Port Elizabeth’s main restaurant area, but remains something of a hidden gem. Chef and owner John Burger is constantly innovating and trying to encourage interactivity between his customers and the restaurant. Hence the curious open kitchen enabling patrons to watch their food being prepped and cooked and, even more impressively, the series of evenings hosted by Flava that invite customers to attend tasting evenings and talks on how to match food and drink correctly. Previous tastings have focused on pairing food and whisky with expert guest speakers, and matching food with wines from the Delaire Graff and Morgenhof vineyards in Stellenbosch. Flava is also noted for the quality of the steaks which John ages himself and for serving unusual dishes such as warthog.

Elephant Walk offers a unique menu combining continental techniques and dishes with big, hearty African ingredients and flavours. The chef and owner Nadia Damseaux is originally from Belgium and brings her fusion of French, Belgian and African cooking styles to Colleen Glen, just down the coast to the west of the centre of Port Elizabeth. Using local ingredients including herbs picked in the restaurant garden, Elephant Walk offers a relaxed but sophisticated dining experience. Chef’s specialties include canard á l’orange, venison pie, fillet béarnaise and fillet de a la moutarde.

Crossways Country Kitchen is located in a rural setting just outside Port Elizabeth on the coast road towards Jeffrey’s Bay. The food on offer is well worth the trip and has attracted TV crews and a growing following amongst foodies. The restaurant is part of an eco-friendly farm village, with the food being prepared by chef Trevor Steyn whose previous experience includes working for Gordon Ramsey at his flagship restaurant in Chelsea, London. All of the food and condiments on the menu are grown or prepared within the farm village to be completely sustainable and environmentally friendly. You can also purchase freshly baked bread, vegetables and other first-rate produce to take away with you.

Looking straight out onto the Port Elizabeth beachfront and Shark Rock Pier, Ginger combines contemporary décor and a traditional menu with plenty of dishes that offer Eastern Cape ingredients and hearty flavours with a few more exotic options too. The restaurant atmosphere is warm and welcoming and the view lets you sit back and relax whilst watching the ocean. You can sit inside around the central bar or out on the decking to feel the cool sea breeze. Chef Jonathan Hodder has designed a menu that features seafood platters with freshly caught fish including lobsters and crayfish, as well as richer dishes including South African game carpaccio, Mediterranean spicy fish soup, venison and ostrich fillets, and prime fillets of beef. There are also various deserts on offer if you are feeling indulgent, such as pumpkin doughnuts with white chocolate.

The team behind The Coachman on the Bay has been serving excellent food in Port Elizabeth since the late 1970s and has been a favourite haunt of opera singers, rugby players and the South African cricket team when they have been playing in the city. Now based on the waterfront in Port Elizabeth, the restaurant is renowned for high quality service and brilliant food and wine. The wine-list, in particular, is extensive and features superb vintages from leading South African vineyards such as Durbanville Hills, Rustenberg, and Rupert and Rothschild. The food is of a similar quality and the menu contains plenty of fish such as kingklip, sole, and lobster, with meats from the grill including T-bone and fillet steaks.