You're spoilt for choice in Knysna, "cuisine capital" of the Garden Route. If you like spicy food, make sure you've booked a table at Firefly before you've even left home. If you're in the mood for a picnic, or booked into a self-catering unit, or just a foodie in search of superb deli-style food, The Eatery at Mackintosh's is Knysna's best "fine food emporium" -- fill a basket with farm-fresh vegetables and fruit, an array of delectable cheeses (many produced locally), pickles, meats, freshly baked breads and pastries, or grab a table and order the hot potato rosti stack with smoked salmon, crème fraîche, and fried capers, or the steamed mussels in coconut, chile, coriander, fennel, and garlic infusion. Superb breakfasts too. If you love oysters, the Knysna Oyster Company (tel. 044/382-6941) on Thesen Island is the place to order them by the dozen (from R50/$7/£3.50 for 12).
Dining with a Local
Persellos (tel. 044/382-2665), now on a quiet square (opposite the library) and known to the locals as "Mama's," is a real Italian family concern, and one of our favorites. Mama's sons make the pizzas, her daughters-in-law serve the tables, and in between making the specials, Mama wanders in and out of the kitchen, talking to everyone. Make sure to order the tender calamari, fried with the lightest batter and served with homemade garlic mayonnaise for dipping. I'm also rather keen on Zest (tel. 044/382-0456), a new restaurant on Pledge square: good fusion food, atmosphere, and service. When we have out-of-town guests, we take them to Lush or to Zachary's (tel. 044/302-3333), at the Pezula golf estate, where the food is fresh and tasty (but watch out for the wine prices). If we're in the mood for classic country cooking, we book at Pembreys (tel. 044/386-0005), on Belvidere Road, which is always full; Peter cooks while wife Viv does front-of-the-house duties, offering lots of different choices on a blackboard. And if you feel like a curry, head to Firefly. For casual lunches we go to 34° South on the waterfront -- it's busy and lively, and you can help yourself to a plate of cold mixed deli food, nice for a hot summer's day, or order the sushi train, which is fun. Also on the Waterfont, at the Featherbed jetty, is Cruise Cafe (tel. 044/382-1693) -- their Belgian mussels and chips is a must. In the evenings this is a popular sundowner venue, with a great deck and lagoon views to match, and the kind of rural sophisticates that typify much of the Knysna community.
-- Local foodie Jacquie Mansfield spent 25 years in the kitchens of her own restaurants before retiring to Knysna.
