It’s not often that you find a gorgeous view and great food in a restaurant at a tourist destination. Nestled within the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve, which forms part of the Table Mountain National Park, lies the Two Oceans Restaurant. We accidentally stumbled onto the gem of a restaurant that is the Two Oceans Restaurant because our fabulous tour guide made us a reservation. Needless to say we were very appreciative!
The park itself consists of various hiking trails, beaches, a lighthouse and the Two Oceans Restaurant. By way of background, for those who are unfamiliar with the park, it was a landmark used in navigation during the early 1400’s and now boasts phenomenal trails to discover the beauty of the Cape surrounded by the gorgeous scenery. Cape Point is also believed to be the meeting point of the Indian Ocean and the Atlantic Oceans.
Please note that you will have to pay an entrance fee to enter the reserve which costs R145.00 per adult. Alternatively, you can get a green card (available for Cape Town residents only) for a once-off fee. Which allows twelve entries into any of the Table Mountain National Parks.
So, since it was our seven-year anniversary, we decided to go to the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve. Our first stop was the lighthouse and there are two ways which you can get to the top.
You can either walk up a trail alternatively you can take the funicular called “The Flying Dutchman”. Which is a tram -like vehicle that’s driven on a railway up to the lighthouse. We opted for taking the funicular up to the lighthouse and taking the walking trail down. The funicular costs R55.00 per adult for a single trip (this is what we did). However, a return trip is R70.00 (this is more economical). They also offer specials, depending on the day, for pensioners and students.
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For the experience, I would definitely recommend you guys try it out. The ride itself lasts about four minutes or so. Visiting the lighthouse is a must, the views from the top of the lighthouse are spectacular, definitely Instagram worthy.
Since we were celebrating our anniversary, we opted to have lunch at the Two Oceans Restaurant. As a result, we made a reservation for our lunch a few days in advance. Please ensure that you do make a reservation if you plan on stopping by because the restaurant gets extremely busy.
After being seated, we were treated to complimentary bread. Which was still warm when placed on our table, coupled with delicious blobs of butter. We were particularly famished after tackling the walking trail down from the lighthouse. Therefore, we decided to go straight to our mains.
The restaurant offers a two-course option, which allows you to choose two dishes between any starter, main and dessert. The two-course option costs R295.00 per person whilst the three-course option is R375.00 per person. However, we were advised by our waitress that we could order just a main for R225.00. They also have the option of seafood platters which are displayed on a chalkboard at the restaurant. The prices for these varying according to what you choose.
I decided to go for the two-course option picking a main as well as a dessert. My husband on the other hand chose a platter option of the chalkboard. For my main I chose the slow-cooked lamb which included lamb, spiced carrot, smoked mash and chimichurri. I was discouraged by our waitress to choose this particular main.
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She advised me that it was not one of her favourite on the menu. However, I am persistent in choosing a lamb option, if there is one on a menu, so I defiantly informed her that I would have the lamb. I was not disappointed by my choice as the lamb was cooked beautifully. And the accompaniments were well executed with such complimentary flavours. This, however, is where my problem lies which you will notice from the picture, and that is the portion size. The meal was amazing however it was far too little. The same issue of the portion size was also experienced by my husband whose meal cost more than my own. But also, was devoured in a matter of minutes as the meal itself was delicious.
I chose for dessert the lemon cheesecake which was accompanied by a raspberry coulis, white chocolate soil and vanilla ice cream. This dessert was amazing, the cheesecake was light and airy, and it paired beautifully with the raspberry coulis. It was also not intense with the lemon flavour, which tends to happen with most lemon cheesecakes. In this case the lemon flavour was subtle enabling one to relish in the cheesecake flavour.
By rule of thumb, my husband does not partake in desserts. He just does not have a sweet tooth (yes, I am baffled myself).
Overall the restaurant produces delectable, well-plated meals. However, I found that the portion size in relation to the cost didn’t equate. For the experience and views, it’s definitely something to do even if you choose to just do the walk to the lighthouse.
Please let me know whether you have visited the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve and what you experienced.
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Location and Ambiance
The Two Oceans restaurant is at Cape Point near the area where you can take a funicular or hike up to the lighthouse which still serves as a navigational beacon for South Africa.
We opted to sit inside the restaurant because we were tired of being buffeted by the wind outside. The view to the outside is just as fabulous with floor to ceiling glass windows. The views are of False Bay (so-called because ships in historical times would sail into False Bay thinking they had finally sailed around the Cape of Good Hope only to realise they were mistaken).
The terrace outside though is sheltered and it really does depend on how windy it is on the day. I kid you not, that Cape Town wind can be vicious especially in the afternoon.
Culinary Experience
The food was just as excellent - lots of fresh fish and seafood. Being South Africa, there is an extensive wine list that was also really good.
Expertly presented, the food looked so good that it seemed almost a shame to disturb the plate. The whole experience was our idea of a perfect holiday lunch - hanging out with our family in the sunshine with a gorgeous view over a delicious, relaxing lunch.
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Children's Menu
The children’s menu is somewhat limited, and caters to a slightly more sophisticated palate than the usual kids’ menu. For example, there is mushroom crostini and calamari. The simplest plate was the honey chicken kebabs which my daughter loved. They also seemed to have baby food on offer. My son was fine with the extensive choice of sushi.
- Mushroom Crostini
- Calamari
- Honey Chicken Kebabs
- Extensive sushi selection
Sushi Selection
I should mention that there is a full sushi menu. I absolutely loved that Cape Town restaurants have such a good selection of delicious sushi and Japanese food.
- California Roll
- Tempura prawns
Desserts
The desserts did not let us down either. As usual, we shared a couple of plates because we were full after such a big lunch. The quality of the desserts seemed too good though to pass up.
- Lemon tart
- Chocolate & pear
Good to Know
You need to make reservations at Two Oceans because it is very popular. If you don’t, you will wind up at the little cafe next door with its standard menu of pizza and sandwiches. It looked somewhat dire in my opinion. Alternatively, you can bring a picnic. The Cape Point nature reserve is somewhat large and you’ll be hard pressed for dining options otherwise.
Here is a summary of the costs associated with visiting Cape Point and dining at the Two Oceans Restaurant:
| Item | Cost (ZAR) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Entrance Fee to Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve | R145.00 | Per adult |
| Funicular (Single Trip) | R55.00 | Per adult |
| Funicular (Return Trip) | R70.00 | Per adult, more economical |
| Two-Course Meal at Two Oceans Restaurant | R295.00 | Per person (starter, main, or dessert) |
| Three-Course Meal at Two Oceans Restaurant | R375.00 | Per person |
| Main Course at Two Oceans Restaurant | R225.00 | Per person |
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