Moyo is a brand that has been synonymous with Cape Town and local tourism for a good number of years now. Founded in Joburg and then branching out to Cape Town soon after, the restaurants, now five throughout South Africa, capture the soul of Africa through an upscale yet laidback environment.

Up until recently I had never been to Moyo before. In fact, I knew very little about it other other than the fact that it’s an African-themed restaurant where face painting is a necessity. That changed when I visited the Blouberg store on a perfect autumn evening not so long ago. Found at Eden on the Bay, this beachfront bonanza is a celebration of Africa on the water’s edge.

Moyo blouberg

This Moyo store is both summer and winter friendly. A nifty feature of the terrace area are the tables fitted with their own mini splash pool underneath them – just big enough for feet to cool off in during summer.

The views from here are quite spectacular too, with a full panoramic view offered of the sun retiring into the Atlantic Ocean every evening. Winter on the terrace is a breeze, with blankets being offered to guests for fending off the chill. During this time the inside is where it’s at though, the upbeat, indoor vibe taking centre stage with its stylish and warm interior.

IMG_2079 IMG_2078

Moyo’s extensive menu is the real (African) deal. Serving up a variety of popular dishes from a number of African nations, one can choose to go fully authentic and savour local delicacies such as farmed-crocodile-tail pies, mopani worms and warthog potjiekos. We were not as brave as we thought and went for something a little more familiar, but still prepared in a proudly African way nonetheless.

Moyo flamed fillet with with creamy Madagascan green peppercorn and peppadew sauce
Moyo flamed fillet with with creamy Madagascan green peppercorn and peppadew sauce
This pile of delicious Moroccan and Tunisian bread was complimentary!
This pile of delicious Moroccan and Tunisian bread was complimentary!

Every meal begins with a traditional hand-cleansing ceremony that is performed by your server, a great precursor for the meal ahead. And what a terrific meal it was.

One does try to be as critical as possible for review purposes, but we couldn’t fault our three courses whatsoever. From the calamari dovi and Nigerian kofta starters, to the Mozambique per-peri prawns and Madagascan peppercorn fillet mains, the food was outstanding and at a reasonable price.

Calamari dovi
Calamari dovi
Mozambique peri peri prawns
Mozambique peri peri prawns
Nigerian sweet potato & chickpea koftas
Nigerian sweet potato & chickpea koftas

We liked that fact that Moyo isn’t just aimed at high-spending tourists as some may think, but rather a taste of Africa, for all of us Africans, by Africans. We’ll be back!

 

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3 Comments
  • Melanie Prinsloo
    Melanie Prinsloo
    April 7, 2015 at 8:52 pm

    Well on 2 separate occasions my boyfriend and I both got really sick from their food no thanks

  • Vaneshree Naidoo
    Vaneshree Naidoo
    April 8, 2015 at 10:13 am

    Moyo Cape Town …good times Nereshnee Reddy ஓம் Kerosha Naidoo Eresha Naidoo 😀

  • Carey-Lyn Von Engelhardt Roll
    Carey-Lyn Von Engelhardt Roll
    April 8, 2015 at 9:03 pm

    Things have definitely got better since they changed hands but service is still a huge problem

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