Alamo Spur — Restaurant in Bellville

Last weekend, I decided to take the family to Alamo Spur at Tygervalley Centre in Bellville for a laid-back Sunday lunch. As a long-time fan of Spur’s hearty meals and kid-friendly vibe, I had high hopes, and for the most part, it delivered—though it wasn’t flawless. The atmosphere hit all the right notes as soon as we walked in. The familiar Spur decor—warm, rustic, and welcoming—set the tone, and the buzz of families enjoying their meals added to the lively feel. We were seated quickly near the play area, which was a lifesaver with two restless kids in tow. The jungle gym and games kept them entertained, letting my wife and me actually enjoy a conversation for once. I ordered the classic Spur Burger with a side of onion rings, while my wife went for the chicken schnitzel—her go-to. The kids split a plate of chicken strips and chips. The food arrived after about 20 minutes, which felt reasonable given how busy the place was. My burger was juicy and packed with that signature Spur flavor, though the bun was a tad soggy by the end. The onion rings were crispy perfection, as always. My wife raved about her schnitzel, calling it “crisp on the outside, tender inside,” and the kids demolished their meal without complaint—a rare win! Service was a mixed bag. Our waiter was friendly and attentive at first, but as the restaurant got busier, he seemed stretched thin. We had to flag someone down for extra napkins and a refill on my Coke, which took longer than expected. It wasn’t a dealbreaker, but it did slightly dent the experience. The highlight for the kids was the play area—they didn’t want to leave! For us, it was the value for money. The bill came to just under R700 for all four of us, including drinks and a shared dessert (a classic Spur waffle with ice cream that was as indulgent as it sounds). It’s hard to beat that for a filling, family-friendly meal. Overall, Alamo Spur Tygervalley lived up to its reputation as a solid spot for a casual outing. The food was reliably good, the vibe was spot-on for families, and the play area was a godsend. A little more consistency with the service would’ve made it perfect, but I’d still give it a 4 out of 5. We’ll be back—probably sooner than we’d like, thanks to the kids begging for another go at...

Service Excellence

Apart from having been to just about every Spur Steak Ranch in all nine provinces in South Africa as well as the Spurs in Namibia, for more than 20 years I have been visiting the Alamo Spur at Tyger Valley Centre more than any other Spur.

The staff at the Alamo Spur are not only well trained; they are well chosen too. Over the years I have been served by some wonderful waitrons who clearly understand the meaning of customer service, and that is why I return time and again, even taking my guests there for meals.

I was very happy indeed tonight to have been served by Marshall who is still very ‘new;’ he started working there only a week ago, but already it is absolutely clear that he is an asset to the Spur.

He is sincere, friendly and professional. Nothing is too much trouble for him. It is almost tangibly noticeable that he loves what he is doing; in fact, one notices immediately that he loves people. He is well spoken and has admirable listening skills. It is obvious that the passion of this goal orientated young man is to serve and please his patrons, and dare I say it appears that he serves and pleases people generally. He is really a shining light.

El-Marie, one of the managers, has been an absolutely phenomenal guide and teacher to the staff. She takes a keen interest in her patrons and she is never too busy to talk to them and make them feel welcome. She is truly one of the most patient and understanding people across the wide spectrum of management I have ever met. Her motto is “Give people what they want.” And it definitely works for the Alamo Spur.

May the Alamo Spur go from strength to strength.

Pieter...

How do you rate service that is non existent? Went into Spur this afternoon @12:05, restaurant was pretty busy. Ops manager handed us over to Ronaldo, I'm not aware of sections assigned to waiters I opted to sit in a different "section" not manned by Ronaldo. He tossed the menus on the table and left, apparently that section is manned by Levar who by the way took absolutely no note of us. A good 15 minutes later I flagged a waiter named Joshua who offered to take our order and advised of the "sections". About 7-9 minutes later Levar comes to then check if we had been served. My daughter and I sat there until 12:50 waiting for our food whilst tables of 4 and 5 people who had come in after us got served with their meals. I walked out to the front, found a manager named Robin. After explaining what had happened he did absolutely nothing to remedy the situation instead all he said was " I'm sorry" then went onto to say they are busy and short staffed. How do you justify being short staffed when 4-5 meals where being served per table whilst we sat there for a good 45 minutes and no food arrived. There is clearly a lack of Management and very poor service. It was my first visit to this Spur and will now also be the last. Had I known this I would have opted for another restaurant. Disappointed and appalled does not begin to explain exactly how we were...