Julio's on the Bay — Restaurant in Durban Central

Dining out is often an opportunity to unwind, celebrate, or simply enjoy a good meal in pleasant surroundings. Unfortunately, our recent experience at Julios on the Bay failed to meet even the basic expectations of hospitality, leaving us questioning the management and service standards of this restaurant. Upon arriving at Julios on the Bay, the first impression was anything but welcoming. Despite waiting for over 15 minutes, we were completely ignored by the staff, prompting us to flag someone down for assistance. A busy restaurant may face challenges, but failing to acknowledge customers upon arrival sets a poor tone for the rest of the experience. The disappointment continued as we were seated at a table that was visibly dirty. While it is expected that tables are cleaned immediately after use, we had to request staff to clean ours, a basic hygiene standard that should not require prompting. After ordering our meals, we decided to peruse the drinks menu. However, upon selecting our beverages, the staff informed us that most of the drinks were unavailable. This lack of inventory management not only limited our choices but also suggested a pattern of recurring issues. Our meals took over an hour to arrive, an excessive waiting time that tested our patience. If this delay wasn’t disappointing enough, we were informed that certain items we ordered, calamari and mussels were unavailable. Instead of consulting us about alternatives, the manager made a unilateral decision to substitute these items with 4 additional prawns. While this gesture may have been well-intentioned, it lacked the courtesy of customer consultation, leaving me frustrated. However, my husband urged me to let the matter rest and avoid further spoiling the evening. Upon later reviewing feedback from other patrons, it became evident that our experience was not unique. Complaints about service delays, unavailable menu items, and hygiene concerns are recurring themes for this franchise. These consistent issues demonstrate a need for significant improvement in management practices and staff training. A meal at a restaurant is about more than just food; it is about the overall experience. Julios on the Bay failed to deliver on multiple fronts, from basic hygiene to customer communication and timely service. While mistakes and challenges are inevitable, it is the way they are addressed that truly defines a restaurant’s reputation. For Julios on the Bay, an overhaul in approach seems crucial to ensure diners leave satisfied rather than disappointed. Dining establishments should remember that every customer interaction builds or erodes their brand. Let this experience be a call for better service and attentiveness throughout...

Whilst returning home from a 4 hour road trip on Monday, the 27th of December 2021, my wife came across the extended Christmas special for R120 on Facebook. We are frequent customers of the Umhlanga branch, and knew that this was exactly what we needed after a long drive! We did however decided to visit the Wilson's Wharf branch for a change in scenery.

Upon our arrival, we were welcomed with chaos. Standing at the entrance, waiting to be seated, a patron was arguing with staff near the bar area, regarding a missing or incorrect reciept. Now I know this is the "crazy" season, and decided to overlook this argument. Another patron wasn't as patient, and decided to cancel his order. Still not getting anyone's attention to get a seat at the entrance, I decided to go to the bar area, and politely requested for a table for 2, which was then done swiftly.

Starving, my wife and I knew exactly what we wanted to order. My wife ordered the peri peri chicken and prawn combo, and myself the hake and prawn combo. To my dismay, the waitress returned to inform me that there was no hake available. Now, after feasting on chicken over the past few days, I needed something different, and asked what that hake could be substituted with. Chicken was the only option, so I obliged, and also settled for the chicken and prawn combo.

Our meals arrived swiftly. And things just got worse. The chicken must have been precooked and reheated. It was overcooked, dry, and stringy. The prawns were the same. Meat stuck to the shell, evidence that it was also overcooked.

At this point, I just wanted to eat and leave. But I did need some portugese sauce to digest the dry, stringy chicken. Guess what!? A portugese restaurant didn't have portugese sauce! Or any peri peri sauce. The only sauce on offer was tomato sauce. This was the final straw for me. We ate because we couldn't wait any longer, and quickly requested for the bill shortly after.

Upon reciept and payment of the bill, we requested for wet wipes. 10 minutes later, they hadn't arrived. I had to go to the bar and ask for wet wipes myself.

Julio's has always been an authentic portugese restaurant that's Customer focused. Your Wilson's Wharf branch is a disgrace to...

We had dinner last night at Julios on the Bay, with friends after a photo shoot at the Harbour. The waitress Minni was amazing, friendly, vibe and had a sense of humor which is always great. Our friend wanted a decaf coffee, and Minni managed to find a decaf coffee at one of the other stores. Hubby n I ordered hot chocolate as it was a little chilly(also from I think John dory) the hot choc was really good not sweet and just right. We ordered food, they have a special R129.99 I think for certain meals and a drink. Bargain, hubby had the chicken schnitzel that comes with 4 garlic prawns. He doesn't eat prawns or a fan of garlic so we asked if they could be seperate which was no issue for Minni. I ordered the 1/4 chicken and calamari combo, our friend ordered a normal hake and calamari off the menu and her hubby ordered the chicken and prawn hotpot peri peri also off the specials. Our food came quite quickly, which was great cos we got there just before 8pm and we're ravenis. My chicken was a leg and thigh, lemon and garlic sauce and I had the calamari fried. The chicken was tender and tasty and drowning in a delious lemon garlic sauce and more sauce in a little bowl. The chips were crispy and fresh and we're the nicest chips I've had in a while. The calamari, wow, little crisp heads and the small tube's were not thickly crumbed or battered, but a nice thin crispy crumb with tender calamari. The prawns, I stole from my hubby, came right out the shell with a fork. Even though I ate them last so they had gotten cold, they were still tasty. Our friends said there food was also good the peri peri curry was super hot, but he enjoyed it. After we finished eating Minni asked us if we would like to feed the fish. After some silence, she explained that the fish like the prawn shells. So we went to feed the fish the prawn shells and that was such a lovely end to our evening. The "pirana" like fish devoured the prawn shells much to our amazement with speed and agility zipping round the other fish to get to the tasty treats. We loved the food the service and will definitely...