The Granary Cafe — Restaurant in Foreshore

So my girlfriend and I went to the Granary for our anniversary dinner this past Sunday, and the experience was truly underwhelming. Firstly, we arrived a little early for our booking and decided to have a drink at the Willaston Bar (Nolu, the Hostess was fantastic and very professional). We knew what to expect from the prices regarding drinks from reading other reviews etc., which wasn't the issue; the issue was that you'd expect a beer to arrive either cold or with a chilled glass; you might also expect a R115 cocktail to arrive(which took close to 15 minutes) at least filled completely, presented well and not 3/4's full (this was a Margherita), with the "salt" running down on the side of the glass and only one half covered, and I don't mean in an artistic way. We then proceeded to our table at the Granary and the staff were very welcoming, a sign of good things to come I had hoped. Received our bread sticks, rolls, condiments etc. and were very pleased. The manager explained each and every different bread and condiment; so far so good. We the had starters, these were great and very tasty and we didn't have to wait very long. But then...My girlfriend ordered the Duck Confit which was perfect and very well presented; I however decided to have the Sirloin, medium rare, which is where everything went downhill. When it arrived it consisted of three different sized portions of meat cut into different sized shapes, with sauce and blood running all over my plate. .The meat was medium-well at best when cutting into the thickest of pieces and well-to very well done on all of the other pieces. The different cuts therefore caused unevenly cooked steak and the presentation went straight out of those pretty windows. I promptly called a manager who immediately took it back (I requested the Duck Confit as a replacement because my girlfriend's looked and tasted excellent. The problem then became that my girlfriend was now eating on her own; they brought me a salad so that at least I would have something to eat along with her while they were preparing the replacement meal. This ruined the evening entirely. Instead of being able to romantically enjoy our anniversary we were sat eating our meals separately as even though she tried to eat slowly, she finished long before I could. You'd think when you pay R300 upwards for a main, you should be getting a near perfect dish, but this wasn't the case as my Duck Confit was also slightly overcooked. We weren't even offered a complimentary coffee, merely a sorry and everyone carried on as they were. I've cooked better meat for myself at 2 in the morning, half drunk, and we've had much better Margheritas at places such as Primi and Copper Club. If you want to see the Silo, by all means go sit at the bar and have a glass of wine (they can't mess that up). or I've read and heard that the roof top is beautiful. But...If you plan on spending well over R 1,000 for dinner for two, and a special night out, I can think of many other places better suited for your money. As a side note, the waiter couldn't even keep our glasses filled with water, nevermind the correct water(sparkling), as the manager eventually decided to do it. It's little things like these that you'd expect a place such as this to absolutely get perfect, but apparently not. We won't go to the Silo again, but we will remember the beautiful views and the fact that we were privileged enough to be able to afford to go to such an establishment.

Update (06/12/2019): I was contacted by The Silo Hotel and we were notified that due to our poor experience that they would like us to come back for a second try at their expense. The after-service communication and suggested resolution really is an outcome I never expected. That being said, as impressed as we are with their response, and grateful of course, we'll update this review again once we've exercised our option/s. For the Interim, thank you to The Silo as well as Zaid for the swift, kind and professional response...

I booked a table at The Granary to celebrate my sister’s graduation. Our waiter was fantastic and made sure our glasses never ran dry, which is always a win. The food was delicious, beautifully presented and the portions were generous.

Unfortunately, the reason this isn’t a five-star review is because of how the lunch ended, which really dampened what started off as a great experience. We went with the Restaurant Week set menu when we arrived. The waiter accidentally captured each meal separately instead of applying the set menu price, an honest mistake, and he immediately apologised. That was fine.

What wasn’t fine was what followed. It took almost an hour and 15 mins for the manager and another staff member to “fix” the bill. You’d expect this to be a simple correction even Spur can sort that out in minutes. Instead of just re-issuing the bill with the set menu pricing, they decided to try some mad maths. They came back multiple times, explaining new totals that were still wrong. After several rounds of confusion, I eventually took out a pen and paper and did the math for them. In the end, they amended the bill to reflect the set menu which means they could have done that from the start, but for some reason chose not to. They apologised but an hour and fifteen minutes is unreasonable by anyone’s standards.

What also left a sour note were a few unprofessional moments: the manager made awkward comments about the waiter to us; the chef snapped “What?!” when the waiter called out to her then backtracked when she realised guests were still seated. And despite asking during the booking if we were celebrating an occasion, the restaurant made no effort to acknowledge it - which makes you wonder why they ask at all.

The view is beautiful because it’s Cape Town but the service and management left much to be desired. Unfortunately, the frustrating end overshadowed what began as a lovely day and I wouldn’t rush back or...

The Granary Café in The Silo was on our list of places to dine when we visited Cape Town. We booked a few months in advance as we know if can be very popular. The restaurant is located in the historic Silo building, which is far removed from its old grain store days. The building has had a stunning ‘glow-up’ and has been beautifully renovated.

You enter the restaurant through the hotel reception, which is magnificent. You speed up several floors in the lift, to then arrive at The Granary Café. We arrived at sunset, and I can safely say, it was one of the best views I’ve ever had from a restaurant – it was incredible. The restaurant has floor-to-ceiling windows that offer panoramic views, stretching from Table Mountain to V&A Waterfront and beyond.

Once greeted and seated, we chose our bottle of wine, and perused the menu. It was a fantastic menu, with a wide selection of both international and local dishes. Once decided, we sat back and watched the beautiful sunset.

The food was sublime. Every course was a taste sensation, but for me, the Springbok was one of the best dishes of our two week visit to South Africa. It was hearty, flavoursome and truly remarkable. I was a bit dubious to experience a Chocolate Brownie with Porcini Mushrooms, but I can say that it does work and it’s delicious.

Prince looked after us for the evening, and he was a genuinely incredible host. He was friendly, funny, and utterly charming, and really made us feel like we were the only people in the room. Genuinely I can say it’s some of the best service I’ve ever received. The atmosphere is relaxed and inviting and it is the perfect place to enjoy a meal. I would also add that I think it’s very good value for the quality of the entire experience.

You simply must visit The Granary Café if you’re looking for an amazing dining experience in Cape Town. It is a truly special place, and we certainly won’t...