Bambanani Bedfordview — Restaurant in Gauteng

Fabulous place for the kids, so much to do! (Plenty toys, Lego, Library, etc). No entrance fee for the kinds, wow, that is a game changer. The decor/chairs/tables in the eating area are very inviting, modern and wooden which is a breath of fresh air for the adults to experience. They don't take bookings, and the place gets pretty busy - so be there early. There is however quite a lot of seating place.

The kids play areas are kept clean, all the toys are good quality. Food is good and fairly priced. The oat crunchie that comes with the coffee is to die for. Luckily, they sell larger pieces for R15 (very fair price) at the baked goods section. Good quality educational toys and sweets are sold here too, at fair prices. We trust this all remains that way.

Pizza is good! The pizza base they use is very authentic Italian. Eggs benedict tasty, TIP: a few blistered, sliced cherry tomatoes with some balsamic reduction on the side would be nice so that the plate doesn't look empty. Some green garnish/basil on the pizza would be good too, one eats with your eyes first.

I would like to CAUTION the owner. During the week, there seems to be big kids that try to damage the large jungle gym play area. They also play in the areas that are for small kids. If management doesn't keep a strict eye on this, the play area will be damaged and cost the owner money and loss of customers.

Also, the food quality and service seems to be better on a Saturday compared to in the week. Seems to be different staff. So we hope that Bambanani will keep up the fantastic quality in the week as well. We want to see this place continue to thrive!

PS would be nice if the pottery painting was slightly more affordable. Starting at R60 for a tiny pottery piece is not very inviting (that's just a personal opinion).

PPS maybe the owner can look into some way to soundproof the coffer grinder, as it is quite noisy, especially if you're sitting at a...

Being a Bambanani Melville regular, I was happy to learn that there is a Bambanani much closer to home in Bedfordview. The family went on a Saturday evening. From the parking lot the place looked promising as we caught glimpses of the bike track, my son went crazy. However, walking in the disappointment started with waiters that couldn’t be bothered to greet and seat us. They stood idly chatting and we were confused whether we should seat ourselves or what. After getting the attention of one of them they finally indicated we can sit anywhere. The place is great. Play area still in good condition with a nice layout. Nice that all tables are at a level where kids can come and go easily without climbing up steep steps or parents being too far away. But the most unusual and annoying part was that they served the adult food first and we waited a good 15 minutes for my son’s food to arrive. We had to share with him as he was hungry. We had to sit and not eat out of courtesy to him. By the time his food arrived, ours was cold. Makes no sense why they wouldn’t at least serve the kid first if it won’t be at the same time. The food portions are disappointingly small and underwhelming, though the food tastes ok (albeit the overcooked “medium” steak). I doubt I’ll be making a return. The place is not welcoming. I’ll stick to the trek across town to...

Despite the hype, we waited for over 2 hours for food, when it eventually arrived it was ice cold. When asked for the food to be warmed up, it took another 35mins to arrive back on the table. All the meals were below average in terms of taste and seasoning however I would not advise anyone to order the Fetoria. The pasta is R135 and was unseasoned with basic salt, had no garlic (despite the Description), approximately 6 pieces of mushroom and 2 pieces of chicken. We had to eventually take it away to be redone at home.

The waiter was also incredibly unfocussed and tardy. He often brought incorrect orders to the table and most drinks arrived after the meals were almost complete.. food that we didn't order were brought to the table and food that we did, never arrived.

Ultimately, we wouldn't mind waiting for food food, however it was nowhere near worth the wait. We will not be revisiting and unless you have no time limit and are fine waiting exorbitant periods for tasteless and cold food, then you should do yourself a favour and avoid the...