Bowl'd Restaurant, Bar & Lounge — Restaurant in Gauteng

UPDATE: After sharing a disappointing first experience, I was pleasantly surprised to receive a call the very next day from the lovely Lerato. She sincerely apologised, took the time to understand exactly what happened, and kindly invited us back for the experience we had originally hoped for.

From the moment we arrived, we were warmly welcomed by Lerato herself—friendly, attentive, and clearly determined to make sure everything went smoothly this time. I honestly think she worked that day just to make sure no one messed things up again! A few minutes after we were seated, she introduced us to our waiter, and shortly after, we were served a sparkling wine that we enjoyed throughout the night.

The food was absolutely delicious. For starters, we had tempura prawns and carpaccio—both fresh and full of flavour. Our mains were just as satisfying: I had the lime fish with vegetables and mashed potatoes (plus extra chips for both of us!), and my boyfriend had beef ribs with chips and crispy fried onions. For dessert, we went with the crème brûlée and the pina-colada pannacotta—such a dreamy end to the meal. The service was attentive from start to finish, and even the bathrooms deserve a shoutout—beautiful, clean, and smelling amazing! While I can’t give a full 5 stars due to the rocky first experience, I truly appreciate the care and effort the team—especially Lerato—put into making things right. Our second visit was genuinely lovely, and I’m really glad we gave Bowl'd Restaurant another chance.

We saw the dreamy pictures of the place on Instagram - the cozy ambiance, the elegant date night setup for couples—and immediately thought, we should definitely check it out. My boyfriend and I were so excited that we didn’t mind the 40-minute drive. We even took an Uber because, of course, we wanted to enjoy some wine.

But oh, what a mistake that was.

We arrived, and the lady at the entrance greeted us warmly, showed us to our seats, and that was the last bit of hospitality we received. We sat there, watching other tables get served, thinking, surely, any second now, a waiter will come over. Minutes passed. Then more. My boyfriend even stood up and waved, but nothing. It was as if we were invisible. Twenty whole minutes of waiting, being ignored, feeling like we had crashed a private event.

Frustrated and disappointed, we walked out. An entire evening ruined by a place that couldn’t even offer us a glass of water. Honestly, I wouldn’t recommend this place to my...

If you are looking for something different, go check out the newly opened Bowl'd Restaurant

I went for dinner with a friend and was quite impressed with their setup. It's a relatively large restaurant with 2 private dining areas, a Cellar and a Cigar Lounge, as well as an outside eating area which includes 2 tables in their pool. Yes, you read correctly THEIR POOL. The evening view is stunning with their outside seating lit up adding to the festive atmosphere.

So here is the kick, all food is priced in "Bowl" metrics. So it's R40 per bowl, and each item on the menu has the respective number of bowls to identify the price 🥣, 🥣🥣, 🥣🥣🥣, etc. I do feel they are a bit pricy for the portion sizes, and they are still new so i think some of the food items need some work .

They have a big variety of options including, Meat, Fish, Vegetarian and Vegan options.

For starters we tried the Parmesan Garlic Bread Knots, Edamame and Lupine Beans, Chilli Lime Corn fritters with an Avo dip and Lemongrass Sesame Halloumi. The bread was nice but needed some butter. The Edamame beans need a bit more flavour as the sauce is at the bottom of the bowl so hard to mix everything. Corn fritters were tender and tasty and went well with the Avo dip. Halloumi was good.

For Mains I had the Beef Ribeye on the bone, potato chips, red coleslaw, porcini mushroom sauce. It was sadly way too overcooked and dry, luckily the delicious Porcini Mushroom sauce helped. The Red coleslaw also needed some moisture.

My friend had the Seared tuna, Pineapple teriyaki, sautéed Bok Choi, Edamame beans, Avocado, Pickled Carrots, Red cabbage, Chargrilled Pineapple and love it.

Completely stuffed we didn't really have space for dessert, so instead we thought we would opt for something from the sweet bowls section and not dessert.

I had the Grilled Pineapple with Chilli Lime Caramel. Love all the ingredients in their separate elements, but together not sure. I think maybe i wanted the Caramel bit thicker as it was too runny with the Pineapple. My friend tried the Fried Buns with coconut condensed milk. Not bad, just the buns were a bit hard it needs to be a bit more fluffy.

They do have a decent variety at the bar, and my Cosmopolitan was pretty good.

Definitely a spot to give a try as they have such a great diverse menu and I just love the decor.

Staff are all friendly and helpful, and were all fantastic during our...

Hi Bowld Team,

I’d like to share some feedback that I hope will be received in the spirit of improving what is already a great experience. I recently attended my second brunch/bottomless mimosa event at your establishment on 30 August with a few friends. As with my previous visit, the service was excellent and the overall vibe was enjoyable—thank you for that.

However, I feel compelled to raise a concern that significantly impacted our experience this time. A group seated at a table opposite ours became excessively intoxicated during the course of the brunch. The noise level escalated to the point where it was nearly impossible for us to hold a conversation. Over the span of a few hours, several individuals at that table passed out at their seats, while others continued drinking loudly. This created an uncomfortable and disruptive atmosphere for surrounding patrons.

To be candid, the scene resembled something far removed from the upmarket Sandton experience Bowld is known for. It felt more like a rowdy bar than a refined brunch venue. I believe this detracts from the brand and ambiance you’ve worked hard to cultivate.

I strongly recommend implementing a stricter policy around alcohol consumption—particularly for bottomless offerings. Staff should be empowered to intervene when guests become visibly intoxicated, and there should be a zero-tolerance approach to patrons passing out at their tables. Escorting such individuals off the premises would go a long way in preserving the quality and reputation of your venue.

As such, I regret to say that this was likely my last visit. I truly hope Bowld takes this feedback to heart, as I would love to return in the future under better...