Al Pescatore Italian Restaurant — Restaurant in KwaDukuza Local Municipality

We enjoyed the beautiful weather and appreciated the shade provided by the outdoor seating. However, we suggest adding fans outside during the next remodeling, as even a little air circulation would make a noticeable difference in comfort.

Unfortunately, our dining experience had multiple issues. The service was lacking—our waitress forgot to bring one of our starters / soup orders, and we eventually had to cancel it.

Additionally, despite being quite thirsty, we were only offered a second drink while still drinking our first, after which we were forgotten about entirely.

Food Quality

Some dishes were enjoyable, such as the grilled prawns, which were flavorful. However, they were difficult to peel, with most parts of the prawn sticking stubbornly to the shell. The prawn heads, which should have been crisp, were instead dry and hard.

Unfortunately, the two platters for one were a major letdown. While the hake on the platters was delicious, the rest of the meal was disappointing. The mussels were dry, tough, and hard to chew, making them almost inedible. The vegetables were completely undercooked—the carrots were so hard that a fork wouldn’t even puncture them, and the green beans were entirely raw. The rice was noticeably undercooked, the chips were disappointing, and the lemon slices had been standing too long, with half of them unable to produce any juice.

The steak we ordered medium-rare arrived very well done, which was frustrating considering the price of the meal. On a positive note, the kingklip that arrived on the other dish was quite nice.

What We Enjoyed

Despite the issues, there were some highlights. The three sauces provided were absolutely delicious, and the calamari in the platter for one was well-cooked, crispy, and enjoyable. Additionally, the cocktails were lovely and refreshing, which helped improve the experience slightly.

Service & Value

The slow service was frustrating—four other tables who sat down after us not only received their meals before us but had almost finished eating before our food even arrived.

Our food only came after we contacted our waiter to find out why it was taking so long to prepare.

Given the high prices, we expected much better quality. We've dined here before and know that the food is usually excellent, so we assume the inconsistency was due to how busy the restaurant was that day.

Perhaps next time, we need to make a reservation in advance, though we weren’t aware that it was necessary. We truly hope to come back again in a few months for a better...

Restaurant is a joke. Do yourself a favor, go to any restaurant at The Lifestyle Center. And this is coming from a local resident of more than 15 years. This is the type of restaurant you'd see on Gordan Ramsey's Nightmare Kitchen.

"Italian", majority of the food on the menu isn't even Italian. "Creative flavor combinations", yeah because combining cabbage and carrots with basmati rice with prawns is creative. Who wants to eat cabbage with prawns? Disgusting, and totally Italian...

But any ways, the issues with this restaurant:

Cutlery. Glad to know I'm going to eat my R200 food with a bent knife! Better yet, glad to know I'm going to eat my steak with a blunt steak knife. Blunt knives are one thing, but bent cutlery? Honestly, it doesn't take much to inspect your cutlery and replace ones which are inadequate. If the cutlery is like this, I don't even want to know what the equipment used to cook the food is like. Might as well give me plastic knives...

If you're the type of person who enjoys boiled steaks, this is the place to go to. But, really, who really wants a T-Bone steak that looks like it had been boiled in bath water? My steak was dull and saturated with an extremely slight sear. A black and white photo looked better than this steak. I'm thankful to my toilet for tolerating what it had to receive after eating this steak, as this food made my stomach upset.

Should've walked out immediately when I saw the first red flag: a dog inside the restaurant coming from the back of the bar. Talk about hygiene, who lets a dog in the restaurant like that?

I was absolutely shocked when I saw the desserts. You could easily see a grey layer on the chocolate brownies, which indicates it's been sitting in a fridge for awhile, and basically not fresh, or just simply put it's disgusting. The desserts looked so depressing.

The only good thing this restaurant has going for itself, is the staff. It's a pity because the restaurant is right on the beach. But the quality of everything is so, so trash. This is one of the oldest restaurants in Ballito, and you definitely can tell by the outdated cutlery, plates and furniture.

Never eating here again, never recommending this restaurant to anyone. It's...

My twin sister and I visited this restaurant a week ago while spending our last evening in Durban. Being from out of town, we were looking forward to a relaxing dinner by the beach, as the spot is conveniently within walking distance from our Airbnb.

Unfortunately, what should have been a lovely experience quickly turned into a disappointing one. After being seated, we ordered two margaritas and waited over 25 minutes with no communication or follow-up. Eventually, we had to call another waitress to help take our food order. When we politely asked if she could check with the waitress who initially served us, she responded with unnecessary attitude, telling us that “margaritas are made from scratch,” which is why it was taking so long.

Despite her poor attitude, we went ahead and placed our food order, but her demeanour remained unprofessional and frankly disrespectful. At that point, we no longer felt comfortable staying and decided to leave. As we were walking out, one of the other waitress by the door sarcastically said, “Thank you for coming,” which only added to the frustration.

The following day, I returned to speak with the manager (I believe his name is Viv). He did apologize and offered us complimentary coffee after I insisted on paying, which I appreciated. Still, the overall experience was disappointing and unacceptable, especially in a city that thrives on tourism and hospitality.

I sincerely hope the owner invests in proper customer service training for their staff. Basic courtesy and respect should be the bare minimum when dealing...