Hops Restaurant & Bar Ballito — Restaurant in KwaDukuza Local Municipality

We visited Hops while on holiday last week. Friendly staff, very nice food, generous portions, Amazing ocean view! Cocktails are quite well priced, but not very strong (we had the southern comfort passionfruit one). The reason we actually chose Hops was because we only wanted a budget friendly light quick meal. While googling spots around within close uber distance from our accommodation, I noted they had R95 lunch specials! Great! Upon arrival, however, we were advised these no longer apply (they were last year's specials). We brought this up with one manager as we had just put in our drink orders and he came round to welcome us, we brought to his attention, and we're told the above. Sort of blinked at us, no apology, or offer to smooth us over, and walked away. We shrugged it off, but felt it could have been handled better. Another manager came around, again just a general check, and we brought it up again because we thought it wasn't really well dealt with initially and it kind of put a damper on our overall feel - we hadn't felt heard. This manager did much the same, explained it was an error and he'll go tell their website designer person, then as he was walking away and what seemed a bit begrudgingly, offered a 10% discount from our bill. We appreciated that, thank you!

I didn't want to post this immediately as I thought it fair to give them the benefit of the doubt. Google just reminded me of my visit so out of curiosity I popped a quick visit to their website again.

As of today, almost a week after we visited, the website is still displaying this "R95 lunch specials". I don't know if it's a low-key advertising technique to get people in the door now that holiday season is over - but it is concerning and is essentially false advertising, unless everyone gets a 10% discount! Just the...

I recently had an incredibly touching experience at Hopps and felt compelled to share it. My father, who is currently battling dementia, has been a longtime friend of the owner, Pierre, for over 20 years. The level of care and compassion extended to my father and our family by Pierre and his dedicated team was beyond exceptional.

Not only did they go out of their way to make my father feel comfortable and welcome, but they also offered to pick him up from his accommodation for his daily beer, recognizing that he can no longer drive. The staff kept a close eye on his alcohol consumption, ensuring he didn't have too many, given his tendency to forget. It's these small gestures that make a significant impact on families dealing with the challenges of dementia.

Pierre and his team's genuine kindness and understanding have made Hopps more than just a local establishment for us; it's become a haven of support and friendship during a difficult time. Their commitment to providing not just excellent service but also a compassionate and inclusive environment is truly commendable.

A big thank you to Pierre and the entire team at Hopps. Your thoughtfulness has left a lasting impression on our hearts. We are grateful for the warmth and understanding you've shown, and we highly recommend Hopps to anyone seeking not just a great place to unwind but a...

My heart goes out the the poor wait staff at this establishment. Very rarely is such inept management blatantly on display to paying customers. After waiting for one hour to receive our first round of drinks we sought out the manager who informed us that this was the "average" experience of patrons and that we should not expect anything better. The owner on a second inquiry told us that everyone in the restaurant was waiting for service and that we should wait our turn as there was nothing else that could be done. Our wine when it came was warm and ice in the cocktails melted resulting in watered down drinks. The food was below standard, cold and the cheese sauce was inedible.The restaurant is severely understaffed to cope with the volumes and waiters have not received much in the way of training for busy situations. If one is in Ballito over this period, DO NOT GO! Perhaps the quality of the meal and the service improves out of season, but they can not cope with numbers and should seriously reconsider opening to the public for business over this period. I find it offensive that the owners and management expect holiday makers to pay for the experience we and the other patrons had to endure simply because there is limited choice on the beachfront. Bad, bad,...