Zaras Cafe. — Restaurant in KwaDukuza Local Municipality

After a brisk winter morning walk along the Ballito promenade, we decided to stop at Zara’s for breakfast before heading home. With so many options available at the Lifestyle Centre, this Greek-style spot caught our eye — but unfortunately, the experience left us with more regret than satisfaction.

Despite the restaurant being fairly quiet (it was still early), the service moved at a snail’s pace. Our drinks took a while to arrive, and when they did, my cappuccino was served with cream on the side — which not only seemed odd but also tasted a little... off. Definitely not the creamy comfort one hopes for first thing in the morning.

What made things more awkward was the unfiltered chaos among the staff. A meeting — and what looked like a full-blown dispute — took place right in front of us. Unprofessional and uncomfortable for diners trying to enjoy a quiet meal.

When the food finally arrived, it didn’t do much to redeem the situation. My boyfriend had the standard breakfast — prepared adequately, but totally lacking in flavour or flair. He was unimpressed. I ordered the eggs Benedict with ham, which was a first for me. One poached egg was overcooked, the other thankfully done right. The hollandaise sauce was creamy, but under-seasoned and forgettable. Not exactly the elevated breakfast experience we expected from a restaurant in an upscale shopping centre.

The final straw? The bill took ages to arrive, and we weren’t given a receipt. Meanwhile, flies were buzzing around an open baking display case smack in the middle of the seating area — not exactly the appetite enhancer one hopes for.

In short: Zara’s fell flat. Between the slow service, flavourless food, and hygiene concerns, there wasn’t much to convince us to return. With so many great options at Ballito Lifestyle Centre, I’d recommend...

I have just had the worst service and breakfast experience. I ordered eggs Benedict…. Simple enough! And then waited ……..at least an hour for my order to arrive. The Cafe was not at all busy. When my order arrived it was the beginning of a catastrophic journey, the slither of thin ham under the eggs that had also become hard, back to the ham, obviously the order had sat in an oven, causing the ham to dry out to the extent of being brittle, the eggs which were supposed to be medium, were hard, nicely covered up with the with hollandaise sauce. I asked for the manageress after some arguing about the ham she took it back to the kitchen after offering to replace it. So again a wait, then she presented me with scrambled eggs and two pieces of toast,and cherry tomatoes. By this time I was starving, I don’t eat scrambled eggs, surely before doing me this extraordinary favour she should of at the very least asked if I would be satisfied with scrambled eggs, after ordering eggs Benedict, you would think so wouldn’t you. Instead when I became irate she went on a loud attach telling me clearly nothing was going to make me happy and promptly told the staff to, with hand gestures as well, “Take it back to the kitchen, nothing will make her happy” I also received an arrogant lecture about the length of time she has been in the business, and how she always makes her customers so happy. Well well well you sure did not bring a smile to my lips. Rude loud Manageres, who assumes she can treat her customers as though she is running a soup kitchen, take it or leave honey. I will not...

We had the worst experience at Zara Cafe in Ballito. And the problem is not the service, it’s the management. Our food was served with broken eggshells and olive pits. The white female manager’s response was dismissive and defensive. There is no quality control over the food that is coming out of the kitchen. The slice of lemon that was served was terribly dehydrated and looked like it was sitting in the sun for days and The garnish has brown and consisted of rotten pieces of coriander. The food was totally tasteless, bland and disgusting; definitely not worth the price they are charging.

The white female manager requires a reality check, she needs training in customer service and she needs to take responsibility for what is coming out of the kitchen. She came across as racist and she needs to be called out. Totally disgusted at the food and management. Get off your high horse and do better. Customers should not have to deal with the incompetence of the management at this restaurant. Learn how to speak to your customers who are paying ridiculously high prices for food that is disgusting. Learn how to communicate with customers! If you don’t know how to interact with customer then you shouldn’t be working in that capacity. You need...