Mozambik The Pearls Mall — Restaurant in KwaZulu-Natal

My family and I decided to celebrate our Christmas Lunch at the Mozambik Restaurant situated in The Pearls Mall at Umhlanga Rocks. Unfortunately, we did not foresee that this choice would lead to one of our most disappointing dining experiences.

I arrived at 10:30 AM, while the restaurant was scheduled to open at 11:00 AM and did not accept reservations in advance. Along with my eleven family members, we joined several other groups waiting for the restaurant to open. Once the doors finally opened, it became evident that there was a significant lack of effective management. A chaotic scene ensued as patrons rushed in, with only two waiters available to assist patrons in finding their seats. Despite being second in line, I was pushed aside by others due to the insufficient assistance.

We were able to secure a table outside, adjacent to the children's play area. The day was exceedingly hot, and some tables were completely exposed to the sun. Our waiter assured us that it was acceptable to sit there as they were in the process of setting up umbrellas to provide shade. An hour passed without any sign of an umbrella. Upon inquiring, we learned that it was broken. Regrettably, we had no alternative for seating as the restaurant was fully booked. We attempted to rearrange the tables, but several family members remained in direct sunlight.

At 11:15 AM, we placed our orders for drinks and appetizers, followed by our main course orders at 11:30 AM. The drinks and starters arrived on time; however, an hour later, when we inquired about our main courses, we were informed that they would be ready shortly. Another thirty minutes elapsed with no food delivered. When we followed up again, we were told that the staff was busy and our meals would be forthcoming.

Another half hour passed without any food, and we continued to be patient and understanding. We then moved to another table that was not in the direct sunlight. My sister approached both the waiter and the restaurant manager several times to convey that we had been waiting since 11:30 AM, and it was now nearly 2 PM. The manager expressed his apologies and assured us that our meals would be served shortly. However, an hour later, at 3 PM, we had yet to receive any food. My sister approached the manager to convey that we could no longer wait and intended to pay only for the drinks and starters before departing, as waiting for our meals for three and a half hours was unacceptable. The manager then informed us that we were free to leave without paying for the starters and drinks.

We were extremely dissatisfied with the poor service we experienced at this restaurant and have resolved not to return in...

food is great but the waiter was not the best .she was just not dynamic. delays in bring our hot drink. our meals was brought to our tables without the sauces etc.we had request this and that was delayed .ordered drinks a coke sugar free and orange juice. we had to attract her attention for these drinks to be brought to our table .her excuse for delay of drink they were making it. these are off the shelve items .she was not focused on her duty.to her everything is laughing matter. due to the so called bad service we had not finished our meals .called for the manager and this waiter brought us the waiter manager who was only interest in taking our delays down to make up for the poor service. then he offered us a free meal on another day .this upset us.we dont eat for free. then i called RICKY and its was revealed that he is the owners nandh brother .guys we came in there for eat and pay and leave .which we did pay R414,00 FOR MEALS THAT WE DIDNT FINISH DUE TO POOR CUSTOMER SERVICES.WHY IS IT THAT OWNERS NAMES OF THESE OUTLET NEVER GIVEN OUT WHEN CUSTOMERS ARE FACE WITH SUCH PATETIC CUSTOMER SERVICES. THE FOOD AT MOZAMBIK IS GREAT BUT STAFF AND REALLY LETTING THIS BRAND DOWN.WHAT TRAINING ARE THESE WAITERS GOING THRU.NOTHING. THEY SHOULD GO DOWN TO MORNING SIDE MOZAMBIK TO LEARN CUSTOMER SERVICES. THE MINUTE WE DONT ORDER ALCOHOL WE NOTICE WAITORS ATTITUDE CHANGES BECOS THEIR TIPS WILL BE LOW. SAD STAte OF AFFAIRS AT THIS BRANCH .ANTIONO DONT BELIEVE THAT every time you experience bad customer service from your staff you GIVE FREE MEALS TO MAKE UP FOR POOR SERVICES YOU GOING TO WIN.NO WE ARE PAYING CUSTOMERS AND NOT BEGGERs AND WE HAVE THE RIGHT TO COMPLAIN.. YOU DONT DESREVE TO BE RATED .MOZAMBIK TO NEED TO ADDRESS...

We visited Mozambik at The Pearls on Saturday night for the first time, and while the evening started off well — the ambiance was lovely and the venue looked amazing — the rest of the experience quickly went downhill.

After placing our order, we were relaxing and enjoying the vibe when, about 30 minutes later, the waiter informed us that they had run out of gas, and the new supply would take another 20–30 minutes to arrive. We were understanding and agreed to wait.

However, 45 minutes passed with no update, and the waiter, while rushing past, casually mentioned they’d “just fry the calamari instead” — without actually stopping to explain the situation. About 10 minutes later, the same waiter returned looking completely confused, asking us about our own order and explaining that the kitchen didn’t know what they could or couldn’t serve.

We asked to speak to a manager, and it took another 10 minutes for a junior manager to appear, who also seemed unsure and disoriented. Strangely, while she was with us, the meals suddenly started arriving — despite being told earlier that they couldn’t be served. This left us very confused.

In the end, only about 75% of our order arrived, and the food that did make it to the table was underwhelming. Just as we finished eating, the waiter came over and casually announced, “Oh, the gas is back on now.”

Overall, this was a chaotic and poorly managed experience. For a restaurant of this calibre and location, the service and communication were far below expectations. Sadly, I wouldn’t recommend this establishment to anyone based on...