Knysna Oyster Company - V&A Waterfront Cape Town — Restaurant in V&A Waterfront

Poor service, manager indifference / bad attitude and billing carelessness. A nice Sunday morning at 10h00. Too busy I suppose no table for two: table for 6 open but can't split for two. Asked to sit one end of the bench table - lots of space; 'front of house' didn’t think of that... it was fine. But - no menus until calling to a waitress. No apologies. Our waiter then arrived. Friendly, quick with order. But - our elderly German table-mates were not so lucky: waited to long for menus, too long for coffee. His brioche bun, scrambled egg & bacon breakfast arrived but her croissant was nowhere to be seen. As a Local, and sharing a table with them, I felt embarrassed as her husband was almost 3/4 through his dish (he had waited for her but his food was getting cold) and they were too polite. A managerial looking man finally appeared in the doorway and I brought this to his attention, also asking that he speak to them. He went to check on the order but ignored the foreign patron. It still did not arrive. Her coffee now finished, the young waiter finally arrived to say they had burned the croissant as the oven was the wrong temperature... her husband lightly asked for a replacement coffee 'to compensate' ... nope, nothing for free... We asked for our bill. The waiter took forever to bring us a bill - for another table & 3x what we had ordered; I had to go, my wife waited for our bill. I spoke to the 'manager' as I was leaving and suggested he apologise to our German fellow patrons. He got angry with me... basically told me to mind my own business. I heard later that he didn’t take the trouble. My wife realised, after she had paid, that we had been given the German couple's bill... it was similar to ours so she didn’t bother to go back to correct it. Needless to say, won't be going to try...

I was craving for oysters and never had any from South Africa before and here I found one... Knysna (pronounced as "Nice-ner" if I am not wrong). There's an indoor and outdoor section, where it look over that the marina and the Victoria Wharf. And with the busker around, it was quite a lively atmosphere sitting outdoor. (Wind was strong though but who could I blame?) I ordered a pint of Jack Black which was good but the key thing was the oysters... The waiter was really kind enough to show me the different sizes of the oysters... From cocktail size to extra Giant which isn't on the menu. He also explained that they are the supplier to many other restaurants in Cape town and honestly, their prices are very reasonable, esp if u order by the dozen. I ordered 6 of the Large ones first and they were excellent. The taste was Abit briny, but the texture was smooth and bite was succulent + juicy! 🤤 Hvnt had such good oysters for a while and I immediately crave for more, and ordered another 6 of the tiny cocktail sizes one... Also to taste if there's any difference. My first one was somehow sweeter than the previous, while the other 5 tasted the same as the first 6. So I guess, it's kind of by luck and generally similar. Despite of the lower pricing of the cocktail ones, the bigger ones seems to be more value for money. I will try the Giant or Extra Giant the next time! Overall, it's a good oysters experience and I hope to...

Visited in June 2025. South Africa. Cape Town 🇿🇦

We found ourselves wandering the waterfront, craving a few fresh oysters and some bubbly. And Knyasna? The perfect spot to scratch that itch! The weather was absolutely gorgeous, so we snagged a table on the veranda to soak it all in.

FOOD:

This place is a seafood and Japanese lovers, with sushi and rolls. But we were laser-focused on the oysters and shrimp. They have a range of oyster sizes, and we were dying to try the OMG ones (we're talking 200+ grams!), but sadly they were out of stock. We settled for a smaller size, and let me tell you, they were still incredible! Fresh, plump, with that perfect ocean-y aroma and a firm, non-slimy texture – seriously top-notch quality. The grilled shrimp were also on point – tender, slightly creamy, and swimming in a garlicky-lemon butter that had us licking our fingers. The Asian-inspired coleslaw and edamame were delicious sides, too.

SERVICE:

Service was smooth and efficient. Our waitress was super friendly and helpful, guiding us through the menu and making sure we had an amazing time. Big thumbs up!

VERDICT:

Definitely recommend this place! Delicious, fresh oysters, a wide variety of seafood options, and a killer location. If you're anywhere nearby, you absolutely have to check it out! You...