Quay Four Restaurant — Restaurant in V&A Waterfront

A little more than 3 weeks ago I made a review about our bad experience at Quay Four. The manager Natasha invited us back and after really being hesitant, she shared that the top and bottom restaurant have seperate kitchens, and I also learned different menu's too. So we decided to give it a try. What a complete 360 from our previous experience at the bottom restuarant. The manager (I hope I have the name correct) Jean - Claude, checked up on our table 3 times, and also did so by the tables around us too. Our waitress Noma was such a sweetheart, she has such a heartwarming personality and also checked in if we were happy with our meals. Friendly and lovely staff.

I said I'd post an honest review after being back, and I thought I would share it for all the other people that also commented about their previous bad experiences.

We started with the cajun calamari, it was truly delicous, cooked perfectly and the flavour was amazing. Not a big portion at R125 but if you are craving a small bite - it'll definitely hit the spot!

We also got served delicious bread, that was warm and the butter was the perfect consistency to spread easily- not like some places that leave the butter in the refrigerator and is so hard you can barely spread it.

Thereafter we shared the prawn tempura roll. Wow! Super crunchy and tasty! Could not fault it. It truly tasted fresh and wonderful!

Mains - I had the Prawn Curry - it had the perfect amount of spice, served at the perfect temperature and packed with flavour.

Hubby had the Q4 Platter for one - there is a reason it's R895. It's SO much food. Hubby could not finish it at all. The mussles were cooked perfectly, the sauce truly so delicious! The fish was a beautiful cut, thick, juicy and delicious. There was leftovers and my daughter of almost two loved it too! The prawns - oh my - they were MASSIVE!! Cooked so well and easily came out of the shell. Calamari just as perfect as with the starters. There was a little bit of veg below the seafood, which I felt wasn't even necessary on such a massive platter. The least underwhelming was the chips, it wasn't too great - but my daughter ate it afterwards with no pause.

I tried two mocktails as I do not consume alcohol. This was an awesome option on the menu for those who don't consume alcohol, to try and truly enjoyed the difference between the different flavoures. I loved both of them.

So all and all, we'll be back to visit the top restaurant. We truly enjoyed our meals and left with big...

Firstly, I would like to state that I have visited Quay Four downstairs in the Tavern for many years. It has been our go to spot every time we visit the V & A. This has been the first time we dined upstairs and it was a horrible experience. We started off with a nice waiter. We ordered the oysters and sparkling wine special with an extra glass of sparkling wine. Unfortunately, the food was delayed because they couldn't find the one glass of sparkling wine. Even when the oysters were delivered to the table we had to wait a bit for the sparkling wine. Our waiter was very apologetic and we understood it was very busy so we didn't mind too much then. After we ordered our mains, we believe there was a shift change because we never saw that waiter again. Some other waitress started serving us who never introduced herself. Upon receiving our mains, my boyfriend: catch of the day (black cod) and me: west coast muscles. My boyfriend saw that his fish came with chips instead of creamy rosemary potatoes. He pointed it out to the waitress to let her know and she did offer the potatoes to him. He said it was fine as long as the kitchen knows what happened. But as he continued eating he noticed it was full of bones and some larts of the fish were not palatable. Once he was finished and she came to fetch the plate. He told her about the bones and she just ignored him. Regarding my meal, it was a mediocre attempt at West coast muscles. The muscles were cooked well but the sauce was extremely bland with no flavour. Just a very thick cream on a plate with no hint of any white wine flavour or seasoning. To make it better I cracked a lot of salt and pepper. The worst part was the bread which is toasted. It was extremely oily that it left residue oil on my fingers. When I tried to eat it with sauce, like one does, I instantly felt nauseas. When the waitress came to fetch my food she didn't even bother to ask how my food was because she probably already knew. She made no effort to remedy the situation. We were basically ignored the rest of the time. We were planning to have dessert but after the terrible meal and service, we decided to hunt down the waitress so we could leave. We ended up having lovely desserts elsewhere with excellent service despite that place being jam packed. I would not recommend anyone ever...

My recent visit to Quay 4, accompanied by my mother (70) and mother-in-law (87), was an unfortunate exercise in how poor service can ruin what should be a pleasant dining experience. It is with great disappointment that I share this scathing assessment of our outing, which was marred by an astonishing lack of professionalism. Upon arrival, we experienced a significant delay in service, with a 15-minute wait just to place our order. The farcical nature of our experience was compounded by having to request assistance three separate times before receiving any help. Even more frustrating was the absence of basic essentials—no cutlery, no glasses, no serviettes. It felt as if we were invisible in a restaurant that, one would assume, prides itself on hospitality. To add insult to injury, our waiter was not only inattentive but also downright condescending. Such behavior is unacceptable in any establishment, especially one positioned in a prime location like the Waterfront. When we sought assistance from the manager, we were met with an unhelpful and dismissive attitude that only exacerbated our dissatisfaction. Ultimately, we opted to leave after paying for drinks and sushi. Despite our evident unhappiness, it appeared that no one at the restaurant cared to inquire or rectify the situation. What stood out even more was the glaring disparity in service quality. It was disheartening to observe that other patrons—predominantly foreign tourists—received prompt and courteous attention while we, as locals, were treated as an afterthought. This trend of neglect toward local customers is not only frustrating but also raises serious questions about the underlying ethos of many establishments in Cape Town. In conclusion, my experience at Quay 4 was nothing short of disappointing. If this restaurant aims to maintain a positive reputation, it must urgently address its service shortcomings. Until significant improvements are made, I cannot recommend dining here. An establishment must understand that every guest deserves respect and attention, regardless of...