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MaternalRecord73 added this location
Wolfgat Paternoster Reviews
Great experience…if you don’t expect the best restaurant of the world
After a long wait (four months to get a table) we had the privilege to enjoy a great lunch at Wolfgat. Super authentic cuisine with a lot of creativity and well presented. Atmosphere is very simple and natural corresponding to the Chef and the place. We have enjoyed our lunch and find the pricing appropriate for the quality. However it is critical to manage expectations. This is not making justice to the best Michelin stars Chef with all their team, experience and technical skills to classify Wolfgat above them …and this is not what the Chef is looking for creating unnecessary pressure and expectations. Just enjoy a very original and authentic lunch based on local products
Wolfgat - expensive but an experience to remember.
I could see the passion that went into every dish. The ingredients however is not to everybodies taste. If you are not very adventurist with your food, skip this restaurant. The prices for everything also makes your eyes water. The biggest disappointment is the lack of non-alcoholic beverages. Eating this meal with just still water to drink was not for me as the 3 other options was undrinkable. Still a great experiance as the rest of the family had a fantastic afternoon. We had a big supper later as the portions were very small. An experience to remember, but for me a once-off.
Amazing experience!
I read the bad reviews below but we couldn't agree with them. The food was really tasty and special and we were lucky enough to have a cloudless and wind-free afternoon. Well worth the drive from Noordhoek (2.5 hours). Next time I would skip the somewhat flat wine pairing and choose a good bottle of white.
A waste of money
Total waste of time and money for the food. We enjoyed the wine. The only dish that we enjoyed was the bread. We left hungry and searching for places still serving. No luck and we went to bed hungry. Clearly, this is a passion for the chef. I doubt they have any repeat business with months long waiting lists. The food is totally overpriced with much being “foraged” and free. The helpings of what they pay for are tiny. We have no idea how this place got so highly recommended. Don’t waste your money!
Too good times with friends
Great spot for a gathering food was top notch and service was excellent would definitely go back this place is a 10 out of 10👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Best customer service
We received the best service ever and the customer service was on top of the range.i would like to go there again.will be seeing you soon
Unforgettable experience in a magic setting with surprising and memorable food.
This is a restaurant that is unlike almost any other. It’s a seaside shack overlooking the beach, so you can watch the fishing boats going about their work and watch the sea breaking gently against the wide open beach. With only 20 covers and one service per sitting, it’s hard to get a table here, but it’s well worth the effort if you can succeed. Chef-owner Kobus van der Merwe explains each dish and the matching wine, if you chose that option, to every table. It’s all very efficient but also totally unhurried. The food is notionally foraged for locally, but some is bought in from local suppliers and for example I was glad to learn that the oysters were farmed locally and not found on the seashore. The tastes are amazing and many are unusual. It was really a most enjoyable and almost surreal experience eating there. This is the first time the owner of a restaurant has asked us whether there was any of the wine flight that we would like an extra glass of before we left. I can’t wait to go back!
Creative, but clearly overrated
The location, above the wide beach of Paternoster, is exceptional. This also applies to the creativity of the cuisine, which is limited to regional products. However, the culinary result is not always convincing, especially when uncooked materials are used (very often). The dimensions of the individual courses could be a little more lavish. Conclusion: if you are looking for something new, it is OK, but otherwise the many gourmet restaurants around Cape Town and the Winelands offer more convincing results in this price range.
Tick it off your bucket list
Been trying to get in for years , regular visit za every jan/feb. Lunch table 12.30 great t the time of booking, reviewing menus and the actual menu never seen the food cost ! Move on Set menu Heavy on mussels and bi values and foraged items. The setting is immaculate, patio no more than 15/20 covers The view over looks fishing boats going out for the famous crayfish/lobster been landed 20feet away , fresh Not a sign on the menu nothing Bread course nice, kombu butter Snacks nice The watermelon course very good Black mussel course , mussel broth !! Bream course heavy on smoke Pre dessert very good Dessert good interesting Wine list very small and expensive, R450 for half decent Chenin Turned out food menu is R2500.00 for two
Amazing!
What a experiance! Its Unique! 7 cours lunch with a wonderfull wine pairing and excellent service! We visit often good restaurants but this experiance was so Unique and that in a beautiful place Patanoster! Thanks to Kobe and his beautiful team!
Theatre of Food
The very best eating experience of my life. I didn't know what I was eating half the time but my taste buds were in heaven. I would drive for 5 hours just to eat there again. If you want a gastronomic experience you have to go to Wolfgat. Kobus and his team make the evening a theatre of deliciousness right in front of you.
A fantastic evening!
This restaurant was booked well in advance & I must admit I wasn’t sure what to expect. We arrived to an unassuming building, but when you are seated on the outside terrace, overlooking the sea, you realise something special is afoot. Both the food & wine, were not only excellent, but unusually as a serious Foodie, completely new to me. The flavour combinations were incredible. Service was on point & the dishes arrived like a well oiled machine, with wonderful wine, which matched the dishes perfectly. This is a special place for sure.
Ridiculously overrated
Where to start. We booked 4 months in advance for my wife's birthday and were extremely excited to have the opportunity to dine at one of the "best restaurants in the world". My wife, being a devout member of the foodie culture, read up everything there is to know about the famous Wolfgat and head chef Kobus, admiring his ambition and refreshing take on the fine-dining experience. Nothing could have prepared us for our experience. Service From the get-go: bill increase of 20% on the food price already settled. No warning although a booking confirmation was sent to us by the restaurant through Dineplan multiple times before our booking date. Cannot fathom what would justify a sudden and unannounced price increase of 20%. Also not sure how legal this is, as I'm pretty sure we would have received no refund if we didn't accept this sudden increase. The waiters are somewhat professional but clearly untrained, as they seem to have memorized a few lines about the food but otherwise knew little to none about the dishes being served. They were most definitely not attentive, forgetting wine orders and pairings, pouring wrong wine in half-full glasses resulting in expensive purchased wine having to be thrown out without a reimbursement or even a 'sorry'. This happened repeatedly so my wife had to anxiously block her wine glass every time a waiter came past with a bottle of wine, reminding them of her wine pairing so that they would stop mixing wine in her glass. Food No better words to describe this brand of food other than pretentious, overpriced, and pompous. And we love fine-dining, so this is not merely a reflection on the portion size, composition, or price. The quality of the food being served here is absolutely not worth the insane food bill and is generally unappetizing. One dish was so insanely salty that two of our guests could barely swallow it. Even after mentioning this to the waiter clearing that dish's plates, we received no acknowledgement of this feedback whatsoever. It was a cold evening yet all the dishes, apart from the last main, was cold and raw. The seasoning on all dishes felt out of balance and not at all in touch with what the chef could possibly have intended. This is not an isolated incident as both my wife and I, and our three guests, were genuinely shocked at the imbalance of the taste of each dish. Setting & atmosphere The one good thing is that the view was good, though not half as good as the place we stayed. Music was blaring and not at all appropriate for the setting or the atmosphere (mostly pop). Bland and not too well-maintained building with no interesting art (that I could see). No blankets offered on a cold night, although they did start a fire in the fireplace (which I had to maintain myself at times). The menu was on black and white xerox paper, and they didn't even print out the bill for us - we had to pass a phone around! We all got the sense that profit was the main concern here. An example of this is that two of our friends had to cough up R200 per glass of cinsault because the chef (owner?) inexplicably poured them a few sips (around 50ml) of some expensive off-menu wine instead of the cinsault that they knew the price of. Again, I suspect the consumer protection act may have something to say here. Conclusion By the end of the night we were left wanting, extremely embarrassed for having invited our guests along for the evening, and bereft of our desire to attend another high-class fine-dining establishment on the West Coast. Next time we will stick to what we know, like an evening out at a Bertus Basson establishment with his hearty, tried-and-tested, honest-to-goodness, and unpretentious food.
Great evening but a few surprises.
Great evening, stunning views from the balcony of the restaurant but it did get cold, very un usual food which we enjoyed experiencing, but a few strange things, first, when we were seated, there was a note of a 200ZR price increase per person which I think we should have been made aware of before arriving. Then as this was a special birthday (65yrs old) we asked if we could put a small candle on the sweet course and we were told no. We enjoy fine dining and have visited many a good/great restaurant across the world so this was a surprise. We recently made a similar request at No6 in Padstow and not only did the restaurant oblige but we were also given treats and the head chef, the fabulous Chris McClurg came over personally to say high. On the up side, as we were traveling from Ireland, the restaurant did help us with our booking showing a far degree of flexibility by giving us a cancellation. All in all a great evening just with a few surprises hence the score 4 out of 5. Note: bring a jumper or coat to fully appreciate the outdoor dining experience at its best.
exited to get a table.....very little 'wow' factor
We were delighted to get a table for lunch. The setting is magnificent. Our expectations were high as we knew about it's reputation and awards. The menu was 7 courses made up of 4 fish/seafood dishes, one vegetable, one fruit and a pudding. The silverfish was lovely, as was the deep fried spinach and the pudding of ice cream and fruit. But nothing was 'wow'....apart from the setting. An experience, but we will not go back. They put the price up by nearly 20% since last October...when I booked.
Exceptional
2016 The sweep of the bay that meets you on arrival is awe inspiring and certainly the best view of all the places I have visited and stayed at in Paternoster. This matched by the smell of fresh baked bread and the minimalist kitchen with its clean lines but unpretentious style immediately sets up the promise of a world class dining experience. The food is extremely interesting, the flavors and textures new and surprising. Each plate a work of art. While the food is light and refreshing the portions are smaller than most tasting menus and definitely leaves you wishing for just a little more than a mouthful. I found the only other negative was the wine list which requires a fine wine paring for the gastronomic experience the restaurant strives to offer - yes by all means keep it local but there are much superior wines on offer in the West Coat region. The fact that I am still thinking about the meal means that it must have been special -which it was - with a little more fine tuning Wolfgat and Chef Kobus may rival the Test Kitchen as South Africa's standout contemporary dining experience! 2023 We visited Wolfgat again on 1 Feb 2023. Sublime! It has exceeded the potential expressed in my previous review in 2016 when it had just opened. Chef Kobus is at the height of his culinary skills - clean flavours, locally sourced, exceptionally presented and delicious. Wine pairing is a must with very interesting wines. All in all quite the most original and contemporary dining experience you are likely to have anywhere. Go!
Can’t wait for the next menu
We got a lucky with a late cancellation and managed to get a lunch booking at Wolfgat. It’s a set menu with locally harvested foods only. Wines are also local. 7 course meal that does not leave you wanting nor too much. A beautiful setting on the beachfront with sparse but enough furnishings. Chef and owner, Kobus vd Merwe, was actively involved with serving and offering advice on wines. There is also a wine pairing menu available but we didn’t opt for this. We had a fantastic experience and highly recommend this restaurant if you can get a reservation. Tables are limited to 7 with maximum 4 people per table. Looking forward to the next visit.
Fantastic!
We were happy with our reservation. Food is fabulous and in the right portions. We do not like pairing wines so instead they advised us with a very nice bottle of wine that matched all the dishes. Kobus is a bit of a "character". As we are in March again in Paternoster we tried to make another reservation. Sadly they are on holiday beginning of March. Hopefully we have more luck next time when we are in Paternoster.
Wolfgat - December 2022
We had the privilege of acquiring a reservation at Wolfgat in December 2022. From the first bite to the very last the quality, tastes and presentation of each meal was a work of art. The wine pairing is an absolute must as each sip of wine compliment’s every bite of food that had been so creatively put together by Chef Kobus.. Love the fact that the Wines have been sourced from the region and every single one of them magnificent! This might truly have been the best meal I have ever been served. Service was delightful and very professional. PS: There was a party in my mouth! 10/10
Twice as nice
So I came back after 2 years and I have to say….it was even better. The old favourite bokkom (west coast dried fish) butter with sourdough bread was elevated. The 8 course menu was just absolutely delightful and they added a meat course as well. I can highly recommend doing the wine pairing, which blew my mind. The milk tart desert has been perfected since the last time. Still keeping the integrity of the produce with a intimate setting , like being on your own porch at home…with the exception of the gorgeous view and going on a west coast food journey. Allot of renovations have been made, beautiful bathrooms inside the restaurant and some amazing music from the record player bringing the experience to life. Love this place
Difficult to find, hard to get a reservation but well worth it in the end.
Just of the main street in Paternoster, lies a small fisherman's cottage with a big reputation and absolutely stunning views of Paternoster beach and bay. The atmosphere is intimate, with only 7 tables on the stoop. The food and wine are locally sourced / foraged. Also caters for vegetarians but you need to inform them in advance. I loved the fact that the owner, Kobus van der Merwe, who is very passionate about what he does, sustainable food, takes the time to explain each dish at each table. Food is timed to perfection so the timings on each table are slightly different so the owner could spend time with each. The music was alluring and a lot of interesting artists who were new to us, lending to the atmosphere. It was nice to see that records/LPs were being used with Kobus treating us to his favourite music. The wines, he is very passionate about them, were not all to our taste but all in all they complemented the food very well. It introduced to a lot more Swartland wines than we even knew existed. Has encouraged us to plan a trip up there soon. The flavours of the food were very interesting, some subtle, some more prominent but when tasted together they tasted fantastic. The menu was well thought out and flowed. Not to much food overall but just enough. All in all, I would say this restaurant and its owner / chef lived up to their well-deserved reputation. Bigest complement I can give Kobus and his team is that we will be back, if we can get a reservation ;)
Incredible experience
We were totally overwhelmed with the food, the setting, the service and the overall excellence! Unlike anything in the world ! Now we understand why this is one if not the best in SA and the world
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If there is no user posting that fits your schedule, you can bid on your preferred time.
Let's say Peter has a great morning and decides to take his three friends to Wolfgat Paternoster at 6 PM the same day.
He checks the restaurant's website and sees that no reservations are available. He then looks at the Wolfgat Paternoster page on AppointmentTrader, but finds that there are no user postings either.
That's where the community-driven bid process comes in.
Peter can place a bid on AppointmentTrader, which serves as a reward for any community member who chooses to work on securing the reservation. AT then notifies experienced users who may be able to help.
Step-by-Step Process
1.) Setting a Reward (Bid)
* AppointmentTrader uses historical data to recommend a reasonable reward amount for securing a reservation - let's say $100.
* Peter really wants to go, so he increases the bid (or reward) to $200.
* At this stage, the reservation does not exist yet.
2.) A Community User Picks Up the Bid
* FamousStation67, an experienced AT user, has a strong track record of successfully securing reservations and low refund requests, they receive a notification about Peter's bid.
* FamousStation67 picks up the bid, meaning they will now work on securing the reservation.
* Peter can now talk to FamousStation67 for any questions Peter may have as FamousStation67 user fills the bid.
3.) Finding the Reservation
* FamousStation67 now uses their connections at Wolfgat Paternoster to secure the table.
* If they successfully get the 6 PM table for four, Peter receives a confirmation that the reservation has been secured.
* If FamousStation67 fails to secure the reservation, the bid is returned to the pool so another user can try.
4.) Payment & Protection
* Once the reservation is secured, FamousStation67 receives the $200 reward which is credited to FamousStation67's AT balance, where users manage their own funds and can withdraw via available payout options such as bank transfer, PayPal, or Zelle.
* Peter can now enjoy the dinner with his friends at Wolfgat Paternoster!
* As with all transactions on AT, disputes and no-show fees are handled through the platform's community-driven resolution system. Users with a strong track record are incentivized to fulfill bids successfully, and community members can report issues to maintain trust in the marketplace.
