An absolutely delicious and down-to-earth honest seafood grill experience: Restaurant Die Strandloper (29. November 2023)

If you are up for a day’s drive to experience an authentic seafood experience by the sea, then you should definitely pay Die Strandloper in Langebaan a visit. The place is a bit remote and about a 90 minutes drive from Cape Town, but a drive worth undertaking. So, basically what you get here is a really authentic experience of freshly prepared seafood in the context of a set menu (370 ZAR per person). Considering how much food you get and the quality of it, it is – as a Swiss – somewhat confusing how you can get all of that for approximately CHF 17.50!

What is important to note, though, is that you have to book your slot months in advance, as they only have limited seating, there are no walk-ins, and you don’t want to drive up there to then not be able to be accomodated. The whole thing starts with “bread & jams”, which seems quite simple – and it is. But it is just the starting point for the next courses.

But before we get to the food, I think it’s worth admiring, how they cook everything. Basically, there are a ton of pots put on open coals right there and then, and then things are just being cooked and boiled for an enlarged amount of time.

And everything is hand-made. There are buns, which are prepared by the ladies by hand right in front of everyone, and put on the hot coal to be ready somewhere further down the line.

And all the seafood is also cooked freshly on the coals – I mean, this is about as fresh as it gets!

So, once you have grabbed your bread and jam, it’s time for “mussels”. And that is really the first dish. Mussles. With garlic, and without garlic. And the cuttlery are really two cleaned up mussel shells you can use like tweezers. Authentic as hell!

Next in line was the “Weskus Haarders”, which is some kind of fish. And since it has been grilled whole, after you’ve grabbed one, there are the ladies basically deboning it expertly within a few seconds for each of the guests. It is a very well-aligned and functioning system.

Even the cutting off of the fish head and throwing it back on the ground works meticulously as the seagulls already know what’s coming and are waiting there for the stuff to be eaten.

The third course was “fish curry” and it is really that – a nice mixture of different fish and seafood, and the intense flavours of curry. Delicious!

Next in line was “braaied snoek with potatoes and patats” and I must say, this was actually delicious. You have to be careful when eating as there are still some fish bones left and some of them are rather pointy and spikey, but the fish itself is absolutely amazing in terms of flavour and taste!

Then, there was the only non-seafood dish – the “beef & boontjie (bean) bredie with corn on the cob” was basically a beef stew, which was of nice texture and flavour, but I would say it was the weakest dish. Maybe, this was also since I felt like the beef was not as great as it could have been – based on the cuts I was chewing on.

Then it was already time for the “smoked angelfish and linefish”, which are advertised as two separate courses on the homepage. The angelfish was nothing too amazing, but the linefish (in the back) was actually mouth-watering! I even went to get a second piece – so lovely!

Then, there is this element of ‘exclusiveness’ in the menu, called “kreef”, which is at first boiled in a pot …

… and then put onto the grill! The half ‘lobster’ is the only thing, which isn’t an ‘all you can eat’, since they want to make sure this is evenly distributed and nobody becomes greedy. And frankly, it is quite delicious. For my personal gusto, it was helpful to know how to take a lobster apart, since this is something I had learned at Le Cordon Bleu, but it is also something where I realised that the kreef is nice, but it was a bit overcooked in my personal opinion. Here, I would say, less is more.

Then it was time for “tooibos tea & moerkoffie with condensed milk” if you could still stomach anything. The quality of the seafood is overall so good and the protions are so generous, that you really dont’ feel like eating anymore after somet time.

But, of course, I had to try the “koeksisters”, which is kind fo a sweet dough pastry soaked in some kind of syrup. Worth trying, but don’t have more than one or two as else you might end up having a heart attack.

The place is not only great in terms of food, but it is also great in terms of atmosphere. It is really a very simple bar by the beach …

… with a little bar, where you can buy your beverages if you didn’t bring them yourself (which is also encouraged). One important point to mention – this place is ‘cash only’, so make sure to bring at least 500 ZAR (for one person) so you can buy a few drinks and actually pay for the food.

The place is really designed like a little pirate island, but it’s of course a beach bar.

And it has quite funny elements to the decoration too.

So, to sum it up, if you have 3-4 hours time to enjoy an extended lunch with a lot of seafood, then the Strandloper is definitely a place you should book weeks in advance! Worth doing so! Food is delicious, the atmosphere is unique, the prices are so damn cheap (from a European perspective), and the whole thing is just somewhat mind-blowing!

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Contact Details:

Restaurant Die Strandloper

Jan Olfsen Street

Leentjiesklip

7357 Langebaan (ZA)

Tel.: +27 22 7722 490

Cell: +27 83 227 7195

E-Mail: info@strandloper.com

Homepage: http://www.strandloper.com

About the Author: Sven

I started the blog in October 2009, while living in Milan which I definitely consider to be one of the food capitals of the world. I was in touch with food since my early childhood (as my father is a former chef). Whenever I can, I travel the world to discover new places, to meet people but mostly to try local dishes and to find hidden gems! If you know a place worth going, please drop a line to: info@thediningexperience.org. Currently, I am a member of the following food-related associations: Chevalier @Chaîne des Rôtisseurs Zurich-Ville; Membre Gourmet Dégustateur @Ordre Mondial des Gourmets Dégustateurs [OMGD]; Gesellschafter @Goldener Fisch and Member @Slowfood Convivium Zurich City.