Strandkombuis is a delightful day out. It’s located on the 16 mile beach in Yzerfontein. Annie and I have been there three times now, and it seems to get better every time.
There’s three reasons to go to Strandkombuis – the setting, the vibe, and the seafood buffet. Set your expectations accordingly and you’re guaranteed to have a fantastic time.
The music on a Sunday starts at about 12 and lunch service starts at 1pm, so you can make a day of it. Get there early, have a drink or three, kick back, and listen to the music. They allow dogs, they have wheelchair access, and they’re kid friendly too. Today there were lots of families with small kids, and dogs, and one guy actually had a cat on a lead, l kid you not.
The setting is a deck under one of those shade sails behind the dune so you don’t get a view of the sea, but you’re shielded from the wind. Today’s weather was beautifully warm, but if you stepped onto the beach the wind hits you head on and you freeze your extremities off. The dune provided shelter from the wind, so don’t bemoan the fact that you can’t see the sea from your table. You can take a stroll over the dune between courses to pretend you’re walking off lunch and get an eyeful of the most beautiful view down the beach towards Yzerfontein and in the opposite direction towards Langebaan.
The solo act they had there today was worth the trip – Johan Camel was the best solo guitarist I’ve seen in a long time. He played a mix of songs old and new, Engels and Afrikaans, and the volume was perfect so that even sitting right up front, we still managed to have a conversation at our table without having to shout and say “what?” a million times. Look up Johan Camel – amazingly talented musician.
The theme at Strandkombuis is casual beach buffet. The buffet part is the only plus/minus. The food quality is excellent, but it’s a buffet and with buffets come queues. If you can get past that, you’ll love Strandkombuis. Lunch is served in 3 courses. Starters is seafood soup and home made breads, jam, and pâté. Mains is the seafood buffet featuring braai’d Snoek, Yellowtail, mussels, calamari and some prawns (these are the only thing that’s limited – you get 2 per person, but you can go back for more) with roasted potatoes, rice and salads. You can go back as many times as you want. I went back for seconds and they’d just brought out another tray of prawns. Dessert is Moerkoffie and koeksisters. It’s reasonably priced at R335pp.
I have to throw in a little wine pairing – I opened a bottle of Ken Forrester Wines Old Vine Reswrve Chenin Blanc 2021 which was perfect for a hot day, lots of chilling and all that delicious fish and seafood.
It’s definitely not fine-dining, but it’s mighty fine fare. I’d go back again and again for a seafood buffet like this.
There’s no waiter service. Everything except clearing the tables is DIY.
You can bring your own booze, and there’s a bar where you can get your drinks self-service.
There’s one in every family, and If you have someone in your party who doesn’t eat seafood, the guys at Strandkombuis will braai some chicken and chops for you but you need to tell them in advance when you make your booking. They made a plan for us on the day without a fuss but we had to wait a bit for the off-menu chicken and tjop. Unfortunately the non-pescies pay full price.
Ellie, the owner, bought the place about 9 months before Covid hit. Talk about rotten timing. She used the time when restaurants were forced to shut down to do some upgrades and renovations, and what’s on offer now is a very elegant beachside venue that’s becoming more and more popular.
They do weddings and functions too. There’s an intimate chapel under a tent overlooking the ocean, so you can get married looking out onto that beautiful view and party under the sail afterwards.
Strandkombuis is a day trip destination. Get there early, take a long walk on the beach, chill to some great music, and literally eat yourself to a standstill for hours. If you plan on drinking, appoint a designated driver. Cops will stop you as you leave Yzerfontein. They’ve also heard about Strandkombuis.
Book in advance – they’re already very popular.
