Review Al Pescatore - Ballito

Great rustic place , not been in a few years , but still great atmosphere , amazing views , service was great , food was good for the prawn basket not so good on chicken livers but place is a must visit

Had a lovely time at The Galley Beach Bar and Grill. Superb views of the beach, quick service by very friendly staff. Atmosphere was great and food was good and fresh and hot. Other guests dining were friendly and everyone seemed happy. Will definitely go back. Renovations are being done and then they will open for breakfasts as well..A great place to relax and watch the sunset and see the ships on the water.

A delightful surprise. Walking along the promenade, spontaneously decided to have lunch here. Loved the beach shacky vibe. Great friendly service. It was a beaut of a day with wonderful views over the beach. Delicious fish & chips

Thr experience itself was amazing. As you walk in there is someone ready to assist you. The food is fresh and delicious. The service as mentioned is on point. The ambience is excellent. I actually managed to complete my assignment as i was on the deck outside dining alone.. I really love it there. Will definitely be returning.

The galley is one of our personal favorites in the vicinity. The service, the food, and the easygoing atmosphere is great, with a panoramic view of the beach and coastline, if you are seated outside

This is such an awesome restaurant. The food it always delicious, the atmosphere is so laid back and typically seaside. The outdoor seating has a beautiful view of the ocean. My favorite thing about this restaurant, is that is allows dogs in. And even better, it serves meals and beverages for your lovely pooch too! We always have the seafood platter, which is always delicious and highly recommended. The squid heads are the best. Actually everything on the platter is the best. The service is great and waiters are always friendly.

Absolutely delicious and not over priced. A good vibrant spot for us holiday makers. Highly recommended from our side.

The view of the ocean is excellent. Seafood was very fresh and tasty, with large portions and is reasonably priced. I would go to The Galley over any of the other well known seafood franchises. Please note, the pics of the food are after we already started eating. It looked even better when first served.

We enjoyed the special seafood platter sitting right on the beachfront overlooking the sea. The food portions are generous and we'll presented. The venue is popular, even out of season. Good ambience and we will return for sure.

Awsome Atmosphere. The vibe here is totally epic. it's a bonus family restaurant- excellent food , gotta try THE FISH BOWL, situated literally an inch away from the sea sand, pet friendly, kids love this place. Food was divine, staff super friendly, clean neat environment 👌

Awesome restaurant and beach bar right on the beach! They are pet friendly too and have a menu for your doggies too! Fantastic establishment! Will definitely come again

Shew, what a way to start a holiday. Relax with a "shark bite" cocktail 🍸 while watching the ocean and dining on great food. The oysters are a favorite, it seems, amongst guests. The sea food platter was beautifully prepared and the squid heads starters ... yum! Smell the salt of the ocean, lap up the beautiful view and sounds of waves crashing on the shore while being surrounded by quaint, quirky and inspiring decor. Highly recommend.

Fantastic venue, right at the beach. Vibey with colorful decor. Food is fair to good, but with a great chef this would be a fabulous place. Service was excellent, very friendly waitress.

The food is literally the best on the coast. The service was surprisingly fast and precise, contrary to most reviews I read before going. We loved it, I'd recommend you give it a shot

Awesome spot on the beach, great views. Food was good.

What an awesome experience ....food was unbelievably good - I had the crepe starter special and it was to die for. Had the fillet pasta for mains - also a great meal but we couldnt finish as the portions were really big! BF had chicken livers for starter and seafood pasta for mains - delicious!! Kids had calamari and took home enough for a second meal, portions also very big. Excellent service from the staff and owner Trevor's personal touch at the tables was wonderful. Definitely a place worth visiting.

O my goodness. What a delightful experience. The seafood platter was to die for. The pudding was wow wow!!! Service was absolutely professional from the manager to the waiters. We had a lovely evening

It was my worst experience at this restaurant, I most certainly won't be going back to this place . The service is if not acceptable standards. Firstly , we had to wait for over an hour for our food, then items which were ordered, were forgotten after writing it down by the waitress. No apologies from the waitress or manager in charge at all. There's not even a manager controlling the waiters. Pathetic service. I will most certainly be telling my friends and families about my experiences at this restaurant.

One word WOW. We loved every minute of it. The food was amazing the drinks perfect and the staff so accommodating! Lovely place and will totally travel the 1 hour and a bit to do it again!!

Amazing!! We come for the best cocktails and food every time we're in Ballito. Fantastic staff and owner �

The food was great - impressed with the huge amount of daily specials our server recited to us - of all the places we went to today this one topped them all for us

Fantastic chow and Such a nice place. Competent staff and management just makes the experience even better. Will be back for more.

Visited this amazing place couple times with my fiance, the food is absolutely delicious, the staff are really friendly and welcoming :D

What an amazing hidden gem! I found them on Zomato while we were in Ballito. Amazing cocktails and amazing food! The combinations are different and FULL of flavour!

The food, oh my! It was delicious. We took a takeway home, i wanted to eat the empty container in the morning it smelled so delicious lol. Friendly staff great view of the sea.

Thank you so much for hosting us for our wedding reception on Saturday evening! We had a great time, the staff and management were friendly and helpful. The food was delicious. We all had a wonderful evening, thank you very much! �

Let me start by saying, if I could give 0 stars, I would. Trevor, you being the manger and owner of this “Italian” restaurant . Claim to have 30 years experience in the restaurant and hospitality industry yet you fail to uphold even the simplest customer service etiquette.

Excellent food and view! Total bliss! Will recommend Al Pescatore!

Manager or owner needs to be more hands on. Food average drinks expensive. Not something I would recommend.

This is a great place. The best we found on the North coast this holiday. Great food. Owner on-site and very helpful and friendly. Great service

I highly recommend Al Pescatore. My now fiancé and I got engaged on Wednesday morning and we were lucky enough to celebrate at Al Pescatore. They had set up the table beautifully with flowers and candles. We were treated like royalty throughout the evening and the food was delicious.<br/><br/>The Al Pescatore team was very willing to go the extra mile to make our special day even more fantastic.

Had dinner there 12th March and what an outstanding experience. The service was brilliant! They have new items on the menu every day and the food was excellent! Manager is very friendly and welcoming.

Best seafood pasta I've ever had and awesome service. I'd recommend this restaurant to anyone who loves a great atmosphere on the sea with the best food in town!

Food was great, service was quick and friendly and the view was stunning! I would definitely recommend the kingklip option on the menu, it was absolutely delicious 😋

What a pleasant experience! Had a wonderful time, nice cocktails, starters and the best pizza.<br/>The tina pizza!!<br/>Very friendly staff.<br/>Nice sea view, we saw dolphins as well made it extra special!

As a holidaymaker I thought it’s a good idea to try something local. Had dinner here so I can’t rave about the ocean view, but unfortunately neither about the food. <br/>As a starter I had the chicken liver special (in filo pastry) and for mains the curry special (3 different curries on one plate - normal beef, chicken & mango and Thai Green seafood).<br/>The chicken livers were bland and the portion way too big - could very easily be a main course.<br/>The 3 curry special tasted like defrosted and microwaved leftovers. Again, the portions were too big for one main course. Beef was average and the seafood a bit rubbery (and in my opinion the mussels tasted like smoked tinned mussels...).<br/>Needless to say I tried everything, but unfortunately didn’t finish anything.<br/>I suspect the pizza/pasta would’ve been a better option. All of that at R260 without any drinks for one person - rather disappointing.

We went there at about 16h00, so no excuses as restaurant was not busy and we still had a Bad experience all round ... Bad service , owner has bad attitude , food not great... As locals we will not be back, only good thing is that the location is good. Lift your game Trevor.<br/>

Spectacular views of the ocean, good service and great food a perfect way to spend some time with friends. The seafood pasta is excellent and they are not stingy with their portions. Definitely a favorite when vacationing in Ballito!!

Al Pescatore is one of the oldest restaurants on the North Coast for a reason.. The locals love and support it!  Owner, Trevor Wolf started it off as an Italian Trattoria originally but it has evolved with the times.. Its view overlooking Clark Bay is also hard to compete with! <br/><br/>I have been here many times over the past ten years and loved every visit!<br/>Their seafood comes in incredibly generous portions and the interiors are relaxed and homely! <br/><br/>*Recommendation: For some of the best Italian and seafood on the North Coast you cannot go wrong with this tried and tested gem in Ballito.<br/><br/>For more, find me on Instagram, Facebook & Twitter: LaurasWorldza

Wow! Exceptional service, food and atmosphere. Enjoyed the ocean view with the sound of the ocean while sipping on wine . From starters to dessert, the food was outstanding and best seafood we've EVER had. Will visit Ballito again just to dine here again. Manager, waiters and maitre'd made us feel welcome from the get go. A must visit in the Northern Coast.<br/>Oh and the BarOne cheesecake is a must.

Oh my word. I never new this delicious restaurant was situated right under my nose all along! Lunch last weekend here was divine. I chose the seafood pasta (prawns, mussels & calamari) for R125, which had Rosa tomatoes and ricotta cheese. The dish was loaded with enough seafood, that I didn't manage to finish the entire meal which provided a good takeaway treat for me the next day 😄 the flavours were amazing; pesto/ parmesan/ olive oil all worked well in this dish. My friend had the chefs special for the day which was a chicken and prawn pasta with mushrooms cooked in a creamy turmeric and coconut sauce for R110. She thoroughly enjoyed her pasta as well. I will be back to try the pizzas. Must visit if you're in the vicinity.

Great setting and view. The size of the main meal calamari was quite small, and I wanted to order more food. The seafood pizza was great, and made up for the calamari.

The food has very little flavour, our table of 8 didn't have a single meal cooked right and some of the dishes seemed microwaved (a rump steak specifically). Awesome vibe, great spot and lovely staff which is a pity, but honestly the food was poor

Staff and owner are so friendly. The ocean view is beautiful. Pizza is delicious and the bar one cheese cake is the best I've had. I will definitely visit again.

Gorgeous ocean view. Service seems a bit slow but the food was good. Might be back for some more soon. Loved the bar-one cheesecake. Yummy. 😁

Went here for valentine's day.<br/>What a lovely experience I had . The food was excellent. <br/>The staff was friendly and the owner gave us a warm welcome. I unexpectedly received a complimentary drink and the staff knew the menu and specials well.<br/>All in all a big thumbs up.

Stopped here for lunch with friends. We were welcomed with a wonderful waiter who gave us the extensive specials for the day. It was an incredibly hot day and opted to sit outside to watch the incredible view of the ocean.<br/>We ordered pizza's, steak and kingklip dishes. The presentation of food was good. The kingklip was an average size fillet. The quality of food was good too.<br/>The pricing is a tad on the high side. The Managers were present and check up on our table often.<br/>Overall a good experience.<br/><br/>I would highly recommend water sprayers on the outside deck as some days the heat is unbearable.

Liked the owner and his passion for what he created l in his dishes, however they did not stand up to the promise. Ordered the prawns and was to they are nice a big, was a bit disappointed at the size and quantity. Nice view, nice people. Not the worst place but I'm not sure I would go back.

The ladies had the Lasagne and Kingklip, I had the Pasta al Filetto, all were very pleased with the meals. Deserts were also excellent. Service was very friendly and efficient.

I took my staff there for our year end lunch function & it was excellent. All the dishes were really good. I had the filler which was done exactly the way I asked for, med to rare. I had the Escargot do Mozzarella which was good, but very little garlic so that was slightly disappointing. One of my ladies has the litchie snails which she said was great.the Bacon Bites were good starters too & the most popular choice with most of them. The peri peri prawns looked outstanding, & my lady said they were excellent. The Bar One Cheesecake & the Peppermint Tart looked delicious, & the guys agreed. The service was good and the view was awesome cos it's right on the beach. All in all a very happy experience. I would definately go there again.

So very average.<br/><br/>It is important to match your expectations to the restaurant before you go or else you will be perpetually disappointed. That being said i went to Al Pescatore with very low expectations as this is a beachfront restaurant for tourists which is normally a bad combination.<br/><br/>It os therefore surprising that even with very low expectations I was still disappointed. Restaurants like these depress me. They have not changed with the times and serve food that would be more at home in 1974 than 2016. The produce is all served from frozen.<br/><br/>The mussels were half shell and clearly bought in frozen which i find unacceptable. Serve fresh or don't serve it at all. The deep fried calamari was flavourless and too oily. <br/><br/>For mains the kingklip (not fresh) I ordered was incredibly oily even-though the butter sauce was served on the side. The ribs were sent back as they smelled a little off. The peri-peri prawns were good.<br/><br/>The cocktail menu consists also of premixed items and the wine list is fairly basic.<br/><br/>I am sure this place will do well as it has an excellent view which must go down very well with tourists. This of course is a tragedy. If they halved their menu amd served only excellent food i am sure they will have a waiting list all year long. Sadly mediocrity wins the day.

My first five 🌟 rating! <br/>Excellent service, food and ambience. Reasonable prices. <br/>We had the smoked salmon salad and mussels as starters. Yum!! Their cocktails are delicious too. <br/>The seafood platter was perfect for two and the pineapple seafood curry, served in half a pineapple, from the specials menu was beautiful and tasty. Generous portions, big prawns and buckets of taste. We got complimentary sorbet for dessert as a birthday treat! The sorbets were fresh and tangy, the perfect way to end this celebration. Thanks so much :)

Meh. Service was good. Food was okay. Very lim8ted seafood for a place calling itself Al Pescatore...people probably come here for the view. I really felt like oysters. Alas

Stepping into the restaurant we were already impressed by the warm and inviting manner of the owner and manager who has a keen sense of working with clients.<br/><br/>This is also visible in the professionalism of the waiting staff.<br/><br/>We had the prawn cocktail and a speciality crepe as starters and shared the grilled seafood platter - which was more than enough!<br/>The prawn-pepperdew filo pastry parcel was something special! Grilled prawns could have done with a bit more flavour! But overall an excellent meal!<br/><br/>Having a pregnant wife we were quite delighted that all of their cocktails were available as a non-alcoholic cocktail! I tried the mango-basil daiquiri and my wife the creme brûlée martini. Both delicious (although I liked my wife's more!)<br/><br/>So delighted at visiting Al Pescatore, we are looking forward to our next visit to this restaurant, which was one of our favourite dining experiences.<br/><br/>

Mamma Mia!!! I love a little Italy!!! This is like dating a sexy girl with big ummm. Ya. Because it's view upstairs and ummm... Party downstairs (Hopps) - and this review has just lost all respect. So just go there. It's a pearl!

I absolutely love those prawn phyllo pastries. I will keep going back especially for those. There's something very homely about this restaurant, where you want to be sitting around the table with your family. I love that the owner also tries to invent new dishes, such as the curried banana & prawn pancake, which I found quite amazing.

Lots of interesting and creative dishes on the menu. We had the seafood platter, great quality seafood. We asked for our prawns to be done in thier peri peri sauce.... some of the best peri peri prawns I have eaten, not very hot but very flavourful. Service was excellent!! We stopped for a quick meal as we had to catch our flight back to jhb, but cannot wait to go back here and enjoy an afternoon.

We came with our friends from brazil and new zealand. The food was absolutely amazing however it take a while to get our food but when you at the coast its always a bit slow for some reason. ( joburgers just need to calm down) the R&R was a hit too sweet, dont know what else was mixed in besides rum and raspberry and the service was good. <br/><br/>

The dining experience you get in this place really depends on what you order.  My wife had a sole, which was big and excellent.  I had a baby kingklip special and while it tasted nice it was a really small portion (Maybe 'baby' kingklip is always small, but then put more of them on the plate.).  It came with chips and salad.  The chips were nice but not special.  Half the salad was for me inedible, because it was that horrible bitter lettuce that fancy-pants restaurants like to put in for visual effect.<br/><br/>But you can't fault them on their service--it's superb.<br/><br/>And you can't fault them on the atmosphere--overlooking the ocean with sea breezes.<br/><br/>And you can't fault them on the comfort of the chairs.<br/><br/>And you can't fault them on the owner, who is very much present and makes sure that you are happy and well taken care of.  Nothing is too hard.  If you want to change tables, no problem at all.  They'll accommodate you.   Prices are definitely more than I am inclined to pay.

BRILLIANT!!!! We had a very warm welcome and the food, service and cocktails were just out of this world!! We felt like proper VIP's. We can def recommend this place and the beachfront view from the deck outdise!!

Apparently it is quite difficult to find restaurants with sea views.. And ones with good food as well. We struck it lucky with Al pescatore in ballito. They have a fabulous range of cocktails, I liked the dry /sweet marking on the menu. They have some very interesting starters so we made a tapas bar for ourselves. The snails in lychees were particularly fascinating. The owner is very attentive and obvious, which is quite a rarity these days.

I Had a seafood platter for one and it was absolutely delicious. They also have the best Nachos and cocktails. Skip desert and rather enjoy a glass of don pedro! Amazing view accompanied by the great vibe of the place. Thegalleyrestaurant

The banana, chicken curry and prawn crepe is delicious and by far the best thing on their menu. They have a good variety of cocktails. The owner is very friendly and lovely. However they need to work at their pizzas. They are not very generous with their toppings. We ordered a durbs pizza which had more curry sauce than meat and avo. Their crab cakes were good with a soft centre and crispy exterior. Their focaccia bread is awesome though. Very unusual toppings. Much better than their pizzas.

Beautiful location, on the beach, interior decor was below average, however it was the beach so was really anticipating fresh and tasteful seafood. However I did not let the location sway my feelings on the food and beverages. Their drinks were disappointing as if they were made by amateurs who never heard of a 'cocktail'. I had a seafood platter but the prawns were mushy with no flavour. Hence a drive to Ballito utterly wasted.

This is one of very few restaurants in Ballito. I rate it pretty average but it seems to be quite popular. On my 4 or more visits the food has never really excited me much. The last meal I had was the last push, I can't go there anymore.

Cocktails with a view for sure - one of the best cocktail menus around. Food's interesting, being the owner's own recipes. Friendly staff all around make the experience one you want to do over and over again. The menu has 0 disappointments.

The service was so fast - almost clairvoyant. The pasta, especially the napolitana, was authentic and perfectly al dente. The manager is super friendly as always. A++ will dine again

Dear Trevor, we asked for you but unfortunately you were not there today. We loved that you respond to each of your reviews which shows your passion for what you do and your amazing restaurant. Devon and I are from Joburg and ate at your restaurant today and were pleasantly suprised by the food, service and lovely waitresses and the care they took to present the specials to us. The food was superb, of course, the view was a given and cocktails, delicious - just what the doctor ordered. We will be back and hopefully we will meet you. Ciao and take care, the Coulter family.

It was an amazing night! Food was excellent the owner was kind and shared his secret recipes. But the service was abit poor! But the amazing view of the sea was just awesome! Thank you Al Pescatore for a very nice evening!

Lazy Sunday eve venue for us overlooking the ocean. We've been to this restaurant before at the heght of school holidays and it was chockablock full & chaotic. Not tonight. Very quiet and in a scarcely lit restaurant, it was rather sombre. <br/>It was a long wait for our mains - better part of 40 minutes - in a mostly empty restaurant. My wife had a tasty plate of calamari, son has a good lasagne and I had an ok-ish pizza. No great shakes...good balcony venue when it's busy & buzzing on a long summer day.

Just had one of the best seafood platters of my life! Succulent, meaty prawns and mussels cooked in a way I've never had before. The Ballito Iced Tea could definitely be my new favorite cocktail 😁<br/><br/>The staff was friendly and helpful and knowledgeable, and the manager was lovely and attentive. My children finished all their food, which rarely happens!

Stunning view from the upper deck. The staff are helpful, friendly and reliable. The manager is always around to make sure everything is running smoothly. Wide variety bar and a perfect location for sundowners overlooking the sea.

What Al Pescatore has going for them is a great view but that's about it. <br/>We took a drive out to Ballito and bypassed Eat Local for this venue because of the view. This was a mistake. <br/>We started with the board advertised cocktails and my strawberry and lemon concoction with fresh basil--which was a stroke of genius in an otherwise too sweet cocktail--was pretty good. However my partner ordered a mojito which came to the table with a head of foam thicker than a badly poured beer. That it was blended rather than mulled was not the worst part. The heavy handed lemon (not lime!) almost peeled his lips from his face. But he added ice and we got over it as we weren't prepared to judge a restaurant on its cocktails alone. <br/>The pasta dish my partner ordered tasted like it had been stored overnight and reheated. <br/>I opted for the sole, which was bland and accompanied by over-cooked and under-seasoned butternut. The garlic butter sauce was really great but unable to save the dish. <br/>The menu needs a complete overhaul. <br/>There is too much on it and what must have been a fabulous dining venue a decade ago has lost its sparkle. <br/>Coupled with this, I didn't see a single Italian in the kitchen. <br/>I really feel that Italian food is the single most underestimated cuisine and I wonder if anyone in that kitchen has ever set foot in Italy or studied under someone who knows Italian cuisine intimately? <br/>I wouldn't recommend this venue to anyone especially because the prices are for the view and not the food. <br/>On the drive back home we both had severe stomach cramps which lasted for hours. <br/>On the plus side, the staff are really friendly and attentive but (sadly also one here) their service needs brushing up as I nearly took a tray and then a plate to the face during service.

My favorite restaurant in the north coast from the time I came to SA thirteen years back.You will never go wrong with their specials,mind you unlike other restaurants special,it's not the deal,but the specialities you get here.