Friend was craving Chinese food so headed here. Similar vibe to Saigon although Saigon has the more "higher end" look and taste to their dishes. Even looking at the menu, the meal choices are similar. Nonetheless I enjoyed my meal of sizzling chicken and noodles.
How does this place have 3.7 only?! We've been coming here for almost 10 years and the food never disappoints ❤ Tried the Chicken Wonton Noodle Soup and Prawn Toast for starters this time around and it was the perfect dishes to get the appetite going.
Mains were the Sizzling Mongolian Lamb with Egg Fried Rice and the Beef with Black Been Sauce and Coconut Rice. Portions are huge but still we found ourselves finishing it without any doubts! The flavours are complimentary and rich, satisfying all tastebuds. We squeezed in the Chocolate Spring Rolls for dessert which never disappoints either. Absolutely great value for money too.
My only critique would be that the space needs a bit of revamp to get that new space, refreshed feel back again.
Went with a friend and we ordered 2 mains to share. One was the Mongolian ostrich dish and the other a Szechuan dish. The Szechuan dish was missing some key flavours and thus was not very Szechuan. The Mongolian ostrich on the other hand was sooooo good! The menu also has Thai items and will return to give their Thai curries a try.
Update: returned to give their Thai green curry a try. It was good, but I think they use coconut cream instead of coconut milk. So it was definitely creamier than I would've liked it to be. My friends ordered the chow mein and spring rolls and really enjoyed them. The one commented that it beats her favourite place's chow mein and will definitely return for it.
Fantastically flavorful soup! The wontons are our favorite, clean and great atmosphere. Service is a bit slow but has never ruined our experience. We love it, worth the wait!
Great place to dine! Nice relaxed atmosphere, you can rock up in shorts and plakkies, or have a nice quiet semi-formal dinner with your significant other. Waitrons are knowledgeable about their offerings. Food has never disappointed, and is consistently awesome!
Nice place to be...
Experience was quite memorable..Staff was courteous too...
Good food...Great location....
Will recommend to try nice Asian cuisine..
Very popular restaurant that has been around for many years. After not going for about 10 years I finally went again and mostly enjoyed it. The place itself could use an upgrade in terms of decor and feel, as it does seem dated and not very cosy. Our waitress was good. For starters I had the vegetarian pancake rolls, which was flavourless and too stodgy. But my main dish was absolutely delicious - the sizzling mixed seafood. It was plentiful and super tasty. Bit of a hit and miss for me, but will go back as it is well priced and I would like to try more dishes.
We stopped in here on a whim after an event and we were greeted in a friendly manner and seated at a really great table. We ordered a selection of meals including crispy duck, tom yum soup, duck spring rolls chow mein and mandarin duck it was all delicious and really quick. Will be back
Good value with authentic oriental flavours. Good variety of dishes and mixes of rice and noodles. Location is ok, parking can be an issue at times and setting inside is standard.
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Dinner with friends is best when we share our dishes and get to taste more of what the restaurant offers.
The restaurant is large and has a typical Asian feel. Located in Mill street, there is convenient parking. Over the last 14 years, they have perfected their pan- Asian menu and have a large, loyal client base.
There is a large list of tapas including favourites satay, spring rolls, prawn toast, tempura, dimsum, wontons and soup.
The main meal menu is extensive. From Cantonese, Thai, Balinese, Indonesian to Mongolian dishes - the choice is amazing. Think oyser sauce, Szechuan, ginger, coconut, sesame and lemongrass. The tantalising aromas wafting from the kitchen, ignite the senses and make your mouth water in anticipation.
We shared beef with black bean sauce - deep, dark & intensely satisfying flavours; spicy Mongolian lamb which was served sizzling on a hot griddle; Thai smokey sesame chicken and a green curry with coconut milk. All dishes were stirfried with al dente seasonal veggies. We ordered egg fried rice and garlic rice which were perfect accompaniments.
To wrap up we had crispy chocolate spring rolls with vanilla ice cream and rice pudding.
BigJoe Glen Hunt Sharese Hunt
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For an evening out with friends we decided to stop here for dinner. Chef Pons offer a wide selection of Asian cuisine from China, Japan, Mongolia to Thailand, Singapore and Vietnam.
The restaurant has a laid-back atmosphere and is quite popular amongst locals as the restaurant gets filled up very quickly.
We decided to order four different main courses to share along with bowls of egg fried rice and garlic fried rice.
The Beef with black bean sauce was delicious and flavoursome. Nothing like a spicy, Mongolian lamb served on a sizzling hot plate to wake the palate.
The Thai sesame chicken was tasty, served with crunchy, fresh veggies. We also had a delicious Thai curry prepared with coconut milk. It was lovely yet mild and balanced out the rest of the other spicy, full-flavour dishes.
We ended off with Chocolate spring rolls served with ice cream. It was delightful, just a pity they were very small in size.
It was an enjoyable evening and a great place to spend some quality time over a good meal in a great atmosphere.
Chef Pons is a well known name in Cape Town when it comes to Asain, especially Thai cuisine. I ordered probably one of the best salads I've eaten in a long while. I tried the Thai Beef salad, with lemon grass and chilli dressing. Seared beef, crispy, crunchy fresh greens, with a warm spicy undertone from the garlic, chilli and ginger. Abit on the pricey side, but the portion size is great.
Angry Duck with A Kick!
The best Angry duck I have ever had! A lovely spice & kick to it, I've been craving it ever since! The duck was cooked to perfection.
I ordered steamed veg and it was perfect! The way veggies are supposed to taste!
My Asian food fanatic companion loves their Egg fried rice & swears that it's possibly the best in Cape Town!
My first visit in years (since before the fire). Not going to comment too much on the interior decorating style, since I'm not a design-guru, but I LOVE it :)
Had the Ginger Duck ... Was simply amazeballs! Duck was perfectly prepared, not dried out at all.. Sooo flavourful and juicy! Enjoyed and savoured every, single, bite :)
Really feels like they "upped their game". Good value for money and very good portion sizes.
Waitress was super friendly and energetic! .. made our visit even MORE special
Absolutely must visit!
Yum yum yum! The service at this place is BRILLIANT - the waitrons are knowledgable and extremely likable. The food is well priced and delicious - I highly recommend the duck. The food does come exceptionally quickly though, so be warned if you're wanting to take your time and make an evening of it.
This is one to remember. Been coming here for years and the food just gets better and better. The place is due for an upgrade that is the only reason why it did not get 5/5. Most memorable dish is between Mongolia lamb or if you dare the Thai jungle curry. Service in excellent. Whenever I'm around I keep on coming back for more and more.
Unless someone in the know tells you about Chef Pons, you may brush it aside or even miss it as you drive by in the busy Upper Orange Street traffic. The food is not to be missed, though. The interior is slightly dark, however the artwork of a kimono (?) is striking and quite mesmerising. Until the food arrives. We've tried different variations, and have not yet been disappointed. Even though we arrived shortly after 5 on a rainy evening, it filled quickly and the waiters have to know their step to keep up with all the orders. Fir this reason it may require persistence to catch their eye if you want the bill, but it won't stop us from going back. Authentic without seeming too commercial. And observing the eccentric, artsy Tamboerskloof crowd is always a treat!
Not bad
Good food
Waiter forgot our duck spring roll starter.
Mains good flavour. Very spicy for chilli lovers..
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After a disastrous dinner 10 months ago, we braved Chef Pons again. Living in hope that the delicious Asian food we had come to love for 10 years was going to grace our plates again.
The past few years the food has been inconsistent and that has definitely placed a damper on our enthusiasm for Chef Pons.
We were delighted that our food was as it should be, the service was great. All in all a success. The trick it seems is to go super early and during the week, chances are you will avoid a disappointing evening.
Hopefully the consistency is kept up, if so we will hopefully make it another 10 years.
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The last time I visited Chef Pons had been aaaages and I was treated to a surprise date here recently which was wonderful.
The service was alright. Being a waitress myself, I instantly noticed that there was only one waitron and instantly switched off my assessment criteria. It was busy, she was doing her best and we didn't wait long for her or any food or drinks so yay!
The food was as good as I remember! We had the chili basil beef dish and the duck pancakes and both were incredible. The beef dish was the best of its kind that I've found in Cape Town so far (and I've been searching) so that'll keep me coming back without a doubt. Try their spring rolls- we were impressed with those too. Next time I'll be having a dimsum starter.
The drinks menu appeared good at first glance, but they didn't have a few of the wines we wanted in stock. They also didn't really offer an explanation/ apology as to why not... We just kind of got a 'no.'
If you've got the Entertainer app then this is great value for money.
We were looking for a place to grab a quick meal on the way home from 1st Thursday and with some reluctance decided on Chef Pon's.
Many years ago, Pon's was a great asian restaurant but has been hit and miss (more miss) for several years. A revised and refined menu focused on its strengths has revitalised this previously tired and disjointed restaurant.
Our meal was fantastic - chicken satay starters, cantonese chicken and cashew nuts, and garlic and black pepper prawns - and reasonably priced too.
Give it a try.
Awesome spot for authentic Asian dining. It’s a great choice if you feel like a casual
Chinese dinner but something more special than your local Chinese takeaway.
We went on a Monday evening so the restaurant was quite
empty, but it still has a lovely ambience – it feels and looks like a proper
Chinese restaurant. Plus our waitress was so friendly, smiley and informative of
the menu which always contributes to a good experience. We ordered the chilli
basil beef, spicy chicken, and sizzling Mongolian lamb dishes. The food arrived
really quickly (between 5 & 10 mins – perhaps too quick for some but we
didn’t mind!) and all dishes were incredibly tasty. You have to add your noodles/rice as extras to
your dish so it can be a bit pricey for the quantity you receive, but the
quality and taste is very good. Will be
back to sample some of the other menu items!
This unassuming Asian restaurant is just a delight! It has a cosy ambience, helped with the dark furniture and dim lights. We were warmly welcomed and our waitress was fantastic! So friendly and efficient.
They have a good drinks list, and if you want to byo, the corkage is R40.
We skipped starters, but regretted it later when we saw (and smelled!) the spring rolls.
For mains, i had the spicy chicken. It was incredibly tender and tasty, i am dreaming about it :)
Others had the sizzling lamb and the beef with chilli and garlic, all superb. Just a note, you have to order sides separately, so the bill can add up. Our food came very quickly, the restaurant was quiet but for some reason i think its normal good service.
My only real complaint is the portions could be a bit larger, and because the food is so tasty!
Great restaurant. Service was good, food was ready quickly and very very tasty. Massaman Curry was delicious. Drinks on pricey side. Will definitely come back!
Nested quietly in the CBD lies a very romantic establishment. The food is great with a really friendly staff. If you're looking to go out for a date it's a great place to consider...especially because of the deep fried chocolate...
I was fortunate to be staying across the road from Chef Pon, the tempura calamari with a Thai beer as a starter and then the aromatic duck with pancakes made for a perfect meal. Thank you
Went on a date night to this restaurant, and loved it. Friendly service, great food recommendations from the waiters and an authentic Asian setting. Ordered the Asian mixed starter, the Mongolian Lamb and Thai green curry, and for dessert the choc spring rolls. Curry was a tad bit too sweet, but still a lovely mix of flavours. My favourite was the Mongolian Lamb dish. I highly recommend this restaurant, and will go back anytime.
Apart from sushi and Indian curry, I’m not the biggest fan of Asian food. But Chef Pon’s always does it for me. The prawn toast is reason enough to book a table and the Szechuan ginger duck is a highlight on the menu.
The atmosphere is great, it has an authentic vibe, the service is friendly and quick! Possibly a bit over the top though at times.. The waitress was at our table very often, maybe too often.. I had to stop her from taking the food plates away twice while I was still eating. The quality of the food was good. The duck was excellently cooked, and so was the game (ostrich I think).. it was however a bit pricey for what we got.
Average night out, Chef Pons looks and feels authentic but the food is pricey for what you get. The staff are friendly and the food arrived quickly.
Prawn toast. Jungle curry. Egg fried rice. Peanut satay. Fried banana and ice cream. All the things that make my heart sing. Chef pons is a gem. So much to choose from, I love how genuine this place is. But I'm biased as I love Thai food. Don't have any gripes about this place. Makes me feel like I'm at home. So cosy and love the atmosphere.
Stunning Thai and Vietnamese cuisine. Love the flavours. Try the Vietnamese spring rolls. They are light crispy and delicious. My wife had the Vietnamese pancake rolls. Delicious! For mains try the chilli basil and Garlic chicken stir fry. Yum. Sharon had the deep fried chilli fish. Also amazing.
Chef Pons delivers in ambience and superb food.
We'll be back and back and back. Love it.
Good looking venue with excellent food. Crispy duck was delicious. Vegetable spring rolls could have had an little more flavour. Kitchen was super quick and waitress great.
This is my absolute favorite Asian restaurant. I mainly visit it to pick up takeaways but it's worth sitting down for the proper experience!
Chef Pons consistently provides high quality, delicious food. The menu has a wide range of stir fry dishes, and is perfect for ordering dishes for the table to share. The rice and noodle sides must be ordered separately though. I've found the staff to be friendly and the service very efficient.
There are candles lit on each table, which really makes the cavernous room feel quite cosy.
The Thai Green curries with coconut rice are always a winner. If you're vegetarian, I know the Stir-fried veg with beancurd & Peanut sauce is a favourite.
The website kind of primes you to expect a little more, but at the end of the day this is a decent Asian restaurant like any other. Nothing particularly special, but it delivers what one would normally want in an Asian restaurant.... tasty, flavorful food, lots of menu options, and good value for money. The decor is a few notches above the usual Chinese restaurant, and what sets it apart from others like it is the friendly wait staff. They were also very accommodating about modifications we asked for, and we felt well taken care of. Check it out - you'll enjoy the food, and won't be disappointed.
One of my favourite places to venture to. I'm always guaranteed great service and the best Asian cuisine. This one is old faithful and never disappoints
This is the best Asian restaurant I've been to in Cape Town. Very comfortable interior. Tastefully decorated. Quick and efficient service with fantastic food.
I could not fault it in any way. Absolutely outstanding.
I'm not usually a fan of Asian food, but this little gem warrants a visit every time I'm in Cape Town. Their menu truly offers something for everyone, drawing inspiration from Chinese, Japanese, Thai, and other Asian cuisine. Personal favourites include the Angry Duck or Cashew Nut Chicken, followed by their chocolate spring rolls and a pot of jasmine tea.
This restaurant is listed as one of the best in cape town so I just knew I had to try it. The atmosphere is amazing. Loud. Im loud and my boyfriend is loud and we laugh all the time so it was a great match for us because everybody else was making their own noise too. Its different to other restaurants where everyone is quiet and people whisper to each other. The wait was a bit long, and too much talking makes one very hungry but the food did not disappoint. I had the cantonese prawns and bf had the imperial duck with side dish of garlic rice. Simply delicious. All had their own distinctive flavours and and we left quite satisfied
I had dinner at Chef Pon's with my husband and my dad and his wife last night. The food was spectacular. The setting has the right combination of seeming relaxed but still being very classy.
The waitrons seem very knowledgeable about the food and we all had great recommendations. I had the kingklip, and ate way past the point that I should have. Our table also dined on the highly recommended Moroccan lamb and the cashew nut chicken. there were plenty of smile around and I'd definitely be back.
The reason why Chef Pon's misses the 4 points from me, or 4.5 even is because of our final experience. As we paid, the staff began turning off the lights (our drinks were not finished). As we stepped outside, still chatting, they closed and locked the door behind us, turning off all the lights. We felt very chased out. All of this before 10pm.
My favourite Asian Restaurant in Cape Town!
Hands down the BEST sushi we have tasted in Cape Town. Though they have other Asian dishes, sushi is truly their forte. Great and friendly service in a cosy space.
The food was good, they have good platter options.the service was also great. My least favourite thing about the place is the air ventilation and lighting,but that doesn’t really take away from the great experience
Superb food with average ambience. We were a vegan group of 12 and were very impressed with the variety the place had to offer. We had veggies in Basil Chilli, Black Bean, Sweet & sour and the extremely fiery Jungle Curry. All of them were yum and Sushis were great too.
Good little sushi spot in the upper CBD, quiet and relaxing place for a date. Very friendly and attentive service from waiters and owners. Sushi is affordable and good for its price. They also have specials in the week.
Definitely recommend to anyone wanting to soil themselves or a loved one without emptying their pockets.
Awesome food, excellent service, and best value for money in Cape Town!
Proper legit food, tastes amazing and the staff is super friendly. Definitely going back for sushi nights!
Go for buffet. 100% worth it. Great food. Great service. Perfect date night vibes.
My boyfriend and I decided to try out Chef Pon's because it's on the Entertainer app. We were not disappointed: the service was fantastic and the food was sizzling and cooked to perfection. We absolutely loved it!
Amazing! Service was great! Great food options. Also if you like spicy food try their jungle curry!
Wonderful food for a good price, had two different curries that both tasted wonderful. Good amount of food for 130R. They also offer all you can eat sushi for 199R on Wednesday and Saturday. The waiter and waitress are an absolute delight, kind, friendly and giving happy good vibes that make you feel welcome. Would absolutely recommend to the weary traveller or lover of Asian food.
There sushi is is so yummy and the all you can eat is so worth it. Spring rolls are about twice as big as normal spring rolls but so nice with lots of filling. Service is always friendly and with a smile. Just wish more people new about them bc they are always so quiet when we go.
I can't fault Mai Thai when they consistently produce the best Jungle Curry around. A remedy for all ailments. The service is top, the staff are friendly and it's a Cape Town gem for authentic Thai cuisine. I ordered sushi from them for an 60 guest event with rave reviews. Freshest sushi with an assortment to select from!
A familiar favourite! Open during loadshedding which is a plus with great options and delicious food. Would recommend their sweet and sour chicken!
My husband and I have been to this cosy little restaurant in Gardens a few times and I keep forgetting to review them.
The food here is delicious and the sushi is especially excellent. It's always fresh. We always go for sushi buffet which they have on Wednesdays and Saturdays.
I also want to comment on the exceptional service. The waiters and the owners are welcoming and attentive. We will keep going back to this little gem.
Lovely quaint place. Always wanted to go and dine here. It was definitely worth it. The sushi was amazing. The staff very friendly and helpful. I will be back to try some of the dishes I really wanted but already had too much sushi. Well priced, delicious food and friendly staff equals a return customer.
This place would be 5 Stars, even with the backwater smell in the main room of the restaurant, because the food was that good. Chili Basil Prawns over coconut rice ftw! The Green Curry could've been a bit spicier but everything was cooked appropriately well. They get docked because of the negligence of their goldfish.
Here's the deal, if you're going to have a fish tank, especially one on public display to add to the ambiance of a place, do your clients and - more importantly - the fish a solid and keep the tank clean and in good working order. Algae coated tank, a filter obviously out-of-order, and a bubble that doesn't work = slowly choking and eventually dead fish. Watching them suffer throughout our dinner ruined the vibe, and we know you can do better.
This place is amazing. I go weekly for the sushi buffet.
The sizzling beef was great there could have been a bit more meat based on how much we payed for it but the service was mixed or waiter was lovely but not very attentive but when we flagged him down he was fantastic the dimsum was very average but the xiao long bao was bad dont get it. Over all though i really enjoyed my sizzling beef the egg fried rice needed a bit more salt/seasoning
Wow...don't wait long...staff very good.. highly recommended 👌
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