Review Ocean Basket Cavendish Connect - Claremont

Thank you Ocean Basket team for your wonderful service and delicious seafood platter.

My wife and I are spending 5 days here in Newlands (from the USA). The best experience we’ve had was being presented with a platter bursting with freshness of the ocean. Above all though… a huge thanks to Dirk who served it all up with all the joy and energy of Africa. OB is the best. Seriously. Ask for Dirk, sit back and enjoy.

My favorite place to eat at when ever I'm in Claremont. The food is always fresh and delicious. I've never had a bad experience with service, the manager is really friendly I can't remember her name though. The waiters are really accommodating and friendly especially when I go with my kid they're always checking in and finding ways to keep the little one entertained so we can enjoy our meal. I love the new set up as well it has a more spacious feel to the place now.

Initial visit: I walked in on a Sunday for an early supper so the store was not full. The service was very disappointing. I was about to get up and go when I was finally waited on. The waiter was friendly but I was already unimpressed by the amount of time I had to wait. I decided to try items I hadn't seen on their menu and was pleasantly surprised by how tasty the mussel soup was (don't expect it to look anything like their advertising posters). I'll probably come back because Ocean Basket is good value for money - I just hope on that day the service will have improved. Update: After the disappointing first visit, I received a call from someone at OB Head Office and from the Cavendish store manager both looking to make amends. I accepted an invitation to come back to enjoy a meal on the house and, I'm glad I did. My second visit was on a Thursday afternoon so the restaurant only had a few patrons dining in. My waitress, Melissa, was very friendly. Today's service was much better and the food did not disappoint. It's refreshing to have companies that still take customer service so seriously. I'll definitely be back 😊.

Visited here on my birthday with three of my friends. We ended up at Ocean Basket completely on accident. Initially, we decided to dine out at Mozamibique restaurant that is directly opposite Ocean Basket. But, there was no staff on duty at the entrance to seat us, we waited there for some time, watching the staff who just stared back at us in the entrance way? So, we just ended up leaving out of frustration. The experience at Ocean Basket was way better. As soon as we entered, a waitress ushered us to out seats with menus. She returned not so long after seating us, and we went ahead and ordered food and drinks which arrived in under 20 minutes! The family platter and side of chips we ordered was delicious and affordable. The drinks was a little pricy, we ordered savanah, sprite, hot chocolate and a strawberry milkshake (yeah ik, weird combos for seafood😅). Minor critique: we ordered four drinks, but only the hot chocolate, milk shake and Savanah came to our table. When my friend evetually got his sprite, it was already poured into a glass. We wanted a can of sprite. Overall, food was good and I'm glad we ended up here rather than that other place!

Had the best service from Nicole the purple haired waitress. We came in at 1pm and we had an appointment at 2pm and she was so quick and truly amazing service !! Thank you !

A very good dining experience. The food was exceptional - I had Cajun prawns and my hubby had fish and chips. The waiter, Joseph, recommended we each have half chips and half rice, which was a good choice. Ocean Basket is one of few restaurants that provide complimentary bread ahead of the meal, and the bread rolls were freshly baked and delicious with the customary garlic and chilli. The dessert, an ice cream, coffee and chocolate concoction was a delight. On the downside, none of the cheesecake options was available, and the chilli had to be asked for, but these failings did not significantly detract from our meal.

The food was average but it was good. The service is quite quick and I love getting complimentary bread before my meal comes. The waiters are also friendly. The milkshakes are great and worth the try. I went end of the month and there was enough seating for many people.

The service was excellent. The food came out quickly and the waitor was friendly. Freshly prepared seafood and tasted delicious. I had the Baklava for dessert. It was average- rather small and the ice cream tasted a bit sour.

The pink headed waitress (Nicole) was super friendly amazing energy 🥺 if only every restaurant had an waitress like Nicole wow such a beautiful person inside and out also may she prosper in many more and hold on to the kind way she treats people 😘 she even left a cute note on the slip exactly what my bestie needed to hear

Okay first of all I'd just like to say that I am aware that ocean basket is not the the highest end restaurant out there. However I must point out that when fresh ingredients are used their food is second to none. Im a lover of seafood and ocean basket provides me with a quality I personally enjoy a lot. The quality is cavendish is most of the time not the greatest. But camps bay is always very fresh. Cavendish would be on the same level if their freshness was more consistent. But generally speaking ocean baskets is great

Good location. Both inside and outside options for seating. Service is mediocre. Cosy atmosphere. Food is average too with big chunks of fruit and/or veg filling up space on some platters. Fair amount of options on the drinks menu but I wouldn't recommend the coffee, though. Fair pricing.

This is by far the best restaurant in the world. Better than Cape Town Fish Market, Baia, DEL MAR, Gordon Ramsay couldn't even cook a prawn close to as good as they are here.<br/>

Very disappointed with the food and service from this branch. I ordered the prawn special to go and my waiter took my order and decided to go stand by the door the whole time. A different waiter brought my food and the prawns did not have sufficient lemon butter sauce and they looked burnt but I couldn’t stay there any longer as my Uber was waiting outside. In any case I paid and the waiter took forever to return. I had to ask for utensils and a receipt as he did not provide either. Seemed more interested in watching the shoppers walk past. Don’t see myself returning to this branch. The food was dry and burnt with very little lemon butter sauce (it wasn’t even month end).

The best thing at ocean basket is their lemon butter sauce. But they used it so sparingly in my platter for one. My fish was overcooked so it was quite dry. Otherwise, a great meal. ✨

Today is the last day of my holiday in Cape Town so decided to catch a quick bite at Ocean Basket in Claremont. It was 3pm and less than 1/4 occupancy. The three of us ordered chips, firecracker squid, potato rösti, crumbed prawn tails and what should’ve been the panko prawn sushi rolls. Dirk our waiter did not tell us up front the rösti takes some time after about 25 mins when he could probably see my starvation he came to tell us it takes long. when our food did arrive the rösti as burned, we got panko Salmon futomaki and the chips were super oily. The garlic and bread were the highlights. At no point did Dirk come and ask us if the order was fine if he had we would’ve Informed him of the sushi error.

The food was okay but the waiter was a but rude. My two cousins and I (one was 8 at the time and the other one was about 16). I'm the same age as the oldest one. My cousin and I do not work...and whenever we go out, we just get money from our parents (which is a typical teenage thing to do). We decided to go to this branch and enjoyed our meal. When the bill came, we paid for it but as we did not work, we weren't able to give big tip...or a tip at all as we have spent all of our money. However, we gave our waiter the remaining change even though it was not that much. On our way out, our waiter gave us such a dirty look and then she continued telling her friend about how we gave her such a low tip. We were just kids who didn't even earn our own money

Had lunch with the family here yesterday. I enjoyed the calamari and prawns. Their mussels are a bit small, and the sauce could be more creamy and garlicky but not too bad. It's a bit noisy, so next time I'd prefer a table outside.

Always been the biggest fan of their sea food, and especially their prawns. I normally get the 12 prawns or the platter for one. The service is friendly and efficient.

One word to describe their sushi- Yum. Really enjoyed their new sushi menu that festures all these new different sushi pieces and platters. Along with their sushi I thoroughly enjoyed their service, the staff were friendly energetic and helpful.

Can't go wrong with Ocean Basket's seafood platters. So yummy! For dessert: My sister loved her baklava which she said definitely satisfied her sweet tooth. I opted for the Bar One cheesecake and was disappointed because they hyped it up so much (it was a special at the time) but it tasted really plain. Staff are very courteous towards customers. One time they did have a live performer who I thought was a bit strange and distracting - not sure if they do this anymore though.

Ocean Basket will always remind me of younger, carefree days when eating out was akin to going on holiday. I love seafood so pretty much everything on the menu gets a yes from me. This is the only restaurant that cooks mussels in a way that makes them bearable for me. The decor here is a bit dated and it could do with a revamp to give it new life. The management is efficient and the staff are friendly and courteous.

With so many Ocean Baskets around, it's difficult to give a review. However the Claremont one is one of the best. I generally order sushi and I find the fish to be quite fresh and they have interesting Greek sushi options.

In my mind, ocean basket simply cannot fail. The food comes quickly and the service is okay. I've always had their chips and rice, but decided in the salad this time around. What a great salad ! It had a massive piece of feta which is my favourite. I ate the feta with my fish and it makes such a big delicious difference. I opted for the cajun fish. I prefer it to the fried version. I didn't have the mussels which I usually have, my partner did. The sauce it comes in is mouthwatering.

Went to ocean basket for the Viking platter to share and their so-called "Bar one" cheesecake. The platter was delicious and promptly prepared but the cake was disappointing to say the least. With a price like that, I expected a more sizeable slice and with a name like that, I expected an above average glazing that remotely tasted something like a Bar one. Unfortunately I won't be ordering dessert here again.

This store is on of the few I give a miss if other places are empty. So if I do come in I'm either hungry or desperate. The service is poor at best and very in attentive and the drinks take ages to get to the table.

The good ol fish and chips is great value for money. Our fish, chips and stir fry veg was fresh and full of flavour. Our waiter was on form and we had great service!

Ocean Basket at Cavendish Square !!!<br/><br/>When ever I feel for fish, Ocean basket comes into mind. <br/><br/>I had ordered a grilled fish with spinach amd butternut, my sister had the same with fish but with savory rice and we had ordered some veggies on the side.<br/><br/>Service was good and the staff were very friendly.

Visited on Friday and ordered the Pick of the Ocean Platter. I was extremely disappointed. The two tiny slices of fish, which was fried, was so dry because it was overcooked.  The whole meal was just one huge dry, overcooked platter. A real disappointment and waste of money.

Ocean Basket is a nice family friendly restaurant that is a well-run franchise-machine churning out seafood by the ton. Always busy, always efficient service, always consistent, clean and friendly. The Cavendish branch is the only one I have eaten at, and only one I think I will eat at. Favorite dish is the 12 prince prawns and stir fry veg for R99. Thumbs up.

Myself and a friend ordered a platter to share, when we tasted the halloumi we both noticed that the feta inside the calamari tasted horrible, the feta was completely off. It tasted like sour milk and it had a horrific smell. We decided not to complain as we were enjoying our evening out and thought when it came to the end of the evening we would just mention it to the waiter to save the kitchen from potentially food poisoning other customers. <br/><br/>We asked for the bill and then we mentioned the expired halloumi to the waiter, Rocky, he apologized and said that we should've told him earlier and he would've sent it back to the kitchen, we told him we did not want an unpleasant evening consisting of complaining so we decided to rather leave it. He said that he would take the halloumi to the back to make sure that it was off, he came back and said that the feta was definitely expired. Since we had confirmation, we then called the manager John to explain the situation to him. <br/><br/>John came over to our table, he doesnt greet, he just says "Whats the problem". We explain to him and the fist thing he says is "no that's not true, it's not expired" So we said well call the waiter Rocky here because he checked and he said that it definitely was. Rocky comes over her tells Manager John, "Sir, it was definitely off I could smell it, It smelled so strong and bad" Jon turns to us embarrassed, he doesn't even apologise. He responds by saying "I'm going to the back to check the stock" John comes back to our table with a raw halloumi to show us that his stock is fresh so it was impossible for the feta to be expired. We said to him John, that batch of your stock might be okay but we are telling you what we actually put in our mouth and tasted was not fresh at all it was expired. He refuses to believe us, he says "No this stock was fine, that's not true" So we said "are you calling your customers liars when we are the ones that actually tasted the food and you didn't" He says "If i go and find that halloumi in the back i will show you that its not off" The waiter Rocky says, "But sir, i threw it in the bin" John gives Rocky a stern look and blames Rocky for the entire incident (in front of us, the customers) John then leaves, he comes back with our supposed halloumi, he eats it infront of us he says "No this is definitely not off, it's just not cooked properly. It hasn't been cooked finished" We sat there and we were so appalled that a Manager was this childish and determined to prove himself right and his customers and staff wrong. At this point my friend got really upset. She said to him, "You trying to make us our to be liars. I eat here all the time, i know what the halloumi is supposed to taste like. and that's expired and probably under cooked like you mentioned. We just wanted to have a nice evening out, that's why we didn't complain when we tasted it, we only mentioned it when we left so you can do something about it for future customers. Expired feta is no joke, and neither is under cooked food, people can get sick from that. All we wanted was a apology and that you would do better next time, instead you go on this entire mission to prove tus wrong and yourself right, to what end?" John still doesnt apologise, he says well you can get the meal as a complementary because that's what you came here for anyway. I was so offended when he said that. We did not come there expecting a comp and for a manager to be that rude to his staff and act that ignorant towards his customers,I truly think that John should not be in a manager position. He should not be managing people. He was the worst manager i have ever met in my life. He was unfriendly, unapologetic and so ignorant. And because of John, my friend and i vowed to never eat at Ocean Basket in Cavendish again.

The fish and seafood is average. The sushi is affordable and I especially enjoy the deep fried sushi. It's not the best quality sushi but worth the low cost. The Bar-one baked cheesecake is very good.

Ordered takeaway from here, food was not fresh at all. I was so pissed off because I got a platter for one and the waiter who took my order charged me extra because I asked for extra calamari tubes instead the calamari heads. But he doesn't not tell me until he's put the order through, when I queried it with the manager it was sorted out but the attitude from both were super rude. <br/><br/>They made me feel guilty when it was not my fault that they were not honest and straightforward. I shouldn't have been charged extra due to the fact that the few other times we've gone there, the swapping has never been charged extra.

So each time we have ordered from this branch my calamari is raw and the portions are smaller than other branches especially the amount of fish and rice in the platter for 1. After the first order i thought i would give them a second chance to redeem themselves but after a repeat experience i have written them off altogether. Gross man 😝

My prawns were burnt and the fish was overcooked! This has to be the worst ocean basket in the country. The food was equally as bad the last time I came here.

I reckon all Ocean Baskets are pretty much the same, and Claremont falls into the mould. They offer a good fish/seafood meal and pleasant sushi. Service is always good and the atmosphere is 'cafe'. Prices are very affordable and you definitely get value for your money. Their baklava is awesome by the way.... I always treat myself to this.😉

Not the best branch I've ever been at. Service is slow and the food you receive is pretty standard. Waiters aren't friendly and take considerably long when you are waiting to order especially if you are sitting outside, where you become non-existent until they deem fit. <br/><br/>The food quality can be improved and lack of consistency hinders the few times I've actually gotten what I asked for.

We do love our seafood and have been to Ocean Basket many times. This time we opted for an early dinner at 5. There were only 3 other tables. <br/><br/>The lovely little fluffy portuguese rolls have been replaced by brown bread. One slice. Cut in half. Really?<br/>We chose a simple platter for two consisting of fried fish, cajun baby squid, fried tentacles, mussels in their shells, prawns and chips in a garlic & lemon butter sauce. Everything was lukewarm and dry. Which means nothing was fresh. All par cooked and heated up. The sauce had no real flavour. Not lemon. Not garlic. Just yellow. Sucha pity.<br/>BigJoe

Great lunch :)<br/><br/>We ordered the Prawns and Mussels Combo, and the Fish and Prawns combo. The fish was nicely prepared and the prawns were so succulent and basted well.<br/><br/>Will be back 👏🏻

Previously having horrible expriences( Food Wise ), this one was a surprising delite.<br/><br/>On Wednesday Night ( 10th Aug 2016 ), I popped into the restuarant for a quick bite. It was about 6:30pm and the restaurant was fairly full. We requested a certain table and was kindly seated. The waiter was quick with the food and made sure we were happy throughout the meal.<br/><br/>The food was 10x better than before and I enquired if there was new management because the ambiance of the restaurant was simply more pleasure.<br/><br/>

Haven't been to an Ocean Basket in like forever- i just try and avoid franchised establishments as far as possible. I digress...again! This particular branch is always busy and I promptly ordered their mezze platter and some prawns. Order took a while to arrive but the waiter was friendly enough for me not to notice. Okay, i did notice hence I'm telling you about it. Sent back the squid heads as it was literally ice cold, halloumi too oily, otherwise the rest was okay. Prawns were awesome. <br/>Will see me next year again.

Not the biggest fan of Ocean basket but Sashen loves it. So every so often we venture out to have it. I must admit though that their garlic/butter sauce is a winner and from having lots of seafood in Cape Town they are one of the best in terms of sauces. I enjoy the calamari and the hake. The service at this branch is good, very friendly.

The service can be a bit poor at times, but overall good experience when I've gone. The sushi is divine and affordable in comparison to most Sushi outlets. Great portion sizes, sometimes too hefty to have alone. I would not call it my place of preference for sushi or seafood in general, but the meals are quite nice.

disappointing as usual, this ocean basket has a sort of arrogance to them, where its a privilege that we are there. food was bad good thing i was not paying.

Living in Cape Town, there is some great seafood restaurants so Ocean Basket would not be my first option but it is conveniently situated close to my apartment and is a good and easy option for dinner when studying.<br/><br/>Some of my highlights, would definitely be their lemon butter sauce that I smother my prawns in. The second is not on their menu I think but if you ask the waiters, they should know exactly what it is, it is the prawn skampi sushi. It is so good. Basically it is a deep fried prawn on top of a California roll that is finished off with a tasty almost sweet and chilli sauce.<br/><br/>The waiters are always friendly and I have never had a problem with service.

We went as a group of 5. Our food was yummy as it usually is with Ocean Basket. cajun style is the best. However, 2 of our groups dishes were cold and needed to be sent back. We weren't particularly impressed with our waiter who disappeared often and wasn't very friendly.

Really not the greatest experience:<br/><br/>1. First waiter Joe left us for 30 mins without checking in. I had to get another waiter to call him and when he arrived her rolled his eyes at us! Really! <br/>2. Cajun calamari tasted burnt<br/>3. We had to request cutlery after our food had arrived. <br/>4. My friend ordered sushi. At her own peril. <br/><br/>Mark and John did try to make up for the previous bad service. Thank you.<br/><br/>Will not return.

Nice vibe one of the nicest in Cape Town. Service is efficient and friendly. The fact that they have a hostess that seats you makes a huge difference and adds a very special touch. The portions are very generous. I just found that there was too much mayo on the salmon roses (maybe it's just that I'm not crazy about mayo), too much stir fry and the Dom Pedro was very sweet. Everyone enjoyed their meals and the Bar-one cheesecake was a hit. Overall a lovely experience as always.

The service was awesome and the food tried mussels for the first time and enjoyed it💯💯💯. Was served by a waiter named Joshua he was very attentive paid special attention to my date and I.

This used to be my favourite Ocean Basket branch until I had quite a disappointing experience a few days ago. Our waiter had to be asked no less than 3 times to bring cutlery and even when our starters had arrived there was still no cutlery in sight. My starter - the garlic and feta prawns - was ice cold and the prawns were burnt... Not even mildly overcooked but properly burnt black. When I told the waiter that I couldn't eat burnt prawns he exclaimed in annoyance "well I couldn't see that they're black with all the sauce around it." To make matters worse, when my main meal came - grilled hake with a side salad - this too came burnt. The hake was so tough it was almost inedible. The manager was extremely apologetic and removed my meal from the bill, but even so the entire experience was disappointing and off putting. I hope that this was a once-off bad experience and that the next time I go there will be a little more pleasurable.

Here for the 50th Birthday special. R20 for fish and chips. Great deal. Wish they did it more often. Line is very long, but the hostess very helpful. Dealing very well under the pressure of the big crowds.

What a delightful meal. He had the lighthouse platter and a jack black draught. Both were fantastic especially the beer. Mine was a Natsu sushi platter and I had a latte. The sushi was exceptional and the coffee was lovely. If you're having date night and are not sure what to have, order this. You won't be sorry!

What's not to like about this franchise? Food consistently good and in these economically challenged times, the meal is a good deal - especially the sushi. Currently they have a yummy winter menu with includes delicious new sushi options. My dinner partner came back for the rock shrimp tempura and although it was good the tempura shrimp arrived somewhat cold which was slightly disappointing. Another new winter delight is the Ravani Greek cake which we shared and wolfed down in no time.

Service was very good and welcoming. The food is to die for especially their sushi. No compliants just compliments. Try is out and you will enjoy it.

By far my favourite ocean basket of the lot. Service is always welcoming and food gets to the table asap. The sushi is great and i dont usually brag about ocean baskets sushi. The atmosphere is very familyish. My family and i love this branch.

Ocean Basket Claremont<br/><br/>A true family restaurant and a true family favourite!<br/><br/>The variety on the menu is wonderful..although there have been a few slip ups with either cold food or incorrect orders. Here the managers often step in and make sure you're well looked after!<br/><br/>The sushi is well priced and very tasty & the chefs specials are mindboggling at delicious. The specials of the day are always something to look forward to. Platters are great for sharing so if you're a big group this works out pretty well.<br/><br/>The staff provide superb service each and everytime! Also love the fact that there's an outside seating area, perfect for summer evenings.<br/><br/>Despite the few slip ups it remains a family favourite, especially for dad since he enjoys a menu with variety & likes his food cooked..but we get to have sushi too so no complaints here.

Cavendish ocean is the best of all the ocean baskets. ..With a wider variety and also their amazing bar one cheesecake . Keeps me coming back for more.

This is one of those gems hidden in plain sight and judging by the consistent wait to be seated, not too many southern suburbs patrons don't know about it. The consistency with which they deliver a fantastically varied seafood and sushi menu is nothing short of spectacular.<br/>Our ninja rolls and tuna and prawn crunch california rolls were as close to the original as a non japanese could get.<br/>Even though our platter for one rocked up sans our fish....it was quickly remedied when a larger than normal portion landed on our platter. When it comes to fresh fish, fast and efficient service , spectacular sushi all at reasonable prices. ..then Ocean Basket Claremont has netted this family. We intend rolling in as regularly as the tide comes in. Look forward to the next wave.

A classic family restaurant visited on numerous occasions. They deserve their 4/5 not for amazing decor or five star nouvelle cuisine, but for time and time again delivering good quality food that tastes good. The portions generous and the standard high. Personally this is the only Ocean Basket out of the franchise I would go back to as they have the most amazing sushi, tuna so fresh it swam into my mouth. One downfall of the evening was a platter for one delivered to our table where the portion of fish seemed to have escaped, this was reported and remedied immediately with a fresh large serving of fish plated up. All in all great service, great food, I'm hooked.