Review Cafe 1999 - Durban

Visited for Saturday dinner. Ordered 4 vegetarian and 1 lamb starters. All were brought out within 15 minutes of ordering. All starters were excellent. We then ordered the lamb, line fish and roasted cauliflower as mains. Portions were generous and delicious. Wine selection is good but could be a little better considering the asking prices. Menu isn't too long. Customer service is always superb. Decor and ambience were great. It can get a little loud inside on Friday or Saturday evenings. Definitely a must if you're in Durban.

What can I say, Cafe 1999 is probably the best restaurant I have been to in ages. Excellent waitress who served us, she knew every special for starters and mains completely off by heart. She was well educated on all the gins and wines. The food was absolutely incredible and well presented. Kudos to the staff and owners. Will be back again!

Always a great experience, delicious food most importantly, backed up by great service. Cant go wrong here. The potatoes fried in duck fat is a must!

Absolutely loved this place! Every dish is full of flavour and looks beautiful. Staff are friendly and attending - our glasses were never empty. Will definitely be visiting again

A message from my tongue - I hadn't even been given breakfast, so when I got there I was super sensitive and needy. However, when the rich flavor infused calamari punctuated with crispy tentacles and chorizo was placed on me, all was forgiven. And it didn't end there. A delicious, succulent steak with tongue dancing flavor followed cast all memory of mistreatment far from me. Of course, the wines that accompanied these two feasts added just the right melody to my dance of joy. And just when I thought it was over, the Halleluja Chorus began - the Espresso 1999 dessert. My buds danced to the chorus of coffee crème caramel, salted caramel, peanut brittle, espresso, and dark chocolate ice cream. All is forgiven...as long as I am taken back to Cafe 1999 soon! ᐧ

Great wine, food and service! Super attentive staff who offer an experience rather than just a service

Was traveling solo in Durban and this establishment welcome me this solo diner. The seared beef strips is top notch, tender and juicy.

Bold flavours with excellent service; A taste advenure! This restaurant is on par with the best!

The perfect night for a date night. The food was exceptional but beware the smooth talking sommelier who will sweet talk you into buying wine almost as much as the food bill. A Durban gem.

Best food in Durban. Awesome vibe and a must visit!!

Mo is absolutely brilliant. Most knowledgeable host in Durban. Food is great and consistent.

Delicious food. Knowledgeable waiters. Great place for a date!

Love this place. One of my top 5 favourite restaurants in Durban. Top quality service and menu. Generous menu, excellent prices for the level of food that you get. Wide range of flavours to suit any taste. Excellent range of wine, and good for a quiet dinner for 2 - or a party of 12+.... It’s just such a good place. Not sure why the best Durban Restaurants have parking-lot views ;) Still, it’s a clear favourite. Winning and deserves every one of the 5 stars.

This cosy little restaurant tucked away in Durban is an absolute treat. The meals on offer are to an international standard, as a friend in the industry in London recently informed me. I definitely agree! The bold experimental flavour combinations never disappoint! I would recommend ordering to share regardless of who you are dining with, as you are going to want to taste as many of the meals as you possibly can! The magnificent menu is complimented by the extravagant wine list and elegant selection of drinks. You will always be able to find a drink to enhance the extraordinary flavours delivered by each meal! The staff are friendly and accommodating. I am also always pleasantly surprised at the prices which are more than reasonable for what you receive!

AWESOME service and food. The ambiance is chill and relaxing, and the service is welcoming and accommodating. I ordered the steak, it came perfectly, better than expected. The quality of the meat was very high, and there is lots of love and thought in the preparation and the way they marry the flavours on the plate. The steak came with a white sauce/sort of cheese on top which complimented the flavours of both the meat and the creamy mushroom risotto which was cooked perfectly al dente. The desserts are to die for, that's all I'll say about that ;). Highly recommend. It's nice for date night and just to have an amazing meal.

We had a terrific dinner at Cafe 1999. When we arrived, the wait staff knew exactly where our table was just from our name. The wine selection is solid, and the food truly excellent - especially the lamb rack with garlic mash and minty peas.

This is fine dining with the most knowledgeable staff on food. Our waitress knew the food so well and articulated the menu as if she wrote it. From the seared tuna and sauteed steaks to the types of wines in their cellars and food specials for the night. You have a sense you're in the presence of professionals in the food industry.

Such an awesome place. Warm welcoming and absolutely friendly staff. The food was Excellent had a seafood risotto and my fiance had the duck breast Both of us so happy Highly recommended

Upper class European bistro level of food perfection in taste and presentation - plum glazed sheared duck was amazing as was the line fish with sweet potato. The homemade panna cotta was one of the best I've ever had. Would benefit, in my opinion, by adding some well made popular cocktails in the menu for those who are not into wine. The ambience is ok but could use some opulence and better chairs to match the offered food quality.

Perfection. The most incredible starters, calamari & tentacles. Mains, 300g Sirloin with ginger sweet potato wedges, sautéed greens, wasabi butter and oyster mushrooms. All done to absolute perfection. The most incredible white wine, and the best dry rosè � Thank you Cafè 1999, you made our staff Lunch on the terrace absolutely incredible �� Service � Food � Drinks � Vibe �

It was my birthday on the 4th of april. My love surprised me to this exquisite ,classy restaurant. Excellent customer service by Mthokozosi he made my special day extra special the food was freshly prepared the presentation mmm was to die for the taste mmm. Life is about about making good memories. Cafe 1999 is highly recommended its worth every cent.

I was completely blown away by our experience. From the minute we arrived, you felt like the most valued patron in the restaurant. The waiters are well spoken, friendly, passionate, professional, well informed & they clearly love being there. The wine list is carefully put together to compliment the meal. I started off with a glass of the Jordan Sauvignon Blanc & later I enjoyed a glass of Force Majeure Chenin Blanc. Two completely different tastes, but amazing in their own way. My husband enjoyed the red wine selection. As starters we enjoyed the Turkish Figs, Crispy Duck & the Coriader & Potato Fishcakes. It was a taste explosion with just the right portion size to leave you happy & secretly wishing for more. As mains we chose the Mustard Crusted Lamb Rack & the Fresh Line Fish. It was perfectly prepared & very flavorsome, to say the least. Every dish was perfectly put together, with lots of care & attention. The perfect ending to the best meal that I've had in ages: the Vanilla & Rooibos Creme Brûlée & the Vanilla Panna Cotta. Compliments to chef Marcelle Roberts & her team. You will definitely see us in the near future & we have already shared our fantastic experience with everyone we know. Cafe 1999 is an absolute must for every Durbanite & anyone visiting Durban. P.S. I might actually need to order an extra Panns Cotta to take home with me, the next time we are there!

For a fine dinning restaurant you expect perfection! Starter - soup was good but very salty, Main - duck on risotto was tasteless and risotto was just terrible with peas not fully cooked, Desert - cream brûlée was ok nothing to brag about! Wine list is rediculous in price and not even worth it!

Loved it, had an awesome time on this classy germ in the city outskirts, the food was on point and I had the best pudding courtesy of the house for my birthday.

Great food and wine pairing last night with our wine club. The food was delicious and very well paired. Service was amazing.

Outstanding dinner tonight! I honestly rate it as one of the best in Durban.... Thanks for a lovely evening.�

The food is at a high standard, beautifully prepared and presented. The ambience of the restaurant is amazing as well. Our waiter was one of the best I've had at any restaurant to add to this. Great job café 1999, keep up the good work!

For many years now: food fantastic and the wines: AMAZING! Chef beautiful and cooks like a dream. The wine list is not the run of the mill! Ask or Mo - when you visit - he is the wine man! This restaurant represents the hip and happening in the Western Cape's wine lands.

Its a great place to be trendy lots good vibes , hidden from the concrete jungle and great variety of food . Love it.

The most devine food I've ever eaten. Thank you for the wonderful service and the incredible food.

The location is perfect. The food is impeccably decadent, the service infallible. Great place. Highly recommended.

Consistently excellent, with outstanding service, great wine selection and creative menu. It’s always the right choice.

The service was really good. And I came from greece... so the fillet I had was perfectly cooked. Love the meat in Africa. The starter was lovely and fresh the tuna on noodles.

LOVED everything about the restaurant,our waiter Matt was excellent,food outstanding and great ambience.

I got a very bad fish poisoning attack after the "catch of the day" Yellofin on Monday, 9th April!!! The manager says " .......that happens more often to people eating Thuna or Yellofin in our restaurant......" Do I need to say more?!!! Avoid this place, if you want to stay healthy!!

This was just wow! Crispy duck pancakes as a starter, and seared tuna as a main. Very rarely have I experienced a flavour sensation like this. <br/><br/>The duck was crispy, tender and juicy all at the same time. The tuna was out of this world - seared with sesame, and on a bed of noodles, rocket, mint, and ginger - topped with an avocado guacamole. <br/><br/>You have to try this spot.

Incredible service, The staff are very friendly. The food is outstanding too. The restaurant is nice and clean, great setting. It’s definitely a must try.

The experience was absolutely amazing. The friendly and attentative staff were one great thing, but the food was even better. The mains were heavenly and different from the usual restaurant. The play of different spices and textures blew my mind. As for the dessert, vanilla and rose Panna cotta.... My word. A silky smooth panna cotta that just melts in your mouth with the subtle hint of rose made my evening. Overall an exceptional evening.

Had a phenomenal meal tonight at Café ‘99. We had two starter courses - the stuffed and deep-fried kalamata olives were divine, but we thought the chickpea and feta balls were a bit disappointing. For mains, I enjoyed the porcini panzerotti - one of the best pastas I have ever had. Delicate flavour combinations which complemented each other so well - what a great vegetarian dish. To finish off, we had a delicious vanilla and rooibos crème brûlée, which was very creamy and not too rich. Although a bit noisy, this is a wonderful place for a special meal.

The place is amazing, the service was great and the waiter was absolutely well knowledgeable about the food. Food arrived on time, and made with the best of ingredients...sat by the kitchen and enjoyed watching the process. Was not disappointed!!

Disappointing experience overall, as 2 of our group got ill. Starters were nice, though tangy dressing on tuna dish was inconsistent with day-time serving and noodles & pasta under cooked. Mains were ok. Desserts were great though. I have had great references for the venue so I hope this was just one bad night.

We heard so many good reports about Cafe 99 and were not disappointed! The Cafe style atmosphere totally uncontrived and perfect for the Italian styled food. Mathew our Waiter was very helpful attentive and knowledgeable, and able to give us some magic food suggestions. Our food. Prawn tails and lamb kebab for starters were delicious. My mains of duck better than expected the others ordered mushroom and chicken dishes both very well cooked and full of devine flavors. We will be back !!

Got to visit this little place for restaurant week. What a lovely showcase of their menu and some added surprises. The food was good but the deserts were to die for. Amazing panna cotta. Very intimate setting. It was a lovely evening.

Dinner here with friends whilst visiting Durban was spiritual. A superb meal from start to finish. Service excellent. Food of exceptional quality!!! Complements to chef Marcelle. See you guys next year.

There is no other word to describe it but exceptional 👌🏻 many vegetarian options to choose from. Last of the very few good restaurants in Durban. Worth a try.

Great service and really welcoming host Mo! Small cost restaurant in central durban. Excellent food, and complimentary starter given. Good selection of wine offered. We had the mussels for starters and the duck pancake for mains with the banana split for dessert. Good portion size. Dessert was one of the best I've had!!!

Fortunately got taken here by some of their regular patrons (who the staff treat like celebrities) and had a lovely experience. Wonderful palate-cleansing radish and pomegranate seed amuse bouche, mussels in a heavenly coconut sauce and rooibos creme brûlée. It was a touch busy (maneuvering around to get to the restroom required some agility), but food still came very quickly!

Just had a delicious birthday dinner here and the service was awesome, the music chilled and the food superb. Sure, the menu is pricey but you pay for quality. I had the 200g chargrilled rump(medium rare, as only it should be served) on a bed of mash potatoes. My girlfriend had the plum seared duck. Also a very delicious option. Second time dining here, second time impressed

What a delight! Amazing dishes. Lots of flavour. Depth and breadth in flavours. Very relaxed atmosphere. Very professional waiters. Brilliant service.

Cafe 1999👠<br/>A Fine Dining restaurant which is good to go to when you feel up for a classy Dinner. This restaurant will be perfect for that feeling.<br/><br/>The presentation of the food was very unique and interesting and the menu is something unusual with different recipes that will get your taste buds going. <br/>The meals portions are relatively small but a good size if you are watching your diet. <br/><br/>The starters: the presentation was stunning.<br/>Main Course: I had ordered a pear and gondozola salad which had different flavors and textures. The pear was sweet which outcomed the bitterness of the Gondozola cheese. It was a new taste to try this type of cheese.<br/>The Dessert: The brownie with ice cream was to die for. <br/>The pantoffle dessert was my first try which was a irresistible spoon digger to get more from the dessert.<br/><br/>I thoroughly enjoyed Cafe 1999 to go with my classy mood feeling.🙃<br/>

Went with the prawn pasta here guys, it was so good. I even got the small portion but it was so rich that it was more than enough to fill me up. But of cause, we need dessert. The triple choc brownie is so good guys, geez. Also, great service, pretty small pkace but a really great setup.

Great fine dining experience. Extensive wine selection and knowledgable staff. My main was the duck with a pea & pancetta risotto. The duck was tender and crispy. Paired with the creamy & smoky risotto was an amazing combo. We didn't have time for dessert, but I will definitely be back again to try some out.

Fresh, good wine list. Excellent service. Enticing menu that at times unfortunately doesn't completely deliver to its promise but overall a good experience. Recommend.

Very nice first date restaurant. Slightly more relaxed than a fine dinning but you won't be served food you can make at home. Good wine and lovely atmosphere. Menu doesn't change much so if you are a vegetarian there isn't much of an option.

Good range of options on the menu and excellent wine list, including WBG options which were quite ok. Specials were outstanding - both Tuna tartar and Duck were awesome. Whether solo, couple, family or business you will not be disappointed. What a gem!

Lovely find in Durban, where we enjoyed a relaxed but excellent birthday dinner for 2. <br/>Service: friendly, unpretentious service that is present when needed without crowding the patrons. <br/>Food: I ordered the pork cutlet and my hubbie had the fillet steak. The cutlet was a very thick but so the seasoning/flavor wasn't sufficient. However the cabbage and the honey citrus sauce were lovely. The steak was fantastic (according to he who ate it). We also had dessert, which was a revelation. The panna cotta with rose and strawberry sorbet was a dream. The brownie was fantastic - rich, crammed full of chocolate with a subtle poppy seed ice cream.<br/>Decor & ambiance: minimalistic, light and airy. Great but non-intrusive music. <br/><br/>Overall, well done! Recommend highly and look forward to coming back on our next visit to Durbs.

For some fusion flavour you have to try the Turkish Fig as a titbit (starter), but their fillet steak is worth going back for time and again!

Oh what a catastrophe. A place I knew I could always go to for a perfect dinner. The only consistent seems to be the calamata olives starter. <br/><br/>The chefs compliments was a fish cake, it was laden with balls of black pepper!!! Sigh. <br/>The mussel soup was utterly bland, however the mussels were fresh. The lamb meatballs were dry and way over cooked, black on the outside and burnt. <br/><br/>We forfeited mains, but I ordered dessert. <br/>The Banana Split was exceptional, deconstructed, good creme caramel, & the peanut butter ice cream was truly superb, with the salted caramel. <br/>Sweet end to a sad beginning. <br/>

Awesome treat to have a special dinner with a darling friend. <br/>Service is 12/10. - awesome waitress went to find me a "vase" wine glass ! <br/>We started with the Duck Samoosa's - nom nom ! <br/>We both chose the seared tuna - was fresh fresh and delicious - a first for me and I was sold !! <br/>We attempted a lemon tart for dessert but it was too sweet - however beautifully presented. <br/>I feel it's a bit pricey - not that in touch with Durban dining hot spots - just my opinion

The menu was varied and offered something for everyone and once we ordered the food was great. Be sure to try the deep-fried calamata olives. The service was efficient while not being overbearing and as a bonus the staff was knowledgeable. This isn't the cheapest restaurant in Durban but if you want cheap get a manky take-away. Beautiful food served beautifully.

Went on invite from one of my sons friends. 10 people in total. 2 persons did not pitch. Waiter informed us at start we must pay R200 for the no shows. Food was overpriced. I had a Goat cheese salad starter which literally contained a tbl spoon of cheese. The waiter was generally moody and we had a terrible time to understand the bill. Will never go back their again.

Had a dinner at Cafe 1999, based on the Zomato recommendation. I was not disappointed. The food was fresh, innovative and oh so tasty, with unusual mixes of textures and flavours - all executed to perfection. The hero was the seared tuna with peanut sauce and wasabi mash. The flavours are still dancing around in my mouth! Not cheap, but the service and the food, with generous portions, made it all more than worthwhile. A true hidden gem in the Durban food scene.

I've heard wonderful things about this restaurant from friends who have dined here so I was quite excited to try cafe 1999. However, I found my experience to be thoroughly disappointing. The food was bland and cold. Will not be dining here again.

My favorite place ever!! Triple chocolate brownies with homemade poppy seed ice-cream is everything. It's a beautiful Restaraunt with really great service...definitely a must!

Horrible food and not a great restaurant to be in. Service is also pathetic as no one was attentive to us, certainly not going to pay R400 for a horrible place like this.

Been going here for 14 years. Never, ever, had anything short of an excellent meal. One of the only places I'll happily order the special that the waitron recommends, pretty much guaranteed to enjoy.

Still trying to find the words to describe the amazing Panacotta with a berry sorbet and jelly cubes dessert 😍. Dont think I was ever as quiet as I was whilst eating it. Very few things can leave me speechless, this dessert is definitely on that list. Delicious food, knowledgeable staff.

This is a restaurant that will make you want to go back time and again. The food teases you, waiters know their wine which is scarce in Durban, service to make you smile. Go, go, go! It will make you feel exhilarated!

I always wanted to try Cafe 1999, when I did, I was actually really disappointed with the service! The food was good, but not worth it for the price you're paying. Its meant to be "fine dining", I was served half an oyster but paid the full price, the chicken was still red and bloody close to the bone...That's not fine dining. Never going back.

The perfect dish is difficult, if impossible to create, but sometimes perfection is achieved in a dish that is pure genius.<br/>I had such a meal at Cafe 1999.<br/>The restaurant is simply decorated, minimalistic with white tablecloths and unique light fittings. I had a late booking.<br/>While the owner explained the special dishes, I could sense his passion for the food. For starters, I ordered a tasting plate consisting of a Thai Beef Salad with a fried quail egg, a Duck Wonton with dipping sauce and grilled Beef Fillet skewers with a satay sauce. Everything on the plate was scrumptious, it was a mass of flavours, textures and mouthwatering smells.<br/>The beef was tender, succulent and the best I had ever tasted - really. <br/>The star of the meal however had been the main of fresh-fresh Seared Tuna on a bed of the creamiest most wonderful potato puree and fresh steamed bok choi. Crunch was provided by roasted cashew nuts and back and white sesame seeds. The sauce was delicious: rich and glossy and ever so slightly sweet, perfectly balanced. The quality of flavour was exceptional.<br/>I might have died and gone to foodie heaven right there!<br/>Portions are big!

Decided to try out Cafe 1999 last week after my hubby had been asking to go there for ages! What a lovely experience, the restaurant reminds me of 9th Avenue Bistro, just the right amount of tables, to keep it intimate! Unfortunately when we got there, Musgrave was having load shedding! However it didn't negatively impact our experience! They had back up lights and the only problem was my husband couldn't have the lamb chops, but it was no biggy, he had the gnocchi pasta instead with added chicken! It was lovely! Creamy and rich! I had the steak for mains, totally amazing, done just right with the just right amount of char grilling! Delicious. It was the perfect mains, especially following the delicious olives (mmmmmm) and potato fish cakes as starters! Cafe 1999, definitely a place to visit :)

Absolutely loved this little restaurant. The menu is fantastic and every single thing we ordered from starts to desserts was delicious. Our waitress was very attentive and friendly. The ambiance, decor, and menu all blend together to create a wonderful eating experience .Can’t wait to eat there again.

I hosted a client dinner here and the food and service was fantastic. I had the olives (a must try) and the seared, sesame crusted tuna special - also very good. Others had the lamb cutlet special which was unfortunately slightly over-cooked. Highly recommended.

Amazing food! Started with the famous olives and then had the crayfish special with salad and chips and their wonderful aioli.<br/>Perfect last 2014 meal I think!<br/>

One of my favourite restaurants in South Africa!! I always make a special trip down to Durban especially to pop in here. The staff and owners are great and informative and there is always something new to try. The deep fried olives are a must!!

Brilliant food, well prepared. Lovely setting. A bit pricey but definitely worthwhile when looking for a fine dining experience.