MEET AND EAT: A TASTE OF NAPOLI IN HILLCREST
- O&A Team
- April 17, 2025
- Food
- Durban restaurants, Italian dining in Durban, Meet and eat, pasta, Pizza, Restaurants in Hillcrest, San Guiseppe Pizzeria and Trattoria
- 0 Comments
O&A enjoyed a leisurely Sunday lunch at the Italian dining in Hillcrest
It is rare to find true Italian dining in Africa, let alone Durban, so a laid-back Sunday lunch at the San Guiseppe Pizzeria and Trattoria was a good way to not only celebrate a family birthday but try out a venue that we had not yet visited.
To sum up the whole experience, we were more than pleasantly surprised.
A good starting point is to say that you are having a pizza restaurant reviewed by someone who is largely indifferent to this traditionally Italian favourite after decades of near tasteless, mass-produced versions turned out by a by-and-large unimaginative bunch of fast-food restaurants.
It comes as no surprise, then, that this was the last thing on my mind when presented with the menu.
What was on my mind was the fascinating venue – a great deal of trouble has gone into making this into something of a movie set version of a traditional Italian eatery. If you close your eyes to the fact that the restaurant is located in a somewhat modern-day business park, it is certainly fun to find yourself surrounded by a replica olde worlde venue complete with bricked arches, wall art and pots filled with dazzling pink pelargoniums.
There is a choice of sitting outside under a tented canopy or inside in a more moody setting. As this was a beautiful sunny Sunday (rare in Durban of late), we opted for the outdoor option.
Even though we were seated right behind the guitar strumming singer, we realized that this was pleasant background music rather than the drown-out-any-conversation versions that sometimes destroy family get togethers. So, we relaxed to subtle tones of Clapton and Cat Stevens as we flicked through the menu.
SERVICE AND PRACTICALITIES
One of the first things I must say was that although the restaurant was quite empty when we arrived, it quickly filled up with regular patrons greeted as old friends as they arrived.
One of the greatest assets was the waiter, waitron or whatever otherer PC monicker is given these days. In this case, a polite and energetic young guy who knew the food well and was not only on hand to anticipate any drinks needs but to go through the menu with unfamiliar customers and make what turned out to be very good suggestions.
Unfortunately, the San Guiseppe Pizzeria and Trattoria is unlicensed so I had to forgo any notion of an ice-cold Italian vino to accompany my meal and
kicked myself for not checking first so that I could bring along something from my own wine collection.
What is on the menu are some creative virgin cocktails which one of our guests tried. It arrived well presented in a jar – but she said it was a little on the sweet side.
ON THE MENU
As should be the case, it is the food that shines here.
The menu is not too complicated and the Italian names are rounded out with a good local description. The dishes, we found, were created with fresh and quality ingredients, allowing all those flavours to filter through.
I ordered the Torte Di Mare – a wood fired “pie from the sea”- or better described as a seafood pasta with a pie crust that had been wood fired. I thoroughly enjoyed it and my only suggestion is that it would have benefitted from a little more seafood, especially some additional calamari. Although the menu did mention squid heads, I don’t recall discovering any.
My birthday girl mother, who has reached the grand old age of 87 and definitely doesn’t do spicey or even vaguely creative cuisine, was gently guided to the Pasta Alfredo which is made with fresh cream, chicken and seasoned with black pepper and basil. She cleaned the plate, which is an achievement for a somewhat picky eater.
I somewhat sceptically sampled a slice of the Boscailoa pizza that my son ordered on recommendation from our server. According to the menu, ingredients include neopolitano sugo, mozzarella, mushroom, salsiccia, brinjal with prosciutto and basil. All that needs to be added is that this has completely changed by opinion of pizza and I’ll be back to order one of my own – or to even try the build your own pizza option on the menu.
The dough – made in house I was told – is a masterpiece – and a generous helping of good quality rather than traditionally stringy tasteless mozzarella – was sublime.
I also confess that the sizzling chicken and golden fries that made their way past our table to the next-door birthday gathering had me regretting not going for that option. That just gives me another reason to return – this time, with a bottle of good vino though.
LOCATION
The San Guiseppe Pizzeria and Trattoria is in central Hilldrest in the Ridge Office Park at 45 Ridge Road. There’s plenty of parking and this is ideal for those looking for a venue with plenty of character – and a must for those of us who try to avoid restaurants in malls. The live music is a lovely bonus.
