Gesellig Restaurant in Cape Town is indeed, 'gesellig'

This cosy restaurant, bar and lounge club brightens up Sea Point

*Gesellig Closed in May 2012*

Cape Town’s Sea Point suburb isn’t exactly known for its great restaurants, or fancy clubs and trendy bars. Most of the time it’s one of the numerous restaurants in Gardens, Long Street, Camps Bay and the V&A Waterfront that attracts people, pulling them away from neighbourhoods such as Green Point, Sea Point and Vredehoek in Cape Town.

In all honesty, up until a short while ago, we fully understood. We ourselves generally headed towards these more popular places whenever we went out for dinner in the city, or planned a good night out dancing or drinking at a bar. Hence: we didn’t really go to Sea Point all that often.

Things have changed. Over the last months Cape Town’s ‘neglected’ areas have gained quite a forceful boost in restaurants and bars. We’ve told you about our positive experiences at new restaurants such as La Mouette and La Boheme in Sea Point. Our latest discovery in Sea Point – Restaurant Gesellig – convinced us: Restaurants in Sea Points are upcoming... and cool!

Filling the Capetonian Gap

Gesellig is a bar meets restaurant meets loungy place with a homy atmosphere. The word ‘Gesellig’ is clearly not chosen without careful consideration, its meaning being ‘cosy’ in Dutch, German and Afrikaans. Owners Gaston and Lorenzo, both Dutch, and German Nina, have tried to give Gesellig the feeling and setting that matches that word best. In all honesty we must admit that they succeeded. Which makes them one of the first restaurants in Cape Town to hit that spot, which the city needed quite badly, to our modest opinion.

Gesellig is the place you go to on a regular night of the week, when you’re up for an innocent cup of tea, a good glass of South African wine or an exotic cocktail. Perfect date material, is one way to describe Gesellig. The setting – a jumble of intimate tables with candelight and comfortable couches –  will seduce you: meaning you will come in, get comfy on the couch, drink your drink(s), only to realise a few hours later that you already have been at Gesellig for as long as you have. Because the drinks were great, because the food was tasty, because the service was friendly, because the music was just right... just because it was so gesellig!

International Trio

Gaston, Lorenzo and Nina spent a good two months refurnishing the place, giving it a fresh makeover after the former tenants – Madonna, a well-known dodgy brother-like place. Hardly any wall was left standing. The result is definitely one to be proud of!

The influence of the international threesome doesn’t only reflect on the interior, but also on the menu of the restaurant. Early breakfast (Gesellig opens daily at 7.30am) offers a wide range of choice – poached eggs and toast (R35), a variety of omelette with all thinkable toppings and fillings (starting fgrom R42) – just like the lunch and brunch menu. Feel like a salad? For an average of R44, it’s yours. Mains – pastas and potjies – are available for R80-R100. And, watch this, side dishes of your choice – at every stage during the night for R9 only.

Like all of this wasn’t enough for us to be enthusiastic about this new restaurant in Cape Town, here’s the punch line: Gesellig only closes its doors after the last customer(s) decide they have had enough ‘geselligheid’ (cosiness) for the day!
 
Lastly, an insider tip: from 4pm the kitchen serves finger food and skewers (R20-R32) fish, meat and vegetarian, lots of spices, lots of tastes, lots of varieties – yum. And, according to owner Gaston, their croque madame (R40-R65) is by far the best choice for breakfast and lunch.

By Inge Abraham

Gesellig Restaurant
Open daily from Tuesday till Sunday, 07.30–22.00.
1 Mayphil Court (corner of Regent Street and Church Road) | Sea Point

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