(*edit*) Canyans has closed and is no more. Mark is opening Prime Cut Grill where Casa de Gahlina used to be

A semi-new place to eat out in Knysna is Canyans Restaurant, in Market Street, formerly the Market Street Grill but has since changed name and owners. Canyans gets busier every week thanks to the owners who make it their business to take good care of all guests and play Knysna’s main host for rugby Saturdays by offering tender and juicy steak roll and chips type specials for R30 with an overhead projector screen as well as 2 other LCD tv’s in the bar area so all patrons can have top view.

The ala carte menu finds quality steaks, calamari, fish and burgers prepared to your liking with a variety of side options, simple yet well prepared palette to fill your need not to stay at home and cook. The family atmosphere plays a large part as they offer an entire room with a TV set for kids to play in and have their fun while parents eat and relax. There is a veranda looking onto the road with large tables for those warm evenings and a large bar area to cater for the less hungry patrons who prefer to meet up with friends for a few drinks as Knysna offers few of these in town and the centralness is perfect for everyones travelling concerns.

Canyans caters for the Knysna locals and visitors, their decor is modern yet inviting and comfortable, you feel like you are in a smart-casual yet hip place, play dress-up or come as you are – it wont matter, and stay for dessert and many irish coffees as you may be lucky enough to enjoy a night of guitar entertainment from the owner, should he not be too busy cooking or entertaining.

I hope Canyans will be well supported as Knysna truelly needs a place like this for added value eateries in town, an upmarket place up Market Street where you can meet friends and family and make this place your own.

Knysna Oyster Festival Special : 6 medium cultivated oysters, 6 queen prawns with Island cocktail dressing on a bed of crispy lettuce – R60.00

Grape Vines can be cultivated in the Garden Route & Bramon Wine Estate is the know how, being the only Wine Estate along the Garden Route, believe it or not.

Since the year 2000, when the farm began, the family-run Bramon Wine Estate have pioneered vineyards to produce quality easy drinking wines, being honoured with the Vertias Award for their unique, one of a kind in the country, Sauvignon Blanc ~ Method Cap Classique, as well as producing 2 types of Rose, a Chardonnay, a Sauvignon Blanc and a Pinotage. Wine tasting is definitely encouraged & recommended and should a bottle, or few, tickle your fancy Bramon sell their wines to the public at very good prices or just to enjoy over a lunch. The menu includes a variety of cold meats, cheeses, and pates seved with homemade bread as well as an option of dolmades, oysters & ice-cream or sorbet for desserts – all foods are fresh and I highly recommend their local trout pate & parma ham.

If the weather is favourable or not Bramon offers tables in their garden surrounded by the vines & under large umbrellas or sit inside their sophisticated restaurant which overlooks the garden area. One cannot help to absorb this very special place with the easy farm life atmosphere, Bramon is also child & pet friendly which allows for the family-oriented vibe to come through from the owners, Caroline & Peter, who take very good care of their patrons. Caroline was more than accomodating & happily shared the history of farm & wine, assisting with our wine tasting selecions & making sure we were always smiling and drinking. The overall service is outstanding. Sunday is the busiest day so book beforehand, especially if you want an outside table of your choice.

Whether you are a wine conisseur like me, or as I call it – a vino snob – or just keen to kick bac

Tucked into the foot of Knysna Heads, overlooking the ripples of waves where sea meets rocks and sand, is the deck of Paquitas. The name is derived from the ship Paquita, that sunk in this area and the wrecks can be viewed by divers at high tide, along with the Knysna seahorses.

The restaurants menu offers seafood, steaks, pizzas, ribs and surf and turf options so there is something for every hungry tummy.
Their service is very good but the food is just above average, I have always enjoyed their pizzas & ribs though, at times the calamari fried is also a treat, what I do appreciate is that 2 cooked vegetables are always served per person ordering a main meal.

At the end of Paquitas building is their very own bar area equipped with TV’s and a fireplace, this bar also has their signiture glass windows to extend the very amusing view and gets packed with people throughout seasons, during Summer the windows are opened and during winter they are closed and the fireplace is burning warmly.

Paquitas has a relaxed, come as you are mood, suitable for friends and family time, reasonably priced for the large portions you receive and overall is definitely a place to visit along the Garden Route for the views of The Knysna Heads are breathtaking and a geographical monument – so you might as well enjoy a meal or beer while staring the marvel. Location, location, location!

A relaxed yet utterly sophisticated restaurant on the lagoons edge of Thesen Island is a restaurant called Sirocco, named after the warm wind that blows over the Meditterean.

The decor, food, wine menu and view are all top Knysna quality. Sirocco can cater for many guests and they always make place for you, except maybe in season time, when you will need to book beforehand, to be on the safe side. If you and your friends, family or loved ones are in the mood for deliciously stylish gourmet food and something special away from the norm with a calm atmosphere ala fine dining, then let me recommend Sirocco.

I have enjoyed cocktails and/ or drinks here after a long day at work, met here for drinks and snacks for a birthday party and stayed for wonderful lunches & dinners. If you arrive early enough to get a balcony table you can view the beautiful lagoon full of yachts and birds & on the plus-side you have 2 balconies to choose from to dodge from the wind -which tends to settle in the air towards the early evenings. They also offer a gas fire-like heater in the middle of the largest outside table which has space for glasses to be placed infront of you – this gas fire is always switched on in the winter time, which is convenient for guests.

Please visit their bathrooms, which are uni-sex, they are surprisingly different, anything out of the norm for me is awesome and I especially appreciate a restaurant which creates a special place away from home, a place where you would invite family and friends for a meal or drinks to relax and take it easy… in Knysna.

My favourite restaurant for any special occasion, like Birthdays or Mothers Day etc, has to undoubtedly be Emily Moon, in Plett.
Who could resist Emily’s flare for good food & wine, which is reasonably priced, coupled with a view to take your breath away, not just any usual blue sea with white sand view, not that we could get sick of that, but just simply a view that no-one can ever forget – a view that every geologist would travel half way across the world for – a perfect and peaceful Oxbow Lake.

Emily Moon offers binoculars on their deck for the more inquisitive guests, besides the view of the entire lake from high up, one can bird watch or if you quick at the draw, you can try spot a buck or two in the wild. For me I just love the fact that Emily Moon’s food and Indonesian-African inspired decor is as awesome as their professional service, bonus the Oxbow lake with lush mountainous back drop, all which add to the magic that makes Emily Moon a very special place to write home about – and add photos too. A definite MUST!

If you want to stay for a few days more, they also offer a bed and breakfast facility which is top quality and each room boasts a view of the oxbow lake.