Restaurants and Delis in Knysna

Iridescent with red walls and fairy lights, The Firefly Eating House & Chai Bar is housed in a charming original 1906 Knysna tin mining house on the Knysna lagoon with a view of the famous Knysna Heads. The Eating House explores the complexity of spice and the Chai Bar, the subtleties of tea.

Their irresistible spicy food draws inspiration from around the globe. Firefly's Top Dish is the Cape Malay bobotie spring rolls with a mint chutni and the the spice tea latte wins as Top Tea. Try a Firestarter like the orange & ostrich spring roll with a Juniper berry dip followed by smoked Berbere beef with quail egg, served with apricot & mint couscous (berbere is a spice mixture whose ingredients usually include chillies, ginger, cloves, coriander, allspice and is a key ingredient in North African cuisine). Of course dinner at Firefly wouldn't be complete without Sugar ‘n Spice and all things nice. Highly recommended is the saffron & cardamom basmati rice cream.

île de païn - Island of Bread is something of an oasis, even amoungst the plethora of good eateries in Knysna. When Liezie Mulder and Markus Farbinger together with a small, young team opened the doors of île de païn in 2002, it was as though they tapped into something so treasured by the collective consciousness, that the appeal was indeed universal.

They built a wood fired oven and baked large, dark loaves of Companio bread for the nearby farmers market. Soon after, Liezie put a small menu together to complement the bread. Today the bread “complements” Liezie’s food breakfast and lunch take centre stage at île de païn. She draws from her love of local ingredients and utilizes her international experience and training to create menu‘s that are thoughtful, simple and unique for everyday enjoyment.

The wine list changes as often as the menu and receives equal attention and care. The desserts on display are for the finale or to take home for a postponed indulgence. On your way out you remember to take along a loaf (locals reserve one or two before sitting down) and some of the specialties as a gift to yourself or those near to your heart. Their annual gastronomic trips around the globe will ensure that île de païn will keep on going for years to come.