chocolat bistro

have been here about 6 times, beautiful decor and setting. the food is good, i think they could expand their menu a bit but what they do they do well. the staff are friendly but seem to struggle when they get to about 65% capacity. despite that the food is tasty and great value for money and the setting is beautiful which draws us back everytime.

love love love this place! first the decor is beautiful! perfect setting for a girls brunch or tea. or even a romantic dinner. there is even a fireplace for the chilly winter season! the staff are friendly and warm. went on saturday for breakfast it is quiet in the morning but the crowd starts picking up around 8.30 and many of the tables have been reserved. so i would strongly advise to book beforehand. there is a wide range of drinks, from italian hot chocolate to mimosas. i love their hot chocolate! their breakfast is decent but not great. but definitely will come again for lunch or dinner. and come back for more hot chocolate!

sthepho was an excellent waitron! such good service!! food was fantastic and a very romantic atmosphere.

i would not recommend this place.
manager is terrible, his name is jp
we called to make a booking for 15 people from a church group, my mother in law got a confirmation email but due to bad eye sight didn't see the fine print of a deposit that needs to be paid. not once did he follow up to find out if she still wants the booking. i have been a food and beverage manager for the past 10 years and if one of my restaurant managers did this, they would be out of my restaurant very quickly.
clearly jp doesn't know customer service or how to do his job, i'd be happy to train him in management or talk to the owners if they even look at these comments.

i will leave a comment on every platform available until a owner gets in contact with me.
clearly jp doesn't care about sales revenue or the restaurant. you think the owners would make better choices

i love this place! i love the decor and the building and the atmosphere. a place where you can feel like you can get a real high tea experience. i had the chocolate nougat cake and it was deliciously moist and dense, just like i love my cakes. the service could have been better, seemed like it was our waitress' first time on the job. cappuccinos arrived cold. but overall a lovely experience. i don't mind the slow service... to be able to sit there and dream and read, but others might mind.

despite mixed reviews i opted to try this little spot out. trial by fire! on the 7th september we held a baby shower at chocolat bistro. with all the madness in the build up to the shower (with 21 people on the list finally) it was a bit of a run around in the last week to ensure everything was in place.

chocolat did not fail me! the high tea option was the offer and at the set cost per person i was a bit worried that we wouldn't have enough 'things' for everyone.

jp was super helpful by email and a few calls in clarifying things and explaining exactly how to order for the set cost.
(life gets busy so to be fair i took any delayed responses with a pinch of salt, we all know how it goes). if you want immediate response, phone.

thankfully, my worries were put to rest! it was a feast. everyone had enough food.

they don't allow corkage for any champagne or sparkly things which was a bit of a frustration as i had some lovely stuff offered but considering what we got it was just lovely. 
the table was set in possibly the only place they could so there was a bit of foot traffic going by but it was almost unnoticed - i think we were too busy being in the way. 

i wanted something classy, and a little more relaxed for mom-to-be with none of the crazy games and things usually associated, and chocolat helped me cater for exactly that in ambience, set up and food. 

julia was our waitress and, while managing, two or three other smaller tables she did a really great job helping our large group; specially with keeping drinks topped up.

watching the overall buzz it does seem like you need to go to chocolat with a bit of time to spare - don't expect service at 500miles per hour but they're not a 'fast food' restaurant. so yes things may be a little slower than you might be used to but it's so worth it - the food is great, the vibe is lovely, it's pretty to look at and the service is still very good.

parking around back was useful but it is very limited so go prepared for that at the very least. 


to jp and julia - thank you both so much for making the day a breeze (and to the chef and kitchen crew 100 points on the food! we were not mislead or disappointed in any way with the high tea options).

love the ambiance and decor. so cosy.

disgusting service!

i have been a loyal customer for months now... even refereed guests who had functions there. 

a few times the croissants where so hard i even wasted them but let it go...

only to be treated in such a rude manner when wanting to book a high tea for my birthday.

after expressing my concerns about the unacceptable way i was treated .. the owner responded to me stating the below 

hi nabilah,



your booking for you for the 26th at 3pm for 8 guests has been made. menu to be sent to you once released.



kind regards,

no apology or sense of taking responsibility.

charming little spot in the middle of durbanville. food is delicious and the staff are cheerful, gets a bit busy at times and that can slow service down - but that’s expected.

i enjoy this place all the time! service is fine if you are relaxed, even when it's busy, your waiter rarely forgets about you. the food is bistro coffee shop style and the portions are huge(maybe even slightly too big) coffee is lovely. milkshakes a bit small since they're expensive as hell. salmon eggs benedict = best brekkie ever. pulled lamb shank tramezini = best lunch ever!! great food. great atmosphere, but a bit too expensive.

slow roasted pork belly was perfectly cooked, and the mash was so tasty. had a creme brûlée for dessert, and fiancée had chocolate brownie with ice cream. all worth it! will definitely be back

great ambience with helpful staff and even better food. i see mixed reviews but also noticed the nay sayers to be prone towards negative comments as a norm. will definitely go back.

we expected more. much more.

we went for the food and left because of it.
if i could describe this place in one word it would have to be "disappointment".

because:
the service is not up to par,
the food is overpriced and the portions blown right out of their price league and into fast food zone.
(the "giant" croissant is anything but. it was average in size and sub average in taste - the chocolate sauce tasted like it came from a squidgey bottle and came with no cream or anything)
the cake of the day was a baked cheesecake... from pnp or shopright i assume - because that's what it tasted like. the first bite was good but the more i ate the sicker i felt.
the prices are also out of their minds. r42 for a croissant and r54 for a slice of cake. these prices were even higher than that of the online menu so don't let that fool you.
the only good thing about this place was the decor and the music, but i would honestly go anywhere else for that.
all in all - i'd give this place a 2 / 5 but that wouldn't do it's average score justice.

i had high expectations from looking at the numerous good reviews and recommendations from friends. the arrival wasn't warm, however the decor was cute and "grand".

looking at the menu we saw that the prices increased (so please update your menu). we ordered a slice of cake and a giant chocolate croissant.

now you would expect that it would be big and yummy for the prices that high. after waiting 17 minutes our food arrived and was not up to par.

the croissant was small and had cheap chocolate, the cheesecake tasted like it had been made the day before and just chilled in the fridge.

the service and food was just plain bad and i will never return. chocolat bistro, maybe rethink what you are doing, because you are stealing from the people.

beautiful bistro with a very regal and vintage feel. went with a group of my friends and we were all quite happy with our food. i would definitely recommend their chicken mayo, pesto, mozarella and mushroom sandwich. they unfortunately ran out of tramezzinis but we were still given the bread choice of sourdough, seed loaf or a croissant. over all it was a pleasant experience and i would like to go back and try their breakfast and cake selection.