There are many hot breakfast spots in Durban that can start off your day with far more than just a fried egg.
Bellevue Café
What’s not to love about this puppy? Toasted artisan bread, roasted artichoke, soft poached eggs and crispy bacon with Hollandaise sauce and rocket. It was bloody marvelous.
The breakfast menu is available until 11.30, and features a pitcher of orange juice paired with a bottle of champagne, so you know that they take mornings seriously.
Eora
New kid on the Umhlanga block has firmly taken its place as one of the best spots for your first indulgence of the day.
We quote Jay Pee: “More Pain Perdu, than French Toast. Delicate and light, not over sweet. Just a touch of Maple Syrup, fresh strawberries and blueberries. Dollops of Mascarpone and a light sprinkle of icing sugar. Forget pancakes dear. This is how it’s done. The bread had the texture of chiffon sponge. The berries were perfect.”
The Elangeni
Breakfast buffet style on the pool deck, but be sure to get there early so you can grab an outside table. We were impressed by the meaty selection (great for banters), as well as being Halaal.
Duke & Duchess
This cafe should be winning awards for everything from the red cappuccino to their Pulled Pork Buns, which by the way, are the best we have ever tasted. The Welsh Rarebit has us chomping at the bit. Just GO. They are near Gateway on Meridian Drive.
Mayfair
Durbanites have fallen in love with this little restaurant next to Woolies in Mackeurtan. Banting breakfasts and cakes to make you weak at the knees. If you haven’t been, get ye there now!
And for those who can’t secure a table in the morning, the good news is that they will soon be in Oscar’s old premises. We can’t wait.
Stretta Café
Sleep in and have your king’s meal till 3pm. Grab a Breakfast Pan with tomato salsa and homemade bread. The Chorizo, cherry tomatoes with bacon & eggs is our fave. Wash it down with a Banana and Peanut Butter Smoothie. For the littlies there are three 20 buck options. Nutella on homemade toasted Panini is a winner.
Pesto at The Palace Hotel
We get asked this weekly. Where can we get a good brekkie on the beachfront? Just inside the Palace Hotel there is an oasis of peace with an enclosed deck. It is beautifully decorated and the meals are fabulous. They serve a buffet breakfast every day or you can take your pick off the menu. Seriously, just go. You’ll love it. They are just behind the Rachel Finlayson Pool.
The Press Club does breakfast, with aplomb! Situated inside the Old Buxton’s centre in Umhlanga, this place has a steady stream of regulars. We recommend the Poached haddock and cheese sauce with eggs. It’s also the perfect hangover station, you can do eggs with curry. Sorts you out on the spot!
Dee’s Café
Nobody makes a better omelette than Dee at Spades Garden Centre. 3 Jumbo eggs, slowly cooked in butter with piles of crispy bacon and cheddar cheese. And when she re appears with your meal, she is beaming, as she puts your plate down, a glint in her eye and a smile. She wants it to be perfect for you. Not even the Queen of England gets service like this.
Open Mon to Sat. (Please open on Sundays Dee!)
Parc Café
No breakfast article can be complete without mention of Parc Café’s famous Not-so-Benedict eggs. PRO tip, have it with *bacon*. Their cappuccino is based on the Colombo Fedora Classic espresso blend. Don’t tell anyone, but it’s our favourite.
Glenwood Bakery
The Eggs Benedict and Eggs Royale are legendary. The eggs are served on the bakery’s homemade bread – one of their dark sourdoughs. A sliver of finely sliced cured meat rests beneath two perfectly poached eggs. The whole creation is cloaked in a soft yellow blanket of hollandaise, which is rich, buttery and contains just a hint of lemon to holds the flavours in check and keep the dish as fresh as the dusting of bright green chives scattered across the plate. Convinced yet?
The Benjamin Hotel
Chill in the beautiful courtyard as you indulge in the continental buffet breakfast with hot meals to order. It’s a beautiful space that will have you forget you are sitting just off Florida Rd.
Hingham Tea Garden
The Eggs Benedict is highly recommended, and where else does your toast arrive with butter, wrapped in wax paper like a toffee? If you hit them by brunch, go for the quiche, a giant portion that arrives with a massive salad. Expect passion and attention to detail from this mother daughter team.
They also do a Sunday Roast with live music if you miss breakfast time.
Freedom Café
The Buttermilk pancake stack with maple, butter pecan and banana is addictive. Or you could just go for Avo on Toast. We were properly smitten by their home cured Salmon Gravlax which they allowed us to taste before we ordered. This is a quirky spot but will thrill the taste buds, regardless what you choose on their extensive menu.
Chuck and Bobs
Eggs in a Pancetta basket, Green Eggs, Pancetta soldiers and Chorizo Frittata are sure to thrill. Be sure to sink your teeth into the Cumberland sausage and wrap it up with freshly squeezed strawberry juice.
Circus Circus Beach Cafe
The first of the best beachfront restaurants still impresses. Dig your toes in the sand and relax. Go early or you’ll have to join the queue. Yes, its still that popular. Linger longer till tea time and zap a few of the delectable cakes on offer.
PS- We can vouch for both the Carrot and the Bar One Cake. Man, life is good!
La Bella
You can’t beat value with volume at 20 bucks for their Breakfast special or go for the savoury mince and melted mozzarella cheese toastie. There is a park where the kids can play while you fill your tummy to the brim. Highly recommended.
Surf Riders
The new kid on the block has been getting rave reviews for their “Breakfast Works” which is a sesame bun with two poached eggs, Gouda and Chorizo gravy, topped with Hollandaise sauce, and baked in their pizza oven. We hear you drooling! They are on the promenade in front of Addington Hospital. Small change at 36 bucks! Throw in an extra ten, and you get some smoked oink too.
The Kiosk at Botanic Gardens
Break the rules and go straight for the sweet stuff with arguably the best damn crumpets this side of the Sahara. Crumpets with the “works” – buttered, with cream and syrup with a giant pot of tea. Console your guilt and walk it off in the gardens after the indulgence.
Remo’s Villaggio
We’ll just quote Jay Pee: “The eggs ..two perfect spheres. White, and wobbly, ready for to be sliced open to reveal that perfect yellow, unctuous ooziness that drips down, and winds it’s velvet way around that pink, smoked salmon..”
Take a stroll to their bakery afterwards and stock up on the delicious pastries and artisan breads. PRO tip: The Cronuts are pure evil!
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