Our roving Foodie – Kirsten visits St Francis Brewing Co
Kirsten Doyle
The St Francis Brewing Company is definitely one of the nicest venues in town. A nice inside section, as well as a spacious outside area, make it an ideal place for both winter and summer.
They have an excellent range of craft beers, gins, brandy and ciders, as well as the expected wines and other spirits.The menu is smallish, and these days quite slanted towards Mexican cuisine, which is not my favourite, but the food was fresh and delicious. I do miss the old menu though, that had favourites such as bangers and mash.
One thing I have noticed consistently, is that many of the drinks are not always in stock. On my last visit, the first three drinks I requested weren’t available. The waitress then mentioned that they had a peach cider, which sounded delicious, but when it arrived, turned out to be a peach beer. I’m not a beer fan, but having said that, the beer was pretty good.
Now to the food. I had the ‘pulled pork sammich’, one of our party had the chicken, and the others had chimichangas and burgers. We all enjoyed our food, my only criticism was the skin on the chicken wasn’t crispy – nobody likes ‘flabby’ chicken skin.
I’ve noticed they are doing a few specials, pies, Sunday roasts, and beef shin – all of which look mouthwatering, so I’ll definitely be back to try.
The service for me is a bit hit and miss. Sometimes it’s spot on. There have also been times where one poor waitress is running around trying to get to all the tables, and times where far too many wait staff seem to be hanging around without much to do. Then again, I understand it’s hard to gauge how busy they might be, particularly off season.
English Pub Specials… Beef shin cooked in Stout served with mash… Pork Pie served with rocket & apple salad… Yummmm
RATING: 4.3 / 5
ATMOSPHERE: Festive, comfortable and fun.
SOUND LEVEL: Conversation level background music on most evenings, the occasional band plays there too.
RECOMMENDED: The beer tasting is a must for beer lovers, as are the craft gins. For food, the quality is consistent across the menu, so no standouts for me.
DRINKS: A range of craft beers, ciders, gins, as well as the other alcoholic beverages. Soft drinks, coffee, tea and milkshakes are available too.
PRICE RANGE: Very reasonable, in the R80 to R100 range for meals, with generous portions.
HOURS: Off season, open every day except Tuesdays, from 12pm till around 10pm.
RESERVATIONS: Definitely in season.
CREDIT CARDS: All major.
WHAT THE STARS MEAN: Ratings range from zero to five stars and reflect the reviewer’s opinion on the food, ambience and service, with pricing taken into consideration.
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