A good meal can give a visit its shape. Coffee before the coast. Something easy after a long beach day. A dinner you leave the evening open for. I would rather send you to a few places with a reason than hand over a list of thirty names.
Coffee has been part of this site's story for years. Holiday Coffee was the subject of our 2022 reader poll and feature; Mastertons has its own place in the archive too. Below, I have kept those connections and added a practical shortlist based on current venue information. The reasons are editorial choices, not a claim that I have recently eaten every menu.
Holiday Coffee: start with a story already on this site
In December 2022, we asked our Instagram community about coffee and Holiday came out on top in that poll. I wrote about Chris, the team, flat whites and the feeling of people knowing one another. That is more useful context than pretending a café is just an address and a rating.
Our Holiday Coffee story is still there, with its original date. It records a particular visit and the enthusiasm of that moment, rather than a new citywide award. Holiday's current website continues to offer café visits, coffee and training; confirm the address and day's hours directly before making a special trip.
Contact Holiday Coffee. If you enjoy the people behind a coffee shop as much as the cup, begin with the story.
Mastertons: coffee with a working-roastery setting
For a visitor's first Walmer coffee stop, Mastertons at 92 Main Road is an easy place to build into the day. There is a coffee bar, beans to take home and the roasting side of the business to see. The Bay's coffee history is part of the appeal.
I would choose it when you want a stop with something to look at and talk about, rather than a takeaway collected between appointments. It also works geographically with a Walmer morning. Read our Mastertons feature for the earlier story.
The practical catch is the calendar: the roastery currently lists weekday and Saturday trading, with Sundays and public holidays closed. Check Mastertons' own contact page for the day you are visiting. Seeing roasting is not a guaranteed guided factory tour.
Something Good Roadhouse: keep the beach day easy
Something Good on Marine Drive, Summerstrand is the casual option on this shortlist: burgers, shakes, breakfast and takeaway choices in a beachfront setting. It fits the sort of day when nobody wants to dress up or drive across the city for lunch.
That is why I would pair it with the promenade and beach rather than use it as a substitute for a quieter dinner reservation. Look at the current menu with your group before choosing. With children, confirm the facilities you need on the day; an old photograph cannot tell you what is open now.
See Something Good's menu and contact details. Combine it with the beach guide and leave room for the afternoon to run slowly.
Muse: make space for a booked dinner
Muse is the choice I would compare for a meal that is the evening's main event. Allan and Simone Bezuidenhout's restaurant changes its menu seasonally and makes its pasta, bread, sauces and cakes in house.
Use the current Walmer address, 182 Main Road, between 10th and 11th Avenues. Older listings still mention Richmond Hill. This is exactly the sort of detail that can spoil an otherwise good evening if you trust an old saved pin.
Read the current menu, discuss dietary needs and get the reservation confirmed. Muse explicitly asks guests to phone to confirm an enquiry; submitting a form is not the final booking. Find the current menu and contact Muse. I would organise the journey home before settling in for dinner.
Café Riza: give a New Brighton meal its own time
Café Riza, at 7 Ntshekisa Road, New Brighton, introduces chef Vuyokazi Duze's Xhosa heritage food and home-style cooking. It belongs in a guide to this city because a visit should reach beyond the same beachfront strip.
I would plan this as a deliberate meal, with a booking and time to enjoy it. Ask what is being served and how the restaurant prefers to host your group. For a wider New Brighton outing, arrange the day with a local host or guide and agree transport rather than treating a neighbourhood as a photo stop.
Book with Café Riza. Check Sunday arrangements directly: the contact page lists Sunday closure while the reservation page uses broader opening language. Our history and culture guide offers context for planning a hosted visit.
Crossways Village Market: choose the date first
Crossways, in the Thornhill area, is the out-of-town option when you want food, produce, crafts and a longer browse. I would give it a proper part of the day rather than fit it between two city appointments.
The important detail is whether the market is actually running on your date. Check the organiser's current announcement; weather can change plans. A remembered Sunday routine or an old social post is not confirmation for this weekend. Follow the organiser link in the sources below before driving out.
My way of choosing
| The occasion | My starting point | The detail to settle |
|---|---|---|
| Coffee with a connection to this site's early stories | Holiday Coffee | Current address and hours |
| A Walmer coffee stop with roasting in the picture | Mastertons | Visit on a trading day |
| An easy meal during a beachfront outing | Something Good | The current menu and your group's needs |
| A slower evening built around dinner | Muse | Phone-confirmed booking at the Walmer address |
| Xhosa heritage food in New Brighton | Café Riza | Menu, booking and transport |
| Food and browsing outside town | Crossways Village Market | A confirmed market date |
If you are here for three days or race weekend
Choose one meal to reserve and keep the rest close to where you already are. I would not interrupt a good coast day just to tick another restaurant off a list. The three-day itinerary joins these stops to places nearby.
Before a race, make room for the food and timing you already know work for you. Save the long, exploratory meal for afterwards. That leaves visiting partners free to enjoy the city without making the athlete's dinner an experiment.
This is an editorial shortlist. Prices and menus come from the venues, and any commissioned feature or paid placement must be identified where it appears. Our older food stories remain available as dated visits, with current planning advice here.
Sources & trip checks
Planning details checked 16 October 2026. These are the park, tourism and provider references used for this guide. Confirm changing prices, access, conditions and bookings directly before travelling.
- Mastertons: Walmer roastery
- Mastertons: current contact and trading information
- Muse: official restaurant and reservations
- Nelson Mandela Bay Tourism: current Muse contact details
- Something Good Roadhouse: current venue information
- Café Riza: food, location and bookings
- Crossways Village Market: organiser and dated announcements
- Sun International: Boardwalk Mall activities
- Holiday Coffee: current café and coffee information
- Holiday Coffee: direct contact
- Café Riza: address and day-specific opening information
Suggested routes, stay lengths and comparisons are our editorial planning recommendations. They are separate from a provider’s rules or a confirmed booking.
Dean Cothill
Gqeberha-based writer, photographer, open-water swimmer and Ironman athlete. I share local stories alongside researched travel advice; personal visits are identified in the writing.
