Detour Pit Stop #89: The Grille Shack, Western Cape, South Africa
The Grille Shack is a 1950s’ style pump diner with a “lekker” South African twist.
At the very start of Clarence Drive, the coastal road along False Bay just outside of Cape Town, is the little town of Gordon’s Bay. Just five kilometres further along this scenic drive is The Grille Shack. A large sign outside proclaims it a “Pit Stop” so it would be remiss of us not to pop in.
The dark coloured building is decorated with motoring memorabilia inside and out, most of it with an American flavour, making good on the diner theme. No surprises to learn that they welcome petrolheads, road-trippers, families, hikers, locals, free spirits, cyclists, tourists and well behaved pets.
Step inside and you are met by the front-end of Jaguar, which doubles as a desk. The staff are warm and welcoming, as are the smells emanating from the kitchen. We see all manner of culinary delights pass us as we head for the garden out back: burgers, nachos, hot wings, waffles, milkshakes and so much more. If you are in a hurry you can opt for something smaller or grab a coffee from the ‘Tuck Shop’ near the entrance.
The day is warm, and dry thankfully, so we grab a table in the open air dining area. There’s a kiddies play area to keep little ones busy with no exits for them to escape. There’s also a shop with curios, artwork and wine. We are told there are three rooms to stay overnight as well, but we didn't get a look at those.
Our eyes chose our lunch as we walked in. I go for a Southern Fried Chicken burger and my better half tries out the classic cheese burger. Both are served with fries and a selection of hot sauces made in-house. There are craft beers and wine on the list, but those milkshakes looked too darn good. The food is as tasty as it looks and we rolled back to our car completely satisfied with this Pit Stop.
Words and Photography Sudhir “Banzai” Matai Twitter | Instagram