Gastronomy in SA: African Swiss Restaurant

This is a post that should have been my first of the New Year but alas...New Year’s Day and most restaurants were closed so we stayed close to home. The African Swiss Restaurant is in Hartbeespoort . It is rustic  - cast iron chairs, mosaic tables on the outside and solid wood tables on the inside; with a huge fireplace that gets lit in the winter seasons and a roof with visible rafters. It feels more like a farmhouse kitchen than a restaurant – but the food is not simple or country.

It’s serves continental dishes with more leaning towards Swiss dishes. The owner is Swiss and is always quick to remind patrons that all his ingredients are sourced locally and his cheeses for his folded sour dough, wood-fired pizzas and fondue dishes the good imported stuff or locally made. I guess the convenience of having a Cheese Farm in the surrounding area helps. It is one of the first restaurants you will encounter upon embarking on the famed Magalies Meander in the Magaliesburg Mountains, Hartbeespoort Dam and surrounding areas.

The African Swiss Restaurant is open for  Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner – with a menu that ranges from the usual fare to Swiss Specialities. Wiener Schnitzel to Calf Liver, Zuricher Geschnetzeltes, Swiss Cheese Fondue with Gruyere and Emmenthal Cheese – with special emphasis on their use of non-processed cheese.
We ordered their calf liver to start – which was good, if slightly cold. I once again had their gnocchi in Gorgonzola sauce which never disappoints. The kids had pork spare ribs; while we had the prawns in a creamy chilli sauce and the fillet medallions. A hearty meal by all standards – not bad for a first meal of the New Year.

African Swiss Restaurant
Hartbeespoort