Chokka Block Restaurant

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#2 of 16 Restaurants in Saint Francis BaySeafood, Grill, ££ - £££

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Chokka Block Restaurant

Review

At a glance

Open until 9:30 PM

See all hours

Website

+27 42 294 1615Improve this listing

About

A Restaurant offering Seafood, Grill & Continental Dishes with a view from the top floor of the Port . We pride ourselves on offering good food & service.

Features

CUISINES

Seafood, Grill

Meal types

Lunch, Dinner

Special Diets

Vegetarian friendly

FEATURES

Accepts Credit Cards

American Express

Family style

Free off-street parking

Free Wifi

Full Bar

Highchairs Available

Mastercard

Outdoor Seating

Parking Available

Reservations

Seating

Serves Alcohol

Table Service

Takeout

Visa

Wine and Beer

Location

Top Floor, Squid Square Triton Avenue, Saint Francis Bay 6312 South Africa

Free off-street parking, Parking Available

Can a gluten free person get a good meal at this restaurant?

Yes

Unsure

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Hours

Suggest an edit

Open until 9:30 PM

Sunday

11:30 - 15:30

Monday

Closed

Tuesday

11:30 - 21:30

Wednesday

11:30 - 21:30

Thursday

11:30 - 21:30

Friday

11:30 - 21:30

Saturday

11:30 - 21:30

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4.2

367 reviews

Excellent

214

Very good

Average

Poor

Terrible

Sharon P

Jeffreys Bay57 contributions

Excellent lunch

Aug 2024 • couples

We arrived for a late lunch. Rochelle, our waitress was friendly and efficient. I ordered the prawns gratin to start, which was excellent. A generous portion with the most divine sauce. My husband's Luderitz oysters were declared to be top notch. Next, I had calamari and linefish combo, which was beautifully cooked and delicious. Hubby had a half kilo of prawns, also perfectly cooked and tasty. A bottle of wine completed the lunch accompanied by a lovely view over the harbor. We will most definitely be returning to this restaurant.

Written 24 August 2024

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Samantha Ditch Canter

Thank you Sharon for your wonderful review & rating. We look forward to your next visit

Written 14 September 2024

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Rick

Brisbane9 contributions

Local Calamari (Chokka) to die for!

Mar 2023 • solo

I had read up a lot on Chokka Block and they lived up to the great reviews. I went late afternoon before the evening rush and was fortunate to get a table without booking but from 6.30pm onwards it was full. My waiter allowed me to mix the chokka starter and recommended fried heads, fried wings and grilled rings. The heads were very tasty, the wings a little tough but the rings, well, as they say once you taste the local chokka, there's no going back to anything else. It was the most delicious I've had anywhere. Tender with a very tasty sauce made for a winning formula. I had ribs and chips for mains. Chips were okay and ribs excellent.

Written 18 March 2023

Samantha Ditch Canter

Thank you for taking the time to review our Restaurant & for your fantastic feedback

Written 26 March 2023

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

debbiesE7238HQ

Port Elizabeth100 contributions

The view, the taste, the staff

Apr 2024 • friends

The location was nice, if you enjoy watching the activities of the local harbour and the sea in the bay. The food was really good- tasty, good portion and the calamari was local. We had 4 different meals and everyone was happy. The staff were helpful, friendly. We were entertaining overseas guests and they were very impressed. Thank you to all including the chef!

Written 15 April 2024

Samantha Ditch Canter

Thank you for the great feedback & rating

Written 21 April 2024

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Brian S

Johannesburg295 contributions

Good enough

Jan 2023 • solo

An item on the chalked-up specials board called 'Mozambican clams' attracted me to eat here one early January Tuesday lunchtime. I was told by an amiable waitron, when I enquired what they were, that a clam is similar to a mussel. Indeed so. The conjuring trick of producing them took some time and I was beginning to think of walking out, but upon arrival, I must confess, they were prettily presented and passably cooked in a sort of fishy broth. With fresh little white rolls they were quite good. I then had calamari and sweet potato chips which were also good. I wasn't blown away, but this place is not too bad. Service, though well-meaning, erratic even when half full. Pleasant view over the harbour and music played, thankfully, at below the usual cretinous volumes.

Written 10 January 2023

Samantha Ditch Canter

Thank you for your feedback & rating

Written 26 March 2023

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Peter K

Cape Town Central31 contributions

Stunning restaurant with great hosts

Aug 2022 • business

Clive and Samantha’s Chokka Block is a lot more than just a Restaurants. It’s wonderful hosts, great team , exceptional food, outstanding locational together . I have been at their restaurant many many times, eating local calamari ( Chokka) , enjoying the tasting experience with perfect explanation and ALWAYS being hosted like „coming to Mama“… It’s 10 out of 10 and one of my favorite restaurant places all over the world . Thanks a lot Samantha, Clive and the whole team 🙏🙏🙏

Written 17 August 2022

Samantha D

Thank you for your fantastic feedback, our team certainly tries to make everyone's experience an enjoyable one.

Written 9 September 2022

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Lee B

5 contributions

Amazing valamari

Feb 2021 • couples

What an amazing place. I had the local calamari and enjoyed every bite. Be prepared to pay a bit more than you a re used to but know that the quality of the food and service definitely validate the slight increase in local price.

Written 2 February 2021

Samantha D

thank you for your great review

Written 25 February 2021

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Margaret

East London9 contributions

Perfectly prepared food with excellent service

Feb 2023 • couples

We thoroughly enjoyed our evening at Chokka Block. The service, the ambiance and the food were all outstanding. Although there was plenty on the menu for those who prefer meat, we stuck to fish and seafood and were not disappointed. Add to this a table at the window overlooking the Chokka boat harbour and later on, the sight of the boats at sea with their lights on, making the evening one to remember for a long time.

Written 8 February 2023

Samantha Ditch Canter

Thank you for the fantastic feedback & rating

Written 26 March 2023

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Christo_7

Cape Town Central21 contributions

Disappointing experience at an otherwise recommendable restaurant

Sept 2023 • family

Normally one of the better restaurants in town: good food, good view and good service. However this evening the experience wasn’t that great. A table back at the toilets and kitchen, whereas decent seating was available for the duration of our meal. My son knocked over his glass by accident, the cleaning up was an elaborate and clumsy process. Finally, since one of our guests is gluten-intolerant we ordered grilled fish. The fish was still covered in flour. No attempt was made by the manager to offer an alternative.

Written 30 September 2023

Samantha Ditch Canter

Thank you for your comments. We would like to give our feedback as follows. We were fully booked for the evening & had 1 last table available, which your family chose to accept. Our menu state fish is prepared in seasoned flour. When we brought to the table & you realized this. Your daughter was offered something else, which she refused. Both of the owners were present & would of been happy to make any changes

Written 5 October 2023

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

kfl440

76 contributions

Smiles all around

Dec 2021 • family

This has to be the best calamari I’ve had ever - had local calamari and squid heads with wings cooked three different ways. The others went in all the way and had prawns too … smiles all around. The price for 6 of us was less than we paid for three of us at Table 58 in East London. To hell with the diet …. We are coming back tomorrow

Written 23 December 2021

Samantha D

Thank you for the fantastic review & rating. We look forward to your next visit

Written 21 February 2022

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Linda H

High River9 contributions

Very disappointing

Nov 2021 • family

I visited the restaurant twice. The first time was a stop along a walk, when my sister and I enjoyed a plate of calamari and glass of wine. The calamari - locally sourced - was grilled, and delicious. We decided to return the next day for a full meal, and what a disaster. I started with calamari again, this time accepting a mix of grilled and fried, as I wanted to compare the two. The fried calamari had a fairly thick coating of batter and was very mediocre. The grilled calamari was terrible! It was pasty, like a mouth full of flour. The owner sent out another plate, and explained that the calamari served had not been fresh. The second plate was an improvement, but still nothing like the excellent calamari of the previous day. With our table cleared, we eagerly awaited our main course - line fish cooked on a wooden plank in the fire with lemon and herbs. Again, a complete disaster! The fish was so covered in lemon, each mouthful was sour. I could taste neither the herbs nor the fish. The best part of the meal were the chips. Since this was a very large portion, my sister and I had decided to share. Unfortunately, neither of us were able to manage more than a few mouthfuls. This time, the owner did not bother to come to our table. The restaurant gets points for very friendly servers, and the very good wine selection.

Written 7 November 2021

Samantha D

Thank you for your feedback . We pride ourselves on our local calamari & always promote the fact that is 100% tastier than the chemically treated imported version. We did exchange the starter & stated that the calamari is cleaned on a daily basis & something could of gone wrong. We pride ourselves on how our linefish is prepared. Our menu does explain how the fish is prepared & served & we are sincerely sorry that we didn't meet your expectations.

Written 27 November 2021

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

duokorp

Cape Town Central91 contributions

Restaurant with excellent calamari

Jan 2023 • couples

We went for lunch twice in 2 day’s because of the calamari supplied by this restaurant. It is of a standard nowhere to be found in South Africa. The service is excellent due to very qualified waiters and a good management team. We also enjoyed their seafood platter for 2. They also have the local beer, Beach Blond as well as a good selection of wines.

Written 16 January 2023

Samantha Ditch Canter

Thank you for the great feedback & rating

Written 26 March 2023

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

NormaJeanNaude

Kenton-on-Sea15 contributions

A true life saver after a few days at sea

Mar 2021 • none

We set sail from Hout Bay only to hit bad weather just outside Cape Saint Francis, our skipper choose to take us into Cape Saint Francis. They not only stayed open for us but fed us and helped us with all requests we had. I big thank you too all the staff and management for their friendly service and dealing with a bunch of salty sailors with sea legs and a thirst for beer and a hungry belly for warm home cooked food.

Written 3 April 2021

Samantha D

Thank you for your great review. Hope the rest of your trip was fantastic !!

Written 5 April 2021

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

OnAir08229936448

1 contribution

A bit disappointing

Jul 2023 • family

We came for the local calamari as I wanted our teenage kids to get a taste of how good it can be. Not what I was expecting - small end pieces, offcut like. Could have been Illex. Very disappointing from someone who used to be invested in the local squid industry. The upside, nice venue and pleasant staff.

Written 5 July 2023

Samantha Ditch Canter

Thank you for your feedback. Our Restaurant uses local calamari & pride ourselves on the preparation. We hope that when you are in St Francis Bay again, you give us another try.

Written 3 August 2023

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

pieterv121

11 contributions

Excellent food and service

May 2021 • none

We visited Chokka Block (again) on Sunday 16 May. My meal of calamari rings and heads (half and half) was most likely the best calamari I have ever eaten. My wife's large hake (grilled) was indeed large and also perfectly prepared and seasoned. The service was excellent and the ambience great. We will definitely be back - again.

Written 16 May 2021

Samantha D

Many thanks for the great review & rating

Written 18 June 2021

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

miguel

Quarteira74 contributions

Excellent specialities but sad fish dish

Feb 2023 • couples

The staff, the view and calamari are all excellent in the fine restaurant. I did, on this return to Chokka Block, order the line fish and it was a real disappointment. It was overwhelmed by lemon and spices to the point where it no longer tasted anything like fish. Just tart, overseasoned lemon something. Such a pity. My partner had a calamari and prawn combo - delicious!