Atmosphere & Food
The New Year arrival of restaurateur Brett Rathbone and his wife Heleen to Simon’s Town, has brought the sleepy naval enclave of Simon’s Town to life. Since The Lighthouse Café opened its doors on the 6th of January 2013, locals and foreigners alike have been thronging to eat at this light and character-filled eatery, where the only thing matching the fabulous food and décor is the warmth of the welcome from its hosts. Brett’s experience cooking in the south of France underpins his menu, with oodles of fresh fare bursting with flavour and style. He cooks everything from scratch, from his own aioli to the pizza bases, and his calamari is talk of the town.
Previously a longstanding owner of the landmark late-night restaurant Questionmark in Gauteng’s trendy Melville, Brett brings savoir-faire and style to his seaside haven, where a passion for food and people imbues every meal. The Lighthouse Café is a very inviting space; light & airy with a distinct French Provencial and coastal feel to it. The 30 seater restaurant is generally referred to as the “prettiest little Café in the Southern Peninsula”.
Brett and Heleen as owners and hosts have truly created a “home from home” experience for their customers.
Breakfast, lunch & dinner is served at The Lighthouse Café and customers’ reviews would describe the food best: “the best croissant I’ve had outside of Paris” “the best pork belly I’ve had in many years” “this is the best hamburger I’ve eaten in my life” and from 3 Italian customers: “we must have the recipe for this pizza base, it is the best pizza we’ve eaten outside of Italy!”
What to expect
You can expect to be greeted at the door with warmth and to be made feel welcome, the service is excellent and the food heartwarming. One must make a special mention of the coffee, the Italian roasted beans were hand selected for this restaurant and their staff are all barista trained which makes that cup of strong caramel coffee one of the popular attractions of The Lighthouse Café.