9th Avenue Waterside Restaurant and Cocktail Bar
Durban desperately needed a first-rate seafood offering, and this upmarket restaurant perched at the scenic harbor delivers. Think crispy fried calamari with black garlic aioli and pickled cauliflower, grilled baby crayfish with passion fruit and lemon verbena coconut broth, and magnificent seafood pasta. The chefs also cater beautifully to vegetarians with dishes such as exotic mushroom and butternut cavatelli with vanilla and maple sauce, and mushroom gnocchi with sun-dried tomato foam. Everything—purées, clamshell bisque, cilantro gel—is made from scratch in the open kitchen, and seasonal sustainability is a core focus, with meat sourced from the Midlands, fish freshly line-caught from this very coast, and the comprehensive wine list supports female winemakers. It's one of Durban's finest gastronomic experiences, with excellent service to match.
