KwaZulu Natal / Restaurants and Eateries

The Junction restaurant and coffee shop

Updated Friday, 27 January 2017

Established in 2000 and situated in Nottingham Road in the heart of the spectacular KwaZulu-Natal Midlands, The Junction restaurant and coffee shop is the perfect place for families to enjoy a great tasting meal out in the country. Strangely enough I had never eaten there before until friends Mary-Anne, Peta-Anne and I decided that a visit was long overdue.

For those of you who have never visited this part of the world before, you have been missing out on something special. Whether in winter or summer the scenery is always spectacular and the revitalising clean, crisp air is a welcome change from the choking smog so commonly found in our cities today.

The Junction menu is varied with a variety of soups, salads, quiches, pastas, burgers, rolls, tramezzini’s, toasted sandwiches, waffles, muffins, scones and pizzas all available. For those who prefer seafood, you’ll be able to treat yourself to a plate of fish and chips, calamari and a tasty trout dish that is a typical example of the cuisine found in the Nottingham Road area.

With so many options and combinations to choose from, making a decision wasn’t easy but when Mary-Anne and I learnt that The Junction’s pizzas are wood-fired we knew we just had to try them. All pizzas, in my humble opinion, should be cooked in a wood-fired oven, rather than in a conventional oven because the difference in both taste and texture is truly remarkable.

After devouring a huge steak pie the night before I wisely opted for the Vegetarian pizza, which, at just R55.50, seemed like a reasonable deal. Mary-Anne, in stark contrast, decided to order a Meaty Feast pizza (R63.50), which with its steak, biltong and sausage topping certainly looked very appetising (at least for a dedicated meat-eater that is).

I thoroughly enjoyed my pizza. The base was light and crispy, the ingredients extremely tasty (all Junction pizzas are prepared with olive oil rather than vegetable oil, which is known to improve flavouring and taste) and, had it not been for a rather late start to the day, I would have probably ordered another one. Mary-Anne was similarly impressed, although she did remark that her pizza was a “bit overdone”.

The ever cautious Peta-Anne decided to settle for a toasted ham and cheese sandwich with a small helping of French fries. She enjoyed this simple offering, which, at R37, offered reasonably good value for money. For dessert we all shared a large slice of carrot cake (R25), which was outrageously delicious.

In addition to the restaurant and coffee shop, The Junction also has a deli and a wine section where patrons can buy a variety of sweets, pickles and preserves not to mention a bottle of their favourite Cape estate wine. But what appealed to me most about this venue is its friendly and relaxed family atmosphere.

The kid’s playground contains every apparatus you could imagine to keep the young ones busy, with the jumping castle probably being the biggest attraction of the lot. Dozens of children were happily bouncing up and down on this multi-coloured cushion of air when we arrived giving their parents time to enjoy a break and a cup of coffee out in the fresh, clean air.

I really enjoyed The Junction. The service was excellent, the food great, the atmosphere relaxed and upbeat and the country setting as picturesque as you could ever want it to be. It’s well worth a visit and unquestionably great value for money.