Our final weekend on vacation was full of new things and new places. We decided to try out this spot that our local friends recommended called the Green Roof. It’s a restaurant with a green growing roof that looks as gorgeous as local hillsides.
The Green Roof is a Farm-to-Table restaurant, farm stall and bakery. They grow their own vegetables, stock locally-made products, and love giving their customers healthy, wholesome options for dining out with the whole family.
They are marketed as a destination place a few minutes south of Gqeberha formally known as Port Elizabeth. We happened to arrive to a packed carpark on Sunday afternoon. We probably should have chosen a different day to visit but we were leaving for home the next morning.
The carpark leads to a gorgeous modern barn with a living roof. This first barn is also the farm stall and bakery of The Grass Roof establishment. It’s local produce looks fresh, wholesome and so nutritious.
I especially loved the shelves and shelves of jams and honey. Local raw honey is so healthy and good for you. Don’t down the jar (calories are real) but the teaspoon or so per day that’s from local flora can really help with allergies. I’ll stick to buying mine closer to my home to garner the benefits.
The local suppliers don’t only specialise in honey but beeswax products as well. I am in love with these beeswax candles and wax sealed food protectors. What a clever idea!
We move towards the courtyard which links the farm stall to the rest of the restaurant and the second Grass roofed barn. The second barn is filled with wooden tables and has a surprisingly warm ambience with a central hearth and large windows looking out onto the kids green play park and the large green house.
We continued passed the second barn to a large container style hall with a high pitched roof. The way it was positioned and includes the high windows allows one to glance up at the neighbouring grass roof. I kept glancing up thinking I was looking at a green hill! Just gorgeous!!!
The service was reasonably quick for such a large restaurant and the food was delicious. My son order a Nacho Crusted Chicken Burger with potato wedges that was too big to finish. My husband ordered the double beef burger and my daughter and I ordered the Margarita Pizza and the chicken and mushroom Cannelloni.
My favourite view from the open doors looked out onto their very own farmlands where the restaurant benefits from its fresh produce.
The families all looked to be enjoying themselves. Kids on swings and jungle gyms under big trees while adults lounged on garden benches in the shade with a coffee or a pot of tea (my favourite).
We had a wonderful lunch and enjoyed the atmosphere at this unusual restaurant and farm stall. One day I’ll head back and buy some of the those beeswax candles that I left behind.
