Good to know
Good to Know
- Bunny chow is traditionally eaten by hand and served in newspaper from takeaways, though restaurants present it with sambals (carrot, chilli, onion salad) on the side.
- Florida Road in Morningside and Windermere Road are the primary restaurant hubs with concentrated dining options for a nomad.
- Durban curries tend to be spicier and more intensely flavored than North Indian styles—ask restaurants to adjust heat if needed.
- Fresh sardines (May–July season) are a genuine local treat sold at fish markets like Wilson's Wharf and served at waterfront pubs.
- The beachfront and Victoria Embankment harbor area offer numerous restaurants with scenic water views and varied cuisine.
- Most delivery apps (Mr D, Uber Eats, Glovo) operate efficiently in central and established suburbs; service may be limited in outlying areas.
- Indian restaurants throughout the Indian district (Dr Yusuf Dadoo/Grey Street area and Bertha Mkhize/Victoria Street) offer authentic, traditional Durban-style food at budget-friendly prices.
Supermarkets
Woolworths Mackeurtan Avenue
- Neighborhood
- Durban North
- Note
- Well-stocked with fresh produce, organic options, fish, and rotisserie chicken. Ample parking. Open Mon-Sat 8am-8pm, Sun 9am-5pm.
Musgrave Centre
- Neighborhood
- Berea (Durban Central)
- Note
- Over 120 upmarket retail outlets including groceries, supermarkets, fashion, and banking. Central location.
Windermere Shopping Centre
- Neighborhood
- Morningside
- Note
- Convenient neighborhood hub with supermarkets, pharmacies, banks, and casual dining.
City View Shopping Centre
- Neighborhood
- Greyville
- Note
- Established 1985, diverse stores, rooftop views, clothing, shoes, furniture, electronics, ample parking and security.
Budget
Cane Cutters
- Price Range
- ZAR 120
- Neighborhood
- Glenwood
- Cuisine Or Dish
- Bunny chow, sheep trotters, sugar beans, lamb chops in spicy chutney, breyani
Roti & Chai
- Price Range
- ZAR 140
- Neighborhood
- Florida Road, Morningside
- Cuisine Or Dish
- Indian curries, paratha, naan, roti rolls
Smokin' Joes
- Price Range
- ZAR 130
- Neighborhood
- Florida Road, Morningside
- Cuisine Or Dish
- Burgers, fries, grilled meats
The Bread Mill
- Price Range
- ZAR 85
- Neighborhood
- Durban Central / Multiple Locations
- Cuisine Or Dish
- Bakery items, croissants, meat pies, cakes
High End
9th Avenue Bistro
- Price Range
- ZAR 850
- Neighborhood
- Morningside
- Cuisine Or Dish
- Fine dining, tasting menus, locally sourced produce
Roma Revolving Restaurant
- Price Range
- ZAR 750
- Neighborhood
- Durban Central (John Ross House, 32nd floor)
- Cuisine Or Dish
- Italian cuisine, locally sourced seafood, game entrees (crocodile, ostrich), 360-degree views
The Oyster Box Hotel - The Grill Room
- Price Range
- ZAR 900
- Neighborhood
- Umhlanga
- Cuisine Or Dish
- Fine seafood, international cuisine, premium steaks
Mid Range
Mali's Indian
- Price Range
- ZAR 280
- Neighborhood
- Morningside
- Cuisine Or Dish
- North and South Indian curries, breyani, traditional bunny chow
Butcher Boys Grill
- Price Range
- ZAR 350
- Neighborhood
- Morningside, Umhlanga
- Cuisine Or Dish
- South African grass-fed beef steaks, grilled meats
Jack Salmon Fish House
- Price Range
- ZAR 320
- Neighborhood
- Glenashley (multiple locations across Durban)
- Cuisine Or Dish
- Fresh seafood, sushi, poke bowls, prawns
Dukkah Restaurant and Bar
- Price Range
- ZAR 380
- Neighborhood
- Florida Road, Morningside
- Cuisine Or Dish
- Contemporary cuisine, wine selection, changing seasonal menu
Delivery Services
Mr D Food
- Note
- South Africa's dominant food delivery service. Over 11,000 restaurants and 300+ grocery stores (including Pick n Pay). Operates across Durban with delivery radius in 2,600+ areas. Multiple payment options (cash, card, EFT). Real-time order tracking.
Uber Eats
- Note
- Major food delivery platform operating in Durban. Thousands of partner restaurants from street food to fine dining. Real-time tracking, multiple payment options including cards and cash-on-delivery. Wide cuisine variety.
Glovo
- Note
- Multi-category delivery app covering Durban. Food from local eateries, grocery delivery, pharmacy delivery, and retail. Real-time tracking and real-time order scheduling.
WeChow
- Note
- Location-based food delivery app with localized, convenient design. Covers Durban with variety of cuisines. Competitive delivery fees maintained by trained delivery partners.
UCook
- Note
- Meal kit delivery service available in Durban. Provides fresh ingredients with step-by-step recipes for home cooking. Gourmet meal options with scheduling flexibility.
Local Must Try Dishes
Bunny Chow
- Description
- Durban's signature dish—a hollowed-out loaf of bread filled with spicy curry. Traditionally eaten with the hands, often served in newspaper. Available with lamb, chicken, bean, or mutton curry.
Durban Curry
- Description
- A fiery, deeply spiced curry style unique to the city, with roots in the food of indentured Indian workers who arrived from 1860. Served with rice, roti, or as bunny chow.
Fresh Sardines on Toast
- Description
- Local specialty available May to July when sardines migrate north along the KwaZulu-Natal coast. Served with onions on toast at fish markets and waterfront restaurants.
Samoosas
- Description
- Crispy, triangular-shaped Indian pastries stuffed with spicy minced meat, onions, chillies, and either lamb, fish, potato, or vegetables.
Shisa Nyama
- Description
- Traditional South African braai (barbecue) featuring tender, hot, flavorful grilled meat. Steak, chops, chicken, and boerwors (farmers' sausage) best paired with cold beer.
Crush
- Description
- Durban's traditional Ramadan drink—a frothy blend of rose-colored Rooh Afza syrup, milk, and tukmaria (basil) seeds topped with vanilla ice cream, available year-round at curry restaurants.
Vegan And Vegetarian Dining
- Overview
- Durban has a well-established vegan and vegetarian dining scene with multiple dedicated venues and mainstream restaurants offering extensive plant-based options. This reflects the city's strong Indian culinary heritage and growing health-conscious dining culture.
Venues
Govinda's
- Neighborhood
- Chatsworth
- Cuisine Or Dish
- Vegan and vegetarian curries, breyani, samoosas, roti, sandwiches, vegan burgers, pasta, pizza, egg-free cakes, Indian sweets
- Note
- Established 1985, operates under Hare Krishna Temple. Known for quality curries, including award-winning Beans & Potato Curry featured in 'Best of Durban' cookbook. Peaceful setting with good service.
Vrushik's Vegetarian Foods
- Neighborhood
- Briardene
- Cuisine Or Dish
- 100% strictly vegetarian and vegan takeaway — no onion, garlic, meat, fish, or eggs. Samoosas, veggie and plant-based burgers, halloumi burgers, rolls, wraps, sandwiches, paneer cheese dishes, pre-packed items
- Note
- Well-priced, generously portioned, friendly service. Also sells frozen vegan items and pre-packed products for home cooking.
Buttercup Vegetarian & Vegan Café
- Neighborhood
- Greyville, Umhlanga Rocks
- Cuisine Or Dish
- Vegan KFV burger, tikka burger, vegan chops with chips, vegan burgers and chips, mash and gravy, roti with meals, frozen vegan Christmas roasts
- Note
- Budget-friendly vegan eatery with delectable options, good value meals (vegan chops R65, vegan burger and chips R59).
Mali's Indian
- Neighborhood
- Morningside
- Cuisine Or Dish
- Diverse vegetarian menu including bean curries (sugar beans, broad beans), mixed vegetable curry, served as bunny chows
- Note
- Casual, popular with locals and chefs. Authentic Indian menu with consistency and wide variety of North and South Indian dishes.
Patel's Vegetarian Refreshment Room
- Neighborhood
- Durban Central (Dr Yusuf Dadoo Street)
- Cuisine Or Dish
- Veggie bunny chows, vegetable-based meals
- Note
- Legendary status among Durban's vegetarian community. Consistently good service and excellent vegetable-based meals.
Halal Note
Halal dining is widely available in Durban given the large Muslim community. WeChow specifically highlights halal and culturally diverse restaurant options. Many Indian restaurants throughout the city also serve halal-certified meat options.
Gluten Free Note
Gluten-free options are documented in several venues including Buttercup Vegetarian & Vegan Café, Spiga (gluten-free pizza bases), and other Italian restaurants. Most contemporary restaurants accommodate gluten-free requests upon request.
International Cuisine
Italian
- La Casa Nostra (Umdloti) — creative antipasti, calamari, mussels, thin-crust pizzas, fresh pastas, tiramisu
- Al Firenze (La Lucia) — baked artichokes, sautéed mushrooms, langoustine, seasonal pizzas
- Old Town Italy (Umhlanga) — upmarket Italian deli and bistro with ready-made foods
- Spiga (Mitchell Park) — traditional family-owned Italian with vegetarian pasta and pizza options
Other Cuisines
- Yossi's Cafe (Glenwood) — Moroccan, Mediterranean, and Middle Eastern cuisine
- The Grill Jichana — African-inspired cuisine with strong spices (cassia, cardamom, turmeric), beef, chicken, and fish
- Refreshi — Fresh, healthy options (salads, wraps, smoothies)
Mauritian And Portuguese
- Ile Maurice — French and Mauritian Creole flavours, barracuda vindaye, king prawns in Mauritian curry sauce
AI-generated estimateData refreshed July 2026
Sources cited for this category
These are the sources cited in this food & dining research for this city. Individual figures may not each trace to one of them.
- 1.nationalgeographic.com
- 2.singaporetrip.in
- 3.getaway.co.za
- 4.thefrugalfoodies.com
- 5.southafrica.net
- 6.kwazulu.hotelguide.co.za
- 7.timeout.com
- 8.govindasdurban.co.za
- 9.ecr.co.za
- 10.heyvegetarian.co.za
- 11.afristay.com
- 12.eatout.co.za
- 13.yellosa.co.za
- 14.woolworths-mackeurtan-avenue-durban-north.wheree.com
- 15.wanderlog.com
- 16.visitdurban.travel
- 17.deonde.co
- 18.play.google.com
- 19.comfygen.com
- 20.quick-works.com
- 21.tycorun.com
- 22.mrd.com
- 23.mrdfood.com
More About Durban
Data last updated July 2026 · Verify anything important.