The Woodlands Eatery

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#17 of 2,756 Restaurants in Cape TownItalian, Pizza, $$ - $$$

What is Travelers’ Choice?

Tripadvisor gives a Travelers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travelers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.

The Woodlands Eatery

Review

At a glance

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Website

+27 63 710 4742Improve this listing

About

Travelers' Choice

2024

We are a homely Italian restaurant & pizzeria, home-made fresh pasta & thin pizza base are our SPECIALTIES!! We proud ourself to give our costumers a taste of real Italian experience, from hospitality to food and Matteo & Mizio, as owners born and grow up in Bologna & Firenze, are always ready to welcome you warmly & with a big smile into their home!!

Features

CUISINES

Italian, Pizza, Mediterranean, Tuscan, Northern-Italian

Meal types

Lunch, Dinner, Drinks

PRICE

$$ - $$$

FEATURES

Accepts Credit Cards

Delivery

Digital Payments

Dog Friendly

Family style

Free off-street parking

Free Wifi

Full Bar

Gift Cards Available

Mastercard

Outdoor Seating

Reservations

Seating

Serves Alcohol

Street Parking

Table Service

Takeout

Visa

Wine and Beer

Location

8 Breda Street Oranjezicht, Cape Town, 8001 South Africa

Oranjezicht

Free off-street parking, Street Parking

Does this restaurant serve Lombard food?

Yes

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Save this restaurant

Hours

Suggest an edit

Closed now

• Opens at 12:00 PM

Sunday

12:00 PM - 10:00 PM

Monday

12:00 PM - 10:00 PM

Tuesday

12:00 PM - 10:00 PM

Wednesday

12:00 PM - 10:00 PM

Thursday

12:00 PM - 10:00 PM

Friday

12:00 PM - 10:00 PM

Saturday

12:00 PM - 10:00 PM

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4.8

(206)

Excellent

184

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Terrible

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Yes

Departure40401489740

4 contributions

Authentic Italian

Jan 2025 • family

Authentic Italian food! Our family of seven had our first lunch experience at The Woodlands Eatery on Sunday 26th of January. We were welcomed warmly and seated upstairs. My husband is Italian so we are always on the lookout for authentic Italian food in Cape Town. The Woodlands did not disappoint! We shared some starters and then had mains which consisted of pasta and pizza. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed everything. The portions were tasty and generous. Sadly we were too full to get to sample the dessert menu but are definitely planning to go back. Highly recommended! If you want

Written January 27, 2025

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Robyn Faraday

Ciao Karen, Grazie Mille for taking the time to share your lunch experience in our homely Italian restaurant & pizzeria!!! We are very glad to hear all went well & you enjoyed it all from food to hospitality, we will wait to have you back so you can taste also our dessert!!! A presto!!! Ciao

Written January 27, 2025

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Simon F

York18 contributions

Great Italian find tucked away in Gardens

Feb 2024 • couples

Very friendly welcome, attentive service, well cooked and prepared Italian trattoria food in a homely, rustic atmosphere. The prices are very fair and the atmosphere was happy and buzzing. There’s nothing at all pretentious about this place and we had a great evening where we were just allowed to enjoy the company of our friends and eat some delicious food. Being given small glasses of bubbly on the house was a really nice touch. Highly recommended for a casual evening of good Italian food.

Written February 15, 2024

Robyn Faraday

Hi Simon, Thanks for sharing your dining experience with us & for choosing us for the S. Valentine celebration. We are glad you appreciated our little present (bubbly) for the celebration and mostly you enjoyed our traditional Italian restaurant, we try our best to show our roots & heritage. We hope to have you back for more!!! Ciao

Written February 17, 2024

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Sharon D

31 contributions

Our first Italian experience.

Jul 2024 • couples

#BlindDateWithMyHusband: A Taste of Italy at The woodlands eatery We decided to try something new today, venturing into the world of Italian cuisine for the first time. Although we both love pizza and pasta, we’d never had them made by Italians. So, we headed to The Woodlands Eatery at 8 Breda Street, Gardens, Cape Town, run by Matteo Santini and Maurizio Carlo. Matteo, from Bologna, and Mizio, from Florence, have been globetrotting for a decade before making Cape Town their home in June 2017. They bring a unique Italian flair, combining local flavors with their traditional recipes. As they warmly say, “We are two crazy Italians born and raised in Italy, who have moved to South Africa to bring you some of our Italian flavors and our Mamma’s dishes. We welcome you into our home and hope you enjoy and feel part of the famiglia!” Upon arrival, Mizio greeted us warmly, making us feel like family instantly. The restaurant’s aromas were enticing. He guided us to our table, and our waiter, A.J., quickly took charge. With our limited knowledge of Italian food, A.J.’s recommendations were invaluable. For drinks, my husband had a soda while I indulged in a hot chocolate, perfect for the cold, rainy day. The hot chocolate was incredibly delicious. For starters, my husband enjoyed Bocconcini – crunchy fried mozzarella balls, a popular Italian appetizer. He loved them, I opted for Mushroom Arancini – four mushroom risotto balls with a crispy coating, served with homemade truffle aioli. They were simply divine. Next, we had to try the standout WOODLANDS Pizza – free-range lamb slow-roasted in the pizza oven overnight, topped with crème fraîche. The thin, crispy base and the succulent lamb were a match made in heaven. For mains, I chose Allo Scoglio – prawns, calamari and fresh mussels cooked with white wine and fresh tomatoes. The dish looked beautiful (yes, I touched it to see!) and tasted even better. It was the best pasta I have ever eaten, with perfectly cooked prawns and flavors that did the tarantella on my palate. I couldn’t resist diving in with my fingers. My husband opted for Carbonara – free-range bacon, egg, parmesan-style cheese, and black pepper. He found it creamy and delicious, with flavors that blended perfectly. We ended our meal on a sweet note. My husband enjoyed Tiramisu, while I had a delicious crème brûlée. Our overall experience was top-notch. The recommendations from A.J. were spot on, and we loved every bite of our food. We were even assisted back to our transport, a lovely touch to end our lunch. We’ll definitely return for more of these hearty meals. It’s perfect for a winter day like this, and you can taste the love in every bite. 🍝🍕❤️ #BlindDateWithMyHusband #TheWoodlandsEatery #ItalianCuisine #CapeTownEats

Written July 29, 2024

Robyn Faraday

Ciao! Wow, Grazie mille for such a beautiful review about your first time (hopefully not the last one!!) in our Italian restaurant and pizzeria!!! We are extremely happy to hear all went well & we were able to deliver an authentic experience, Grazie for allowing us!!! We can’t wait to have you back for more!!! Ciao ✋

Written August 1, 2024

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Marcus Z

2 contributions

Never again

Nov 2024 • family

Maybe it was a bad day, but I can't confirm any of the positive reviews mentioned in the reviews. Too many waiters for too few guests, who also couldn't give any information about the food and didn't exactly make the most well-trained impression. Quote: I don't know how they do it in the kitchen (how about asking). The tagliolini alla bolognese were completely overcooked and actually an undefined mush. The melanzane alla parmigiana had such a strong vinegar taste that I suspected they were not quite fresh. Only the price was acceptable. Only recommended if you have a ravenous appetite and don't care about taste and quality

Written November 21, 2024

Robyn Faraday

Ciao Marcus, Thanks for the feedback. We are extremely sorry for the bad experience in our restaurant. Regarding the staff, we have a few fresh waiters that just joined us and sorry if the experience wasn’t up to standard & expectations, we will work harder to make sure they all are. Regarding the food, apologies if you have found our fresh pasta overcooked, we will look into it to improve. All our food is freshly made daily so we can guarantee the quality, we don’t use vinegar in the Melanzane alla Parmigiana, apologies if you don’t enjoy the taste of it. Thanks for understanding. We really hope you’ll give another chance to redeem ourselves for the bad day. Ciao

Written November 23, 2024

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Iain R

Dundee50 contributions

Most Disappointing

Mar 2024 • couples

Had some great reviews, so decided to give it a try. My wife has colieac disease, so emailed ahead to make sure they had dishes that were gluten free. Restaurant is very casual and basic. Needs a bit more lighting at the table so you can read the menu. After the waitress had several visits to the kitchen to check on the ingredients, my wife decided on the Mushroom and Tartuffo tagliatelle, as this was the only vegetarian and gluten free dish on the menu, apart from a pizza. My wife had hoped that the addition of the grated cheese that was served in a tiny dish would bring some flavour, but it was absolutely tasteless. Surely Parmesan should be served in an Italian restaurant and not a poor substitute. It was totally tasteless and bland. My lasagne was a lump of square pasta, with no ragu, and very little if any sauce. It did say it was oven baked, but that was probably in the morning in a large baking tray, then a square cut out, reheated and dumped into a cold soup bowl. This dish was removed from the bill. To end on on a slightly positive note, the house white wine was lovely, but no cooler to keep it chilled.

Written March 6, 2024

Robyn Faraday

Ciao, Thanks for sharing your experience. We are very sorry our food didn’t succeeded your expectations, please accept our deepest apologies. We will look into it to improve. Thanks 🙏 Ciao

Written March 13, 2024

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

XMurphy

East Greenwich135 contributions

Highly Recommend

Jun 2024 • family

We had a delicious dinner at The Woodlands Eatery on a recent vacation to Cape Town. The restaurant was cozy, and we loved the atmosphere. The menu had lots of options and everything we ordered was delicious. Portions were large - my daughter and I easily shared a meal and my husband and I also shared a salad. Prices were very reasonable. We would go back again and recommend this restaurant to others!

Written July 13, 2024

Robyn Faraday

Ciao Murphy, Grazie mille for sharing your dining experience in our Italian restaurant and pizzeria, we are very happy to hear you had a delicious dinner with us. Thanks for recommending us, your support is greatly appreciate it!! We look forward to have you again when you come back to the Mother City!!! Ciao

Written July 17, 2024

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

SimoneT

Cape Town5 contributions

Fantastic! Bravo👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

Mar 2024 • friends

We did carbo load for the Cape Cycle Tour 2024. Easy to book, stunning warm decor, easy to find, beautiful view. Food (pasta in our case) was tasty, delicious, fresh and served quickly by friendly helpful staff.

Written March 10, 2024

Robyn Faraday

Ciao!! Grazie mille for the kind words about our Italian restaurant and pizzeria, we are glad to hear the “warm up” for the cycle tour went well all around and you appreciated it!! We look forward to seeing you soon again!! Ciao

Written March 13, 2024

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

787kyliec

2 contributions

Fun, cozy and absolutely delicious!!!!

Feb 2024 • family

This is the ultimate Italian night out, the vibe is fun and causal the Resturant itself is so welcoming and the owner makes you feel right at home. The service was great and the food was absolutely delicious the best ravioli I have had outside of Italy by far and their pizzas are absolutely to die for. I would 100% recommend this place for a family night out or a date night.

Written February 27, 2024

Robyn Faraday

Ciao Kylie, Grazie for sharing your experience & recommending our Italian restaurant and pizzeria, we are glad to hear we made you feel at home and you enjoyed our food especially our home made ravioli pasta !! We hope to have you back soon!!! Ciao

Written February 29, 2024

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Kurt R

Pittsburgh729 contributions

Wonderful Italian dinner in Cape Town

Mar 2022 • none

My wife had found this restaurant and we were looking to get out of the tourist area at the waterfront for dinner. We made a reservation on-line, then a short, and inexpensive Uber ride, took us to The Woodlands Eatery a few minutes away from the city center. The staff were friendly and the atmosphere was welcoming. The menu offered a variety of dishes that we wanted to try, and we ended up ordering drinks, starters, and main dishes. We enjoyed everything we ordered and the portions were large enough that were were unable to finish our pastas. I would recommend The Woodlands Eatery to anyone looking for a nice Italian dinner in Cape Town.

Written April 10, 2022

Robyn F

Hi Kurt, Thanks for choosing us for your night out, we are glad you had a good time and enjoyed our food!! Grazie mille Ciao

Written April 20, 2022

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Henco

Cape Town1 contribution

Amazing evening

Oct 2023 • couples

Quint Italian Restaurant at Woodlands Eatery in Cape Town offers an exceptional dining experience. The best waiter provided attentive service, and the owner, who is a loving and engaging host, added a personal touch. The selection of starters was amazing, setting the stage for a night filled with delicious food and, of course, great wine.

Written October 14, 2023

Robyn Faraday

Ciao!!! Grazie mille for sharing your experience at our Italian restaurant & pizzeria, we are so grateful for your support and very happy to hear all went well and we succeeded your expectations. We hope to see you soon for more! Ciao🇮🇹

Written October 16, 2023

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

martine d

Luxembourg City46 contributions

5* a mystery

Feb 2024 • solo

I chose this restaurant given all the positive comments. Obviously today was not a good night. I chose the suggestion: long wait to receive Taglioni that were too thin, overcooked, too sauced, meatballs with a strange taste, in short, great disappointment.

Written February 20, 2024

Robyn Faraday

Ciao Martine, We are terribly sorry if your experience with us wasn’t as great as you expected, we apologise if we were not able to deliver our usual standard of food and service. Since, as owners, we run the restaurant ourselves, we always encourage our customers, while they are dining, to point out if anything is not up to standards so we can rectify immediately and make sure you get a great dining experience. We hope you can give us another opportunity to make it right, thanks for understanding. Ciao

Written February 22, 2024

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

MrsWhackford

Cape Town3 contributions

Excellent service & delicious pizza

Sep 2022 • friends

I ordered through a delivery app. There was a mix up on the part of the delivery app driver and after waiting quite some time and having contacted the app support line, I called Woodlands to explain the situation and ask if the driver had picked up the pizza (which she'd forgotten at the restaurant only to arrive at my place empty handed). Woodlands explained that she had been back, that they'd made a fresh pizza and that she had left quite some time ago again. They then offered to make another fresh pizza and send it over with their own delivery to make sure I got what I ordered and they would sort it out with the app. Not 5 mins later the app driver arrived and I got my pizza and called Woodlands back to let them know. They were very gracious and very okeasant to deal with. Excellent service. And the pizza was delicious!

Written September 26, 2022

Robyn F

Hi there, Thanks for the feedback and we are glad we managed to sort out the issue that Mr. D driver! Thanks for your support!! Ciao

Written September 30, 2022

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Kyle Glover

1 contribution

Amazing Experience!

Jan 2023 • couples

Overall an Incredible experience. We eat out at least 1x per week and this was a long overdue visit to Woodlands Eatery. The service was fantastic: The server was seriously knowledgeable about the food they served and paid very close attention to our needs. We even decided to stay longer and drink more wine simply for this reason. And then the food was amazing, I have not eaten a pasta before that was the same quality. We will return in the next week without a doubt. Thank you Woodlands Eatery

Written January 4, 2023

Robyn F

Ciao Kyle, Grazie mille for sharing your experience, we really appreciate your support! See you soon Ciao

Written January 7, 2023

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Arthur B

Ka'anapali273 contributions

Three stars.. maybe three and a half.

Aug 2023 • couples

There is no way by any stretch of imagination that this place deserves 5 dots (stars). Let's start with the decor, not only is there none but whatever is there is old and decrepit. The main dining room is one flight up, on uneven stairs. We were there a full hour before placing our order was possible, finally, via the attention of the lone waiter, albeit he had an assistant. One paper napkin per person. No bread served before the meal or during. The bruschetta was okay at best. The pizza was lame, with a limp crust. The lasagna was beautifully prepared, but contained little if any meat, in the sauce and was served in a barely warm soup bowl. We were pretty much done with our meal when the owner(?) or whoever it was, appeared out of nowhere, buzzed by the table at high speed uttering "bon appetite". Really?

Written August 13, 2023

Robyn Faraday

Hi Arthur, Thanks for sharing your thoughts about the experience with us and we are sad to hear you didn't enjoy it. I would describe our décor as corky, our main floor is upstairs through a small stair case. Our staff is very attentive, apologies if we made you feel you waited so long to place your order. Unfortunately we don't serve bread unless people request it, we would have gladly brought it to you if request it. We also apology if our food wasn't of your liking, we always encourage our customers to bring to our attention, while at the restaurant, if they are not 100% happy with the experience; as buzzy owners, we are always here and we try our best to make sure everyone as a great experience with us. Grazie Ciao

Written August 17, 2023

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Akani M

1 contribution

Delicious food and a lovely atmosphere :)

Aug 2024 • family

This was my third time visiting the Woodlands Eatery and that is for good reason. The food is delicious, handmade and fresh. Beautifully delicate pasta. The restaurant has lovely ambience, service has been good every time. I’ve come with friends, family and would definitely go on a date there. Their veg options are just as delicious as their meat options. Next time I’d make sure to: 1. Go a little later in the evening - like 8pm because the cosier vibes are my fav 2. Order the chocolate fondant again - my god it’s wonderful. 3. Not be afraid to throw on that Parmesan!! (They salt quite lightly and give you Parmesan with your food)

Written August 8, 2024

Robyn Faraday

Ciao Akani, Wow, what a beautiful words you’ve spent to share your experience in our Italian restaurant and pizzeria, we are very grateful for your support!!! We can only hope to have the pleasure to welcome you back again sooner rather than later!!! Ciao ciao

Written August 10, 2024

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.