Da Vincenzo Restaurant review, Kyalami (JHB)

Dotted all around Johannesburg you will find family restaurants which offer amazing food, along with lovely surroundings.
Da Vincenzo in Kyalami achieves all of this and brings along with it fantastic authentic Italian fare, all the while keeping the kids in mind as well.

Date last visited

December 2011

Location and Setting

Da Vincenzo Restaurant is situated at 29 Montrose Rd, Barbeque Downs, Kyalami, in Johannesburg.
From the gardens of the restaurant, you get a great view of The Castle, which sits up on a hill and overlooks Kyalami racetrack.

You can view a map here (Google Maps) or here (PDF).

For the kids...

First off, some history.

Da Vincenzo was recently rebuilt, after a fire which all but destroyed the amazing venue.
Thankfully, business is booming again, and the newly rebuilt restaurant now features a kiddies play area, a lovely garden, and even a small aviary complete with white doves freely flying in and out.

The combination of swings, slides, open space to run around, and great food all adds up to contented kiddies :)
Speaking of great food, on our last visit we had 5 kids in our group, and they all loved the food that was served - pizza, pastas, juice, and ice cream for dessert.

For the adults...

To put it plainly, the food at Da Vincenzo is simply fantastic.
Vincenzo himself (the owner), sees to all the dishes personally, and no meal leaves the kitchen without getting past him.

This all adds up to a fantastic culinary experience - from the antipasti (starters), to pizza, pasta and meat dishes, to desserts and coffees.
There is also plenty of space if it's a large group that you need to feed - 3 exclusive venues are available for hire.

Anything else?

There are changing facilities for babies, and the toilets are clean and well-maintained.
Please note that children must be supervised by an adult at all times.

It is also probably a good idea to book a table in advance on weekends and public holidays.

Final words

Many people have supported Da Vincenzo for many years, and it is easy to see why.
Their kid-friendly facilities, consistently great food and wonderful hosts will keep customers coming back again and again.

Getting in touch

Telephone:

+27 (0)11 466 2618 / 42

Fax:

+ 27 (0)11 455 3925

Email:

info@davincenzo.co.za

Website:

www.davincenzo.co.za

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Papachinos, Crowthorne (JHB)

Once in a while, you come across a venue which really just seems to do all the right things.
If you ever find yourself in the Midrand area and you need just such a place, look no further than Papachinos Continental Cafe in Crowthorne.

Date last visited

January 2011

Location and Setting

Papachinos Crowthorne is situated at 40 Whisken Avenue, Crowthorne, Midrand.
It's slightly outside of Midrand proper, so GPS it if you can, or use this direct link to Google Maps to find it.

For the kids...

Papachinos has one of the most extensive kids play areas that we have yet come across.
It stetches virtually the full length of the property, which means that wherever you are seated, you are never far from a play area.
Now if you are part of my generation (born circa 1980), then you will remember the type of jungle gyms we had back then - large multi-coloured square metal structures which were rather unforgiving on the body, should you ever lose your footing or grip...

They also had a tendency to boil in the sun, which made for a rather unpleasant time if you chose to go down the slide in your shorts...

Thankfully though, this is 2011, technology has advanced, common sense has prevailed and plastic is now the order of the day :)
By plastic, I mean the new generation of jungle gyms that are taking the kiddies world by storm - I mean just take a look at this giant chunk of playtime fun:)

Papachinos Crowthorne has no less than 3 of these, and it makes you want to be a kid all over again!
The ever-present child-minders even have races with the kids down the slides... I am envious!
Speaking of child minders, these are ones that you really don't mind tipping as they do such a great job :)

In the photo above you will also spy a bit of road - there are 2 of these tracks in different areas on the premises, along with a fleet of fancy ride-on bikes for the little tykes to practice their lap times on.

The playground also has some more traditional play equipment - swings, see-saws, ride-on animals (thankfully bolted into the ground, otherwise airborne children and injuries would be plentiful!), and of course the signature Papachinos kiddies-pizza-making facility :)

Here they can sit alongside other kiddies at a kids-height counter, and create their very own pizza from scratch, starting from a pre-cut circle of dough and adding their topping of choice.
Fun and food combined :)

If pizza won't do it for them, then there is a great kiddies menu that will definitely provide enough of a choice to keep those growling little tummies satisfied :)

For the adults...

It really is all about great food at Papachinos - all of the meals that we have had here have been fantastic, from good old pizza, to unique Mediterranean-style wraps, to a great breakfast selection, right down to a comprehensive kiddies menu, Papachinos just do great food.

As already mentioned above, all this great food can be enjoyed safe in the knowledge that the kids are well taken care of and having a ton of fun.

You also have the choice of sitting outside (alongside the play area), or if you prefer there are no less than 3 other areas in which to enjoy your fine dining - an inside area, a bar area and a small outside courtyard just next to the bar.

In our experience, even during a busy Saturday lunch, Papachinos didn't feel quite as chaotic as one may have expected with so many kids running around.
There seems to be an equal emphasis here on keeping the kids happy while still retaining the "come back again soon" factor.

Anything else?

There are dedicated baby-changing facilities on the premises, and high chairs are readily available if the little ones are not yet ready for full-size chairs.
There are also small picnic benches and tables especially for the kids to sit at.

According to their website, there are also safety officers and first aid kits onsite (which we thankfully didn't have to use :).

Booking ahead is highly recommended.
Arriving early enough on a Saturday morning might be ok without a booking, but be advised - this place does fill up quickly.
Parking is plentiful and there are car guards on duty.

Final thoughts

Papachinos Crowthorne is a great all-rounder.
Great food, smiling kids galore, and a venue which really looks out for all of its patrons, young and old.
A winner.

Getting in touch

Telephone:
011 702-1234

Website:
http://www.papachinos.co.za

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Lory Park Zoo, Midrand (JHB)

Kids love animals.

You just need to mention the word “lion” or “tiger” and their little eyes light up with glee and anticipation
We have already reviewed the JHB Zoo, and of course it scores well as an outing for the little ones.

You can only do the JHB Zoo so many times though, before other animal-themed options need to be found.
Lory Park Zoo then, presents a refreshing alternative if it’s animals that you want to see.

Date last visited

January 2011

Location and Setting

If it's JHB and Pretoria that you are considering, then Midrand is about as central as you can get.

...Meditation time...

Lory Park Zoo is situated at 180/1 Kruger Road, President Park, Midrand, in and among other agricultural holdings.
It sits almost directly underneath the flight path of small aircraft departing from and arriving at Grand Central Airport, so if you are an avid aviation-type person, this would be an added bonus for you...
...and when the kids get bored of the animals, just look up at the sky and point out the aircraft as they fly by :)

Directions can be found on their website at www.lorypark.co.za.


For the kids...

It's a zoo - nuff sed :)
Ok that's not entirely true - Lory Park has a selection of some unique and fascinating animals, and the layout of the walkways and cages allows you to get up close and personal with some serious players in the animal world.

This allows for some awesome photo opportunities, and at times you forget yourself as you stand motionless, admiring the incredible sight of a Siberian Tiger as it paces back and forth only one or two metres in front of you... better hope that mesh in between you is made of sturdy stuff!

Lory Park is a sanctuary and a haven for many animals, including big cats (tigers, cheetahs, lions, jaguars, leopards, pumas), small cats (caracals, ocelots, servals), canines (foxes, jackals), primates (lemurs, monkeys), tortoises and birds (parrots, birds of prey).

Speaking of birds of prey, you can also get up close and personal with owls in their enclosure - you don a leather glove and head on in.
Lift up your arm and they just flock in to grab some grub off you. Drop your arm again and they're gone.
Very cool!

This is SO the life...

For the adults...

Growing older doesn't mean that you have to lose your appreciation for nature - and thank heavens for that, because the animals at Lory Park Zoo are as much a treat for the adults as they are for the kids.

As I mentioned above, Lory Park is a sanctuary for many animals, some of them on their way to larger facilities or different habitats.
That means that you are likely to see different animals on subsequent visits, which is always a good thing.
For example, the super-cute tiger cubs in the photo below were at the zoo during our visit in 2008, but are no longer there now (or they are just a whole lot larger :).

There is also a small Tea Garden at the zoo, but when we were there they were only functioning as a kiosk where you could get a colddrink, a chocolate or some chips etc.
According to the menu on their website though, they do offer a light meal or refreshment in between your fix of wildlife.

Anything else?

Depending on the timing of your visit, you can see the cats getting bottle-fed or as in the photo below, getting treated to a dose of fly-repellent :).
For R50 extra you can also go into some of the enclosures (cubs only, of course), for a hands-on experience with these incredible creatures.

Lory Park Zoo also offers other services like bird food sales, bird wing and nail clipping, bird lodging etc.
Best to contact them directly for any queries along these lines.






Final words

There isn't really much else to be said, that quite describes seeing big cats so close up.

For example, there is a jaguar at the zoo who was rather reclusive during our visit.
I always thought jaguars were pure black, but there is in fact a subtle yet discernible pattern on their skin that is visible from certain angles.
I am no game ranger (I run away from small spiders), so I do not know if all jaguars have this characteristic, but it was something quite fascinating to see.

For a refreshing animal-themed outing, Lory Park Zoo delivers a unique and memorable experience, and you will leave wanting to come back again soon.


Getting in touch

Telephone:

011 315 7307

Email:

curator@lorypark.co.za

Website:
http://www.lorypark.co.za

Fax:
011 312 2364

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