You eat West Coast seafood at Ons Huisie in a whitewashed cottage that has stood in Bloubergstrand since the early 1900s. The kitchen works with local fish and traditional recipes — the menu leans on what the boats bring in. The dining room has historic photographs of the Stadler and Boonzaaier families, who ran the place when it was still a beach cottage.

The terrace looks out over the Atlantic to Robben Island, and it is dog-friendly: well-behaved pets on leashes are welcome at the tables. A playground keeps children occupied while adults eat. The cottage became a provincial heritage site before it was converted to a restaurant, and the conversion kept the thatched roof and thick walls that made it a shelter for fishermen.

The place takes bookings for celebrations — birthdays, weddings, year-end functions — and the kitchen scales up for groups. The original cottage was built after the Battle of Blouberg in 1806, though no one knows the exact year. A pencil drawing from 1853 shows an earlier version of the house.