Lunch at The Hoghouse, Spier Wine Estate, Stellenbosch

If you’re looking for a family-friendly restaurant in the winelands where you can all spread out and relax under the trees and let the kids run wild on the lawn then look no further than Hoghouse at Spier!

My husband and I enjoyed a night in Stellenbosch recently and this was where we chose to enjoy lunch together. It was a great, chilled spot overlooking the beautiful and historic werf of Spier Wine Estate, but all the while I couldn’t help thinking how much my kids would have enjoyed it too!

Funny how that works. You wish for all the world that you could escape parenting for just one day and enjoy some real adult conversation, and then you get what you wish for and you find everything reminds you of your kids or makes you wish they were there!!

Nevertheless, we still managed to enjoy ourselves despite the fact that our kids weren’t playing games on the lawn or getting stuck into the sticky ribs with us (Foodie Ben would have LOVED them!!) and we actually ended up having some great quality conversation with no interruptions – GOLD for parents!

As I mentioned the atmosphere at Hoghouse is decidedly chill. There is so much space that you don’t feel like you’re sitting right on top of strangers, or that your kids might be annoying them! There’s a huge outdoor seating area under the oaks and a few indoor options for when the wind or weather is a bit too chilly.

We chose to sit outside and loved watching the little bird families do their thing in the branches above our heads.

First things first, Hoghouse was a brewery before it was a restaurant so we knew we had to try one of their brews…. The Hogtale African Pale Ale was on tap so that was the obvious choice…

Then we opted to sample a selection of their starters – devils on horseback was a must and the lamb & pea croquettes and arancini with wild mushrooms and chipolte aioli were great too. We were left in no doubt that we were in for a delicious meal.

At this point I really should state that this is not a restaurant for vegetarians or vegans… as the name suggests, Hoghouse is all about barbecued and smoked meat, and they do that exceptionally well!

While we waited for our mains we took a quick walk around to get a better idea of their offering, and a sneak peek behind-the-scenes to wear the meat is smoked and the bread is baked!

For lunch we decided to do what we do worst – share! Haha our family know that, when it comes to food, we are the very worst at sharing! Literally arguments about the last bite of everything. BUT we wanted to try as many of the items on the menu as possible so we tried our best to order a variety, and we shared!

Spier’s Farmer Angus supplies Hoghouse with grass-fed beef, pork and free-roaming chicken. Cuts are smoked for up to 18 hours and can be ordered by weight, from 100g.

Our platter included a spicy pulled pork bun, pork spare ribs, lamb shoulder and brisket burnt ends (which were definitely the must-order item on the menu) and sides of hand cut chips and fireroasted beets. It was all totally tasty. You could say we “pigged” out!

Hoghouse is also really well known for these delicious delights….

People come from near and far to their popular bakery to buy their authentic Portuguese Pasteis de Nata – the lemony egg custard is made with real buffalo milk – and they are the most delicious I’ve ever tasted! The other dessert options don’t disappoint either…