Durban: A Food and Drink Guide to South Africa's Curry Coast

Most travelers to South Africa treat Durban as a pit stop. They fly in, eat a quick curry, and drive off to the Drakensberg or a KwaZulu-Natal game reserve. This is a mistake. Durban is not a layover city. It is the culinary capital of South Africa's east coast, and the food here tells a story you will not find in Cape Town or Johannesburg.

The story is Indian-African fusion, born in the late 19th century when indentured laborers from South India arrived to work the sugar cane fields. They brought tamarind, fenugreek, and dried red chilies. They built mosques and temples. And they invented bunny chow, the dish that defines this city: a hollowed-out loaf of white bread filled with curry. No one agrees on the origin of the name. Some say it comes from "bania," the merchant caste. Others claim it was created at a restaurant called Kapitan's, where a guy named Bunny served it first. The truth is lost. The dish remains.

Start with the bunny chow. Do not order it at a hotel restaurant. Go to Cane Cutters on Helen Joseph Road in Glenwood. They have been at this for years, and their quarter mutton bunny costs around R75. The meat is tender, the gravy is sharp with cumin and coriander, and the bread is fresh enough to tear cleanly. Service is fast. On a busy day, you will have your food in under ten minutes. The dining area is basic: plastic chairs, fluorescent lights, a TV playing cricket. This is the point. Gounden's Restaurant on Umbilo Road is equally unglamorous and equally essential. Their mutton bunny is R80, and the queue of construction workers and taxi drivers at 10:00 AM tells you everything. For something stranger, try Hollywood Bets Bunny Bar at the Springfield Retail Centre. Yes, it is inside a betting shop complex. Yes, the walls are purple. The bunny is R75, and the gravy has a sweetness that divides opinion. I think it works.

Size matters. A quarter bunny is one person's lunch. A half is two people, or one very hungry person. A full loaf exists but is rarely necessary. The bread on top, called the "virgin," is meant to seal the curry inside. Eat it last, using it to mop up the remaining sauce. Your hands will get messy. No one uses a fork. If you see someone eating bunny chow with cutlery, they are a tourist.

The Indian Quarter is where this cuisine lives. The area centers on Victoria Street Market, a building that looks like a Mughal palace and smells like cardamom and dried fish. It has over 200 stalls selling brassware, African carvings, saris, and spices. The spice vendors stack their goods in pyramids: turmeric, masala, cumin, chili powder. Prices are not fixed. Bargain. The seafood and meat section at the back sells sheep heads, trotters, crayfish, and prawns. If you have never bought a sheep head before, this is your chance. Vendors will clean it for you, or you can take it to one of the nearby curry houses to be cooked.

Across the street, the Juma Mosque dominates the skyline. It is the largest mosque in the Southern Hemisphere, and its gold dome and minarets rise above the Victorian-era shopfronts. The mosque is open to visitors outside prayer times, and the surrounding streets are lined with small eateries serving samoosas, roti rolls, and falooda. Try the falooda at one of the milk bars on Bertha Mkhize Street. It is a cold drink made with rose syrup, milk, basil seeds, and vermicelli. It costs around R25 and is the best antidote to Durban's humidity.

For sit-down Indian food, the city has options beyond the takeaway bunny spots. The Little India chain has several locations and serves reliable North Indian cuisine. Their butter chicken is mild and creamy, and their lamb rogan josh has actual depth. A meal costs around R120 to R150 per person. For something more upscale, 9th Avenue Bistro in Morningside serves modern South African food with Indian influences. Their tasting menu changes seasonally, but the braised lamb shoulder with star anise and tamarind is a regular feature. Book ahead. It is small.

Durban is also a seafood city. The warm Indian Ocean delivers kingfish, dorado, and crayfish to the shore daily. The beachfront promenade, running from uShaka Marine World to the Blue Lagoon, is lined with fish and chips shops and seafood grills. Surf Riders Café near uShaka serves fish tacos and calamari with a view of the pier. Their slogan is "Just Good Chow," and they mean it. The fish is fresh, the portions are large, and they have a dog menu if you brought yours.

For a stranger experience, book a table at Cargo Hold inside uShaka Marine World. The restaurant is built inside the hull of a phantom ship, and a massive shark tank runs along one wall. You dine with ragged-tooth sharks swimming past your table. The food is steak and seafood, and the prices are high. A main course runs around R250 to R350. Tank-side tables book two to three weeks in advance. The upper-level railing tables are easier to get, and the view is nearly as good.

Florida Road is where the city's dining scene has shifted in recent years. Once a strip of nightclubs and dive bars, it is now home to some of Durban's best restaurants. The proprietors are mostly young South Africans who trained abroad and returned home. They serve small plates, natural wine, and craft cocktails. Check out The Boiler Room at the 320 Florida Road complex. They serve wood-fired pizzas and local craft beer. Or try Jack Salmon Fish House for seafood platters and oysters. The street gets loud on weekends. Go for lunch if you want to hear your companions speak.

For breakfast, the city has a distinct culture. Durbanites eat early, and they eat big. The Morning Trade at the Winston Park Sports Club is a weekend market where local vendors sell everything from sourdough bread to biltong to fresh juice. It opens at 8:00 AM and closes by noon. Get there early. The coffee is from local roasters, and the croissants sell out fast. Another option is the I Heart Market at the Moses Mabhida Stadium, held on the first Saturday of each month. It focuses on local designers and food producers. You will find artisanal cheeses, preserves, and chocolate.

Durban's drinking culture is less developed than its food scene, but there are highlights. The city has a growing craft beer movement. Robson's Real Beer in Westville brews on-site, and their tasting room serves flights of four beers for around R60. The Durban Brewing Company on Felix Dlamini Road produces a solid IPA and a sessionable lager. For something stronger, try the local cane spirit. Illovo Sugar produces most of South Africa's sugar, and the byproducts fuel a small distilling industry. The cane spirit is rough. Mix it with ginger beer and lime.

Wine is not Durban's strength. The nearest wine regions are in the Western Cape, over 1,600 kilometers away. Most restaurants serve the same selection of Stellenbosch and Paarl bottles at marked-up prices. If you want wine, stick to the house options. If you want something local, look for beers from Darling Brew or Jack Black.

A word on logistics. Durban's city center is not dangerous, but it is not welcoming either. The Indian Quarter is safe during the day, and the beachfront is patrolled. At night, stick to Florida Road, Umhlanga Rocks, or the Glenwood suburb. Do not walk alone on the beachfront after dark. Uber works well. The local bus system, the People Mover, runs a loop through the city center and costs around R10 per ride.

Prices in Durban are lower than in Cape Town. A good meal costs R80 to R150. A fancy meal costs R300 to R500. Street food is R20 to R50. Tipping is 10 percent. Most places accept cards, but the smaller bunny chow spots are cash-only. Carry rand.

The best time to visit for food is during the Durban July, the city's horse racing festival held on the first Saturday of July. The city fills with visitors, and restaurants run special menus. The worst time is December, when the city is overrun with domestic tourists and the service slows to a crawl. September and October are ideal: the humidity drops, the ocean is warm, and the seafood is at its peak.

If you do one thing in Durban, eat a bunny chow on the beach. Buy it from a takeaway spot in Glenwood, drive to the promenade at North Beach, and eat it with your hands while watching the surfers. The bread will get soggy. The curry will drip. You will not care. This is how Durban is meant to be experienced.