Menlyn Maine… The new addition to Waterkloof Glen and a great one at that. Menlyn Maine opened late last year and boasted having some great restaurants and shops. “An amazing shopping experience” was the impression I got. But I didn’t realise that they had some fantastic restaurants as well.
Cue in Old Town Italy. A detailed restaurant, gelateria, bistro and deli located in Menly Maine. And when I say detailed, I mean detailed. Every time you look around, you find something new.
I dropped by Old Town Italy accidentally this past weekend. I was actually looking for Koi, as I thought they had opened already.
Upon entering the restaurant, I waiter approached us and asked if we wanted a Gin & Tonic. I thought it was a bit weird given that we were heading into the restaurant and that we probably would’ve ordered the drink once we were seated. But the waiter was convincing and we walked into Old Town Italy with a drink already in our hands. Not a bad start, I would say.
Once we were seated, menus were immediately presented: a food menu, pizza menu and a drinks menu. While I appreciate the options, I did find the 3 menus a tad too much. The table had more menus on it than anything else.
After being left to make our choices for 10 minutes, we managed to get the attention of the waiter. Although it would have been appreciated if the waiter came to check on us before we had to call him. However, once we did order the waiter checked on us plenty of times.
As the restaurant has an authentic Italian feel, we decided to order something Italian to drink: prosecco. In particular, we ordered Bottega Millesimato. It is was a fruity, dry sparkling white wine. It’s an easy wine that’s fragrant and well-balanced. And perfect for the heat of the day.
For lunch we ordered the Margarita Extra pizza and the OT Hamburger.
The Margarita Extra really was extra. I was craving something with melted cheese and it did not disappoint. The difference between an everyday Margarita pizza and the Margarita Extra Pizza was that the mozzarella was Italian Buffalo mozzarella and roasted cherry tomatoes. It was the best Margarita I’ve ever had in the country.
The OT Burger was 200g of beef with edam cheese, mayonnaise and regular burger toppings (lettuce, tomatoes and gherkins). The burger was delicious and the patty cooked perfectly. The burger was also served with hand-cut fries (so yummy) and pomodoro sauce.
The food at Old Town Italy was fantastic! I enjoyed every mouthful. The ambiance is great and the service gets better once you order.
As mentioned before, Old Town Italy also has a deli which has everything you’d need for an Italian night. And it provides some great take-aways.
I give Old Town Italy 3.5 cupcakes (the service before we ordered could’ve been faster):
Review guide:
No rating (read: why have you even bothered to open)
Poor (read: shit)
Average (read: meh)
Good (read: above mediocrity)
Very Good (read: fling your money at them. It’s worth it)
Extraordinary (read: if you have to make a sacrifice to be here, do it)
Tacovolution 
