This pet-friendly restaurant is a great spot to have a meal with your dog, your family and your friends, where you can tuck into good, wholesome food while supporting local charities.

Where is it?
Oakhurst Farm Park, Main Road, Hout Bay, Cape Town

Why go there?
This family-friendly and pet-friendly Italian restaurant has a wide menu selection, from pizzas to pastas and tapas, along with vegan-friendly dishes. They also have a pet menu that your dog will love! Plus, they make a donation to local charities when you order certain dishes (pet treats included) and you can pay it forward by ordering a slice of pizza for someone in need.

How much am I going to pay?
Tapas dishes from R29 to R86, pastas from R80 (half portion) to R120 (full portion), while pizzas average at R100.

When is it open?
Open daily from 12h00 to 21h00.

Contact details
Telephone (021) 790 5648, www.massimos.co.za

The first time I visited Massimo’s in Hout Bay was to do a write-up on their tapas for Getaway Magazine (read my Terrific Tapas  Spots in Cape Town  article here) which I thoroughly enjoyed. The selection of ‘spuntini’ (Italian for starters) made a nice change from pizza and pasta dishes that one usually opts for at an Italian restaurant. The next time I popped in there was to take Tino on an outing after his accident to celebrate his recovery. He certainly enjoyed his celebration indeed!

The pet menu has five dishes to choose from and for every meal you order, Massimo’s will donate R1 to Underdog Projects. Seeing as all of them sound so good and are at such reasonable prices, you can definitely treat your furry best friend to a treat or three, while supporting a good cause at the same time! You can also take it one step further and buy a doggy bandana with the proceeds going to DARG in Hout Bay. Here’s what you’ll find on the menu:

• The Kim Jong Un (bone-shaped mini pizza with ham and root vegetables) – R28
• The Dog’s Bollocks (two balls of dough stuffed with boerewors and tomato sauce) – R34
• The Husky (Biltong-flavoured ice-cream – non-lactose) – R40
• Oh My Dog! (frozen hoof stuffed with chicken and butternut) – R20
• Puppaccino (Milky froth for your pooch) – R14

Tino got treated to a Puppaccino (which he wasn’t too sure about at first as he doesn’t get milk as a rule, but soon lapped it up!) followed by The Dog’s Bollocks, which arrived on a delightfully cheerful plate. It took him some time to decide which one to have as there were two balls to choose from and in the end only managed to finish one. It must be the first time I have ever left a restaurant with a doggy bag that really was for the dog!

Doggy treats aside, Massimo’s have a superb human-friendly menu too! Pizza and pasta dishes include:

• Artichoke ravioli with a truffle cream sauce and roasted artichoke garnish – from R99
• Smoked trout pasta with peas, capers, creme fraiche and a squeeze of lemon – from R108
• Afrikana pizza (tomato, boerewors, smoked mozzarella and caramelised onions) – R110
• Beef & spinach lasagne – R120
• Francesco pizza (tomato, Brie, pancetta, caramelised onions, mushrooms, thyme & garlic) – R125
• Porcella pizza (pork sausage, garlic butter, smoked mozzarella, pan-fired mushrooms and rosemary) – R128
• Trota pizza (olive oil, mozzarella, smoked trout, avocado, caers, dill crème fraiche) – R140
• The Italian Feast (shared traditional antipasti, pasta, salad and unlimited pizza) – R220 per person

Vegans are also well-catered for here, with an entire separate menu filled with plant-based options, including:

• Tasting plate of any three vegan tapas – R108
• Nirvana pasta (parsley, oregano, sage, basil, garlic, spicy breadcrumbs and olive oil) – from R73
• Toto pasta (garlic, olive oil, fresh chilli, cherry tomatoes and capers) – from R66
• Margherita pizza (tomato, vegan mozzarella, fresh basil and basil-infused olive oil) – R77
• Quattro pizza (tomato, baby spinach, pine nuts, roasted garlic, mushrooms and balsamic reduction) – R84
• Vegan ice-cream with a chocolate or vanilla sauce – R60

There’s also a selection of dishes on the menu where a donation will be made to charity and you can also order a pizza slice for R10 and once they have six slices, they will donate an entire pizza to someone in need.

Their regular pizza bases are made with GMO-free stone-ground and unbleached flour (they contain only flour, water, yeast and salt), or you can opt for a vegan home-made farinata base made from chickpea flour, olive oil and water, while their imported Italian pasta contains no animal or dairy products. Massimo’s only use authentic Italian ingredients which are mostly locally sourced, with a few items being imported from Italy (like the parmesan and Parma ham).

All in all, Massimo’s is a great spot to have a meal with your dog, your family and your friends, as well as a fun place to celebrate a special occasion. Good, wholesome food with the option to support really good local charities!

Inside information
You won’t find chicken anywhere on the pizza menu as Italians do not traditionally serve chicken on pizza! (Massimo was brought up on a chicken farm – look out for the wonderful photo by the pizza oven).

Published March 2019 | Own cost