The Kalk Bay restaurant owner who counts his prawns down to the last gram

Warmth, friendliness and peri-peri – the ingredients for a neighbourhood favourite.

“I love people,” says Vincent de Araujo, owner of Beira Mar Portuguese Restaurant in the Cape Town village of Kalk Bay. “I love talking to them and getting to know my customers. I check on every table and make sure they’re happy with their food. We try not to let a customer leave the restaurant unhappy.”

It might sound like the first principle of owning and running a restaurant, but it’s this kind of warmth and genuine interest in people that defines a true neighbourhood gem. And Beira Mar is exactly that. Vince started the restaurant seven years ago after, as he puts it, he got a “bit bored”. Born on the island of Madeira, his family emigrated to Johannesburg where he grew up and built a career in the construction industry. Thirty years ago, he and his wife moved to Cape Town after a short holiday in the city, despite already having packed up their belongings to move to the USA. “We fell in love with Cape Town and decided to rather move here where I continued my construction business, which I’m still involved in today.”

When asked how a builder came to open a restaurant, he explains that he had a taste of the hospitality industry after previously opening The Ambassador restaurant in Fish Hoek many years ago with his nephew but closed it after a few years. “I couldn’t give the restaurant the attention it needed while working full time, and I believe in being very hands-on.”

That hands-on attention is what makes Beira Mar the success that it is. Vince is there every day checking on stock levels – “I know exactly how many prawns we have, down to the last gram” – and making sure things are up to standard. “I have a great relationship with my staff, some of whom have been with us since we opened. We always have fun together, but when the first customer of the day walks through the door, everyone knows that it’s time to get serious and get to work.”

Vince’s attention to detail extends to his suppliers, too. “I visit every potential supplier to check whether their operation is up to scratch. I want to know what I’m buying and the people I’m dealing with. Consistency is key in this industry.” That sentiment runs through everything that happens at Beira Mar, from the home-made peri-peri sauce on the tables to the quality of the food on the plate.

“I visit every potential supplier to check whether their operation is up to scratch. I want to know what I’m buying and the people I’m dealing with. Consistency is key in this industry”

“We have such amazing support from our clients, both local and international. We have people coming here from the UK who say we’re the first restaurant they visit when they arrive in Cape Town, every time. And they tell their friends, too. Our clients are beautiful people.”

There’s a sense of comfort when you sit down here. You know you can relax and that the delicious plate of prawns you had on your last visit will be just as good as they were the first time, the service will be just as welcoming and friendly, and that Vince will always be there to ask you how you’re doing and have a chat. You can’t put a price on that.

View this post on Instagram