SPICE Route Destination in Paarl is home to a range of local artisans with authentic offerings, who are ready to welcome guests this festive season with new journeys waiting to be discovered and experienced.
With most of the artisans already operational, Jewell’s Restaurant is now open and ready to welcome guests with an updated seasonal menu and extended offering. This summer, guests can look forward to all-day adventures, from beginning an adventurous note with Hero Adventure’s trails suited for the whole family, to enjoying fresh sushi platters and gourmet hot dogs at Barley & Biltong’s beer garden for lunch, then sipping on award-winning craft gin on tap for sundowners and satisfying that sweet tooth with guilt-free nut-butter chocolate bars from De Villiers Chocolate.
Strict social distancing rules apply, but the farm has ample space to explore, wander and experience. Spice Route Destination is on Suid-Agter Paarl Road, a 40- to 60-minute drive from Cape Town.
For more information, click here, or follow on Instagram and Facebook.
La Grapperia Bistro and Pizzeria (below): Enjoy a diverse selection from the German/Italian inspired menu including wood-fired, thin-based pizza, flammkuchen and platters with refreshing virgin gin and tonics and mocktails. Situated in the same building as the Wilderer Distillery, La Grapperia Bistro and Pizzeria offers a relaxing, unpretentious atmosphere. Guests can sit under the trees or wrap-around porch and experience the panoramic views of the Cape Winelands.
Brenda’s Deli: Before or after taking the pathway to/from the Destination, drop in at Brenda’s Deli for sensory stimulation. As you enter, the smell of spices envelops you to evoke images of bustling North African souks, markets, and aromatic dishes such as a Tunisian tagine and Moroccan teapots. Mix your blend of spices and create flavour adventures for your next dinner party. Brenda’s Deli products and preserves are additive-free and made from fresh, natural ingredients.
Jewell’s Restaurant (below): A farm-to-table eatery home to charcuterie whizz Neil Jewell and Tina Jewell. Guests can look forward to the best-quality ingredients, including organic Red Angus beef from Charles Back’s herd, with a regularly updated seasonal menu paired with a selection of Spice Route wines. Guests can also taste Jewell’s charcuterie while enjoying a wine tasting in the tasting area.
Spice Route Wines: The new age of the Swartland commenced in 1997, when Charles Back stumbled across an old tobacco farm, called Klein Amoskuil. Bewildered by the quality of grapes in a region better known for its wheat and rolling fynbos hills, the potential was obvious. Back set forth to acquire the farm and study its soils and extreme climate, and Spice Route Winery was born. The hand-crafted wines were brought from the Swartland to Spice Route Destination in Paarl, to be enjoyed by all. Guests can enjoy a fine wine tasting in the rustic underground tasting room, or sip on a bottle of their favourite wine, including the recently added natural wine range, Obscura, paired with delicious platters and charcuterie from Jewell’s Restaurant outside under the pergola while enjoying the panoramic views of Table Mountain and the Simonsberg Mountain range.
Barley & Biltong Emporium (below): The venue’s “beer garden with a Cape twist” offers some of the best, larger-than-life burgers in town, and makes it the ideal lunch spot to enjoy a pint of craft beer and delicious range of beef biltong platters. With new additions to the restaurant’s menu, including a variety of gourmet hot dogs and sushi platters, Barley & Biltong Emporium provides something for the whole family to feast on.
The Trading Company: Boasts an array of trendy, colourful and artistic items carefully selected by Abigail Bisogno to collate local creative talent. With her passion for creativity and tourism, guests can be sure to find bespoke homeware, bright apparel items and handpicked local jewellery, all celebrating and representing top local artists and designers, perfect to brighten up your home or for gifting.
De Villiers Chocolate (below): When it comes to the making of rich and diverse single-origin chocolate, the De Villiers Chocolate team’s goal was to do no harm to people or the planet and is something that they have maintained throughout. Its tasting factory at Spice Route offers guests the chance to taste their variety of chocolate bars, including their new nut butter and no-added-sugar chocolate bar collections, with all their chocolate bars and gluten-free ice cream available as well.
Hero Adventure MTB Trails @ Spice Route: Fill your walk, trail running and MTB riding routine with Spice Route Destination’s sporting addition, Hero Adventure’s Trails. Get active with holiday trails, including hiking, running and MTB trails from a basic 3km to more complex 40km trails. The tracks provide safe guidance in between checkpoints and are an ideal excursion to discover new pathways at the beautiful Paarl location. A single-day pass (different rates for adults and children) guarantees access to all trails and can be purchased from Brenda’s Deli as you enter the Destination. Individual annual passes and group passes are available on request. SnapScan and honesty box services are available, making it easy for keen riders to take on the tracks anytime during the Destination’s trading hours. Bike rentals and guided tours can be coordinated.
Cape Brewing Company: CBC’s modern craft brewery produces a broad range of beers using only the finest ingredients, state of the art equipment and is brewed by master brewer, Wolfgang Koedel, and his passionate team of brewers. Beer enthusiasts and curious visitors are invited to discover and taste internationally renowned beers and ciders. All beers, ciders and selected spirits are also available for purchase from Monday to Friday between 10am and 5pm.
