Babylonstoren Farm Hotel
Babel Restaurant
Housed in an old cow shed, Babel is a wonderful mix of Cape Dutch architecture with contemporary glass walls that makes for a simple yet edgy environment in which to try our tasty yet often unconventional combinations. We have a farm-to-fork philosophy, which means we like to serve food that is seasonal and that reflects our "pick, clean and serve" approach.
Because our menu is guided by what is available in the garden, our food always reflects the season, and so in summer we may serve you a yellow salad of pineapple, gooseberries, granadillas, yellow tomatoes and apricots while in winter a slow-cooked leg of lamb in red wine is more likely. Dessert subscribes to four flavours, namely salty, bitter, sweet and sour. And while our meals are creative, we don't like to tamper unduly with our food. Our meals are always clear in structure, so that fruit and vegetables gathered daily from the garden is often served with its skin on. Helpings are generous and depending on the weather you can take your meal in the glass-enclosed restaurant or under the plane trees in the courtyard.
Breakfast: Open daily, 8h00–9h30
Lunch: Wednesday to Sunday, 12h00–15h30
Dinner: Open daily from 19h00
Booking is essential. Reservations open two months in advance and can be made between the hours of 8h00 and 17h00 on +27 (0)21 863 3852 or enquiries@babylonstoren.com.
Hotel guests enjoy priority for restaurant bookings.
Please enquire about options for groups. For groups of 13 to 18 guests, a set menu will be offered and a 50% deposit is required to secure the booking. Should you wish to bring a larger group, we have private function venues available.
The restrooms at Babel restaurant are wheelchair friendly.
Kindly note that all pathways on the farm are gravel, and covered with peach pips in some areas of the garden.
The Greenhouse
At the rear of the garden, tucked away between the oak trees, our Greenhouse offers guests the perfect place to rest and enjoy delicious home-baked cakes, coffee, tea and fresh garden juices. We also offer more substantial meals of artisanal breads with handcrafted cheeses and dressed meats, served with our homemade herb oils, chutneys, preserves and relishes, as well as delicious, fresh garden salads.
The 26 metre vintage conservatory in dark green steel was custom built for Babylonstoren in France by Serres et Ferronneries d'Antan. Paired with a collection of brick-red tables and colourful green Luxembourg chairs (the classic park chair design), the Greenhouse is a surprising but thoroughly logical refreshment station for guests who have completed the garden tour.
The Greenhouse menu subscribes to the self-same "pick, clean and serve" philosophy as Babel, with a strong emphasis on honest food with little to no fuss. All our food is served picnic-style in wooden crates with the preserves, jams and salads packaged in weck jars, while fresh bread from our wood-fired oven come wrapped in the iconic blue-and-white Babylonstoren paper.
Despite its obvious aesthetic appeal and its function as a refreshment station, the Greenhouse also performs a vital role in the garden. It is here where plants or varieties are brought when they struggle to make it in the formal garden due to the Western Cape’s winter rainfall or the lack of humidity in summer. And so you'll find that exotic granadillas, ginger, cardamom, pineapples, dragonfruit, vanilla and even a baobab all reside here.
The Greenhouse is open Monday to Sunday from 10h00 to 16h00.
Bookings
There is no need to make a reservation for the Greenhouse. Guests are seated on a first-come, first-served basis. We may have a waiting list during very busy times.
Should you wish to bring a group of 13 to 25 guests, kindly make a reservation. These reservations open two months in advance. For even larger groups, we have private function venues available.
Bakkery
Our Bakery offers scrumptious Italian-inspired evening meals on Wednesday & Friday, but also supplies our shop with freshly baked bread to be enjoyed with delicious cheeses from our Cheese Room. We grow our own wheat on the farm which is stoneground after harvest. This flour is sold in the Farm Shop, but is also used by our own bakers who, under the guidance of our head baker Ernie Beck, make sure we have freshly baked bread early every morning for our restaurants and the Tasting Room. We have a variety of breads, including sourdough, rye, white and whole wheat.
At dinners in the Bakery, we serve our food family style – guests dish up for themselves from wooden boards placed on their table. Our Italian-inspired set menu starts with an antipasti and salad offering. Main course may be enjoyed to your heart’s content. We round off the meal with a delicious dolce and our famous coffee.
Booking is essential. Reservations open two months in advance and can be made between the hours of 8h00 and 17h00 on +27 (0)21 863 3852 or enquiries@babylonstoren.com.
Hotel guests enjoy priority for restaurant bookings.