Leila’s Arms Eatery George

Road trips are not synonymous with fine dining and long, leisurely meals. You normally land up grabbing a snack at the petrol filling station, or, Scott’s all time favourite, soggy sandwiches at the side of the road. So I was really looking forward to our afternoon at Leila’s Eatery in George. But I could never have imagined the fantastic experience that awaited us.

This place charms you from the moment you walk in, you can’t help but feel relaxed and at home. The rustic 100 year old house, the breath taking views and of course Liz who makes the whole experience feel more like visiting an old friend than going and sitting down for a meal at a restaurant. We were encouraged to kick off our shoes, the kids ran straight to the wonderful play area and blankets appeared for us to lie on the grass and marvel at the mountains around us while we waited for our food.

Ntomb is the chef and I can honestly say that you could eat anything off the menu and it would be a treat to the taste buds. We had the “Trust me’ which is a plate with some of everything on it, giving you a chance to sample, the pies, stews, vegetables, curry and more that are on the menu. This food is not pretentious, it is full of hearty rich flavours that are comfortable and remind you of meals shared around the table with friends. I can honestly say that was one of the best meals I have had in a very long time.

Lets not forget the kids; Liz added a play area with a wooden jungle gym, sandpit, trampoline and toys. She even got out some ‘draad karretjies’ for the kids to play with. Special meals with smiley faces were made for the kids. As a mom I know how hard it can be to go out with kids and try to keep them in their seats while you have a meal, and I have often resorted to restaurant chain type places with plastic play areas. At Leila’s the kids run free on the beautiful lawns and it is really a whole family experience. There were 2 very long faces when it was time to go.

Liz is a woman with vision and a plan to return this little eatery, which needs a bit of TLC, back to its original glory. She only took over 2 months ago; leaving the corporate world for the chance to follow her dream. She loves being closer to nature. Waking up to a view that feeds the soul, and the chance to share this with other people, is what makes this wonderful woman feel complete. She has great plans to restore the garden so that a lot of the stuff from the menu can be freshly, organically grown. Her own personal touches can be seen around the place and she has plans for a reading room, a big indoor fire place for relaxed visiting during the colder winter months, and a little shop where local produce, vegetable, jams preserves etc can be sold.

If you are in the George area, you have to make a stop at Leila’s; I can’t wait to go back.

~ Sally-Jane