Cubata Portuguese Grill house in Sydenham is fast becoming a real institution on the Port Elizabeth restaurant scene. Just don’t go there if you’re looking for sophistication and service excelence. But who needs that? The restaurant is very informal and patrons bring along their own drinks (there is also a self service honosty cold drink fridge for those who arrive empty handed). Seeting is on wooden benches and the waiter is the owner himself, so don’t “pop” by if you are in a hurry to go somewhere else. But that is part of the place’s appeal. In between taking orders and delivering food, owner José Carlos Rodriguez Nobrega stopped by the table a couple of times for chats, telling us how he came from war ravaged Angola many years ago and eventually started Cubata. So what kind of food can you expect at Cubata, you ask? Well, sticky ribs to die for, mouth watering prawns and proper Portuguese chicken. Yes, some other stuff as well, but these three are the important menu focus points.
Heather Mason recently did a blogpost about Cubata on her blog 2Summers.
That is one HUGE plate full of prawns.