
One Fleet, Many Adventures: Why the Right Rental Car Changes the Journey
After experiencing Europcar during our Cape Escape, we explore its South African fleet for road trips, business travel and long-term rental.
There is something wonderfully unhurried about eating in the KwaZulu-Natal countryside. The coffee tastes better when mist is drifting over the hills, lunch has a habit of stretching into the afternoon, and children can disappear into a garden without somebody reaching for an iPad. From Assagay to Nottingham Road, these five farm-style restaurants give you every reason to leave the highway behind.
If you’re looking to extend your stay then why not check out our post on Cosy Winter Escapes Along the KZN Midlands Meander.
Tucked into a leafy corner of Assagay, Bona Terra Café makes an easy first stop between Durban and the Midlands. Its relaxed outdoor setting is particularly well suited to families, with a large play area where children can dig, climb and invent elaborate games while the grown-ups enjoy breakfast, lunch or something sweet.
The café serves a broad selection of casual favourites, including wraps, salads, baked treats and coffee. Dogs are welcome, adding to the easy-going, muddy-shoes-and-all atmosphere. Bona Terra is currently listed as trading seven days a week from 08:00 to 16:00.
The Treatery is the sort of place that can derail a supposedly quick coffee stop—in the best possible way. Set inside Howick’s Yard 41, it specialises in all-day breakfasts, light lunches, freshly baked breads, pastries and cakes.
Comfortable interiors and free Wi-Fi make it equally useful for a catch-up, a quiet morning with a book or an emergency email session. The current offering is daytime-focused, with weekday trading until 16:00 and weekend service until 15:00.
Fable Eatery understands that farm-to-table dining need not involve theatrical descriptions of carrots. The approach is simple: seasonal food, produce grown on the property and ingredients sourced from trusted Midlands suppliers.
Gardens, flowing water and the gentle percussion of coffee grinders create a setting that feels polished without becoming precious. The eatery opens daily, while the adjoining Fable Taproom extends the experience into selected evenings.
Fable Eatery understands that farm-to-table dining need not involve theatrical descriptions of carrots. The approach is simple: seasonal food, produce grown on the property and ingredients sourced from trusted Midlands suppliers.
Gardens, flowing water and the gentle percussion of coffee grinders create a setting that feels polished without becoming precious. The eatery opens daily, while the adjoining Fable Taproom extends the experience into selected evenings.
Set at Netherwood Farm, Blueberry Café delivers the Midlands in one generous frame: rolling countryside, distant Drakensberg views, warm timber, winter fireplaces and the occasional farm animal wandering past.
Its farm-to-table menu covers slow breakfasts, freshly brewed coffee and relaxed lunches, while the surrounding open space gives families room to breathe. Stay for the signature blueberry cheesecake—and seek out the famous “loo with a view.”
Highgate Wine Estate brings a little wine-farm theatre to the Midlands, complete with vineyards, cellar tours and estate-grown wines. Its restaurant currently serves à la carte brunch and lunch, best accompanied by a tasting and an afternoon with no urgent plans.
Because weddings and private functions can affect availability, the estate recommends confirming before travelling.

After experiencing Europcar during our Cape Escape, we explore its South African fleet for road trips, business travel and long-term rental.
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