Rojo Pub & Restaurant

Amidst the local sailing clan on a Saturday, the Walvis Bay Yacht Club is abuzz with kids gallivanting by the water’s edge and adults debriefing about the morning’s excursion with an ice-cold Hansa draught in hand. This is the place where friends, foreigners and seafarers congregate. This is Rojo Pub & Restaurant.

This brilliantly located hang-out spot is an experience from the moment you park your car. Picturesque wooden boat bungalows are painted a cobalt blue, and scattered around are a few mammoth monohull vessels – their sailless masts acting as a pedestal for a few seagulls. Strolling into the sunfilled space, you tread on original timber flooring, making the occasional creak as you survey the restaurant for the perfect view of the ocean. Whether in their domed dining room lined with windows, outside under a big umbrella, on the deck, or at the old-school sailor’s bar, Rojo dishes up a lively atmosphere.

Page through their extensive menu and find yourself overcome with endless options. This is the kind of place where a three-course meal just makes sense! For starters, choose between fresh Namibian oysters or something more indulgent like their three-cheese-stuffed jalapeno poppers served with guacamole. If you are in the mood for a light lunch, Rojo’s small-bites menu includes tacos, southern-style chicken served with potato salad and a mixed basket filled with tantalising nibbles of their fan-favourite finger foods.

On to the mains, where you are positively spoilt for choice! Try a familiar classic like their seafood platter, or venture beyond your comfort zone for a deconstructed sushi bowl consisting of sushi rice, Kewpie mayo, radish, wakame, nori, avo, salmon and prawns. It’s a mouth-full in every sense, and a generous alternative to the rolls we know.

Should you choose to indulge in turf rather than surf, a wide selection of excellently grilled steaks topped with mouthwatering sauces is sure to surprise. Think T-bone escargot, blue cheese and bacon rump or classic fillet topped with cheese and mushroom sauce. Throw in classics like oxtail and Eisbein (pork knuckle), and “salivation inducing” becomes a serious understatement!

If you have any room left for dessert, an American-style banana split or ice cream sundae, along with all the regulars like cheesecake and peppermint crisp tart, will surely put any sweet tooth to bed. Be it their kiddies’ menu, a burger or a pizza, there truly is something for everyone at Rojo.

An integral part of the Walvis Bay experience is dining in the crisp Atlantic breeze. And if you pride yourself in exploring our historic harbour town like a local, Rojo Pub & Restaurant goes uncontested. Watch the tide ebb and flow, live vicariously through the sailors of all ages and feast your belly at the honorary landmark that is the Walvis Bay Yacht Club.

Charene Labuschagne