Goodfellas Pizza & Pub

What do you get when you mix live music, pub grub, abundant outdoor seating and atmosphere? They need no introduction to fans of food and good vibes: Goodfellas is the backbone of the capital’s social scene, and unsurprisingly doubles well as a family lunch spot.

Tucked away under lofty tree canopies, in Windhoek’s lively Liliencron street, the pizza pub combo harbours crowds of twenty-somethings, thirty-somethings and just about everyone else looking for a good time in the capital. The majority of the restaurant’s seating is al fresco, large wooden tables and benches can seat big groups of people, but it equally caters to lovebirds or smaller groups. Inside is no less exciting, with the large wood-burning pizza oven visible from a couple more tables among a piano, wallmounted aeroplane propeller and old-school movie posters. On Fridays in particular, many gather for shooters at the long bar inside, where you’ll find vibey music, sensational smelling food coming out of the kitchen, and the delightful chatter of friends catching up after the week’s hustle.

The Goodfellas menu goes uncontested as utterly versatile and can please just about every palate in the group. Coowner Alexa summarises the offering as “American-style indulgence.” From their carpaccio to the generous salads, burgers and their much loved pizzas, the grub is delicious, whether you’re tipsy or not. If you’re a responsible drinker, you’ll dive into their famous loaded fries or, even better, eat half of the Guttermouth pizza and leave the rest for breakfast. Pasta portions are on par with the ones we shamelessly serve ourselves at home, and the nachos are precisely as cheesy as you’d like them to be.

Because old habits die hard, we ordered a burger and pizza. The Fat Tony burger is loaded with bacon, feta and avo and dripping with a decadent garlic mayo. Oftentimes when a burger is this stuffed you wonder what they’re trying to hide, but at Goodfellas the flame grilled, pure beef patty (which is cooked to your preference – I went with medium) remains the star of the show. Oh and the onion rings are immaculate, too! You can’t go wrong with any of the pizzas, which all have brilliant names drawn from the Goodfellas movie quotes.

On weekends you can expect a consistent rotation of live music acts. Names like Vaughn Ahrens, Riaan Smit, and The Ell’s have played gigs here and contribute exceptionally to the atmosphere around these wooden tables. Beers are served in chilled mugs, as they should, the cocktail menu features all the greats, the food is generous and delicious, and you’re bound to run into someone you know, heck, even meet new people. Very conducive to Saturday daydrinking indeed.

Charene Labuschagne