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Hours
Sun
12:00 - 20:30
Mon
16:00 - 21:00
Tue
16:00 - 21:00
Wed
16:00 - 21:00
Thu
16:00 - 21:00
Fri
12:00 - 21:00
Sat
12:00 - 21:00
What is Travellers’ Choice?
Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Details
Someone from this business manages this listing.
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PRICE RANGE
R 150.00 – R 338.00
CUISINES
Italian, Pizza, Mediterranean
Special Diets
Vegetarian friendly, Vegan options, Gluten free options
meals, features
Does this restaurant serve Sicilian food?
Details
About
Voted BEST PIZZA IN AFRICA by 50TopPizza (in 2019 and 2021). We make amazing pizza plus daily specials, using only the best, mainly locally sourced ingredients, and the owners are always present to ensure quality & consistency. Check us out on google for more information amazing new vegan menu. We are dog friendly, we even have a doggy menu! We even have our frozen pizzas for sale in several supermarkets! Try our Spiriti Famosi liqueurs, available in many liquor shops or online.
PRICE RANGE
R 150.00 – R 338.00
CUISINES
Italian, Pizza, Mediterranean
Special Diets
Vegetarian friendly, Vegan options, Gluten free options
Meals
Lunch, Dinner, After-hours
FEATURES
Delivery, Takeout, Reservations, Outdoor Seating, Seating, Parking Available, Free off-street parking, Highchairs Available, Wheelchair Accessible, Serves Alcohol, Full Bar, Mastercard, Visa, Free Wifi, Accepts Credit Cards, Table Service, Playgrounds
Contribute
4.5
672 reviews
Excellent
433
Very good
149
Average
29
Poor
28
Terrible
33
nelsonhill1@me.com
Cape Town7 contributions
Feb 2020 • none
To our taste, this establishment serves the most authentic and delicious Italian food in all of Cape Town. You can tell that they source the finest ingredients and really know how to put Mama's love into every meal Massimo and Tracey always make us feel like they are welcoming us into their home. Massimo unobtrusively checks in at the table to make sure all is well - which it consistently is. We're so glad to have Massimo's in our home village of Hout Bay!
Written 19 May 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Julie S
Cape Town Central18 contributions
Aug 2020 • none
We moved from Hout Bay a few years ago and hadn't been to Massimos since and was reminded of it when I heard him interviewed on Cape Talk recently. Well done to them for raising so much cash for the Covid cause. We were super impressed that they have a vegan menu and so many gluten free options. The food was delicious and the pizzas even better than before. The service was excellent, loved our waitress who had a great sense of humour which always makes for a special experience.
Written 30 August 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
DaveM6
Crowthorne66 contributions
Jan 2020 • none
We had 2 excellent starters (Calamari and cheese balls)and shared a Pizza - with extra bacon and brie. The Pizza was the best I've tasted, and enough for 2. The waitresses were full of fun - especially Zuki - and looked after us very well. altogether fantantic
Written 20 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Rikelw
Helsingborg1 contribution
Jan 2020 • couples
45 minutes for 1 pizza and 1 pasta........
After 30 minutes waiting I asked the manager for our food and she told me that my pizza is in the oven.
Luckily it wasn’t because they served me a really good pizza after an extra 15 minutes.
Nevertheless
The food was good but 45 minutes is way to long for 2 dishes and not a single compensation.
Written 7 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
massimos_hb
Sir, you are absolutely correct. The night you were dining with us there were operational difficulties and a (partial) failure which resulted in you, and a couple of other tables waiting too long. The lady you spoke to was the owner (my wife; Tracy) She was able to 'compensate' the 2 other tables concerned but was sadly too late to reach you as you were leaving and just had a brief conversation/second apology as you left. At exceptionally busy times, such as now, unfortunately service can suffer - all we can say is that we're glad you liked our food items, and we hope you might try us again some time so we can make up for these failures.
regards
Massimo
Written 8 January 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
devine1
Northampton18 contributions
Jan 2020 • none
After reading the reviews and bearing in my mind the award that Massimo's has, I was very excited to visit this restaurant on my trip to Cape Town. Being vegan, I reviewed their menu online before visiting and was pleasantly surprised by how extensive the vegan menu was. There were so many options to choose from and it was a completely separate menu to the main menu.
The staff were welcoming and accommodating in finding us a table as we had not booked, and the atmosphere was warm and cosy. It had all the makings of a great evening. My friend and I ordered a pizza and pasta to share. The pizza had very minimal cheese on it and this was a coconut based vegan alternative which is not to everyone's taste. I normally don't mind the coconut based vegan cheese however, in a city where there are so many alternatives on offer, I would have expected a better version. There was very little cheese or tomato sauce on the pizza. The vegetables on the pizza lacked seasoning and the same can be said for the pasta. It was boring and bland. Where was the garlic, salt, pepper, spice, drizzle of pesto or olive oil? It was so disappointing that even though I was hungry, I didn't bother eating more than two slices.
There is an opportunity here that has been missed and can easily be remedied.
Written 2 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
massimos_hb
Hi,
the vegan mozzarella 'cheese' we use is locally made using cashews nuts, not coconut.
We have tested all the available alternatives and we find (and so do most of our vegan clientele) to be the best option, close to the real thing.
Our dishes are well balanced and this might be a surprise to some but not every Italian dish has to be overloaded with garlic, salt, pepper, spice...salt & black pepper are available on the table for seasoning if you require more (as everyone's seasoning requirments vary)
By the way traditional pesto contains parmesan and pecorino cheese so is a no-no on a vegan dish.
I am glad you found the atmosphere warm and welcoming.
Written 3 February 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Michael K
Neu-Isenburg36 contributions
Jan 2020 • none
We really like this place for their excellent Pizza/ Food and relaxed atmosphere. We have been there at least 6 times in the last 3 years. Yesterday we went there as well and were happy to get a table. Unfortunately this time the pizza was not hot and crispy but only hand warm and very soft (just crispy at the edge).
It was obvious that the pizza was waiting some time outside the oven until someone brought it to our table. We told the waiter and the put them with the plate in the oven - result was that the pizza was at least warm but still soft.
Anyway - we go there again and hope for the same top pizza as we normally have eaten there next time
Written 11 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
247LiveLife
South Africa1101 contributions
Dec 2021 • none
I'm sorry that my friend decided to go to Massimo's, as it was not a great experience.
We waited some time for a waiter to notice us, and when he took menus to guests who had arrived after us, we had to get up and ask him to bring us menus too.
The pizzas were way over priced for what you got. My Napoli hardly had any topping on at all, and only a couple of anchovies.
I guess the worst was that after we tasted the pizzas, we asked for some chilli sauce, and we were charged R6 for a tiny bowl!!! Well, it's the first time ever that I've been charged for chilli!!!!
Management never came to check on us, I guess they were too busy going into the corner outside to smoke
Written 7 December 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
massimos_hb
Oh dear, we are sorry our service level slipped on the day - we have taken steps to prevent this in futre - thank you for sharing. Our pizzas are lightly topped as is the true Italian style, (it's what mkes us different to South African estabishments) Of course real anchovies pack a punch in flavour, so to cover a pizza in anchovies would be a gastronomical error. We do offer chili sauce or tabasco for free, so the waitron should have offered you that. Our chilies and garlic are freshly chopped daily and unless they are an integral part of the dish, we do charge a minimal amount for them of R6 each (which is about 30p in the UK for the inrternational traveler) if you'd care to email us with more information about the date and time you dined with us, we can look at the service issues in more detail - our email address is info@massimos.co.za
regards
Massimo & team
Written 10 December 2021
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
KGX106GP
Johannesburg6 contributions
Mar 2021 • none
I convinced some friends to try Massimos last night, having seen some “good” reviews, despite some negative reviews. I bravely said I’ll pay if they don’t like it. Big mistake. My pizza base was raw so I asked them to put it back in the oven, when it came back it was still raw so I ended up not eating (they did deduct it off the bill). My partners calzone was overly stuffed full with stale pancetta and the crust was tasteless. Our friends pasta was tasteless too, despite also having way too many ingredients.
Definitely NOT authentic Italian food in any way whatsoever. Because it was near closing time and they were hungry, they did not bother to send theirs back. After I paid, my partner went to the manager(Anton) to complain about the food, saying it was one of the worst meals he’s ever had, and that he’ll be writing a bad review on zomato, to which Anton shouted F**K you and F**K zomato!! He accused us of being drunk and said the waitress had to “beg” us to put our masks on which is not true. It escalated into a stand up shouting match in front of other customers. We have NEVER had an experience like this in our lives before. The only positive was that our waitress was polite and accommodating.
Written 5 March 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
massimos_hb
Every pizza has 2 sides. This is ours. Judge for yourself.
We have now had a chance to review the cctv footage and talk to all the staff involved late on Friday night last week. To sum it up... when someone arrives at a restaurant already inebriated, set in fight mode, there is no way for a restaurant to be able to satisfy them, no matter how hard we try. And breaking news – covid is a hoax, don’t you know? And who goes to a restaurant without panties?
Seriously , our job is hard enough on the conditions we have to work lately, we really don’t need this type of harassment. Incidentally, other clients witnessed this charade and were shocked by the behaviour of these people.
Here is what our team experienced
1. The booking phone call to the manager by you - “we’re just finishing up our drinks so will be there soon”
2. From both waiters who welcomed the group “the clients arrived without wearing a mask, and we had to asked them to please put a mask on before entering the restaurant”
3. As they sat and saw the wine list and said: “nothing on your menu compares with what we had this afternoon” They ordered and drank 1L of wine between the 3 of them, on top of what had been imbibed before arriving.
4. Then they commented that our calzone recipe is ALL WRONG, it should not have garlic or mushroom, let alone caramelized onions! They said calzone MUST have ham and pancetta. Waitress comment - Seeing that the customer was already TIPSY and irritable I ordered his calzone as requested. (with pancetta INSIDE – Massimo’s grandpa is turning in his grave)
(NB every restaurant we’ve ever been to makes their version in any case)
5. Then the lady sent back her Napoli pizza as according to her the base was undercooked and said that we should PRECOOK the bases as her friend does in Jburg. (Massimo’s grandpa is turning in his grave again) We sent back the pizza to (over)cook but she still didn’t want it as she might get “STOMACH WORMS from raw dough.”
6. Our manager Anton – says “I personally checked the pizza, and explained to the reviewer's partner that the pizza was exactly right, according to the way that we make it. I removed it from the bill and explained to her partner (who refused to put his mask up while talking to me) that our pizza isn't everyone's style and I understand if it isn't the way she likes it, but that this is the way we make it. True Romana style.
7. Nothing was said to the manager or the waitrons about the other meals, (during eating) which he would have gladly replaced or remade, regardless if the kitchen was closed or not. The reviewer's partner also stated that Jerry's pasta was tasteless (this is their other friend that verbally attacked the manager for 10 minutes after he instructed them to leave the premises for threatening him with physical violence and causing a scene, as well as refusing to wear their masks) The pasta with spicy pork sausage and a selection of porcini and field mushrooms – apparently was tasteless - a dish Massimo ate the next day and judged perfection on a plate.
And from Anton the manager -
The first time I used any vulgar language was after the reviewer's partner swore at me, threatened me and himself as well as the reviewer told me that covid is a hoax and they won't put their masks on.
The lady even said that not only she is not wearing a mask, but also not wearing panties either – charming! (and possibly due to being a little over the limit?)
I admit to eventually losing my cool and using the F word (note from Massimo: at this point I would have done exactly the same)
And PS these guys were centimetres away from SAPS being called and being done for drink driving.
Written 7 March 2021
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Arie
Cape Town3 contributions
Oct 2022 • family
Starters were delicious even if they took 40 minutes to arrive. Service was shocking, waiter didn't bother to check up on us, even to order our main course we basically had to beg other waiters to get his attention. And mains arrived after a further 45minutes and were mediocre.
But the cherry on top was that when I requested a little more Parmesan (there was a tiny amount on my bolognese) I was informed I would have to pay extra for it! In my 45 years of going out for meals that has NEVER happened.
Written 15 October 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hanna T
Surahammar3 contributions
Jan 2023 • family
We had made reservations in advance for a table at 7 pm, for us to have dinner (2 adults and one 7 yo). We arrived at 7, ordered a big starter to share, and some main courses together with a nice bottle of red wine. The waitress was very nice an helpful, so the meal was off to a great start. The food was nice, classical Italian pizza and pasta, no complaints there.
At 7:50, when we are right in the middle of our mains, a member of the staff shows up at our table “just to let us know that we have to be out of the restaurant in 10 minutes, since the table is re-booked at 8pm”. She would be happy to pack up the remaining food in doggybags for us!
I have never experienced this level of absolute rudeness in any restaurant, and when booking a table for dinner at 7pm one definitely presumes one can stay and finish one’s meal.
After a few minutes the young lady who wanted to throw us out returned to us again and happily informed us that we in fact could stay for a long as we wanted, since some other customers had left earlier than expected. We had then unfortunately already wolfed down the rest of our food, being in a hurry to get out of there.
So, the Italian food is nice, but I still would not recommend anyone going there, if you want a normal dining experience where you don’t get thrown out mid-meal.
Written 5 January 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Massimos_Hout_bay
Hi Hanna,
i can assure you this is not the way we normally operate, even in busy periods like during the last for weeks we allow at leat 2,5 hours before realocating the table, so it must have been a huge misundestanding and error from our side. Woul you please be able to email me (info@massimos.co.za) under what name was the booking made, date and time so we can review cctv? i am glad the food was good.
again sorry for the mistake.
thanks
Massimo
Written 8 January 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
PieHSte
Cape Town35 contributions
Jan 2020 • none
We are Locals and have frequented Massimo a few times over the years. We have now had a few bad experiences with bad food. Pizzas either too watery or burned. Latest pizza was the special and the gluten free base was burned and impossible to eat. Cost was close to R170 for this pizza.
Nice family feel to restaurant and service not bad but too many bad experiences with food now. No more visits from us unfortunately.
Written 20 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
massimos_hb
oh dear, we are very sorry about this. Our team and/or us are always on hand to listen to any issues customers have with their order - we'd have been happy to deal with this problem if we'd known about it, as of course we don't get it 100% right every time. Sorry we're not able to to make up for this as it seems you've made your decision. if you feel you wish to contact us with more information please email me at info@massimos.co.za
regards
Massimo & Tracy Orione (owners)
Written 22 January 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
EpicureZA
Cape Town54 contributions
Dec 2021 • family
Nice discovery. Very friendly and smiling staff. The pizza lives up to its reputation. Generous topping and tasty like a real pizza should be. Simple and no frills place, the atmosphere is very warm. It is important to note that the restaurant actively participates in several wonderful local projects. Part of the price of certain dishes is returned to these projects. Very nice initiative. We will be back for sure.
Written 4 December 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
massimos_hb
thank you so much for the lovely review - from the heart. Our industry has been under lots of pressure in recent times but we've come out stronger. We really appreciate the fact you have recognised our donations to local charities, which just in Nov 2021 amounted to R8372 (approx 400 sterling)
have a wonderful festive season.
Massimo & team
Written 10 December 2021
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
johannie
43 contributions
Oct 2021 • couples
There is no better way to spend a Saturday afternoon, with pizza and wine, and reconnecting with your loved one. We shared a carafe of wonderfully light Pino Noir and filled our stomachs with the delicious Happy calzone and Porcetta pizza. Thank you!
Written 9 October 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Floorvandenbrink
Amsterdam47 contributions
Jan 2020 • family
This place is very lovely. We were seated inside next to the open kitchen where they made the pizza’s. Atmosphere was great! A trainee waiter (William) was serving us and was too friendly. The food was good as well and if you have left easy to take away.
Written 7 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Vivien
Metz139 contributions
Feb 2023 • couples
Arrived at 8:55 pm (they close at 9 pm) and ask for 2 pizza to take away.
The waitress with piercing told us “sorry the kitchen’s closed”. I turn around and the cook were still making pizzas. I told her it’s obviously not closed, the cook are still busy and there are some seated people who haven’t got their pizza yet.
She told me again: the kitchen closes at 9 pm.
My wife and I replied by showing our phones indicating 8:57 pm so not 9 pm.
The waitress replies “for me I see that’s past 9 pm on the clock I look at”.
And so we weren’t able to order pizzas, unbelievable to treat customers like this !
Written 25 February 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Massimos_Hout_bay
The version of my manager:
IIt was past 9 and the oven still had a bunch of orders to do, NJ was courteous with them and tried to explain but the guy was incredibly rude and cut her off from talking. When I stepped in to talk to him he rushed off and muttered something under his breath.
Written 25 February 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
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