Every South African knows and loves their local Wimpy – it’s been a part of our culture since the franchise first opened in Durban in 1967. As we walked into Wimpy Howick, we were invited by a relaxing, friendly atmosphere. We had a cosy table by the window that gave us enough privacy to enjoy ourselves, and we could’ve sat there for hours chatting amidst the other patrons. It’s the perfect space to sit back and enjoy a meal or get some work done.
We started with our drinks, which included a good ‘ol Americano (or in Wimpy’s case, an “Africano”), Bar One Hot Chocolate a great choice for those who don’t want coffee, which had just the right amount of sweetness, Moja Cooler, a cold beverage filled with flavours of mango and ginger, and the refreshing Naartjie Frozen Lemonade.
For mains, we devoured a selection of tastes, from breakfast to lunch. The Mixed Grill is the ideal choice for a hungry meat-lover, including juicy beef boerewors, delicious sirloin steak, a classic beef patty with Famous Wimpy tomato relish, bacon, caramelised onion, one fried egg and chips. We also tried their popular 1/4 Chicken Meal with chips and crispy onion rings, which comes with a free soda (this promotion runs until 25 September 2023)! The chicken was tender with a smokey, braai-like taste while the crispy onion rings were light and moreish. And, you can’t dig into a portion of Wimpy’s chips without their iconic tomato and mustard sauces!
Wimpy’s burgers never disappoint. The Crispy Stack included a perfectly grilled beef patty with all the trimmings: streaky bacon, crispy fried onions, cheese, tomato, lettuce, and a choice of creamy or chilli mayo we had to go for some spice!). All of the flavours and textures came together deliciously with every bite. If you want to enjoy a meat-free meal, the Avo on Toast is hearty and scrumptious. It consisted of two slices of toast (white or brown bread), cream cheese, generous slivers of avo, cherry tomatoes, and scrambled or fried the way you want. This dish is actually made with fried eggs, but at Wimpy, they re so accommodating that even when we preferred scrambled they were happy to do that for us.
We just had to end the meal off with some dessert, so we shared a few classic Wimpy treats. The mouth-watering Kit Kat Waffle is topped with Kit Kat chocolate spread and pieces as well as two generous dollops of ice cream. We indulged in a slice of the dreamy and delectable Triple Choc Cake, a sponge cake with a chocolate mousse centre and ganache topping. Our new favourite is definitely the Milk Tart Gourmet Shake, which tasted precisely like the South African classic – rich and creamy with that note of cinnamon.
We all left feeling “magies vol, ogies toe” as they say, and we couldn’t have ordered a better selection. Throughout our experience, the waitrons were attentive and had no problem switching up our meals a bit according to how we liked them. As we waved the smiling staff goodbye, we were already planning our next visit to Wimpy!
033 330 8018
Shop C1, Fairways Centre, Main Road, Howick
Words by Alicia Du Plessis