New restaurant opens in Bulawayo

Check out this unique new establishment, The Good Place Restaurant, situated downtown of Bulawayo, offering a coterie of dishes that include western and traditional African menu.

The restaurant opened up its doors to the public on Friday 11 December 2020 with its mantra, Good Food, Good People, Good Drinks and ‘targeting to serve all classes of the society", according to Tamudashe Moyo-Mangena the shop manager.

"Our prices attract all classes, our most expensive dish is ten dollars, and yet a person with two dollars, or a dollar can get a good meal. We took upmarket restaurant services and brought them to the periphery of the CBD to offer people value for their money. We also have a VIP room for the eloquent members of our society, the people of class and taste who prefer not to mingle with the rest," he said.



Passing along Lobengula Street, between Masocha and Connaught avenues during the day, one"s attention is drawn by the billboard and wall banners bearing the name and advertisements of meals offered at the restaurant whereas at night, the place outstands with its luminous spherical lamps fixed upon the perimeter wall.

Inside

Take a walk into The Good Place Restaurant and you will meet exuberant staff donning neat Chinese design uniforms, who usher you to your preferred table, by the verandah or inner eating rooms. Furniture there is pine planks with dark varnish coating giving them that rusty look to strike so well with the cream walls and tiles, with each bringing out the brightness of the other.



More striking is the cozy VIP section where there are several multi-colored comfortable couches with back pillows, a television set, a coffee table and a red fluffy carpet put in place to ensure relaxation of the mind and body for a home-away-from-home feeling.

Then the menu

For breakfast, The Good Breakfast is the flagship of the joint, a good-to-go package with simple ingredients of roast potatoes, baked beans, slices of bread and an omelet, however, there is also the English and the Continental breakfast, all served with a cup of choice between tea or coffee.

To scintillate your taste buds, you can get kebabs, Greek salad, cream of mushroom soup or bacon wrapped chicken livers as starters before the main course meal where you can choose from steak, macaroni and cheese, tilapia fillet, pork chops and a lot more.

On the breakfast menu, the biggest buy would be The Good Platter consisting of a range of meats and finger-meals that can be shared by at least two people. There are also vegetarian dishes too.

Traditional Meals



There are several restaurants in the city that offer traditional African meals of all types and prices and The Good Place seems to also carve its niche on that market with dishes like Biltong and iDobi (peanut butter), Chicken Makhaya (road runner), Meaty bones, Ulude, Amasi, Ibhobola and Amacimbi (mopane worms delicacy) T-bone, oxtail on the menu, served with an option of Isitshwala (soft pap).

Indoor or Outdoor

There are fifty seater tables inside the shop, yet vast space outside that can accommodate several hundreds of people. Although not yet spruced-up to full potential, The Good Place Restaurant has a very big yard with about a third under tarmac, another under lawn/turf and the remainder covered with soil, for outdoor lovers, the turf may be the perfect spot to chill in a sunny weather and also perfect for hosting garden parties.

Reservations

The Good Place Restaurant is a pop-in shop but however, ‘special" reservations can be made for special occasions or functions.