Cargo Hold — International Seafood / Fine Dining, Durban
Cargo Hold is located inside uShaka Marine World — one of the world’s largest aquariums — in a dining room built around a 1.5 million litre shark tank. The theatrical dimension of dining beside live sharks, rays, and tropical fish while consuming the finest available Indian Ocean seafood is not incidental: it is the restaurant’s defining experience and makes it one of the most extraordinary dining settings in Africa.
The kitchen takes full advantage of the Indian Ocean context: the fresh Durban prawns, the game fish of the KwaZulu-Natal coast, and the shellfish of the Indian Ocean all prepared with the technique of a fine dining kitchen that understands the responsibility its setting imposes. The seafood platters are the most complete expression of what the Indian Ocean provides.
The wine list is a comprehensive South African selection: the coastal whites of Elgin and Hemel-en-Aarde, the Pinot Noirs that the Indian Ocean breeze has been developing in the cool coastal valleys, and the Méthode Cap Classique bubbles that the theatrical setting demands.
Cargo Hold is the Durban restaurant for occasions where the setting is the primary argument — and in Africa, few settings argue more persuasively for their own uniqueness.
Best Occasion: Birthday
A live shark tank visible from your table, fresh Indian Ocean seafood, and a setting inside one of the world’s great marine attractions: Cargo Hold provides a birthday dinner that is simultaneously a wildlife experience and a genuinely fine meal.
Best Occasion: Impress Clients
Dining beside a live shark tank in uShaka Marine World communicates a depth of knowledge about Durban that no conventional restaurant recommendation can replicate. The cooking is good enough to justify the visit independently of the spectacle.