The Tug Restaurant
SEASONAL TIMES
10th Dec to 6th Jan
Mon to Sun 10AM to 11PM
INSIDE - RESERVATION RECOMMENDED
LUNCH
Fri/Sat/Sun 12PM to 3PM
All public holidays 12PM to 3PM
Mon to Sun 10AM to 11PM (10th Dec to 6th Jan)
DINNER
Mon to Sun 5PM to 10PM
Mon to Sun 10AM to 11PM (10th Dec to 11th Jan)
Closed for dinner 31st December from 3PM
OUTSIDE TERRACE - NO RESERVATION POSSIBLE (WEATHER PERMITTING)
LUNCH AND DINNER
Fri/Sat/Sun 12PM to 10PM
All public holidays 12PM to 10PM
Mon to Sun 11AM to 11PM (10th Dec to 11th Jan)
- Free WiFi
- Outdoor Seating
- Families and Children Welcome
- Awesome View
- Bar
- No Disabled Access
- Children's Menu available
About The Tug Restaurant
The Tug, a beachfront restaurant, is built around the original "Danie Hugo" Tug Boat in a setting with panoramic ocean views. Popular amongst both tourists and locals it has a reputation for providing meals prepared with fresh Namibian sourced products in a setting which creates an unforgettable ambience. Seating is available both indoors and outdoors on our terrace overlooking the Atlantic Ocean and the historic Swakopmund Jetty.
The Tug offers authentically prepared cocktails, a selection of more than 140 South African wines, Spanish wines and French Champagne. Special delights from the Namibian ocean include wild caught West Coast Rock Lobster (seasonal), Kingklip, Kabeljou, Angel, Sole, Hake, Monk and John Dory as well as locally cultivated Oysters and fresh green seasonal Swakopmund Asparagus. For the carnivore there are tasty cuts of Beef and grilled Oryx steak. Our Head Chef recommends the home-made Chocolate Fondant, Ebony & Ivory mousse or a wide selection of home-made ice creams.
Shuttle service:
For your convenience the Tug Restaurant now offers a shuttle service from and to your home. For pickup reservations call our reception on +264 64 40 2356 - pickup reservations close at 16:00 for the day. For drop off inform your server or reception in the restaurant.
Availability
This was our first time dining at The Tug and we had a wonderful experience. We visited Swakopmund during the holidays so we were only able to get a late evening reservation on Christmas Eve. We arrived slightly early and waited a few minutes for our table to be prepared. It's important to note here that the restaurant was extremely busy on December 25th--Christmas Eve--and we had plans later in the evening which meant that too many delays would cause a problem. We were seated on time for the reservation and attended to promptly by our server who explained the extensive wine list. The owner is apparently a great aficionado of South African wine and it is evident in the extensive wine list. There are many options for bottles, glasses, and sizes in-between and we found the prices to be very reasonable. They provide an in-house rating system which we used as a guide to order several glasses of white wine and we were extremely happy with our selections. We received the drinks and a small oyster appetizer in a reasonable amount of time and asked a few questions about the menu as well as preparation times. Our server informed us that the dish we were most interested in, the Seafood Extravaganza, was highly recommended and the time should be no issue. She let us know she would confirm with the kitchen to be sure. The food and additional drinks arrived on-time as promised and we were ecstatic after taking the first few bites. The seafood is extremely fresh and carefully prepared. The kabeljou and lobster in particular were fantastic. Thanks to the prompt service we had enough time for dessert and coffee which were both also a delight (the Namaklava). One thing to note is that their garlic butter is delicious but very strongly garlic-flavored: you might not want to order it on a date. Overall our experience was fantastic thanks to our wonderful server and the excellent food and wine. We enjoyed the restaurant so much we booked another reservation for a few days later. I wrote about our experience with that reservation in a separate review. *My main takeaway from the two times we dined is that you should aim to get a table in the main dining room at a reasonable time (8pm or earlier).* *Note for others who want to reserve: We were seated in what I assume is the main dining room on the far side of the restaurant. There is another large dining area near the entrance and also a few tables in the area between the two main seating areas. There looks to be outdoor seating as well when the weather is warm. We noticed a few tables in our area had *excellent* views of the water so if you can book a reservation for sunset at one of those it would be incredible--you probably need to book far in advance!
This was the 2nd time we dined at the tug within a few days and the experience was a huge disappointment. Our first experience was great in terms of service, ambiance, etc. This time it was generally bad. We arrived a few minutes late to our late-evening reservation and were told that we would need to wait 15 minutes. Not a problem. The staff let us know there was a bar and led us over to it. The bartenders were friendly and the menu was the same as what's available at the tables. It took longer than 15 minutes to be seated, which wasn't a huge problem but it was very puzzling as the restaurant was starting to empty and we saw multiple free tables in different service areas. We were finally seated and this is where the problems start. Our seat was immediately outside the bar which subjected us to 2 major issues: 1) the seat is in a location next to a wall which provides terrible acoustics. We had to yell to hear each other because the wall damps sound and 2) we were right next to the bar so there was additional noise from guests in there. Our server appeared after a long wait and provided menus, then disappeared. We waited for quite some time and eventually got the attention of a different server to place an appetizer order. After the appetizers were delivered, we had to wait for another long period and flag down a 3rd server in order to place our dinner orders. This was the pattern that repeated throughout the night. Despite being located in a prominent location between the bar, kitchen, and front lobby, we had to flag down different servers any time we needed to place an order, refill water, order drinks, order refills, etc. When we received our entrees, one was only at room temperature which was a big letdown considering the cost. It wasn't worth complaining to the server as it was late in the night at this point and we wanted to end the experience and head home. Overall the wine list is excellent and the ambiance, food, and service can be great, but we had one great experience and one terrible experience so it is hard to provide a strong recommendation to visit. If you are able to get a reservation early in the evening in the main dining room your experience will probably be good, otherwise watch out.
Прекрасное место для ужина, мы всем были очень довольны, компания из 7 взрослых. Спасибо!
Several items were sold out when we went. But whatever food we had was delicious and the waitress was patient and polite.
Food was excellent although our fish on the seafood platter was unfortunately a bit dry, but otherwise top service and atmosphere
The food and drinks were great, the atmosphere was nice but it was too loud because the restaurant was very full, also with bigger tables.
Food was greasy. A lot of the fish was overcooked. A generally underwhelming experience. Great view!
Super Evening - Thank you
Excellent food, great atmosphere. One of the best places in Swakopmund.
Just fantastic. We ate 6 times at the TUG in the last 10 days. Always a great pleasure. Excellent food, excellent and friendly service. Thank you!
Fabulous 1st evening in Swakopmund.
Excellent
We had four meals in two days, just fantastic. We are coming back. Everything’was just perfect. The outside terrace eating was fabulous in the afternoon. Sitting up in the captain office for dinner was a special. Thank you tug team.!!
Heel leuke en unieke ervaring
Keep the good service up. You may need to improve on the dessert menu yo cater for people who may prefer less sugary feeds. Otherwise your service and food was splendid. We will come again.
Portions a bit on the small side for the price
an excellent meal and service, highly recommended.
Für Heiligabend hatte ich einen Tisch für meinen Mann und mich zeitlich ein wenig im Vorfeld reserviert und um einen schönen Tisch mit Blick zum Wasser, wenn möglich, gebeten. Als wir ankamen, wurden wir freundlich begrüßt und hatten einen wundervollen, wenn nicht gar den besten Tisch. Auch der Rest des Abends war sehr schön, weil der Service extrem freundlich und aufmerksam war und auch das Essen war sehr gut. Die tolle Atmosphäre trägt ebenfalls dazu bei, dass man sich sehr wohl fühlt. Wir hatten einen sehr angenehmen und gelungenen Abend und können The Tug daher nur empfehlen!
The Namibia dish was a little Bit tough. There was No easy chewing. The Starter (squid) was very good.
Extremely friendly staff, especially manager Jeanette! Food was delicious.
What a wonderful culinary experience. West Coast lobster divine.
We had the best soles ever! As always the best food and atmosphere! Tomeo thank you for your kindness and welcome. See you soon.
The best crayfish I have had in years, and the oysters were also excellent. Our server, Hilde, was Tops.
Guys!!! Everything about this place is amazing. The stuff, location and the menu. Definitely a return for me when I visit Namib-Swako again.
Another wonderful evening at the Tug! We´ll be happy to come back any time. The food is outstanding and we enjoyed the lively atmosphere. We had wonderful sea views from our table and a very motivated, nice waiter. Just marvelous.