île de païn - lunch & breakfast restaurant & artisan bakery

The food was absolutely delicious, the staff were super friendly, and the whole place felt very cozy. But one incident completely ruined my experience. While I was talking to a very kind waitress about sourdough, a bald male staff member (wearing an earring, not very tall – maybe a supervisor) pulled her away mid-conversation in a very rude way, as if saying “leave her.” It was disrespectful and made me feel very uncomfortable. As a woman wearing a hijab, I honestly felt it was personal. I don’t believe he would act this way with someone else. The waitress even told him off in front of me — she clearly knew he crossed a line. I won’t be coming back because of this behavior. I hope management addresses it seriously.

This spot was too busy for me to take any pictures of the restaurant, but I was able to take pictures of their pretty pastries (which is my favourite thing to do!!!) and I did purposely come here to taste their bakery items. We also had their breakfast but in my opinion, it's another breakfast place. It's not exciting tasty or different way of making it than any other spots. However, their confectioneries and breads are delicious even though we tasted about 5 items from their displays. They were made with the right balance of sweetness, flavours and lightness. Service was good and delivery of food was good for a very busy restaurant. I always find the breakfast prices are very expensive now and their cakes prices are lesser compared to JHB.

This was our second time visiting. The previous was pre pandemic. This time it was very busy. There was a twenty minute wait for a table but it was pleasant sitting on the benches waiting. When our table became available we were seated and given our menus. We could only order breakfast as it was before 11h30. Or coffees and teas came first and there was about another 20 minute wait before the food arrived. We did not mind because we were sitting comfortably under a tree chatting. When our food arrived it was picture perfect. The ingredients were fresh and the flavour was rich. We had such a pleasant breakfast experience, we can see why this place is so in demand. Well worth the visit.

Best French toast I’ve had. Hands down! Must get this. Ordered 3 main items between 2 of us!! We stayed nearby - so yummy!

If I could put more than five stars I would love to 😍 amazing food, tasty dishes and wonderful atmosphere and service.

Very pretty! Love the decor and nice to sit inside whilst eating breakfast, definitely worth it

The Korean crunch and risotto were INSANE so good !!! The pastries were all delicious as well, we got 5 to share. On a Wednesday at 1pm we had no wait.

Great experience. Good, friendly service. Excellent coffee & delicious food. Fish cake special was top notch. Remember to take freshly baked bread home. Dec 2023 Beef burger & potato wedges with a cold Lager was top notch. 6 Aug 2025 Best Americano in town. Toasted ham, cheese & tomato ciabatta is very nice. Great, friendly service. Staff is excellent.