Rooster & Co. Is Out-of-Town in the City

There’s a little cognitive dissonance in sharing the location of your favourite city spots, but the charming and child-friendly Rooster & Co. deserves to be widely appreciated.

Situated at N/a’ankusê@Utopia and tucked somewhat behind Fresh ‘n Wild in Windhoek, the rustic, farm-style restaurant and coffee shop has become my go-to eatery for that out-of-town feeling.

Whether I’m keen to read the paper, sipping Slowtown or white wine solo near their sparkling pool or I feel partial to devouring a gourmet burger while my baby niece is delighted by the sight of a fluffy bunny, Rooster & Co. is versatile and welcoming of both locals and the tourists trickling in from the adjacent hotel.

On a Friday afternoon, my family and I have set up camp in the restaurant’s garden. A windmill turns lazily overhead, a fountain fashioned from a rusty car trickles tranquilly to our right and a brood of Silkie roosters and small colony of restless rabbits provide an “Aww” factor a stone’s throw ahead.

For eats, we order everything and the kitchen sink, which includes a juicy Ma Se Burger, 200g rump steaks with roasted vegetables and mushroom sauce and my brother-in-law decides to build his own meal of two chicken schnitzels and some super soft pap and sauce. We all top that off with delicious dark chocolate brownies.

Everything is generously served and nicely plated, though my mum and sister do need to send their steaks back to have them cooked to their preferred doneness. A minor slip during an otherwise perfect afternoon.

Though local service and hospitality can seem an utterly mythical thing, Rooster & Co. impresses and offers a welcome change from the dead-eyed stares many of us have come to know and endure.

“Our vision here is to make it a nice, homey atmosphere. Our food and plating are farm-style and we try to make everything ourselves. The idea is quality food at a reasonable price,” says N/a’ankusê@Utopia manager Christine Labuschagne. “We’ve also recently expanded and we’re now open for dinner.”

In the evening, Rooster & Co.’s patio with its romantic lighting and fabric ceiling looks ripe for a date night. Its selection of wines, cocktails and decadent desserts adds to this atmosphere as the eatery easily segues from day to night.

Open since September 2019 and also offering event and conference facilities, Rooster & Co. may have flown under the radar as a result of the pandemic but is certainly a hidden gem worth discovering.

“Everyone is more than welcome here,” says Labuschagne. “One of my clients said you feel almost like you’re out of town, even though you’re still in the city.”

Rooster & Co. Restaurant and Coffee Shop is located at the corner of Nelson Mandela Avenue and Barella Street in Klein Windhoek and is open daily from 07h00 to 21h00.

– martha@namibian.com.na; Martha Mukaiwa on Twitter and Instagram; marthamukaiwa.com