Iconic waterside restaurant returns to Durban after 20 years

A beloved name in Durban’s hospitality scene will be returning soon, with Thirsty’s Dockside Tavern targeting a reopening next year.

After two years of searching for a suitable site, negotiating and changing plans, the team behind the iconic Durban name has finally signed a new lease. The reopening is still dependent on licensing, but co-owner Brett Michielin said the target is to have Thirsty’s back in business early next year.

Michielin said he first approached former owner Bob Humphreys about bringing the venue back.

“I asked him if I had his blessing and if he wanted to partner with me on this, and he said, ‘Yes, let’s go for it’,” Michielin revealed to IOL.

The pair then began looking for a new site, with Michielin making it clear that Thirsty’s needs to retain one of the features that helped make it famous: It has to be near water.

Bringing back a Durban institution

Thirsty’s Dockside Tavern first opened in September 1995 at the site of the old King’s Gun Battery near Durban harbour.

Humphreys had spotted a derelict building at the harbour mouth and saw its potential as an entertainment venue. Alongside business partners Tony Dickinson and Tony Bolt, he transformed it into a popular pub with a distinctive waterfront setting and views of the harbour.

The venue quickly became a favourite among locals and international visitors, offering patrons the chance to enjoy a drink while watching ships move through one of South Africa’s busiest ports.

Sadly, the hotspot closed its doors in January 2007, after the National Ports Authority (NPA) needed to demolish the building to widen the Durban Harbour mouth.

Now, almost three decades after it first opened, the name could once again become part of Durban’s hospitality landscape.

But for Michielin, the comeback is about more than reopening a restaurant.

“I want that soul again”

Announcing the news on Facebook, Michielin said he hopes Thirsty’s can play a small role in reviving the city’s restaurant and hospitality scene.

“There was a time when Durban had a restaurant industry that was impossible to ignore,” he said.

“It had characters. It had legends. It had chefs who were artists, restaurateurs who were larger than life and restaurants where people came together, celebrated, argued, laughed, fell in love and probably drank far more than they should have.”

“It had soul. And I want to see that soul again.”

A new chapter for Thirsty’s

For former regulars, the planned reopening offers a chance to see a familiar Durban institution return. But Michielin has bigger ambitions for the new Thirsty’s.

He wants the venue to encourage young chefs to open restaurants in Durban, inspire restaurateurs to take risks and help give people a reason to visit the city for its food and hospitality. He also hopes the return will bring together the old guard and a new generation.

“I want the old legends to come out and show the youngsters how it was done,” he said.

“And I want the youngsters to come along and show us old farts how it’s going to be done.” he added.

The ultimate goal, he said, is to bring back some of the swagger that once defined Durban’s restaurant scene.

The exact new location has not yet been revealed, but the team has signed its lease and is targeting March or April 2027, subject to licensing.