Knysna has no shortage of restaurants, but Tapas & Oysters on Thesen Island is one of those places that stands out for both its location and its food. Situated beside the Knysna Lagoon, the restaurant offers a relaxed waterside setting and a menu that includes tapas, fresh oysters, seafood, salads, homemade dips and desserts.
For visitors staying in Knysna, it is a particularly good option for lunch or dinner. The menu allows you to order several smaller dishes rather than committing to one large meal, making it easy to share a selection and try different flavours. Oysters are naturally one of the highlights, with fresh oysters available from the restaurant’s own oyster tanks.
The setting is another major attraction. Tapas & Oysters is right on Thesen Island, with views across the surrounding waterways and a boat jetty. If you are exploring Knysna by boat, the restaurant even provides complimentary use of its jetties for customers.
The History of Thesen Island
The island has a much more interesting history than its modern restaurants and marina might suggest.
Thesen Island was originally known as Paarden Island, or Horse Island. The Thesen family came to Knysna from Norway in the nineteenth century and became heavily involved in timber, shipping and boat building.
In 1904, Charles Wilhelm Thesen purchased Paarden Island. A timber processing operation was subsequently established there, and the island became an important centre for the timber industry. Timber from the Knysna forests was brought to the island for processing before being shipped elsewhere.
The island was also associated with boat building and oyster farming. During the twentieth century it became a busy industrial site, rather different from the attractive marina development visitors see today. The sawmill eventually closed, and the old industrial property was redeveloped into the residential marina and Thesen Harbour Town that exists today.
One of the best things about visiting Thesen Island today is that some of this history has been retained. Several historic industrial buildings were preserved and given new uses, and the Thesen Island Heritage Walk explains the area’s connections with timber, shipbuilding, oysters and Knysna’s industrial development.
A Good Stop on a Garden Route Tour
For anyone spending time in Knysna, Tapas & Oysters is worth considering. You get good food in a convenient waterfront location, while the surrounding Thesen Island development provides an opportunity to see an important part of Knysna’s history.
It is also a reminder that the Garden Route is about more than scenery. Places such as Thesen Island connect the modern tourist destination with the timber, shipping and maritime industries that helped shape Knysna.
When we take guests through Knysna as part of a Convoy Tours Garden Route tour, we always like to include places where there is something more than simply a good photograph. Thesen Island is one of those places, and Tapas & Oysters is a restaurant I am very happy to recommend.
