Profile- House of Pirates

A simple walk around little teacup Grahamstown might land you onto African Street, one of the longest streets in the town. On African Street, lies the House of Pirates, simply called Pirates, a newly established food and drink joint, which has become the hub for growling happy-students, live entertainment and chill-out place for the ever energetic Grahamstownians.
Established two years ago in 2009, House of Pirates started as a ‘party-thing’ for a couple of guys in one of their residence rooms at Rhodes University, making pizza. Since then, their idea has been established into a social-defining joint on African Street, making it one of the liveliest and most happening places in Grahamstown. Pirates is where ‘the hip, happening, cool kids’ hang!
Pirates has certainly stood the test of time, having provided a cool spot for Festinos for three National Arts Festivals already. Yet again, the Festival promises to be a blessing to the owners of Pirates, namely Chris Marshall, Daniel Hocutt, Geoff Waugh and Karim Dhanani. “Grahamstown is a very small town and it is usually during festivals like this that business booms and we are able to cover up for the other periods of time when business low,” said Dan Hocutt, one of the owners of House of Pirates.
With PG-rated pizza names and so many specials that run through the better part of the day, House of Pirates is certainly a place to enjoy a chilly Grahamstown night. There’s no chance to freeze in the cold at the outside eating area as ground- fires get setup ‘the Pirates style’. As for the inside eating- lounge area, a homely fire-place and ample heaters ensure that that precious Gin and Tonic goes down well. So Pirates remains that place where you can reminisce on the day’s festivities with great company, lively music and delicious pizza!
As for yummy specials, “Happy Hour is also one of our best specials, where a customer can buy one Mojo and get one free, and it this special has sold a lot, with over 120 Mojo’s sold during the Happy Hour yesterday,” said Hocutt.


By Bhekimpilo Dungeni