Experience homemade food with comfortable local flair at the Jaart. The name Jaart alludes to the safety, familiarity, and comfort reminiscent of your own space. The Afrikaans translation for Jaart in English is ‘Yard’.

“People who love to eat are always the best people”.

Many years ago, the Hougaard family came across this quote by the aspirational gourmet, Julia Child. As an Afrikaans family they grew up with this resonating notion; food always plays a central part in anything we take on. Social occasions are known to gravitate to the kitchen, where the table become the muse for stories told, jokes bantered, and secrets shared – always accompanied by an abundance of food.

For them, food is more than sustenance. It is more than fuel for the being. It becomes fuel for the soul, through the experiences they share and the sensory delight of taste.

With this passion in their quiver, they decided to share their enjoyment for eating well and spending quality time with those they care for and tocreate a space where they can do exactly that – welcome friends, both old and new, and offer food in generous portions that is laden with flavour by only using the finest fresh ingredients.

In 2019, in the Boland ‘heart-town’ of Wellington, Backyard Café became a reality. With a dedicated team beside them, they created an inviting space for the people of their town and further afield to experience a glimpse into their love affair with good food. The heat of their wood fired pizza oven, festive cheers of wine glasses and friendly chatter of their guests, euphorically brought them back night after night to welcome visitors to their home away from home.

Completely blindsided, like the rest of the world, they were forced to close shop and ride out the storm of 2020.

The vigour of the New Year, paired with proper ‘boer maak ’n plan’ motivation, drove them to make some changes. Minor renovations and a more specialised menu laid the foundation for the next chapter in their story. And this is where they are now – ready to welcome you to Jaart. It is simple, you see they have newly installed graffiti-style pops of colour, a fresh lick of paint, a new name, and enough long-filament lightbulbs to panic a parastatal. These, however, are only skin deep. In their hearts, theye still have the same dream and passion that they have always had: to share the best food with the best people. Their comfort food style of dining offers home food without the effort of needing to cook it yourself.