Take the whole room, two minutes from the beach.

Four things get you an answer fastest: the date, roughly how many people, the time of day, and whether you want part of the room or all of it. If you have dietary requirements in the group, say so at that point rather than on the morning — the kitchen plans a group booking around them far more easily with notice.

Weekends and the December to January stretch are the busiest of the year in Muizenberg, so book those early. Midweek dates are usually available at shorter notice, and a weekday morning is the quietest the village gets. If guests are travelling down from town, point them at getting to Muizenberg for the train, the two driving routes and where the parking actually is.

The Empire Cafe menu is the starting point for what a group eats. Anything beyond it — a set menu, a particular running order, a specific arrangement of the room — is worth raising in the same email.