Ballito Junction Regional Mall Urban Eatery sets a new standard for mall dining and entertainment

Ballito Junction Regional Mall Urban Eatery is unlike anything South Africans have experienced before. It is set to take mall dining and entertainment to an entirely new level when Ballito Junction opens on 23 March 2017.

Ballito Junction Regional Mall is the major expansion of an existing 10,000sqm shopping centre. It is increasing in size by eight times, to a whopping 80,000sqm of contemporary retail space with a complete choice of over 200 shops, restaurants, and services.

Owned and developed by the consortium of Menlyn Maine Investment Holdings and Flanagan & Gerard Property Development & Investment, Ballito Junction Regional Mall is an extraordinarily intricate development in many ways, and especially as a result of the layout of the land it is being built upon.

“It takes an unique vision to transform the complexity of this project into an opportunity that both harnesses and enhances its surroundings to create an unmatched platform for an exceptional shopping and leisure experience,” says Carl Jankowitz, director at Menlyn Maine.

The Ballito Junction Urban Eatery is perhaps the most distinct example of the mall’s unrivalled vision.

Going beyond the neon-lit and brashly-coloured food courts found in malls worldwide, Ballito Junction Urban Eatery opens up a whole new world of sensory experiences in a refreshingly different setting.

Its innovative design by award-winning MDS Architecture creates an extraordinary sense of openness, with fresh, airy spaces dappled in natural light from above and around it. The magnificent area features exposed raw wood in elements, such as roof trusses.

From its magnificent six-metre-high feature window, Ballito Junction’s Urban Eatery looks out to the north over the undeveloped green parklands of Simbithi Eco-Estate and beyond that, on a clear day, to the beautiful Indian Ocean.

“Over and above its uniquely refreshing setting, Ballito Junction Urban Eatery will offer a compelling array of extraordinary experiences. It is packed full of new names, unique attractions, retail firsts for its region and flagship offerings,” reports Pat Flanagan, co-chairman of Flanagan & Gerard.

The restaurant node within the Urban Eatery expresses the ethos of openness beautifully. Its full-frontage window view has very few line-of-sight barriers to contend with, with no shopfronts, very few walls, and each shop’s security and doors mostly invisible to patrons.

With its remarkable setting comes an outstanding line-up of dining options. There’s a wide choice from Turn ‘n Tender, Tasha’s, Spur, Casa  Bella, RocoMamas, Wimpy, an exciting new-look KFC, Chicken Licken, Simply Asia, Fishaways, Milky Lane, Mugg & Bean and M&B On-The-Go, Debonairs, and Jooma Coffee. Visitors can also look forward to Beluga, complete with a wrap-around wine bar and the first-ever Beluga Pan Asia, as well as be able to enjoy Piccadeli and Mama G’s, which are already part of the centre.

Added to this is healthy food from Tree Natural Concepts and a one-of-a-kind Exclusive Books coffee shop inside its flagship store, as well as Woolies Café. The café is part of the 6,500sqm Woolworths store, which spans two sensational levels. It offers front-row seats to the most spectacular views from a sweeping 12-metre-tall exterior glass window.

What’s more, the entertainment for the entire family at Ballito Junction will be amazing too.

“In the same way that Ballito Junction Urban Eatery takes the mall food court to breath-taking new heights, Ballito Junction takes movies far beyond the average cinema experience into mind-blowing realms,” notes Jankowitz.

The state-of-the-art Nu Metro cinema includes a Scene Xtreme cinema which boasts a wall-to-wall, floor to ceiling screen and the latest in cinema audio technology; two Scene VIP cinemas complete with a lounge/dining area where you can order hot/cold drinks and freshly prepared meals served in the lounge or to your seat plus 5 regular 2D and 3D cinemas.

Then there’s the all-new and awesome 22 Jump Street, a huge trampoline park offering unlimited fun for the whole family. 22 Jump Street leaps at the opportunity to add even more amusement with climbing-walls, dodgeball, and a vibrant viewing area.

Plus, there’s fun and games for the whole family with Games for U, Toys R Us, Sweets from Heaven and Matrix Warehouse.

Urban Eatery also features a DJ booth, inside a trendy shipping container, for live broadcasts and special events. Interactive large screens will broadcast the sports and cultural highlights of the day to Urban Eatery patrons.

“Without a doubt, there is nothing that compares with Ballito Junction in the area. From its Urban Eatery to its choice of 200 shops, it has something to delight everyone,” confirms Flanagan.

With its sheer size, variety, and attractions, starting with six anchor retailers – its new Checkers, Woolworths, Edgars and Game and its existing Pick n Pay and Dis-Chem – Ballito Junction is positioned to serve the large cross-section of shoppers. This gives it a dominant position and super-regional pull.

Superbly positioned just a stone’s throw from the busy N2 highway, Ballito Junction enjoys excellent ease of access from its immediate vicinity as well as to its north and south, and even inland.