The Windmills logo
Open daily
Directions

More than a petrol station Stop, fill up, eat a pie, leave the N3 behind. Your stop between Johannesburg and Durban.
Worth pulling in, even with half a tank.
The Windmills, N3 Exit 132, Nottingham Road

Over 8,000 reviews and a 4.4 rating on Google (as of 26 October 2026)

Get directions · Exit 132

Fresh farm food, fastFresh homemade piesPetrol station, open 24/7 – freshly baked bread next doorFree-range eggs, grass-fed beef, vegetables from our own gardenWood-fired, hand-stretched pizza – a real restaurant meal on the N3

All in one place

Fuel, shop and restaurant – side by side

Fill up, grab a pie and a coffee, or sit down for a proper meal. Then let the kids and the dog out on the lawn before the next stretch of road.

BP forecourt at N3 Exit 132, with the Pies & Bakes coffee shop alongside

Fuel

Fuel, 24 hours a day. In and out like a pit stop.

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Smiling team behind the pie counter, with trays of pies, croissants and other pastries

Shop

Hot pies, fresh bread and coffee to go.

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Double cheeseburger and chips on a wooden board

Restaurant

Wood-fired pizza, burgers and curry.

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Windmill behind a round pond with a fountain, set in green lawns

Outdoor Garden

A garden, jungle gyms and lawns to stretch your legs.

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Fuel

Our attendants fill your tank and clean your windscreen – quick as a pit crew.

Then it's a few steps to the shop for coffee and a hot pie, or a little further to the garden if you need a proper break.

Shop

Our Grab & Go is where the pies are: baked fresh on the property every day, with grass-fed beef and free-range chicken. No fillers or funny bits.

  • Classic pies: Pepper Steak, Chicken & Mushroom, Chicken Peri-Peri, Spinach & Feta
  • Something bolder: the Cheese Burger Pie
  • Sourdough and rye, croissants, biltong and barista-made Avanti coffee

Restaurant

Wood-fired pizza, handmade burgers, Durban curry, breakfast, salads, vegan dishes and our own gelato – all under one roof.

Bread and pastries are baked in-house every day, and the pizzas are hand-stretched.

  • Crumbed burger with lettuce and tomato, served with chips and a side salad
  • Basil leaves placed by hand on a pizza base with tomato and cheese
  • Breakfast plate: fried eggs, sausage, bacon, mushrooms, tomato, toast and chips
  • Salad with green leaves, croutons, boiled egg and a creamy dressing
  • Croissant with a chocolate drizzle on a wooden board
  • Gelato counter with trays of vanilla, chocolate and other flavours
  • Gloved hands holding an unbaked pie with crimped edges on a floured bench

Swap tarmac for gardens between Johannesburg and Durban

  • Children on the wooden jungle gym and swing in the shady play area
    Kids
  • Open lawn beside The Windmills building, with a windmill behind the trees
    Dogs
  • Covered terrace with long tables and benches, looking out over rolling green hills
    Feet up
  • Raised vegetable beds edged with logs, beside the outdoor bar
    Veg garden
  • The Windmills Pizza & Beer Garden, with umbrellas, tables and planted beds
    Beer garden
  • Restaurant entrance with its “Sit Down & Take Away” sign, in Nottingham Road
    Off the N3
Reviews

Why travellers keep coming back

Over 8,000 reviews and a 4.4 rating on Google (as of 26 October 2026)

“Beautiful peaceful venue with lots of food options. The perfect stop to refresh. Gardens are gorgeous and bathrooms really are the cleanest ever!”Google review, 2026
“Always a favourite stop travelling the N3. Clean rest rooms. Free filter coffee, best pies in the country and the sourdough always find a way home.”Google review, 2026
“A wide variety on the menu, food came quickly, very tasty, the staff is very friendly, the ambience is pleasant, they even have vegetable patches on the patio, bathrooms are very cleanly kept.”Google review, 2026
“Delicious fresh farm style food. Lots of choice. Friendly staff. Clean shop and toilets. Well kept lawns, a jungle gym for kids and plenty of seating for a break before heading out.”Google review, 2026
“A special mention has to go to the ladies that clean the toilets, it is genuinely the cleanest toilets in South Africa! A huge bonus for any stop. Friendly service, quality farm-style food, and a relaxed atmosphere …”Google review, 2026
“Excellent. Clean toilets. Good coffee.”Google review, 2026
“… at the Windmills when we are travelling between Johannesburg and Durban. Their chocolate croissants are the best. Stopped again there today. As always, the restrooms are clean, the food was good, and the service was friendly and helpful …”Google review, 2026
“Clean bathrooms, friendly people.”Google review, 2026
“Beautiful place to take a brake in between long drives.”Google review, 2026
“The Windmill BP garage is a good stop when travelling long distances. It offers a good restaurant, ample parking, clean toilets, and efficient refuelling. The area has lovely views and plenty of food options, making it convenient and comfortable for a short break.”Google review, 2026

Read all reviews on Google Maps

Lit sign above the door reading “Thank you for visiting us, love The Windmills Family”

Family-run, and it shows – from the forecourt to the table

The Windmills roadside sign: Fresh Farm Food Fast and SA's cleanest toilets

The cleanest toilets in South Africa

We're a little obsessed with cleanliness. Cleaners are on duty in every bathroom during trading hours. Come and see for yourself.

Getting here

N3, Exit 132 – Nottingham Road

Take Exit 132 for Nottingham Road and look for the windmill at our entrance. Parking for 300 cars.

Coming from Johannesburg heading south to Durban

  1. N3 southbound: the sign for Exit 132, Nottingham Road
    1Take Exit 132 for Nottingham Road.
  2. The off-ramp at Exit 132, southbound
    2Keep left onto the off-ramp.
  3. The off-ramp with The Windmills sign in the distance
    3The tall Windmills sign comes into view.
  4. The junction at the end of the off-ramp, with The Windmills sign
    4At the junction, our sign is just ahead.
  5. The Windmills car park seen from the road
    5You’ve arrived.

Coming from Durban heading north to Johannesburg

  1. N3 northbound before Exit 132
    1Take Exit 132 for Nottingham Road.
  2. The off-ramp at Exit 132, northbound
    2Keep left onto the off-ramp.
  3. A brown road sign pointing left to Windmills
    3Follow the brown Windmills sign.
  4. The junction with The Windmills sign ahead
    4Our sign is just ahead.
  5. The Windmills car park seen from the road
    5You’ve arrived.
Get directions in Google Maps The Windmills · N3 Exit 132 · Nottingham Road · KwaZulu-Natal

Freshly baked bread, every day, in Nottingham Road

Bakery table with sourdough, multigrain and wrapped loaves
Tray of croissants with a dark and white chocolate drizzle

Sourdough, rye and buttery croissants, all baked on site. The bakery and coffee shop are open from 6 am to 8 pm, every day of the year.

Why do we only use real butter?

  • Real butter and free-range eggs
  • Grass-fed, hormone-free beef
  • Free-range, hormone-free chicken, locally sourced
  • Bread baked fresh every day
  • Croissants and sourdough cold-proved at 6 °C for 24 hours
  • Stoneground, unbleached flour for our sourdough, rye and baguettes
  • Imported Italian flour for our pizzas and croissants
  • Pizzas stretched by hand
  • Barista-made Avanti coffee and fresh, fragrant spices
  • Gelato made with 20% real cream and free-range eggs

Because we bake our own bread and pastries, every day.

Runners on the parkrun route, along a path through open grassland

parkrun

Nottingham Road parkrun starts here every Saturday at 8 am – 5 km on our own grounds. Afterwards, breakfast is waiting in the restaurant.

Hours & contact Directions

Contact Us

We welcome queries, feedback and suggestions. We want to hear from you!