Restaurants in Johannesburg
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Moyo’s
The ‘Africa chic’ decor (Moroccan souq–style seating areas, African artefacts, candles glowing in alcoves) and entertainment (face-painters, musicians) of this busy chain is certainly crowd-pleasing, if a little touristy. Food here is pan-African with everything from Algerian chicken to Tanzanian fish curry and is good, if not exactly authentic. There’s also a top-notch wine list for oenoophiles.
reviewed
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Catz Pyjamas
Eateries in New Melville are generally not as good as those around 7th St - this is where you will find the usual chain eateries - but they are generally easier on the pocket. The Catz Pyjamas can be a little sterile, but it's open 24 hours and the cheap food is welcome after a long night out.
reviewed
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Loft
A warm, funky spot with the feel of a New York bistro, this place is full of bright modern prints and colourful chandeliers. There’s a tiny mezzanine floor at the back with a couple of tables and chill-out sofas, and a hip crowd packs in to enjoy mostly meaty treats such as springbok wrapped in bacon, and ostrich carpaccio.
reviewed
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Karma
Bringing traditional Indian cooking into the 21st century, this stylish place puts a contemporary spin on the old favourites and offers a smorgasbord of tasty vegetarian dishes for those sick of the South African meat obsession.
reviewed
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Vida e Caffé
Considered by many the best coffee fix in town, with tasty snacks and beautiful people moving in and out all day. Come just after closing time (17:00) and score a free leftover muffin; they're huge.
reviewed
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Ant Café
This hole-in-the wall Italian eatery has a distinctly Bohemian edge to it and whips up tasty pizzas in snug surrounds. Note that only cash is accepted.
reviewed
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Lekgotla
Traditional huts are a big theme at this super-stylish Afro-chic restaurant. It has huge wood-and-canvas domed ceilings, like several interconnected super huts, with the odd table under its own individual dome of leather straps and metal. White lanterns hang from the ceiling and the staff match nicely in all-white outfits with the odd splash of print. Outside on the square are cushion-strewn sofas instead of tables, and the unisex toilets have a long wooden canoe as the communal sink. As for the menu? It draws influence from all over the continent – from Tunisian curries to steak marinated in Ethiopian coffee.
reviewed
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Kapitan’s
Don’t let the grubby stairwell put you off – this is a Jo’burg institution, with authentic Indian food and eccentric decor that’s been attracting luminaries for years (Nelson Mandela and Oliver Tambo used to eat here in the 1950s). It is positively unpretentious and one of the few places in town where you’ll see young lions, black and white, drinking with hep cats, and grizzly city stalwarts groaning about how it’s all gone to the dogs.
reviewed
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Bambanani
Decked out with curved white-plastic chairs, leather booths and black chandeliers, this place may seem like a place for trendy young things, but look closely at the bold modern art and you’ll see that it features pictures of happy families, at whom this joint is aimed. At the back is a huge deck and garden area with a massive multilevelled children’s play den, and the menu features small tapas plates including mini-gourmet burgers for the kids and pumpkin purée for the babies.
reviewed
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De La Creme
The counter at the front hides some of the best bread and cakes in Jo’burg, but this is also a restaurant serving breakfasts, sandwiches and burgers as well as heavier main meals such as bobotie (delicately flavoured curry with a topping of beaten egg baked to a crust) and grills. There are large windows on all sides from where you can watch the street, and magazines for browsing. It gets very busy at weekday lunchtimes.
reviewed
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Service Station
This large, airy deli-cum-cafe-cum-food store in a converted petrol station is very popular with locals. Help yourself from a selection of quiches, salads, tarts and other goodies (you pay by weight), order meals from the blackboard, or get seriously good cakes from the counter. It’s all available to take away, and when you’re done you can browse the hard stuff in the adjoining Wine Sense.
reviewed
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Schwarma Co
It’s a cafe with a raised terrace overlooking the street, and a popular place to come for a Middle Eastern fix. It looks a bit like a standard kebab place from the outside but is far from it – excellent quality ingredients are used in the delicious platters of schwarma and kebabs, which come with bowls of pickles, olives, tahini and (particularly good) hummus as standard
reviewed
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Gramadoela’s
This 40-year-old restaurant is in its third incantation at Market Theatre, after stints in Hillbrow and Joubert Park. The restaurant’s dining room brims with curios and character, and has been graced by politicians, film stars and musicians, from the Clintons and Elton John to Morgan Freeman. The vibrant cuisine is a mixture of authentic African and Cape Malay.
reviewed
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Yum Nostalgia
High-class, well-presented gourmet cuisine is what’s on offer, but for such a famous restaurant, the atmosphere is blessedly relaxed. There are no stuffy dress codes here. You might like to sample snails on garlic porridge, mushroom pie, or one of the inventive burgers, such as tandoori lamb or duck and foie gras.
reviewed
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Wang Thai
This restaurant’s stellar reputation (stories abound of Thai ambassadors proclaiming it the best Thai food outside Thailand) might be overblown, but the food – authentic and spicy – is pretty damn good, and there’s a spacious dining room with a terrace overlooking Nelson Mandela Sq.
reviewed
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Soulsa
Extremely easy on the eye, Soulsa is one of Melville’s best restaurants, with double-height ceilings, lime-washed, careworn floorboards, an ethereal red tree mural on the wall and a mezzanine floor with views out over the street. Food is suitably creative, and all wines can be ordered by the glass.
reviewed
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Barrio
The place to come for a glamorous kosher dining experience. The large menu covers everything from sushi to tuna carpaccio, steaks and Thai curries – all very tasty. It looks pretty good too: bright white tables set off red plastic chairs, and the walls are covered with bold mosaics and huge mirrors.
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Yum
A small restaurant with a big reputation. One of the city's most celebrated dining rooms - it has even published its own cookbook - Yum specialises in innovative fusion cooking, with an emphasis on top-notch ingredients and lashings of culinary flair. It closes for most of the month of January.
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Ben-kei
This jazzy Japanese place attracts Norwood's young trendies with its fashionable styling and authentic cooking. If you have had enough red meat, the sushi offers welcome reprieve from the braai, and it's the best in town at these prices. Try the all-you-can-eat sushi platter (R110).
reviewed
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Spiros
This cheery cafe is popular with the local bohemian set, who flock here for coffee and breakfast - there is a huge, varied selection. They have an extensive menu of salads and though the food is still inexpensive, the scene factor probably makes it a tad dearer than it should be.
reviewed
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Adega do Monge
A heaving, tastefully designed Luso–South African joint that’s close to Diamond Digger’s Lodge and draws in eastern suburbs locals and folks from further afield – bookings are highly advised. Portions are huge and staff are Portuguese-speaking.
reviewed
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Radium Beerhall
Jo’burg’s oldest surviving licensed bar, this place is thick with atmosphere and old memorabilia. The food (filling Portuguese and steaks) is below par but regular live bands, open-mic nights and an interesting crowd make the place worthwhile.
reviewed
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Guildhall Bar & Restaurant
One of the city’s first bars, and one of the most atmospheric, the Guildhall was established back in 1888. There’s a wood-panelled, dimly lit English-style pub below, and an upstairs, wrought-iron balcony from which to watch the City of Gold pass you by.
reviewed
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Doppio Zero
Italian and Mediterranean food is the mainstay of this cafe. There’s plenty of outside space in which to enjoy fantastic breakfasts, pizza and pasta and there are incredible baked goods such as rosemary focaccia and custard tarts to take away.
reviewed
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Nambitha
Nambitha means 'to taste - expensively' in Zulu and this place represents the township's changing face. Stylish and open-fronted, it serves a delicious combination of contemporary and traditional African fare and a decent selection of drinks.
reviewed