Restaurants in Gauteng
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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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Café 41
A beautifully designed bistro-style restaurant serving Mediterranean fare from an extensive menu (the great big meze platters are good value). There’s a large outdoor deck, and a hidden section that makes you forget you’re in a shopping village. Service is a little on the slow side though.
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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Lotus Thai
The lotus-themed interior of this Thai restaurant is striking – black enamel walls are etched with white lotus motifs, there are large green-and-white lotus prints on the walls, and the black chairs have lotus-print cushions. In the centre of the restaurant is a large raised circular sushi bar with glass lily pads suspended above it. Outside you can dine in private pagodas. It’s not all about the flash design though; the food is fresh, authentic and delicious.
reviewed
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Blue Crane
The Blue Crane is part of the Austin Roberts Bird Sanctuary – the Roberts of the famous bird books. The restaurant overlooks a lake that is the breeding site for the endangered blue crane, South Africa’s national bird. It does Afrikaner potjiekos and the pub is great at sundown. The entrance to the restaurant is off Melk St, which is a right turn off Middle St as you head west.
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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Harrie’s Pannekoek Huis
Part of a chain of very popular pancake houses offering mostly savoury pancakes with interesting fillings such as spicy chicken livers. They’re a little stodgy, but you can work off your selection at the adjacent curio shop, one of Pretoria’s best.
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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Taste Restaurant
The menu here is divided into sections including ‘leafy greens’, ‘seawards’ and ‘gastronomical grills’ and the food is simple, fresh and delicious (the massive seafood platters are excellent), making good use of top quality locally sourced meat and veg. The restaurant is open on three sides, with a fire grate in one corner and a low-key jazz soundtrack. Be warned – order a glass of wine and you’ll get a hefty serving.
reviewed
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Pappas
Sitting on a corner with quirky antiques stores and bookshops, this place has a homely, arty feel about it. There’s outdoor space at the front and back, and the excellent cooked breakfasts and counter selling cakes and pastries make it the perfect place for a lazy weekend brunch. Also on the menu are bistro classics and South African favourites such as oxtail and potjiekos (meat and vegetables cooked in a cast-iron pot over an open fire).
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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Café Riche
This historic Pretoria bistro was built back in 1905 and occupies pride of place in the city’s Church Sq. It’s popular with tourists and visiting dignitaries as well as local office workers, and is a great place for a spot of beer and people-watching. The menu has sandwiches, salads and bistro meals as well as a good-value lunch special ( Bokwurst, chips and a beer for R50).
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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Geet
The best place in Pretoria for a spice fix, Geet dishes up delicate and aromatic north Indian curries full of fresh herbs and spices. The dining room has lots of little nooks to get lost in and there’s a 2nd-floor balcony from where to look down on the street action. There’s an excellent range of dishes for vegetarians and a long list of ‘mocktails’.
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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News Café
This perennially popular branch of the News Café chain has a large terrace, a big-screen TV showing 24-hour news and free wi-fi. There’s an extensive breakfast menu as well as decent burgers and sandwiches, and an always-friendly vibe. It’s a good place to sit back with a book and a coffee, or surf the ’net for a couple of hours.
reviewed
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Cynthia’s Indigo Moon
The dining room of this Pretoria favourite exudes warmth. Gently lit, plastered with framed posters of all descriptions and surrounded by a colossal wine cellar, it has the buzz of a New York neighbourhood bistro. The place is best-known for its excellent steaks, which dominate the menu, but the fresh fish dishes aren’t bad either.
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
