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The selected restaurants have been divided into five categories: Gourmet, Business, Trendy, Budget and Personal Recommendations. The restaurants are listed alphabetically within these different categories, which serve as guidelines rather than absolute definitions of the establishments.

By law, VAT, which currently stands at 14%, must be included in all prices on menus and will, thus, already be included in restaurant bills. Most restaurants do not charge a service fee and ‘waitrons’ (local term which incorporates waiters and waitresses) expect to be tipped 10 to15%; however, tables of over six or eight are often charged an automatic 15% service charge. During the peak season, it is advisable to always book a table in advance. Diners should also take note that smoking laws are strict in South Africa and smoking is not permitted in all restaurants; in most there is a separate enclosed space, which usually covers about 25% of the dining area.

The restaurants below have been grouped into four different pricing categories:
$$$$ (over R300)
$$$ (R200 to R300)
$$ (R100 to R200)
$ (up to R100)
These prices are for a three-course meal and for a bottle of house wine or equivalent, including VAT but excluding service charge.

Gourmet

La Belle Terrasse and Loggia
Perched at the top of the cliffs, into which the Westcliff Hotel has been carved, this terrace certainly has one of the city’s most beautiful and surprisingly pastoral views. The décor, in quiet pastels, is elegant, opulent and unabashedly colonial, while the service is confident and competent. The Sunday brunch (a weekly pilgrimage for discerning folk in search of refuge from the bustling city streets) offers a cold buffet that includes French oysters, Caspian Sea caviar, queen prawns, smoked salmon and charcuterie, as well as a host of terrines and salads. The hot buffet includes eggs Benedict, as well as other lunch specialties, such as roasted spring lamb in a rosemary-scented jus. It is a fantastic place to dine in luxury while watching elephants (in the zoo) amble across the paddocks below.

The Westcliff Hotel, 67 Jan Smuts Avenue, Westcliff
Tel: 011 481 6000.
Website: www.westcliff.com
Price: $$$$
Le Canard
A stately suburbian Georgian homestead has become this elegant, romantic rendezvous with noble halls decorated with sweeping drapes, antique furniture and Persian rugs, while outside are flower-filled courtyards. Dishes are typically timeless with duck, veal and seafood dishes that are Le Canard’s signature. Try the queen prawn and fruit salad on gingerbread for starters, followed by the drunken chicken, which is flamed at the table in coconut milk seasoned with ginger, juniper and brandy. Top it all with baked cheesecake.

163 Rivonia Road, Morningside, Sandton
Tel: 011 884 4597.
Website: www.lecanard.co.za
Price: $$$$
Linger Longer
Set in the converted mansion of a former mining magnate, the classic décor with a romantic feel recommends smart to formal dress. Service is skillful (menus are superfluous and the waitrons can rattle off all the standard and special dishes) and the haute cuisine is top class. As a starter, lobster bisque or foie gras, followed for the main event with either crusted rack of lamb, Atlantic salmon or the duck (an all-time favorite) or one of the tempting specials are recommended, topped with homemade assorted sorbet. The Linger Longer first opened its doors in 1961 and can be relied on to impress the pickiest of palates - ideal for business lunches or dinners. Guests are advised to book well in advance.

58 Wierda Road, Wierda Valley, Sandton
Tel: 011 884 0465.
Price: $$$$
Vilamoura
Vilamoura has been considered one of the city’s best Portuguese/seafood restaurants for long enough that the label has firmly stuck. It is smart and quite formal, with a cream and gold interior and stiff, unconvincing art prints decorating the walls. It has a renowned seafood platter that will delight any fish fanatic and is the ideal place to impress important guests (with price tag to match). In addition to seafood, Vilamoura’s piri-piri chicken, Portuguese steak and chouriço (Portuguese traditional sausage) are consistently delicious. A Latin American band plays most nights.

Intercontinental Sandton Towers, corner of Fifth and Alice Streets, Sandhurst, Sandton
Tel: 011 884 0360.
Website: www.vilamoura.co.za
Price: $$$$

Trendy

Buzz 9
With an owner from the Czech Republic and patrons from the ’hipper’ parts of Johannesburg, Buzz 9 has become a quirky but reliable landmark in Bohemian Melville. The interior is industrial-style and the menus are like mini-art folders where listing what food is on offer is secondary to making a statement. The main attraction here is the vast cocktail selection. The Beach Buzz house special is highly recommended - vodka, peach schnapps and gin tipple, mixed with grapefruit and orange juice. If eating, something simple like the huge and delicious nacho platter is a good bet. Diners can eat outside at pavement tables, watching the eclectic street life cruise by.

9 Seventh Street, Melville
Tel: 011 726 2019.
Price: $$
Circle
Circle is owned by the same couple who run The Singing Fig (see below) and the service and menu are on a par. The décor is in warm, natural tones with some interesting modern art and black and white photographs on the walls, and there’s a jazzy, fresh-faced ambience and a young, opinionated clientele. Located on a row of curiosity shops in the fashionable suburb of Greenside, easily reached from Rosebank or Sandton, Circle’s dishes, such as duck with beetroot mash, roast loin of springbok with wild mushrooms and the to-die-for dark Belgium chocolate soufflé, are highly recommended.

141 Greenway Road, Greenside
Tel: 011 646 3744.
Website: www.circlerestaurant.co.za  
Price: $$$
The Singing Fig
With secure parking behind and a location close to main through routes, The Singing Fig’s ambience, which lies somewhere in-between Italians-at-home and trendy pop-art, has made it one of Jo’burg’s ’places to be seen’. Some of the dishes prepared with an unusual mix of fresh ingredients (no preservatives here) are the tiger prawns wrapped in filo pastry with melon and cinnamon as a mouthwatering starter, and crisp free-range duck drizzled with lacquer sauce and grilled vegetables.

44 The Avenue, Norwood Gardens
Tel: 011 728 2434.
Website: www.singingfig.co.za
Price: $$$
Yo! Sushi
Yo! Sushi, part of the international chain, is modern, spacious and Western-Zen inspired (low-cost décor) and claims to be ’a keen participant in avant-garde international culture’. While the sushi and other similar dishes are certainly fresh and healthy, master sushi chef (with seven years of study in Japan under his belt) adds a ’funky’ touch to time-honored tradition. Sushi trundles past on the conveyor-belt, while stir-fries and grilled tuna and salmon come out of the kitchen. Yo! Sushi is ideal for folk who take 10-minute lunch breaks and want to avoid junk food. There’s plenty of sake to wash it down with.

Shop 49, Village Walk Shopping Complex, corner of Rivonia Road and Maude Avenue, Morningside, Sandton
Tel: 011 783 6166.
Price: $$$

Budget

Black Steer Grillhouse and Bulldogs Pub
Black Steer is primarily a steakhouse/sports bar and, with its garish (but strangely comforting) Wild West décor (complete with the obligatory ’Wanted’ poster), it has no pretensions of being anything else. Located in the Rosebank Mall, here is a chance to tackle the awesome pork rib rack and steaks or the succulent calamari surrounded by an eclectic selection of the city’s inhabitants. The service is friendly, competent and attentive. A quiz night is held here every Wednesday.

Shop 171, The Mall of Rosebank, corner of Baker Street and Cradock Avenue, Rosebank
Tel: 011 447 6918.
Price: $$
Chon Hing
Any restaurant that can boast that it has been presenting authentic and delicious Chinese fare for over 40 years must be doing something right. And just when this part of Johannesburg’s supposed ’zone of decay’ is being upgraded as part of the Newtown cultural precinct, the Nelson Mandela bridge happens also to lead almost directly over the tracks to Chon Hing. Here hostess Yvonne will sit you down at a gaudy plastic table on rickety schoolroom chairs and regale you with tales of a city which has seen it all, and serve the best prawns chow mein (one of over 100 dishes) this side of Beijing. Charming and timeless.

26 Alexander Street (off Commissioner), Ferreirastown
Tel: 011 834 3206.
Price: $
Fourno’s Bakery
The best spot in the northern suburbs for breakfast with a newspaper at a table in the sun. Bakers work throughout the night to provide a bewildering range of delicious still-warm breads, pastries, quiches, cakes, samosas, pies and sausage rolls, and full meals extend to pastas, salads and deluxe sandwiches. The farmhouse breakfasts are superb and will keep you going all day, or try toasted rye bread topped with goats’ cheese, spinach and poached eggs. For lunch opt for half a roast chicken taken straight off the spit with a crunchy salad and potato wedges. There’s also a full range of coffees and an extensive deli to shop at. 

Dunkeld West Center, Jan Smuts Avenue, Dunkeld
Tel: 011 325 2110.

33 Baker Square, Rosebank
Tel: 011 447 3392.

OR Tambo International Airport
Tel: 011 390 3502.

Website: www.fournos.co.za
Price: $
The Radium Beer Hall
The Radium is the oldest surviving bar and grill in Johannesburg, with a genuinely historic ambience that is just as enticing as the good food on the menu and as authentic as the foot-tapping live jazz that makes the embossed tin ceiling vibrate in sympathy. One of the oldest pubs in Johannesburg, once frequented by celebrated local author Herman Charles Bosman, now by loyal but loud regulars, it is a no-nonsense pub/restaurant with enough authentic character to make it a tourist attraction. This is the closest to experiencing what Jo’burg was like during the gold-rush era - the walls are covered in memorabilia, from photos of pre-war soccer teams and jazzmen who have played there, to vintage posters and press clippings that record The Radium’s history, beginning in 1934. Delicious prego rolls, excellent ribs, 1kg of prawns for R150 and a wide selection of local and imported beers. The Radium is a great live music venue, with the accent on jazz. Owner Mannie has been known to evict obnoxious guests with his baseball bat.

282 Louis Botha Avenue, Orange Grove
Tel: 011 728 3866.
Website: www.theradium.co.za
Price: $$

Personal Recommendations

The Butcher Shop and Grill
Another on the list of renowned dining venues that lean over Nelson Mandela Square (formerly Sandton Square). Diners should book well in advance to get an evening table here. Granted, the ’Barnyard’ décor may be a little ’standard steakhouse’ and ’childish’ (ironic as no one under 14 is allowed in), but for some of the best steaks (pork, ostrich, lamb, beef and game) in town, this is definitely the spot. For starters, the snails, done in garlic, lemon and other ingredients unique to The Butcher Shop, are great, and to end up, there is a straightforward but delicious ice cream in rich chocolate sauce. The menu also offers poultry, schnitzels, and sausage or seafood platter. The waitrons have been known to intimidate guests into choosing one of the truly world-class wines before letting the implications of the price tag set in.

Shop 30, Nelson Mandela Square, Sandown, Sandton
Tel: 011 784 8676.
Website: www.thebutchershop.co.za
Price: $$$
Carvers
Tucked inside the peaceful suburb of Darrenwood overlooking a small lake and nature reserve, Carvers takes up the bottom floor of a beautiful mansion built in the Cape-Dutch style. The surrounding gardens feature large trees while the interior walls are hung with paintings by the father of owner Francois van Halter, who is clearly a fan of Van Gogh. The atmosphere is one of calm confidence and the renowned theme buffets and other specials, such as the authentically traditional Belgian mussel-pot, are sure to impress. Guests should definitely take advantage of the beer list that tops the 50 mark and includes an impressive choice of Belgian beers. Carvers also boasts comprehensive function and conference facilities and remains a truly professional and yet unpretentious establishment. Highly recommended.

51 Mountain View Avenue, Darrenwood
Tel: 011 678 5417/8.
Website: www.carvers.co.za
Price: $$
Moyo Newtown
Like its famous sister establishment at the Melrose Arch, the décor and ambience of Moyo at the Market Theater, Newtown is a fusion of the signature Moyo style, with its African materials and mosaic work, incorporating the deeply embedded ’protest’ history of the theater and surrounding area. Listen to live music under a 7m- (21ft-) high ceiling, or drink a local lager beer at the raised pub with a startling view of the city CBD. There are three set menus, or select from or peruse the à la carte menu that features Moroccan, Algerian, Mozambican and Angolan cuisine as well as traditional South African fare.

Market Theater Complex, 121 Bree Street, Newtown
Tel: 011 838 1715.
Website: www.moyo.co.za
Price: $$$
Pappas on the Square
From the murals on the walls to the breaking of plates (R3 each), apart from its location overlooking a fairly successful attempt at an Italian piazza (Nelson Mandela Square), everything about Pappas is loudly and proudly Greek. The chef once cooked for Christine Onassis and he produces kleftiko (lamb shank) and a meze platter delicious enough to prove it. Here it is acceptable to shout across the tables for a fresh bottle - something like eating in a Greek home. Guests should hang around long enough for the Greek dancing and (Egyptian really) belly dancer. There is an impressive wine list and big functions are readily catered for.

Nelson Mandela Square (Level 1), corner of Fifth and Alice Streets, Sandton
Tel: 011 884 9991.
Price: $$$
Rodizio Bedfordview
This Brazilian restaurant is an excellent choice for lovers of spicy food and the dinner/dance experience. Those feeling in the mood for beef must try the house specialty, ’Rodizio’, which begins when a plate of rice, big bowls of spinach in white sauce and chips and vegetables arrive. Guests are then presented with a wooden ’robot’ (local term for traffic light) with which they can signal for a variety of roasted meat as often as they wish. The meal is only over when you instruct for your plate to be removed. The platter of Mozambique prawns grilled in lemon butter or simmered in beer are excellent too. Large groups of regulars usually patronise the evening live act, sometimes accompanied by bands and Latin American dancers. The service does match the laid-back but fairly festive ambience. For a different drink, the guarana, which tastes like apples, or the caparinha, a sweet Brazilian cocktail, are both recommended.

Shop 35, Village View Shopping Center, corner of Kloof and Van Buuren Roads, Bedfordview
Tel: 011 455 1093.
Website: www.rodizio.co.za
Price: $$; seafood $$$



Nightlife:

Johannesburg has a lively nightlife and venues go in and out of fashion all the time. In Soweto and other townships, nightlife is centered on shebeens (informal drinking places, which are often in someone’s home) or taverns (more fancy than shebeens, possibly with live music). Going out alone in Soweto is not advised, although do go with a local or take a guided shebeen tour (see Soweto Tours in the Key Attractions section).

Across the rest of the city are numerous places to drink from male- and sport-dominated pubs to fancy cocktail lounges or trendy hotel bars. Nightlife is focused around distinct districts, with Melville being one of the most popular areas. Here along Seventh Street and the neighboring roads, dozens of little bars spill out on the street and are ideal for a pub crawl. Other northern suburbs such as Rosebank, Norwood, Rivonia and Orange Grove are favored by more affluent party animals, while in the Central Business District, Newtown has become popular again after dark.

Nightclubs have very late opening hours as there are no real licensing laws in South Africa. The legal drinking age is 18, though some clubs have a 21 or 25 age restriction. Some of the upmarket hotels and nightclubs have a smart-casual dress code, although in almost all other establishments, anything goes. Admission charges for clubs are fairly common and a certainty when there is a live band playing, though some are free before 2300. A highly recommended listings website is www.jhblive.co.za.

Bars: In Melville, Catz Pajamas is a 24-hour restaurant and pub on Main Road, housed in an old building with an iron balcony where you can watch the sun come up over breakfast after a night’s partying. Roxy Rhythm Bar, also on Main Road, is a laid-back place for a drink and a game of pool or pinball, although it does get busy later as local bands play every night. The Ratz Bar, Seventh Street, is another vibrant young bar, while Xai Xai, also on Seventh Street, is an artsy late-night bar with a long list of cocktails and Mozambique-inspired menu. Cool Runnings on Fourth Avenue has a reggae theme and occasional hosts live comedy.

One of the city’s oldest bars is Radium Beer Hall, 282 Louis Botha Avenue, in Orange Grove (website: www.theradium.co.za). It started life as a tea room in 1929, was converted to a beer hall in 1944 and has never looked back. The long bar is the original bar from the Ferreirastown Hotel from the early mining days.

Alternatively, for real upmarket swank in the suburbs, try the bar at the Park Hyatt Hotel, Oxford Road, Rosebank, which is currently a trendy spot to be seen, especially for an after-work drink. Also in Rosebank in the mall attached to the Park Hyatt, Katzy’s is very popular with the northern suburbs affluent residents and offers fat sofas, chunky bricks, soft blues music and a top-of-the-range selection of cigars, cognacs and whiskies.

In Sandton, most of the happening bars are located around the atmospheric Nelson Mandela Square, adjacent to the Sandton City Mall (website: www.nelsonmandelasquare.com). This is an Italian-style piazza ringed with trees with twinkly lights and overlooked by a 6m (20ft) statue of the formidable man himself.

Melrose Arch, off Corlett Drive in Melrose (website: www.melrosearch.co.za), is another trendy piazza-style complex with a number of fashionable places to eat and drink. Try the stylish bar in the Melrose Arch Hotel with its stylish dark wood bar, leather armchairs and unique modern African décor.

Clubs: The most upmarket club in Johannesburg is Monsoon Lagoon at the Emperor’s Palace Casino in Kempton Park (website: www.monsoonlagoon.co.za), where there’s extravagant décor and lighting, high-tech sound equipment and a team of professional dancers who strut their stuff on podiums.

Melville has its fair share of trendy nightclubs. Look into Buzz 9 on Seventh Street, which has oversized mirrors, plush cushions and regular DJs, while Tokyo Star on Fourth Avenue is decorated in Japanese pop culture décor and sushi is available.

In Newtown, the Horror Cafe, 15 Miriam Makeba Street, is decorated with horror movie memorabilia and plays African music including the infectious kwaito at the weekends, while Carfax, 39 Pim Street (website: www.carfax.co.za), is the place to go if you are in the mood for performance art with your beer - it also arranges raves at the weekends on three dance floors. The Rock, 1987 Vundla Street, Rockville, is one of Soweto’s trendiest clubs, which again features kwaito and jazz, a large bar, roof deck and dance floor.

Favored venues for raves are Reality, 248 Jeppe Street, which has three dance floors and offers a blend of hip hop, house and drum’n’bass, Bump, on the corner of Alexander and Aitken Roads, and Midrand, the home of some big parties of note. Big Brother Productions (clubs website: www.clubzone.co.za) hosts regular H²O parties at Wildwaters, a water theme park in Boksburg, east of Johannesburg.

Live Music: Formerly in Melville, The Bassline (website: www.bassline.co.za) has moved to the Newtown Music Hall in Newtown and is still one of the most popular jazz and blues venues in Johannesburg, hosting many great local live bands (such as Tananas, who have previously performed with Sting and Paul Simon). Also in Newtown, The Songwriter’s Club, Carr Street, hosts up-and-coming musicians including hip-hop artists from the townships, while Kippies, at the Market Theater, 121 Bree Street (website: www.kippies.co.za), hosts very good (and consequently packed) jazz nights.

In Melville, Roxy Rhythm Bar (see Bars above) may lean towards students but, despite its brawny rock and basic burger atmosphere, you are still certain of a great local music line-up. Rosebank has the dark, smoky Blues Room, located in the Village Walk complex on Rivonia Road (website: www.bluesroom.co.za), which is rated as the best jazz and blues venue in town. There’s also live music four nights a week at the Radium Beer Hall (see Bars above) and a 19-piece jazz band plays on the first Sunday of the month. An excellent website to visit is www.tonight.co.za.

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