Restaurants in Johannesburg
Top-notch international restaurants, including the authentic Indian Bukhara, crowd the classy suburb of Sandton, which is also home to the five-star Auberge Michel. Head to Melrose Arch and Newtown for the full-flavoured babotie (mince casserole), or sample it in spartan Soweto for a more authentic experience. Cyrildene is synonymous with Chinese cuisine and Carnivore restaurant with serious meat cravings. Most restaurants take a break between lunch and dinner. Standard tipping is 10%.
moyo
Food on five floors
moyo in Melrose Arch serves food from all over the African continent amidst
African-inspired décor and design on five themed floors. Entertaining
Gumboot dancers, Mbira players and storytellers accompany the long menu,
which offers everything from Nigerian soups and Moroccan mezes to Swahili
curries and seafood Mozambique-style.
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Opening Hours
Daily 12pm-late
Address
Shop 5, The High Street, Melrose Arch, Johannesburg 2070
Telephone
+27 (0) 11 684 1477
Gramadoelas
Historical African flavours
Located in Newtown, in the Market Theatre, Gramadoelas is a fine historical
restaurant decorated with antiques, chandeliers, African art and theatre
memorabilia. The food is traditional South African, from babotie
(mince casserole) to Cape Malay curries and melktert (milk tart).
North African dishes feature too, just ask the waiters to talk you through
the menu.
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Opening Hours
Mon 6pm-11.30pm; Tue-Sat 12pm-3pm & 6pm-11.30pm
Address
Market Theatre, Bree Street, Newtown, Johannesburg 2001
Telephone
+27 (0) 11 838 6960
Bukhara
Authentic Indian cuisine
At Bukhara in Sandton, North Indian chefs prepare authentic tandooris and
curries along with traditional South African dishes from a glass-enclosed
kitchen. Marble flooring and teak wooden tables decorate this upmarket
restaurant, popular with sophisticated local diners since 1995. Choose a
fine bottle from the award-winning wine list to go with your meal.
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Opening Hours
Daily 12pm-3pm & 6pm-11pm (until 10pm Sun & Mon)
Address
Nelson Mandela Square, Sandton, Johannesburg 2196
Telephone
+27 (0) 11 883 5555
La Belle Terrasse and Loggia
Chic continental cuisine
Continental cuisine, whether it be breakfast, dinner or Sunday brunch, comes
with silver service and an extensive wine list at La Belle Terrasse and
Loggia in Westcliff. Spectacular city views add a touch of romance to the
elegant décor, complementing classic dishes like foie gras, risotto and beef
fillet.
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Opening Hours
Daily 6.30am-10.30am & 7pm-11pm (Sunday brunch 11.30am-3pm)
Address
Westcliff Hotel, 67, Jan Smuts Avenue, Westcliff, Johannesburg 2193
Telephone
+27 (0) 11 481 6000
Auberge Michel
Five-star French food
Born in France, where he developed his love of fine cuisine, former Soweto
resident Michel Morand runs a classy restaurant in Sandton, popular with
Johannesburg's major players. Auberge Michel is the country's first
officially rated five-star eatery, serving superlative French dishes. The
fillet mignon of springbok antelope, for example, is sheer pleasure on a
plate.
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Opening Hours
Tue-Fri 12pm-2.30pm & 6.30pm-10pm; Sat & Mon 6.30pm-10pm
Address
112, Pretoria Avenue, Sandton, Johannesburg 2196
Telephone
+27 (0) 11 883 7013
Carnivore
Meat buffet galore
Carnivore is a 500-seater restaurant in Muldersdrift famous for its
gut-busting meaty fare roasted on spears over coals in the central fire pit.
Waiters hack off chunks of chicken, sausage, pork, lamb and some game meat
on to your plate until you surrender. Make sure you are hungry when you
arrive.
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Opening Hours
Daily 12pm-2.30pm & 6pm-12am
Address
69, Drift Boulevard, Muldersdrift, Johannesburg 1747
Telephone
+27 (0) 11 950 6067
The Butcher Shop & Grill
South African steaks
The Butcher Shop & Grill in Sandton is where succulent
boerewors (beef sausages) and tender, cut-to-order steaks meet with
some of South Africa's best wines - think of Thelema, Le Riche and
Boekenhoutskloof winemakers to name but a few. Book in advance for a table
on the terrace overlooking Nelson Mandela Square.
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Opening Hours
Daily 12pm-10.30pm
Address
Shop 30, Nelson Mandela Square, Sandton, Johannesburg 2146
Telephone
+27 (0) 11 784 8676/7
Transport
Taxi or hire car
Cape Town Fish Market
Seafood and tradition
Historical photographs from various museums decorate the Cape Town Fish
Market restaurant in Sandton, evoking the flavour of the mother city in its
heyday. The extensive menu offers a variety of South African and Japanese
dishes, including seafood, sushi and fish curries, while the fresh fish
display allows for custom-made platters.
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Opening Hours
Daily 11am-11pm
Address
Shop BC 21, Banking Court Level, Sandton City, Johannesburg 2196
Telephone
+27 (0) 11 884 8529
Osteria Tre Nonni
Regional flavours from Italy
The unpretentious Osteria Tre Nonni in Craighall Park specialises in regional
Italian dishes. The restaurant has starched white tablecloths and
taverna-style straw-bottomed chairs, but with around 20 varieties of pasta
and risotto, imported San Daniele ham (not any old Parma ham) and perfectly
cooked ossobuco (braised veal shank), food takes the front seat here.
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Opening Hours
Tue-Sat 12pm-3pm & 6pm-10pm; Sun lunch only
Address
9, Grafton Avenue Centre, Grafton Road, Craighall Park, Johannesburg 2196
Telephone
+27 (0) 11 327 0095
Yamato
More than sushi
Tucked away in Johannesburg's trendy Illovo suburb, award-winning Yamato
tempts diners with set and a-la-carte menus, going beyond sushi and
sashimi. Here you'll find crab, salmon and tuna on offer. Adding
elegance to the simplicity of Oriental culture, even the décor is a
refreshing alternative to regular Japanese restaurants.
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Opening Hours
Mon-Fri 12pm-2.30pm & 6.30pm-10pm; Sat 6.30pm-10pm; Sun 12pm-2.30pm & 6pm-9pm
Address
196, Oxford Road, Corner Chaplin, Illovo, Johannesburg 2196
Telephone
+27 (0) 11 268 0511/12
Wandies Place
Indigenous African fare
Going strong for more than 15 years, Wandies Place is a former township pub
and one of the first restaurants in Soweto to welcome tourists, amongst them
Richard Branson, Jesse Jackson and the All Blacks. The traditional township
fare, eaten informally at long tables, includes chicken and mutton stews
with dumplings or pap (stiff maize porridge).
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Opening Hours
Daily 8am-10am & 12pm-10pm
Address
618, Makhalamele Street, Dube, Johannesburg 1801
Telephone
+27 (0) 11 982 2796
Fournos Bakery
Hot from the oven
Bakers work all night at Fournos Bakery in Dunkeld to prepare a huge variety
of bread, cakes, quiches and pastries. A popular choice for business and
family lunches, this legendary bakery offers huge breakfasts and light
meals, and there is also a full deli counter selling imported meat, cheese
and ready-made gourmet meals.
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Opening Hours
Mon-Fri 7am-6pm; Sat 7am-4pm; Sun 7am-2pm
Address
Dunkeld Shopping Centre, Corner of Jan Smuts Avenue and Bompas Road, Johannesburg 2024
Telephone
+27 (0) 11 325 2111
Assaggi
Classic Italian
Importing passion and knowledge for Italian cuisine from the foodie town of
Ravenna, owner Luciana Righi has turned Assaggi into an extremely popular
restaurant. Originally a small deli, today the unfussy, 130-seat
establishment in Illovo turns out dishes sublime enough to tempt even the
most diet-conscious celebrities. Its inimitable bruschetta is the queen of
starters.
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Opening Hours
Mon-Sat 12.30pm-2pm & 6.30pm-9pm
Address
30, Post Office Centre, Rudd Road, Johannesburg 2196
Telephone
+27 (0) 11 268 1370
Transport
Taxi
Cranks
Asian junk house
With its solid reputation for good food since it opened in the 1980s and
eye-catching dragons and scorpions from Hong Kong as decorations, Cranks in
Rosebank is the pick of the Thai-Vietnamese food scene. The menu at this
reconstructed plastic junk house is as interesting as its décor. Try the
mussels in tamarind sauce.
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Opening Hours
Tue-Sun 12pm-10.30pm
Address
Shop 52 Rosebank Mall, Craddock Avenue, Rosebank, Johannesburg 2121
Telephone
+27 (0) 11 880 3442
Transport
Taxi or hire car
Fisherman's Plate
Chinatown favourite
Standing out among the restaurant-crowded Cyrildene district, Johannesburg's
Chinatown, Fisherman's Plate is a gastronomic delight. The unhurried service
and modest decor don't stop seafood lovers flocking to this restaurant, run
with real enthusiasm by a husband and wife team for more than a decade.
Fisherman's Plate operates on a first-come-first-served basis, so get there
early.
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Opening Hours
Tue-Sun 12pm-2.30pm & 6pm-9pm
Address
The Courtyard, Derrick Avenue, Cyrildene, Johannesburg 2198
Telephone
+27 (0) 11 622 0480
Transport
Taxi
