Johannesburg Restaurant Tips by CatherineReichardt Top 5 Page for this destination

Bambanani: Tapas and toddlers without tears

Bambanani in trendy Melville is a noble and highly successful attempt to create a restaurant that meets the needs of both parents and children without having to concede to dull steakhouse/burger joint cuisine. It's a brave concept, and if it works, then the originators are going to make heaps of money!

A web review sums up its appeal as follows: "The first of its kind, Bambanani is causing all sorts of excited ripples amongst time strapped parents looking to multitask. In a nutshell, it's a place where you can enjoy a good meal, relegate the kids to highly qualified child minders, and catch up on unfinished business utilizing the restaurants wifi connection."

I went there recently for Sunday lunch with a friend and our respective children, and was impressed at the huge jungle gym in the open area behind the restaurant, which allows parents to eat on the deck whilst keeping an eye on their kids. The fact that the play area is separated into two sections catering for the littlies and the older kids is also well thought out, and not something that is usually done well in other 'child friendly' restaurants. There are also welcome homely touches, such as a lost property basket from where you can salvage all those items that your little darling leaves strewn behind in their wake.

There is also a more 'grown up' inside section which has nice ambience and features such as fireplaces, but I would caution against the childless selecting this as the venue for a romantic meal (it may prove to be somewhat of a contraceptive experience!). It would, however, be a very good option for a family meal out that has to cater for several generations.

The kids menu is short but good, and features more interesting and healthy options than the usual chicken nuggets or fish fingers with chips - I ended up happily polishing off the remains of my son's meatballs with wedges and peas, which were excellent! I understand that there is also a baby menu - various pureed options for kids that are on solids but not yet up to real food - which is very imaginative. Would I have gone for this option when my kids were tiny? Well, to be honest, I'm not sure, but I am sure that many will find the convenience outweighs the cost.

The adult menu is good - my friend and I shared a selection of tapas dishes, which were tasty, although I must say that they were a little on the pricey side. There are also Greek and Mediterranean options that looked pretty attractive on the plates that were whisked past us!

Be sure to book well in advance, especially if you want to sit out on the terrace, as this is becoming a very popular option with the moneyed breeding classes of the northern suburbs!

Update: as our kids have grown and thrived, so has Bambanani! They appear to have expanded into the next door property, and these days, in addition to the wonderful - and supervised - multistorey outdoor jungle gym (excuse the grainy photo taken with my phone at hight), it has added a dedicated playroom complete with movies on a flatscreen TV, Wii games and a library section with an imaginative selection of children's books.

Not surprisingly, this is fast becoming the birthday party venue of choice in the northern suburbs!

Favorite Dish: Without a doubt, the Argentinian steak! I am not especially carnivorous, and would seldom order steak in a restaurant, but this is something quite extraordinary! Meltingly tender fillet with a marinade of olive oil, onion, parsley, red pepper and some other special ingredient that I can't quite work out (despite having resorted to asking the chef!), it is utterly delectable!

The homemade chicken nuggets and pasta with meatballs on the children's menu are also excellent and pleasantly healthy compared to kiddies' offerings in other restaurants.

Pricier than average, but well worth the additional cost in terms of both food quality, surroundings and ambience.

Address: 85 4th Avenue, Melville

Comparison: more expensive than average

Directions: See website below for a map

Phone: 011 482 2900

Price: US$11-20

Rating: 5

Theme: Eclectic/International

Website: http://www.jhblive.com/venues/bambanani/9595

Arts on Main: Go grazing at Market on Main

I had been meaning to visit the trendy Arts on Main complex for ages, and this last long weekend presented the ideal opportunity to explore and hone my kids' budding foodie tastebuds (a passion which their palates may applaud me for, but my wallet may yet regret me encouraging!).

On Sundays and the first Thursday night of the month, Arts on Main hosts a market, showcasing gourmet food from local producers. It is a splendid place to graze, first sampling the produce from the stalls and finally plumping for the one that grabs your fancy. A particular favourite is flatbread with a roasted tomato, pecorino and rocket topping, and my son devoured four skewers of chicken satay almost without drawing breath!

I was particularly taken by Pauli's slow cooked tomato dip (as featured in the photo above) with deep, seductive undertones of Indian spicing: his ancestors apparently spent several generations there perfecting his recipe, so no wonder it's so good!

At the time of writing in May 2012, the market was open from 10:00 - 15:00 on Sundays and 19:00 - 22:00 on the first Thursday of the month excepting January and April, but this may be subject to change, so check the exact details on the website to avoid disappointment.

If you're grown up (or at least adult), you could indulge in sensory overload by treating yourself to cocktails and boutique beer at the same time ... highly recommended!

Comparison: about average

Directions: Art on Main

Price: less than US$10

Rating: 4

Theme: Grocery Store/Market

Website: http://marketonmain.co.za/

Arts on Main: A seriously cool spot for cocktails!

I must declare my prejudice upfront: I am not a cocktail person, and indeed, rarely - if ever - drink spirits. I am allergic to wine, but compensate for this by being an enthusiastic beer drinker - indeed, my husband often claims (hopefully in jest) that one of his selection criteria was that I was a cheap date!

However, if I were to drink cocktails, Arts on Main would most certainly be my preferred haunt!

Cocktails at Joburgers, the bar at Arts on Main have become wildly popular, and at the time of writing (May 2012), the opening hours had been extended to the following:
Monday - Thursday 16:30 - 21:30
Friday: 15:00 - 22:00
Saturday: 12:00 - 22:00
Sundays: 13:00 - 18:30

Thursday night cocktails and Sunday in the City are fast becoming an institution, and if you're looking for that new York boho vibe, then this is the place to be. Grab a Mojito and lounge amid the olive and lemon trees hidden away in the trendy converted warehouse environment, smugly relishing that inner city vibe whilst the more conventional classes retreat to their staid suburbans refuges!

If you're here on a Sunday, you can bring self indulgence to a new level by combining your cocktails with upmarket foodie grazing at the excellent Market on Main.

Address: Arts on Main

Comparison: less expensive than average

Price: less than US$10

Rating: 0

Theme: Other

Website: http://www.mabonengprecinct.com/

Moemas, Parktown North: Scrumptious fare in an al fresco cafe setting

This morning I took a friend of mine - who's confused but intrigued by my VT habit - on a tour of the Jo'burg CBD. She is Jo'burg born and bred, so knew the CBD like the back of her hand in her youth but (like so many Jo'burg suburbanites) has scarcely ventured into the CBD for the past decade.

In return for our girl's outing, she treated me to lunch in one of her favourite cafes: Moemas in trendy Parktown North. 'The Parks' (Parktown, Parktown North and Craighall Park) - as the estate agents collectively refer to them - are a series of inner suburbs north of the Johannesburg CBD that are considered to be highly desirable because of their central location and leafy village atmosphere.

Moemas is a fine example of cafe society in the Parks and is located in the fashionable Parktown Quarter complex at the corner of 3rd and 7th Avenues (heaven alone knows how Parktown was ever allowed to develop a road naming convention with avenues running both north-south and east-west!).

Run by a pair who both trained at Leith's cookery school in London (Prue Leith is originally a South African herself), Moemas is the perfect location for Ladies who Lunch during the week and a popular haunt for weekend cappuchino society too - which explains why I'd never come across it before, as I fall into neither subset! It is also open for supper most evenings (check the website below for exact details).

If you're interested in knowing how the upper middle class professionals of Johannesburg live, this is ideal for people watching!

Favorite Dish: We had a light lunch: 'pizza' with a brioche base in her case, and a chorizo, courgette, spinach and gorgonzola tart in mine, both of which came with a salad garnish. Both were delicious and the exquisit lightness of the brioche and the pastry confirmed why Moemas bills itself as a patisserie.

An interesting selection of imaginative salads is available (priced per 100g) as well as a range of delicious-sounding daily specials.

A range of homemade cakes and pastries are on offer, including delicious-looking chocolate cupcakes smothered with chocolate ganache and topped with mint leaves and raspberry meringues.

The restaurant is licenced (ie. can serve alcohol) but also offers a delicious range of non-alcoholic beverages, including a delightful homemade mint lemonade served with sparkling water.

Address: Parktown Quarter Cnr 3rd & 7th Ave, Parktown North

Comparison: more expensive than average

Phone: : 011 788 7725

Price: US$11-20

Rating: 4

Theme: Other

Website: http://www.moemas.co.za/

Various fast food outlets: Places to grab a bite in the CBD

There's a lot of scaremongering done about the Johannesburg CBD, and although it isn't a place that I'd recommend that the tourist explore by themselves in the dead of night, during the day it's an interesting and vibrant place to explore provided that you take sensible precautions (such as not flashing valuables).

Exploring a CBD whose main claim to fame is its crime rate can be an exhausting business, so if you're looking for somewhere cheap and convenient to grab a bite to eat, you could do a lot worse than the Food Court at the Carlton Centre. Nestled at the base of Africa's tallest building, the Food Court is on the lower level and hosts most of South Africa's most popular fast food chains, including imports such as Kentucky Fried Chicken and McDonalds, and more interesting local chains such as Steers (burgers), Spur (steakhouse), Nando's (Portuguese style chicken) and Mi Vami (Middle Eastern inspired food).

This is not gourmet fare - but then neither is the price tag - and you will be assured reasonable quality food in a secure environment with good amenities (such as decent toilet facilities) which you won't find as easily elsewhere in the CBD. And given that yu're here already, why not treat yourself to a view out over Johannesburg from the Top of Africa on the top floor of Africa's highest building?

Address: Food court at the Carlton Centre

Comparison: less expensive than average

Price: less than US$10

Rating: 3

Theme: Fast Food

The Guildhall: An old fashioned Johannesburg watering hole

Johannesburg was born out of a gold rush, and all the prospecting, rock breaking and making of and losing fortunes is thirsty work.

It should therefore come as no surprise that Johannesburg in the gold rush era boasted an enormous number of bars in which the miners celebrated their god fortune or downed their sorrows. Indeed, one of the most interesting exhibits at the excellent World of Beer is a map of Jo'burg in the 1890s, illustrating the location of all the bars as red dots - the resultant map looks like it is suffering from an acute case of measles!

One of the few survivors from that era is the Guildhall, which is located on the corner of Market and Harrison Streets. It is an unpretentious and convivial spot, with a traditional bar downstairs and a balcony upstairs which commands a view over Library Gardens and the lovely Victorian architecture of the Gauteng Provincial Legislature. This is a great spot to retire for sundowners as you leisurely watch the population scuttle back to suburbia.

Favorite Dish: Like most South African pubs, there is a limited menu of 'pub grub' - probably the best options are the Portuguese staples such as prego roll (steak roll with peri peri chilli sauce) which are renowned for their stomach-lining properties. When I first moved to Jo'burg in the late '80s, the Guildhall was one of our favourites spots for a pub lunch on the Friday after payday - needless to say, not much productivity was achieved thereafter!

Comparison: less expensive than average

Phone: +27 11 833 1770

Price: less than US$10

Rating: 4

Theme: Pub/Brewery

Stall outside Art on Main: Your chance to sample nyama choma (BBQ goat)!

Looking to sample the quintessential traditional African delicacy? Well, look no further than nyama choma - traditional braaied (barbecued) goat, much favoured by our President, Jacob Zuma!

I was particularly taken by this nyama choma stall around the corner from the ultra cool Art on Main complex where goat was being braaied on an open grill. Seating was township style - on upturned crates - and the smell wafting down the street was delicious!

If this is something that's on your bucket list to sample, I would recommend that you try it for the first time somewhere like this, where you can be pretty sure that the hygiene is good - if you find that it's to your liking, then you can indulge your newfound taste in more rustic locations thereafter.

Comparison: about average

Price: less than US$10

Rating: 0

Theme: African

The Terrace, Westcliff hotel: Don't miss High Tea!

High Tea at the Westcliff Hotel is an absolute treat, and not to be missed! It takes place mid afternoon and is open to non-residents as well as guests, but space is very limited, so be sure to book in advance.

High Tea is a hang over from the Colonial period and comprises a buffet of sweet and savoury offerings - cakes, pastries, scones and jam for the sweet toothivores and savoury tarts and other finger food to round off the experience. It is silver service - the tea pots and sugar bowls are solid silver, and other non-alcoholic beverages are also available for an all inclusive price. You certainly won't have to eat again that day!

The high point is the stunning view from the Terrace over the leafy suburbs of Saxonwold and Forest Town - particularly in the jacaranda season (October/November) when the houses are submerged under a carpet of purple blossom. From here, you realise why the established northern suburbs of Johannesburg are technically classed as a 'forest' by biologists due to the density of trees! The Terrace is also a very picturesque place for sundowners, although again, booking is necessary.

If you're in the area, don't miss out on the excellent Johannesburg Zoo, which is just across the road (and also has a good cafe by the Great Ape enclosure)

Favorite Dish: Everything! The British culinary tradition is often justifiably ridiculed, but there is no question that the Brits excel at breakfast and High Tea!

Address: Westcliff Hotel, Jan Smuts Avenue

Comparison: more expensive than average

Directions: About 2km north of the CBD

Phone: +27 11 481 6000

Price: US$11-20

Rating: 5

Theme: Other

Moyo, Melrose Arch: More about good design & ambience than great food

As I have said elsewhere, I'm not a great fan of the Moyo franchise, as I find their food underwhelming and their in-your-face African approach 'gimmicky' - the face painting and the dancing I can tolerate, but the ritual handwashing (with said employee subserviently murmuring "wishee washee") really tries my patience ...

Moyo at Melrose Arch is all about the location and setting, and very little about the food (a sad conclusion to draw about a restaurant). Melrose Arch is a brand new precinct which has been specifically designed to facilitate al fresco dining, and even on winter evenings, it's possible to dine outside courtesy of braziers and patio heaters (don't even think about the greenhouse gas emissions, but then Melrose Arch is a monument to conspicuous consumption). Ultimately it's a place 'to see and be seen'.

Inside the restaurant is built on a number of levels with little nooks and crannies incorporated into the design. This lends an intimacy that is sadly lacking from many restaurants.

All in all, a triumph of design and branding, but a disappointment to the taste buds and best suited to business dining where you aren't personally picking up the tab.

Favorite Dish: The best thing that I've head there is the unspectacular sounding Nigerian peanut soup, which was really very 'moreish'.

Everything else I've had has been OK but unspectacular and overpriced - but then I guess you're paying for the location. I think that there is a dumbing down of flavours to suit a bland international palate, which is a shame given some of the vibrant cuisines that the menu suggests that it has drawn on.

The menu varies slightly between the different franchise restaurants, which I hope reflects a championing of local ingredients.

Address: Melrose Arch

Comparison: more expensive than average

Price: US$21-30

Rating: 2

Theme: African

Nando's: South Africa's love affair with takeaway chicken

One of the few advantages of South Africa's pariah existence under apartheid is that many of the international fast food chains gave us a wide berth - many, like Burger King never made it here at all - which allowed us to develop our own distinctive fast food culture.

Kentucky Friend Chicken was an exception, and established its first store here as early as 1971. Fried chicken is extremely popular - particularly with the black population - and lots of 'me too' local brands such as Chicken Licken have sprung up to compete in this very lucrative market.

Far more interestingly, the 1990s saw the proliferation of a range of Mozambiquean-inspired chicken takeaways, of which Nando's is the best known and most established. The chicken is grilled - rather than deep fried - and the hallmark is the use of peri peri (hot chilli) spice.

Favorite Dish: Nando's food is a little more expensive than the average takeaway, but the quality is also better.

My favourites are the chicken wraps and chicken pitas, which are served with salad and sauce. These come in a variety of flavours, from 'lemon and garlic', through 'mild' to 'very hot'. These are relative terms, as even the lemon and garlic has a distinct kick of heat, and the mild is as hot as I would venture (and, having been brought up in Britain, I can usually handle pretty spicy curries). This is not the time for machismo, so the first time that you order, be realistic about what proportion of your taste buds you wish to preserve: if your order is a little too tame for your taste, there is a selection of chilli sauce on the table to spice things up!

Other alternatives are grilled chicken portions, which are served with rice and/or rather good chips (again with a sprinkling of peri peri salt), or you can choose a healthier option of mealies (corn on the cob).

Nando's is renowed/notorious for its iconoclastic, close-to-the-bone advertising which poke fun at local politicians in particular - their ads are often reported to the Advertising Standards authority (and occasionally banned) for being too provocative, which only adds to the edginess and cachet of the brand. An advert flighted a couple of years ago lampooned the (easily lampoonable) head of the ANC Youth League, Julius Malema, using a 'Spitting Image' type puppet, and said puppet was later auctioned for charity, raising thousands (bought, if I recall correctly, by a South African expat living in Australia?)

Comparison: more expensive than average

Price: less than US$10

Rating: 4

Theme: African