This very cutely named store is the place you need to go for a snack. It’s just that – a bakery that will also give you a cheese burger and chips for a shade over R20 or a Finding Nemo themed birthday cake so clear it looks screen-printed. The queues around lunch time are testament to the cheap, hit-the-spot quick bites that the busy Joe needs to keep moving for the rest of the day. For those with the luxury of time on their hands there’s a coffee shop attached that serves light lunches, with tables on Main Street. The vibe on the street is busy business – so dip your almond biscotti into your cappuccino while watching people meander past the large replica gold Zimbabwe Rhino in front of the Jenga-esque 45 Fox Street building. Try figure out how the building hasn’t fallen over yet.
Speedy tip – get on a first name basis with the lady running the show, get the phone number and pre-order a beef and avo wrap (with chips & salad on the side) for 28 bucks and have it at your table the minute you sit down. Impress your friends, get the promotion, be a hero.
Not to be confused with the new fancy spot in Greenside, the original has been keeping things merry in the city centre for the last three years.
Located on the corner of Anderson and Simmonds, The Office seems to have the correct location and moniker to attract weary Standard Bankers to indulge in a few pints after work on a Friday. Indeed, it does do just that. Our first attempt at sampling what The Office has to offer ended at the door as they adhere strictly to closing times, with the second getting to the beer but not the food. You’ll part with twelve and a bit ZAR for a Label and the food seems to be around the R30 mark, but the kitchen closes at 3pm so be swift. You get the feeling from the décor and ambience inside that you really could be anywhere in South Africa, but least likely so in the CBD. So if your idea of going into the CBD is to get out of it, mentally at least, then The Office is your place. Otherwise it’s just fine for a cold one after a day in the city.
51 Anderson Street, Johannesburg. Tel +27 11 8387393
This spot really has a lot of potential. To be frank, Braamfontein really has a lot of potential. Sitting on the cusp on the inner city, The Bridge Diner sits below Nelson Mandela Bridge, one of our city’s biggest landmarks, and one of the city’s biggest ironies. I say irony because in any other city in the world the bridge would be going over water, and this little diner would be sitting on one of its banks. Instead we have a bridge built over a sea of trains.
The place is cosy, and still needs to grow into itself a little, but a cheap and decent food offering in the city is golden after most businesses are still shutting down after dark. The city is filled with thousands that are left hungry and in need of a party. The Bridge Diner is going to help significantly with this. Pizza wont blow your mind, but its cheap and fills the spot, And quite frankly, Im ok with that sometimes.
If you looking for a regular party to go to afterwards, go to Pantsula Bites on a weekend evening and try move more than two meters in either direction, or Kitchners which is on the same street, just on the other side of Jan Smuts.
At the bottom end of Commissioner Street, deep in the heart of Joburg’s old Chinatown on an unassuming corner (and I use that word with caution — the last time I was there a vagrant was peeing on the wall outside the restaurant), with yellow paint peeling from its walls and sticky plastic tablecloths (are they still called table”cloths”?) is the Yung Chen Noodle Den, one of the few destinations left on that street for Chinese food since Chinatown upped sticks and headed for Cyrildene. I can only speak for the crispy chicken, the sizzling peppery beef and the chicken and sweetcorn soup — after five visits in less than three months I have never managed to order anything else………
Located in the Banking District of the inner city, Mo’s has quickly become a favorite. Because there are so many chicken places in the city, its become important to differentiate. The fact that its ‘Jamaican’, sets it apart from anywhere else. It means a sweetness I’ve never tasted before, it means the chicken comes with ‘coco bread’. I’m looking forward to working my way through all the other specialties.
Oh, and just a side note; I’ve heard the owner talk. She has the coolest accent, so this is legit people!
The aptly-named mall is a great access point for anyone wanting to explore Little Addis. Inside the mall, the majority of stores are Ethiopian, selling anything and everything from music, coffee and spices to traditional wedding dresses. The mall is best accessed from Jeppe Street, but can also be entered from Bree. The mall is close to Von Weilig as a cross street. Look out for the large white and red sign reading Joburg Mall. On the top floor, we recommend Cafe Addis as a great spot for traditional Ethiopian food. Give a warm greeting to our main man Kassa who is one of the owners. He’s a great man and knows the area really well.
My big rhetorical question is such: Who’s to say modern township style-cuisine can’t be served in a bright, clean take away restaurant? The result is a successful one, and this places is one of newly-invigorated Braamfontein’s biggest success story. On weekends, they’re open 24 hours. The fare is well priced, and sitting on the deck in the sunshine in the city bustle is pleasant to say the least.
Corner of Jan Smuts and Jorissen Street. 23 Jorissen.
In amongst the newly invigorated hustle and bustle of Ghandi Square, Traffic Square has been filling the stomachs of Joburg citizens since the days of the mine dumps. One could put forward a pretty strong argument by saying that Traffic Square might be the only authentic diner in the city. And by ‘diner’ I’m talking about quite an intricate set of identifying markers. Firstly, the old 19-footsek booths and counter. Secondly, the cheap, greasy food. And lastly, reliably good coffee that keeps coming.
The owner is a quiet man who’s been running the place for the last four or so decades. He’s seen it all, the glory days, the not so glory days, and then most recently, the revival of Ghandi Square. He was quick to inform me that come early next year, he’ll be putting up his hat, and putting the place on the market. So our advice for now, is line your stomach with some of that greasy food while its still there in all its beautiful iconic glory. One can only hope the new tenant is smart enough to keep the dream alive.
Ghandi Square has so much to offer the city of Johannesburg. It really has been one of the better success stories of Joburg’s rejuvenation. Smack in the middle of the square lies this little gem. In the square, there are many food options, but something about the name Lucky Moo made it something we couldn’t resist. The design is great, the place is new, clean, and the food turned out to be pretty amazing. We’ve put it in the ‘plastic chair’ category of food for only reason that the dishes were around R3o each. But the place is by no means a traditional plastic chair restaurant.
After further investigation it turns out the this inner city gem is owned and run by none other than the preeminent Joburg restaurateur, Jaco Welgemoed of The Singing Fig, Cite, and The Circle fame. Now we know why we love it so much too…
Hit the Beef Kung Pao, and thank me when you’re done.
Shop A01 Ghandi Square, 8 New Street South. check the website. 011 492 0628
Around the world, lawn Bowls has seen a rejuvenation of its players. A sport with one of the highest recorded death rates, is seeing young people don the whites, and take up the game. The reason for this being a global discovery of the cheapness of booze found in these old sports clubs. Out of all the bowls clubs in the city, only Zoo Lake Bowls Club is know as the Bowls Club. I’ve had foreigners laugh out loud when they discover how cheap the round was they had bought, and proceeded to buy everyone else another drink immediately
Seriously, we’re talking roughly R10 for a draught beer, which for Americans works out to roughly that of one dollar (roughly one quarter the price you’d pay over there). The success of the place has however been the result of one or two other factors. One being its prime location of being reasonable central in the greater Johannesburg sense of the word, and its setting in the beautiful Zoo Lake park.
Added to the cred of cheap booze, comes the cheap and decent food selection. Pizzas and Prego Rolls are the order of the day, but Im sure they do more. Go round sunset for maximum effect. Its also great spot to meet for a pre-party setting before heading out into the city.
The idea is simple. In order to truly love something, you first have to understand it. Johannesburg is no different in this regard.
Connect with the real city through those who live and play here. The result? A catalogue of Johannesburg like no other.
