Is Roger the new Henri? Hopefully. Roughly a decade ago when Joburg’s happy and gay district on Henri Street, Braamfontein, closed all it’s doors, we thought we were doomed to the northern suburbs forever. Now Roger Road in Selby, on the southern side of the CBD, is home to two new gay bars, Rawbar and SimplyBlue. Nestled in between CitrusLounge and Lemon8, Rawbar is a welcome and stylish addition to Joburg’s rather flaccid gay scene (which includes Risque in Fourways). The CitrusLounge crew have again shown their skills at creating spaces that are conducive to, um, crowded and fun times. Promoted as an “all male cruise and booze bar”, this place isn’t for girls. Or sissies.

38 Roger Rd (corner Webber), Selby

+27 82 094 0029

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

Here’s the menu

Growing up in Johannesburg throughout the nineties, people would have noticed the increase in the Irish Bar clones throughout the city. Its a easy to get the big oak wood table, the Guinness ads on the wall, and the quirky Irish name. So its somewhat refreshing to walk into Bulldogs. Although the upstairs restaurant area is somewhat American Indian themed, it largly comes across as just being a bar bar Its proven to be perfect sport watching venue on many occasions, and the menu comprises of all the stuff you’d want from any steakhouse or grill. I know they house poker nights, and quiz nights, so we’ll update this post with any info we can gather.

After all this ramble, one defining factor shines the brightest. They are right in the middle of all the Rosebank action. And as Rosebank expands and connects to the rest of Johannsurg through the Gautrain, Bulldogs is in the right area.

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 Radium call themselves the longest surviving Bar and Grill in Johannesburg. The prize for the oldest bar proudly belongs to The Guildhall by almost exactly 30 years. But, I guess through the times, the Guildhall closed for periods of time. But the good old Radium has had drunkards stumble out of its doors since 1926. When inside, you really feel the history, and enjoy what can only be explained as a real bar bar. Nice wooden bar, that looks 90 years old, and not some factory special found in every Keg or Dros in town. One or two cats that saunter around and occasionally come sit with you. And a humble little stage thats housed every notable local musician.

The food is also worth a little mention, and the menu should be taken seriously. You don’t stay in business for just under a hundred years if you cant cook a good plate of food! 

Here’s the official site

When stumbling into the Troyeville Hotel, you notice quite quickly that you have once of the best views of the city. Johannesburg stadium lies ahead, with Ponte and The Telkom Tower flashing behind. It still functions as a hotel. They DONT charge by the hour, so its not one of “those” Joburg hotels, but when it comes to this place, its definitely more about the food. You have three different choices of restaurants, with one acting more like a function venue. The Flamingo restaurant (pictured above) looks just as amazing as you would imagine a restaurant with this name would be! I heard the steaks are some of the best in the city….but I think it calls for a Jobusy Adventure to find out. Stay Tuned.

25 Bezuidenhout St, Troyeville

+27 11 402 7709

here’s the website. 

This fine establishment, and our interest over wether it was in fact the oldest pub in Johannesburg, lead to the first ever Jobusy Adventure. Turns out it is, and although others have coined different trophies, this title rests firmly in their hands. Now in the hands of some capable Portuguese gentlemen, you can come to expect fantastic meat dishes. The spot hosts an all you can eat Espitada special on Saturdays for around R50. But apart from that, it might be one of the better kept secrets as far as good food at a really good price.

Weekdays from 11am till late, Saturdays 11am to 7pm. Closed Sundays. 011 833 1770.

We’ve had our eye on this place for a while. Lying quietly in the corner of Braamfontein. For a long time now, the bar has only ever really been supported by its group of dedicated locals.

The bar holds the official title of being the second oldest pub in Johannesburg having opened in 1903, and its got all the original wallpaper and detailing to back this up. The film Fuzzy John had its first public screening there in December 2008, and so people under 40 living in Johannesburg now knew where this little gem was. Since then, others are slowly starting to give it a chance, and enjoying some successful parties. Its nice and cosy, so its perfect for small intimate events. The result of this, have made the place a nice reliable venue. So any Thursday, Friday, or Saturday with little do…you know theres a spot selling sold beer, with some disco ball vibes in corner.

Join the facebook group for info on events there

Cnr Juta and De Beer, Braamfontein