Johannesburg is a multicultural city, and therefore a melting pot of cuisines originating from many different regions of the world. There is a large variety of places to eat so you are sure to find something that tickles your taste buds. Joburgers tend to love al fresco dining, and a culture of pavement cafes and restaurants has sprung up on various streets around the city.

The most popular restaurants streets here are Emmarentia, Greenside, Melville, Norwood, Illovo and “the Parks” (Parkhurst, Parkview, Parktown, Parktown North). Each of these neighbourhoods have at least one concentrated area of restaurants. Parkhurst is an upmarket area with many pavement cafes and a great atmosphere while Illovo is an up-and-coming area, full of good restaurants and pavement cafes.

The best options to have a good time and a delish meal are The Griffin, Trabella, Cafe Mexicho, Ant’s Café and last but not the least the Lucky Bean Restaurant.

Fordburg has many Indian restaurants with authentic Indian cuisine as well as conventional franchise stores (Wimpy, Nandos, Fishmonger, Nescafe,etc). Fordsburg is close to the Oriental Plaza and can be combined with your shopping expedition. Fordsburg is one of the few areas of Johannesburg that has a thriving outdoor street market and pedestrian traffic at night. The area is busier on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights.

At the northern suburbs like the Nelson Mandela Square, there are many restaurants in and around the square, the famous Madiba statue is situated in the square so you will find a fair amount of tourists dining in this area. Melrose Arch is another upmarket establishment housing many hotels, offices, restaurants and nightclubs, including Moyo (an African-themed restaurant) and several other casual eating establishments

Good pubs and clubs are available in the Melville student district, Braamfontein, Rosebank and the Newtown cultural precinct. Posh and upmarket clubbing happens in the Rivonia and Sandton area. In Johannesburg, like the rest of the country, pubs and clubs are only permitted to stay open for a restricted length of time. Most bars, pubs and clubs are required to close at 1 am during the week, and around 2-3 am over the weekend. Thus, in Johannesburg, people tend to eat and drink much earlier in the evening when compared to that of the European norm. Back o’ the Moon Nightclub, Monsoon Lagoon and Troyeville Hotel are some of the popular places to et your hair down.