The latest addition to Joburg’s flourishing food market scene is The Sheds @ 1 Fox located in converted warehouses in Ferraistown. I hope the denizens of Jozi add this to their market rotation because this is a welcome addition to the burgeoning Jozi food scene.
The Orbit Jazz Club and Bistro in Braamfontein has been on my Johannesburg must do list for quite some time, but it took a colleague visiting from Malaysia to organize an evening of Jazz for a group of work colleague – all of whom are likely in bed on a Sunday evening instead of listening to amazing Jazz. The Orbit Jazz Club and Bistro opened a year ago and hosts many jazz performances (some blues, salsa acts) throughout the month and with ticket prices that average R120 for a show, this is a must do for any visiting tourist of Joburg denizen.
“Have you been to Durban yet?” Despite having traveled extensively around South Africa, in a year and a half I had only spent one day in Durban for work. So, I finally booked a weekend away to explore South Africa’s third largest city and a place The New York Times named one of the 50 places to go in 2015. I had great plans for a weekend in Durbs except that when I arrived, I chucked aside all of my plans in favor of lazing around the beach.
A few months ago I was in Parkhurst and a bustling corner restaurant called Craft caught my eye. Last night, accompanied by two work colleagues, I finally made my way back to 4th Avenue to try Craft. When we arrived, every table was occupied and we squeezed into a small space at the bar and ordered some beers while we waited to be seated.
Normally I wouldn’t make the 45 minute trek to Pretoria, especially when the country is load shedding and the robots (traffic lights) aren’t working, but an old friend from grad school was in town so I braved the snarled traffic to meet her at Salt Eatery. If Salt were in Joburg, it would be on heavy rotation as a spot to meet friends for an after work drink and some food. I loved everything about this tiny eatery in Hazelwood from the lantern-lit tables on a secluded patio to the make your own charcuterie platter.
For having lived here a year and half, I know remarkably little about the Joburg restaurant scene. In Washington, DC I knew which restaurants were opening and closing and most of my socializing involved sampling new restaurants and returning to old favorites. I even prided myself of keeping up with the goings on in New York City and San Francisco. So when I say that Katy’s Palace Bar is one of the more vibey (as they say here) places I have been to, it might simply be because I have nothing to compare it to.