#Burgers

I used to write about food in the East Rand – the municipality just to the east of Joburg, officially called Ekurhuleni – all the time. (For a few examples, see here and here and here.) But it’s been far too long since I’ve recommended a food spot in the East, so I’m dropping in quickly to tell you about Zani Eatery in Katlehong.

Seventh in an occasional blog series called This Is the East, about hidden spots on Johannesburg’s East Rand. This edition features Hodad’s, a locally owned fast-food joint in Edenvale.

I love supporting small, locally owned businesses that do their jobs better than big, international corporations. Hodad’s in Edenvale is a perfect example of this.

Up until 18 months ago, the east side of the southernmost block on Melville’s 7th Street (between 1st Avenue and 2nd Avenue) was a merry-go-round of opening and closing restaurants and shops. During the six years that I’ve lived in Melville I remember (just off the top of my head) a combination-cupcake-flower shop, a Scottish kilt shop, a bead shop (which moved around the corner), a pizza place, a bland café, an antique shop, a print supply shop, and a bridal shop (where I never spotted a single bride, or even a customer, in the two-plus years it was there), all open and close on that small stretch of street.

In August 2013 I stumbled upon a tiny pop-up burger joint on an unlikely street corner in downtown Johannesburg. The burger joint, BGR, was selling tasty burgers for the unlikely price of R10 (less than $1) or R27 for a burger/fries/drink combo. I wrote a blog post about it (read that post here).