August Restaurant of the Month: Ben's Pizza in Marshalltown

20 August 2018

There’s a brick oven pizza restaurant in downtown Joburg and it’s open on Saturdays. It’s called Ben’s Pizza and it’s delicious.

Entrance to Ben’s Pizza in Marshalltown
Ben’s Pizza.

Really, this is all you need to know. It’s not easy to find decent restaurants in the Joburg CBD. And Ben’s is more than a decent restaurant. It feels almost exactly like a New York City pizzeria, right down to the red-and-white checked tablecloths.

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July Restaurant of the Month: NGC Blairgowrie

27 July 2018

NGC is not what you’d expect to find at the busy intersection of Barkston and Conrad Drive in Blairgowrie. There’s a tire store across the road and a lawnmower repair shop next door, and it just doesn’t feel like the right place for a classy restaurant.

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June Restaurant of the Month: Sumting Fresh

14 June 2018

I can describe Sumting Fresh in one (not so) simple word: South-African-Asian-American-fried-chicken-street-food.

Sumting Fresh entrance
Sumting Fresh, on Grant Avenue in Norwood.
Inside Sumting Fresh
Inside Sumting Fresh.

Really though, Sumting Fresh is hard to explain. It was once a food trailer in Midrand, then became a food truck, then a full-on food party bus feeding thousands of festival-goers, then a brick-and-morter restaurant in Norwood. (Also, the food bus is still going strong today.) Sumting Fresh serves creative and sophisticated cuisine in a casual, fun, almost-fast-food environment.

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May Restaurant of the Month: Tonino's

18 May 2018

Tonino’s has been on my hit list forever.

Outside Toninos in Orange Grove
Tonino’s: Is it a sports pub? A blues venue? A casino? A Portuguese restaurant? A pizza take-away? Yes. All of that.

I first noticed Tonino’s a few years ago during a visit to the fabulous Kalahari Books, which is across the street. The restaurant caught my eye immediately with its bright yellow facade. I made a mental note to check it out sometime, then forgot about it.

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April Restaurant of the Month: The Bagel Zone

24 April 2018

A few months ago I blogged about Feigel’s Kosher Delicatessen in Glenhazel. I was excited to find Feigel’s because they sell authentic boiled bagels, which are hard to find in Johannesburg.

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March Restaurant of the Month: Bergbron Plaaskombuis

25 March 2018

Afrikaans is a crazy language, with super-long words filled with many vowels, guttural g’s, and rolling r’s requiring acrobatic tongue movements. Afrikaans food words are no exception; they are delightful and I have no idea what they mean or how to pronounce them. Such were my thoughts as I pondered the menu at Bergbron Plaaskombuis.

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