Soweto: memory and braai
8 stops · 6 h · Uber/Bolt + walking · 8 stops
- Bike tour
- Hector Pieterson
- Mandela House
- Vilakazi lunch
- Credo Mutwa
- Regina Mundi
- Kliptown
- Braai under towers
139 places · Curated with the Eat Out Awards, Time Out, local guides and what's blowing up on TikTok · 5 routes · Gautrain & Uber
Tap a route and it gets drawn on the map, stop by stop.
Tap a pin to see photos, rating and how to get there by Gautrain, Rea Vaya or Uber. Turn on a route to follow the numbered path.
This interactive map of Johannesburg (South Africa) brings together 139 hand-picked places: 45 attractions, 48 restaurants, 24 cafés and 22 shops. It also includes 5 walking routes with their stops in order. For every place you get what it is, a practical tip and how to get there by public transport. It is free, works on your phone and needs no sign-up.
· Curated by the HOLASIM team · How we make the maps
Tap a route to see it drawn on the map, stop by stop.
8 stops · 6 h · Uber/Bolt + walking · 8 stops
9 stops · 5 h · walking · 9 stops
9 stops · 5 h · walking by day · 9 stops
7 stops · 4 h · Sunday, Uber door to door · 7 stops
9 stops · 6 h · walking + short Ubers · 9 stops
Ormonde
The museum that hands you a random pass and segregates you by race at the door. Devastating, essential.
Tip: Book three hours and go early: the noose room hits harder with fewer people.
🚇 Uber/Bolt 20 min from Sandton · next to Gold Reef City
Featured in: JoburgETC
Show on mapBraamfontein
A brutal prison turned Constitutional Court. Both Mandela and Gandhi were locked up here.
Tip: Take the guided Number Four tour: without a guide you miss half the stories.
🚇 Gautrain to Park Station + 8 min Uber · Rea Vaya nearby
Featured in: Time Out
Show on mapVilakazi Street · Soweto
The little brick house where Mandela lived. Small, intimate, bullet marks still visible.
Tip: It is tiny: get there early, then walk Vilakazi down to Hector Pieterson.
🚇 Uber/Bolt 25 min from the city centre · on Vilakazi St
Featured in: Guía local
Show on mapOrlando West · Soweto
The 1976 student uprising told by the people who lived it. It leaves you speechless.
Tip: The outdoor memorial is free; the museum is cheap and worth every rand.
🚇 Uber/Bolt 30 min from Sandton · 5 min walk from Mandela House
Featured in: Guía local
Show on mapOrlando East · Soweto
Two cooling towers covered in giant murals. Bungee, swing rides and wild views.
Tip: Not jumping? Go up to the deck anyway: sunset over Soweto is the shot of the trip.
🚇 Uber/Bolt straight to the base · 10 min from Vilakazi St
Featured in: JoburgETC
Show on mapWits · Braamfontein
San rock art, human genetics and the world's oldest story: ours.
Tip: The audio guide is included and genuinely good: ask for it at reception.
🚇 Gautrain to Park Station + 10 min Uber · Wits campus
Featured in: Guía local
Show on mapWAM · Braamfontein
One of the continent's best African art collections, inside a glass box.
Tip: Free entry and almost empty on weekdays. A luxury.
🚇 Gautrain Park Station + 8 min Uber · corner Jorissen & Bertha
Featured in: Guía local
Show on mapNewtown
A 1913 fruit market turned city museum. Huge and beautifully faded.
Tip: The Alexandra shack reconstruction is the most moving room here. Do not skip it.
🚇 Rea Vaya to Newtown · Uber/Bolt 10 min from Braamfontein
Featured in: Guía local
Show on mapRoodepoort
A 70-metre waterfall with a pair of Verreaux's eagles nesting above it. Surreal.
Tip: Bring binoculars and go in the morning: the eagles hunt early.
🚇 Car or Uber/Bolt only · 40 min from Sandton
Featured in: JoburgETC
Show on mapParkview
55 hectares, 320-plus species, right next to Zoo Lake. A family classic.
Tip: The torch-lit night tours sell out: book online a week ahead.
🚇 Uber/Bolt 15 min from Rosebank · Jan Smuts Ave
Featured in: JoburgETC
Show on mapOrmonde
A theme park built on a real gold mine. You descend 220 metres underground.
Tip: The mine tour is the real reason to come. Get the combo with the museum.
🚇 Uber/Bolt 20 min from downtown · next to the Apartheid Museum
Featured in: JoburgETC
Show on mapMaboneng
The warehouse that started all of Maboneng: galleries, studios and the Sunday market.
Tip: Sunday daytime is when Maboneng comes alive. Arrive by Uber and stay in the precinct.
🚇 Uber/Bolt straight to the door · 10 min from the CBD
Featured in: Time Out
Show on mapLorentzville
A recycled factory full of gardens, artist studios and South African designer shops.
Tip: First Sunday of the month everything opens: studios, makers, the lot.
🚇 Uber/Bolt 12 min from Braamfontein · door to door
Featured in: Guía local
Show on mapRosebank
Africa's oldest commercial art gallery, in a glass-and-concrete showpiece.
Tip: Free entry. Cross to Circa, the curved building next door, in the same visit.
🚇 Gautrain Rosebank + 10 min walk · Jellicoe Ave
Featured in: In Your Pocket
Show on mapParkwood
The gallery that backed anti-apartheid art when nobody else would. Now global.
Tip: Check the calendar: Thursday openings are the best place to meet people.
🚇 Gautrain Rosebank + 5 min Uber · Jan Smuts Ave
Featured in: In Your Pocket
Show on mapParkwood
African ceramics, textiles and basketry in an old villa. Half museum, half shop.
Tip: Zulu telephone-wire baskets are the prettiest, lightest souvenir in Joburg.
🚇 Uber/Bolt 5 min from Rosebank · Jan Smuts Ave
Featured in: In Your Pocket
Show on mapNewtown
The square where Joburg holds its concerts and its marches. Pure city pulse.
Tip: Go by day and pair it with the Market Theatre and Museum Africa.
🚇 Rea Vaya to Newtown · Uber/Bolt from the CBD
Featured in: Guía local
Show on mapLa Rochelle
Ox wagons, trams and 1920s cars in Africa's biggest transport museum.
Tip: Free and almost empty. Perfect for a rainy day with kids.
🚇 Uber/Bolt 15 min from the CBD · Pioneers Park
Featured in: Guía local
Show on mapAuckland Park
An untouched 1910 Victorian house where the owner guides you in period costume. Unique.
Tip: Appointment only. Call several days ahead, do not just show up.
🚇 Uber/Bolt 10 min from Melville · 72 Richmond Ave
Featured in: In Your Pocket
Show on mapEmmarentia
Rowing, off-leash dogs and picnics in the sun. Joburg's weekend lung.
Tip: Saturday morning: farmers market on the botanical garden side.
🚇 Uber/Bolt 12 min from Rosebank · Olifants Rd
Featured in: Guía local
Show on mapEmmarentia
A huge rose garden and endless lawns. In spring the whole thing detonates with colour.
Tip: October is peak rose season. Bring a blanket: picnicking here is a national sport.
🚇 Uber/Bolt 8 min from Parkhurst · next to Emmarentia Dam
Featured in: In Your Pocket
Show on mapBraamfontein
284 metres of steel over 42 railway lines. It changes colour at night and owns the skyline.
Tip: The best shot is from the Braamfontein side at dusk, not from on the bridge.
🚇 Gautrain Park Station + 10 min walk · links Braamfontein to Newtown
Featured in: Guía local
Show on mapBerea
The cylindrical tower with a 54-storey void inside. Africa's most mythologised building.
Tip: Entry is by tour only (Dlala Nje). Book online: they take you up to floor 51.
🚇 Uber/Bolt 8 min from Braamfontein · on an organised tour
Featured in: Time Out
Show on mapSur de Joburg
700 hectares of tall grass, zebras and stone ruins, 20 minutes from downtown.
Tip: Go in a group and in the morning. Free guided walks run on Sundays.
🚇 Car or Uber/Bolt only · 25 min from the CBD
Featured in: Guía local
Show on mapHoughton
An abandoned garden one artist rescued by hand, dotted with steel bird sculptures.
Tip: Best by day, in full light. James Delaney's steel birds are hidden: hunt for them.
🚇 Uber/Bolt 10 min from Rosebank · Houghton Drive
Featured in: Time Out
Show on mapMelville
An ancient ridge with Iron Age smelting furnaces and the best skyline view in town.
Tip: Koppies Central only opens for Sunday guided walks. West is open and free.
🚇 Uber/Bolt 5 min from Melville · Judith Rd entrance
Featured in: JoburgETC
Show on mapWestcliff
210 steps between mansions and jacarandas, looking over the zoo and the northern suburbs.
Tip: By late September the jacarandas paint everything purple. Climb at golden hour.
🚇 Uber/Bolt 8 min from Rosebank · free, always open
Featured in: In Your Pocket
Show on mapOrchards
The house where Gandhi lived and forged his philosophy. Now a museum and quiet guesthouse.
Tip: Have lunch there: Indian vegetarian food in the garden, open to visitors.
🚇 Uber/Bolt 15 min from Rosebank · Pine Rd
Featured in: JoburgETC
Show on mapSandton
The six-metre Madiba statue dancing over a marble plaza full of restaurants.
Tip: At night the square lights up and empties of tourists: best time for the photo.
🚇 Gautrain Sandton + 5 min walk · next to Sandton City
Featured in: Guía local
Show on mapNewtown
A giant science centre inside an old power station. Everything is hands-on.
Tip: Perfect plan B for spring afternoon storms. Kids refuse to leave.
🚇 Rea Vaya to Newtown · Uber/Bolt 10 min from Braamfontein
Featured in: JoburgETC
Show on mapNewtown
The theatre that defied apartheid from the stage. Still programming the country's best.
Tip: Evening show: order your Uber from the lobby and wait inside until it arrives.
🚇 Rea Vaya to Newtown · Uber/Bolt to the door at night
Featured in: Time Out
Show on mapRockville · Soweto
South Africa's largest church, with 1976 bullet holes still in the ceiling.
Tip: Ask to see the Black Madonna of Soweto and the exile stained glass.
🚇 Uber/Bolt 10 min from Vilakazi St · Soweto
Featured in: Guía local
Show on mapKliptown · Soweto
Where the Freedom Charter was signed in 1955. A huge, solemn square.
Tip: Pair it with a Kliptown walking tour led by a local guide: a different city.
🚇 Uber/Bolt 12 min from Vilakazi St · Kliptown
Featured in: Guía local
Show on mapJabulani · Soweto
Three coloured cubes floating in Jabulani. The city's most joyful architecture.
Tip: Check the listings first: there is theatre in Zulu and Sotho with subtitles.
🚇 Uber/Bolt 15 min from Vilakazi St · Jabulani
Featured in: Guía local
Show on mapParkview
Rowing boats, open-air jazz on first Sundays and Joburg's most democratic picnic.
Tip: First Sunday of the month: Jazz on the Lake, free, and the whole city shows up.
🚇 Uber/Bolt 10 min from Rosebank · Prince of Wales Dr
Featured in: Guía local
Show on mapNasrec
The giant calabash of the 2010 World Cup and Mandela's last public speech.
Tip: If Kaizer Chiefs or Pirates are playing, the Soweto Derby is a brutal experience.
🚇 Uber/Bolt 20 min from the CBD · Nasrec
Featured in: Guía local
Show on mapFerreirasdorp
Mandela and Tambo's law office, with a steel sculpture that appears from the pavement.
Tip: Visible from the street and free. Stop here on a daytime CBD walking tour.
🚇 Rea Vaya to the CBD · Uber/Bolt 5 min from Newtown
Featured in: Guía local
Show on mapMidrand
An Ottoman replica with four 55-metre minarets. The southern hemisphere's largest mosque.
Tip: Free guided tours and Turkish tea in the bazaar next door. Cover shoulders and knees.
🚇 Gautrain to Midrand + 10 min Uber
Featured in: Guía local
Show on mapFourways
A fake Tuscan village indoors under a painted sky that never dawns. Glorious kitsch.
Tip: The Bird Gardens out back beat the casino and almost nobody knows about them.
🚇 Uber/Bolt 20 min from Sandton · Witkoppen Rd
Featured in: Guía local
Show on mapHillbrow
269 metres visible from everywhere. The most stubborn symbol on Joburg's skyline.
Tip: You cannot go up: the best view is from Constitution Hill. Hillbrow only on a guided tour.
🚇 Visible from Constitution Hill and the Mandela bridge
Featured in: Guía local
Show on mapJabavu · Soweto
Monumental sculptures and Zulu cosmology raised by a visionary healer and artist.
Tip: Go with a local guide: without the stories behind them the sculptures say nothing.
🚇 Uber/Bolt 10 min from Vilakazi St · Soweto
Featured in: Guía local
Show on mapNorthcliff
Joburg's second-highest point. A full 360 of city and orange sunsets.
Tip: Best just before sunset, with light. Head down before it gets fully dark.
🚇 Car or Uber/Bolt only · 15 min from Melville
Featured in: Guía local
Show on map44 Stanley · Milpark
Joburg's only independent cinema: African film, documentaries and craft beer.
Tip: A screening plus dinner in the 44 Stanley courtyard is the best rainy-night plan.
🚇 Uber/Bolt 10 min from Braamfontein · 44 Stanley Ave
Featured in: Time Out
Show on mapBraamfontein
Three stages, ballet, musicals and South Africa's best pantomime every December.
Tip: Covered secure parking on site: if you drive, this is the easiest night out.
🚇 Gautrain Park Station + 6 min Uber · Civic Boulevard
Featured in: Guía local
Show on mapOrlando West · Soweto
Base camp for Soweto's bicycle tours. Courtyard, braai and music all day.
Tip: The three-hour bike tour is the best way to understand Soweto. Book the morning one.
🚇 Uber/Bolt 30 min from Sandton · Orlando West
Featured in: TikTok viral
Show on mapKeyes Art Mile · Rosebank
Everything comes off open flame and the terrace faces the Rosebank skyline. The most wanted table.
Tip: Book weeks ahead. No table? Take a seat at the upstairs bar.
🚇 Gautrain Rosebank + 8 min walk · Keyes Ave
Featured in: Eat Out
Show on mapKeyes Art Mile · Rosebank
Neapolitan pizza under a delirious gold dome. Joburg's most photographed dining room.
Tip: Ask for a table under the dome when you book: that is why you came.
🚇 Gautrain Rosebank + 8 min walk · Keyes Ave
Featured in: TikTok viral
Show on map24 Central · Sandton
Chef-driven cooking with theatrical drama and a serious wine list. An Eat Out star.
Tip: The tasting menu with pairing is where the real show happens.
🚇 Gautrain Sandton + 10 min walk · Gwen Lane
Featured in: Eat Out
Show on mapBryanston
French haute cuisine with a South African soul, by chef Wandile Mabaso. Pure precision.
Tip: Tasting menu only and very few tables. Book a month out.
🚇 Uber/Bolt 15 min from Sandton · Hobart Rd
Featured in: Eat Out
Show on mapMorningside · Sandton
A luxe steakhouse with an indoor garden and a huge cellar. Where Joburg celebrates.
Tip: Weekend lunch costs half and comes out of the same kitchen.
🚇 Uber/Bolt 8 min from Sandton · Morningside
Featured in: JoburgETC
Show on mapNelson Mandela Square · Sandton
Pick your cut at the butcher counter and they grill it. An institution since 1988.
Tip: Order the dry-aged and a glass of Pinotage. Sit outside facing the Madiba statue.
🚇 Gautrain Sandton + 5 min walk · on the square
Featured in: JoburgETC
Show on mapSandown · Sandton
House-aged beef and a legendary peppercorn sauce. No frills, all meat.
Tip: The tomahawk for two feeds three. Book ahead on Fridays.
🚇 Gautrain Sandton + 6 min walk · 5th Street
Featured in: JoburgETC
Show on mapFour Seasons The Westcliff
A terrace hanging over the zoo and the urban forest. The best-view brunch in Joburg.
Tip: Take the lower terrace at 5.30pm: the sun drops right onto the jacarandas.
🚇 Uber/Bolt 10 min from Rosebank · Jan Smuts Ave
Featured in: JoburgETC
Show on mapThe Saxon · Sandhurst
The luxury hotel dining room where Mandela finished editing his book. Refined South African cooking.
Tip: Afternoon high tea in the gardens is cheaper than dinner and just as lovely.
🚇 Uber/Bolt 8 min from Sandton · Saxon Rd
Featured in: JoburgETC
Show on mapNelson Mandela Square · Sandton
The café that defined South African brunch. This branch just got a Marbella-style redo.
Tip: Born in Atholl, now an empire. Get the eggs benedict and sit outside.
🚇 Gautrain Sandton + 5 min walk · on the square
Featured in: Guía local
Show on mapMelrose Arch
Big cuts, dark walls and the noise of a full room. A meat institution.
Tip: The aged sirloin and the Katzy's sauce. Then head down to the group's jazz bar.
🚇 Uber/Bolt 10 min from Sandton · Melrose Arch
Featured in: JoburgETC
Show on mapBryanston
Fresh fish and seafood in a city 500 km from the ocean. A delicious logistical miracle.
Tip: Ask about the daily board: whatever flew in from Cape Town that morning.
🚇 Uber/Bolt 15 min from Sandton · Winnie Mandela Dr
Featured in: In Your Pocket
Show on mapBryanston
A neighbourhood Italian the whole of Joburg claims as its own. Handmade pasta, happy noise.
Tip: Sunday lunch is a beautiful family chaos. Book or you are not getting in.
🚇 Uber/Bolt 15 min from Sandton · Bryanston
Featured in: JoburgETC
Show on mapIllovo
A white-tablecloth Italian that has outlived every trend. And is still packed.
Tip: Thursday's osso buco runs out early. Get there before 8pm.
🚇 Uber/Bolt 8 min from Rosebank · Oxford Rd
Featured in: JoburgETC
Show on mapParkwood
The everyday South African grill: dry-aged beef and thick sauces.
Tip: Get the rump medium and the blue cheese sauce. Never misses.
🚇 Uber/Bolt 6 min from Rosebank · Parkwood
Featured in: Guía local
Show on mapParkhurst
Greek with pavement tables on 4th Avenue. Octopus, ouzo and metaphorically smashed plates.
Tip: Pavement table and saganaki to start. Live music on Sundays.
🚇 Uber/Bolt 8 min from Rosebank · 4th Ave & 9th St
Featured in: In Your Pocket
Show on mapBryanston
A nineties steakhouse that moved north and kept the formula: giant steaks, career waiters.
Tip: If you have never eaten springbok, this is where to try it done properly.
🚇 Uber/Bolt 15 min from Sandton · Hobart Rd
Featured in: JoburgETC
Show on mapRosebank
A boutique hotel dining room hidden in a 1920s villa. Intimate and quiet.
Tip: Garden terrace for lunch. The one place in Rosebank where you can actually talk.
🚇 Gautrain Rosebank + 10 min walk · Sturdee Ave
Featured in: Eat Out
Show on mapThe Leonardo · Sandton
Inside Africa's tallest building, with edible gold and a view that justifies the bill.
Tip: Ask for a window table when booking. At dusk you can see the Magaliesberg.
🚇 Gautrain Sandton + 8 min walk · Maude St
Featured in: Guía local
Show on mapParkhurst
Giant burgers and cold beer in the heart of 4th Avenue. The pavement is always full.
Tip: Thursday night 4th Avenue fills up: arrive before 7pm for an outside table.
🚇 Uber/Bolt 8 min from Rosebank · 34 4th Ave
Featured in: In Your Pocket
Show on mapParkhurst
Parkhurst's most fought-over brunch for over a decade. There is always a queue.
Tip: No weekend bookings. Put your name down and grab a coffee across the road.
🚇 Uber/Bolt 8 min from Rosebank · 37 4th Ave
Featured in: In Your Pocket
Show on mapParkhurst
A tiny Japanese counter with fish flown in fresh from the coast. Ten seats, that is it.
Tip: Sit at the counter and let the chef decide. Booking is essential.
🚇 Uber/Bolt 8 min from Rosebank · 4th Ave & 12th St
Featured in: Eat Out
Show on mapParkhurst
A corner neighbourhood bar with rugby fans, craft beer and late pizza.
Tip: Springboks match day: arrive two hours early or you are standing outside.
🚇 Uber/Bolt 8 min from Rosebank · 24 4th Ave
Featured in: In Your Pocket
Show on mapParkhurst
The burger joint that started on this corner and spread nationwide. The original, still the best.
Tip: The Kill Bill with jalapeños and the cookies milkshake. Obvious and correct.
🚇 Uber/Bolt 8 min from Rosebank · 4th Ave & 14th St
Featured in: In Your Pocket
Show on mapParkhurst
A boutique butcher that also sits you down to eat. Rare cuts and house biltong.
Tip: Take vacuum-packed biltong home: it survives the flight and beats any fridge magnet.
🚇 Uber/Bolt 8 min from Rosebank · 4th Ave & 13th St
Featured in: In Your Pocket
Show on mapMelville
Creative South African cooking in a little Melville house with a courtyard under the trees.
Tip: Order the reinvented bobotie. Back courtyard if the night is mild.
🚇 Uber/Bolt 12 min from Rosebank · 4th Ave, Melville
Featured in: Eat Out
Show on mapMelville
A restaurant with a giant playground inside. Parents eat, kids vanish.
Tip: Sunday lunch with kids: wristband, garden and two hours of peace.
🚇 Uber/Bolt 12 min from Rosebank · 4th Ave, Melville
Featured in: In Your Pocket
Show on map7th Street · Melville
A tiny Mozambican bar plastered in banknotes with Joburg's best caipirinha.
Tip: Bring cash and a banknote from home: they will pin it to the wall.
🚇 Uber/Bolt 12 min from Rosebank · 7th St, Melville
Featured in: In Your Pocket
Show on map7th Street · Melville
Eggs in every possible form until late afternoon. Melville's favourite breakfast.
Tip: The shakshuka beats the benedict. At 9am on Saturday there are still tables.
🚇 Uber/Bolt 12 min from Rosebank · 7th St, Melville
Featured in: Guía local
Show on mapMaboneng
Injera, fiery wot and ceremonial Ethiopian coffee in the heart of Maboneng. Authentic and cheap.
Tip: Get the vegetarian combo to share and the incense coffee. Lunch, not dinner.
🚇 Uber/Bolt straight to the door · 264 Fox St
Featured in: In Your Pocket
Show on mapMaboneng
Pan-African cooking and live music, named after the Miriam Makeba song. Lively pavement.
Tip: Go on a Sunday daytime with Market on Main and stay for the afternoon band.
🚇 Uber/Bolt straight to the door · 286 Fox St
Featured in: In Your Pocket
Show on mapMaboneng
A rooftop with a tropical garden, hammocks and a CBD view. The city's most laid-back roof.
Tip: Sunday afternoon with a DJ and zero rush. Order your Uber from the door when you leave.
🚇 Uber/Bolt straight to the door · Kruger St, Maboneng
Featured in: TikTok viral
Show on mapVilakazi Street · Soweto
A township-food buffet on the only street in the world with two Nobel laureates.
Tip: Midday buffet with pap, chakalaka and mogodu. Outside table to watch the street.
🚇 Uber/Bolt 25 min from the CBD · 6980 Vilakazi St
Featured in: JoburgETC
Show on mapOrlando · Soweto
Shisanyama at the foot of the Orlando towers: pick raw meat, they braai it in front of you.
Tip: Sunday afternoon with amapiano at full blast. Bring cash for the butchery counter.
🚇 Uber/Bolt 10 min from Vilakazi St · under the towers
Featured in: TikTok viral
Show on mapKramerville
A theatrical salon of velvet, chandeliers and nights that do not end early.
Tip: Friday nights bring a DJ and a packed terrace. Book if you are more than four.
🚇 Uber/Bolt 10 min from Sandton · Desmond St
Featured in: In Your Pocket
Show on mapKramerville
Tacos, mezcal and neon in the design district. Latin with a South African accent.
Tip: Start with margaritas here and carry on at Katy's Palace next door.
🚇 Uber/Bolt 10 min from Sandton · Kramerville
Featured in: In Your Pocket
Show on mapGreenside
An all-day bakery-restaurant, born in Greenside and copied across the country.
Tip: Take the sourdough away. Early breakfast before heading to Emmarentia.
🚇 Uber/Bolt 10 min from Rosebank · Gleneagles Rd
Featured in: In Your Pocket
Show on mapParkwood
An Argentine grill with proper chimichurri on Jan Smuts. Joburg's Argentine crowd eats here.
Tip: Order skirt steak and blood sausage. Sundays there are empanadas until they run out.
🚇 Uber/Bolt 5 min from Rosebank · 128 Jan Smuts Ave
Featured in: Guía local
Show on mapThe Zone · Rosebank
Fire-cooked global food at the Hyde hotel. Rooftop, cocktails and Rosebank's new energy.
Tip: Head up to the terrace at sunset, when the light hits the Rosebank towers.
🚇 Gautrain Rosebank + 3 min walk · Cradock Ave
Featured in: Time Out
Show on mapBrixton
Pan-African food and history walks led by Sifiso, who sings while he cooks.
Tip: Book the walking tour and eat afterwards. The most human experience in Joburg.
🚇 Uber/Bolt 10 min from Melville · Caroline St, Brixton
Featured in: Time Out
Show on mapNewtown
A tribute to the neighbourhood apartheid bulldozed: live jazz, African food and memory.
Tip: Bands on Friday and Saturday. Pair it with a show at the Market Theatre next door.
🚇 Rea Vaya to Newtown · Uber/Bolt to the door at night
Featured in: Guía local
Show on mapGrant Avenue · Norwood
Israeli pita stuffed to bursting with amba and tahini. A pavement queue every day.
Tip: Get the lamb with extra amba. Arrive before 12.30pm or you wait.
🚇 Uber/Bolt 12 min from Rosebank · Grant Ave
Featured in: Eat Out
Show on mapNorwood
An independent food yard in a warehouse: coffee, burgers, beer and neighbourhood regulars.
Tip: Saturday morning, with the Grant Avenue market running alongside.
🚇 Uber/Bolt 12 min from Rosebank · 72 Grant Ave
Featured in: Time Out
Show on mapCraighall
Handmade filled pasta since 1989 by a Bolognese family. Nothing has changed, thankfully.
Tip: Tortellini in brodo and the tiramisu. Grab fresh pasta from the fridge on the way out.
🚇 Uber/Bolt 10 min from Sandton · Minerva Ave
Featured in: Guía local
Show on mapSandton
Uncompromising Chinese: mapo tofu that actually burns and dumplings folded in front of you.
Tip: Order off the Chinese menu (they will translate): that is where the good stuff lives.
🚇 Uber/Bolt 6 min from Sandton · Grayston Dr
Featured in: Guía local
Show on mapBryanston
Burgers, pizzas and beer in a huge shed with screens for the rugby.
Tip: A Springboks test match here is a party. Book a table with a screen.
🚇 Uber/Bolt 12 min from Sandton · Bryanston
Featured in: Guía local
Show on mapMall of Africa · Midrand
Modern South African cooking in a dramatic marble-and-copper room. An occasion place.
Tip: The three-course lunch menu is the best value in Waterfall.
🚇 Gautrain to Midrand + 8 min Uber · Mall of Africa
Featured in: JoburgETC
Show on mapFourways
Charcoal souvlaki, hot pita and tzatziki made every morning. Fast and perfect.
Tip: The lamb wrap to go. Eat it hot, it does not survive the trip.
🚇 Uber/Bolt 20 min from Sandton · Fourways
Featured in: Guía local
Show on mapThe Zone · Rosebank
The roaster that taught Joburg what a proper espresso is. Minimal and precise.
Tip: Order the daily filter, not the flat white: that is where the good bean is.
🚇 Gautrain Rosebank + 2 min walk · 177 Oxford Rd
Featured in: Guía de café
Show on mapKramerville
The mothership: roastery, bakery, kitchen and wine bar in a design-district warehouse.
Tip: Saturday morning: croissants straight out and a public cupping.
🚇 Uber/Bolt 10 min from Sandton · 19 Dartfield Rd
Featured in: In Your Pocket
Show on map44 Stanley · Milpark
South Africa's first fair-trade roaster: African beans only, each one traced.
Tip: Try the Ethiopian Yirgacheffe as V60 and take a bag: they roast same day.
🚇 Uber/Bolt 10 min from Braamfontein · 44 Stanley Ave
Featured in: Guía de café
Show on map44 Stanley · Milpark
A wisteria courtyard in a 1930s art deco complex. Joburg's prettiest brunch.
Tip: Courtyard table under the trees. Then browse the shops around the complex.
🚇 Uber/Bolt 10 min from Braamfontein · 44 Stanley Ave
Featured in: Guía de café
Show on mapRosebank
A Joburg specialty pioneer still roasting small batches and pouring serious tea.
Tip: Tea is not decorative here: order an oolong if you already had coffee.
🚇 Gautrain Rosebank + 6 min walk · Baker St
Featured in: Guía de café
Show on mapParkwood
100% African coffee in a bright room. The local chain that beat the global ones.
Tip: The cold brew with condensed milk is the secret summer order.
🚇 Uber/Bolt 5 min from Rosebank · 3rd Ave, Parkwood
Featured in: Guía de café
Show on mapParkhurst
A corner roastery with pavement tables and the best coffee on 4th Avenue.
Tip: Saturday 8am with the paper and an empty pavement. A luxury.
🚇 Uber/Bolt 8 min from Rosebank · 4th Ave & 11th St
Featured in: Guía de café
Show on mapBrixton
A Brixton neighbourhood café with house bread, perfect eggs and zero pretension.
Tip: Rarely in the guides, always full of Brixton locals. Good sign.
🚇 Uber/Bolt 8 min from Melville · Chiswick St
Featured in: Guía de café
Show on mapLinden
A café-bar on Linden's 7th Street with legendary carrot cake and a dog-friendly yard.
Tip: Saturday market on Linden's 4th Avenue, then breakfast here.
🚇 Uber/Bolt 12 min from Parkhurst · 34 7th St, Linden
Featured in: Guía de café
Show on mapBirdhaven
A courtyard of huge trees hidden behind a nursery. Slow breakfast and shade.
Tip: You come for coffee and leave with plants. That is the trap, and it is worth it.
🚇 Uber/Bolt 8 min from Rosebank · St Andrew St
Featured in: Guía de café
Show on mapParkmore · Sandton
Serious specialty ten minutes from Sandton, with a filter bar and in-house roast.
Tip: If you are staying in Sandton, this is the nearest decent coffee. Opens early.
🚇 Gautrain Sandton + 6 min Uber · 11th St, Parkmore
Featured in: Guía de café
Show on mapMelrose Arch
House roast in the middle of Melrose Arch, with tables on the city's nicest pedestrian street.
Tip: Sit outside: Melrose Arch is one of the few places in Joburg you walk without thinking.
🚇 Uber/Bolt 10 min from Sandton · Melrose Arch
Featured in: Guía de café
Show on mapMorningside · Sandton
Quick, properly made espresso for the people who work in Sandton. No decor, no excuses.
Tip: The people who know come at 7.30am. After 9 it is all office.
🚇 Uber/Bolt 6 min from Sandton · Rivonia Rd
Featured in: Guía de café
Show on mapMaboneng
Crêpes, coffee and a French counter on Fox Street. A charming oddity in Maboneng.
Tip: Market on Main Sunday: eat breakfast here before everything fills up.
🚇 Uber/Bolt straight to the door · 296 Fox St
Featured in: In Your Pocket
Show on mapKeyes Avenue · Rosebank
Specialty coffee right on Keyes Art Mile, between galleries. Perfect between shows.
Tip: Mandatory stop between Everard Read and Marble. Morning-sun terrace.
🚇 Gautrain Rosebank + 8 min walk · 19 Keyes Ave
Featured in: Guía de café
Show on mapNorthriding
A hidden northern roastery that supplies half of Joburg. Worth the drive.
Tip: Open cupping on Saturdays. Ask about the Rwanda and Burundi lots.
🚇 Car or Uber/Bolt only · 20 min from Fourways
Featured in: Guía de café
Show on mapMelville
A tiny coffee bar inside 27 Boxes, with rotating beans and baristas who explain everything.
Tip: Combine with the 27 Boxes shops: it is all in the same block.
🚇 Uber/Bolt 12 min from Rosebank · 27 Boxes, Melville
Featured in: Guía de café
Show on mapMelville
A bakery-canteen in the Bamboo Centre: tarts, quiches and a dangerous display case.
Tip: The cream scone and the lemon tart. Get there before noon or nothing is left.
🚇 Uber/Bolt 12 min from Rosebank · Bamboo, Melville
Featured in: In Your Pocket
Show on mapParkhurst
A pavement Italian bistro with the best cortado on 4th Avenue. Always sit outside.
Tip: Cortado and a cornetto at 9am watching Parkhurst go by. A ritual.
🚇 Uber/Bolt 8 min from Rosebank · 4th Ave & 10th St
Featured in: In Your Pocket
Show on mapParkhurst
Artisanal ice cream with strange flavours that came out of a Joburg kitchen and became a cult.
Tip: Try the Amarula or the malva pudding: you will not find them anywhere else.
🚇 Uber/Bolt 8 min from Rosebank · 10th St, Parkhurst
Featured in: In Your Pocket
Show on mapNewtown
A specialty bar in the CBD, exactly where nobody expects a good espresso.
Tip: The perfect daytime stop between Museum Africa and the Market Theatre.
🚇 Rea Vaya to Newtown · Gwigwi Mrwebi St
Featured in: Guía de café
Show on mapJuta Street · Braamfontein
A tiny café on Juta Street, between Wits students and the Saturday market.
Tip: Saturday before Neighbourgoods: coffee here, then cross the road.
🚇 Gautrain Park Station + 6 min Uber · 70 Juta St
Featured in: Guía de café
Show on mapKensington
A Kensington neighbourhood café with a garden, home-baked cakes and cats that join you.
Tip: Combine it with a walk through Kensington, one of the loveliest, least-visited suburbs.
🚇 Uber/Bolt 10 min from Maboneng · Kitchener Ave
Featured in: Guía de café
Show on mapWaterfall · Midrand
A South African artisan bakery with sourdough, croissants and breakfasts that pack the room.
Tip: Take a rye loaf home: one of the best bakeries in northern Joburg.
🚇 Gautrain to Midrand + 8 min Uber · Waterfall
Featured in: Guía de café
Show on mapSandton
Africa's most important mall: global brands and South African designers side by side.
Tip: Find the Diamond Walk for luxury and MaXhosa for South African knitwear.
🚇 Gautrain Sandton connects straight into the mall
Featured in: Guía local
Show on mapWaterfall City · Midrand
The largest mall in Africa built in a single phase. An entire town under one roof.
Tip: Enter via the water plaza, not the parking: the architecture is worth the photo.
🚇 Gautrain to Midrand + 8 min Uber · Magwa Crescent
Featured in: Guía local
Show on mapRosebank
An open, light-filled mall beside the Gautrain, with the city's best local-brand mix.
Tip: The rooftop turns into a market on Sundays. Plan your visit for then.
🚇 Gautrain Rosebank + 3 min walk · 50 Bath Ave
Featured in: Guía local
Show on mapRosebank
Young retail, cinemas and a bar terrace. The loud, fun side of Rosebank.
Tip: Linked to Rosebank Mall by walkway: do both without stepping outside.
🚇 Gautrain Rosebank + 2 min walk · 177 Oxford Rd
Featured in: Guía local
Show on mapRosebank
The Sunday rooftop market at the mall: vintage, food and African craft.
Tip: Arrive at 10 for the good vintage and bring cash for the small stalls.
🚇 Gautrain Rosebank + 3 min walk · mall rooftop
Featured in: Time Out
Show on mapRosebank
A covered maze of masks, fabrics and carvings from across the continent. Haggling expected.
Tip: Start at half the asking price and pay cash. Open every day.
🚇 Gautrain Rosebank + 4 min walk · Tyrwhitt Ave
Featured in: Guía local
Show on mapHyde Park
Joburg's most elegant, calmest mall, with a huge Exclusive Books and a boutique cinema.
Tip: The first-floor bookshop has the country's best African literature section.
🚇 Uber/Bolt 8 min from Rosebank · Jan Smuts Ave
Featured in: Guía local
Show on mapMilpark
A 1930s industrial complex full of independent boutiques, courtyards and bougainvillea.
Tip: Set aside a whole morning: twenty small shops and all of them are worth it.
🚇 Uber/Bolt 10 min from Braamfontein · Stanley Ave
Featured in: Time Out
Show on mapMelville
A mall built from stacked, painted shipping containers. Emerging designers and bookshops.
Tip: Book Circle Capital upstairs is Joburg's best independent bookshop.
🚇 Uber/Bolt 12 min from Rosebank · 4th Ave, Melville
Featured in: In Your Pocket
Show on mapMelville
A converted villa of design shops, vintage and a bakery. Melville in miniature.
Tip: Reminiscene is the vintage shop to see. Open Tuesday to Sunday.
🚇 Uber/Bolt 12 min from Rosebank · Rustenburg Rd
Featured in: In Your Pocket
Show on mapMaboneng
The Sunday market at Arts on Main: world food, design and a young crowd.
Tip: Sundays only, 10am to 3pm. Arrive by Uber at the door and stay inside the precinct.
🚇 Uber/Bolt straight to the door · 264 Fox St
Featured in: Time Out
Show on mapBraamfontein
The Saturday market that reinvented Braamfontein: rooftop, craft beer and a DJ.
Tip: Saturdays only. Head to the rooftop after 1pm when the music starts.
🚇 Gautrain Park Station + 6 min Uber · 73 Juta St
Featured in: Time Out
Show on mapFordsburg
Hundreds of fabric, spice and Indian tailor shops in a 1970s maze. Haggling expected.
Tip: Go during the day, Monday to Saturday. Then eat samosas on Mint Road around the corner.
🚇 Rea Vaya to Fordsburg · Uber/Bolt 8 min from the CBD
Featured in: Guía local
Show on mapBryanston
A market under the trees since 1976: organics, ceramics and makers who have been here decades.
Tip: Thursdays and Saturdays only. Bring cash and a bag: the honey and goat cheese go fast.
🚇 Uber/Bolt 15 min from Sandton · Culross Rd
Featured in: Guía local
Show on mapFourways
An open-air district of furniture, decor and South African design brands in the north.
Tip: Good for South African design at scale. Closes early on Sundays.
🚇 Uber/Bolt 20 min from Sandton · Fourways
Featured in: Guía local
Show on mapFourways
One of the country's biggest malls, recently expanded. Everything under one roof.
Tip: If you are staying north and an afternoon storm hits, this is the obvious plan B.
🚇 Uber/Bolt 20 min from Sandton · Witkoppen Rd
Featured in: Guía local
Show on mapPimville · Soweto
The mall Richard Maponya fought 25 years to build in Soweto. A symbol, not just shops.
Tip: Mandela opened it in 2007. A logical stop on your way back from the Soweto tour.
🚇 Uber/Bolt 10 min from Vilakazi St · Chris Hani Rd
Featured in: Guía local
Show on mapJabulani · Soweto
A modern mall in the heart of Jabulani, next to the colourful theatre.
Tip: Combine it with a show at the Soweto Theatre right next door.
🚇 Uber/Bolt 15 min from Vilakazi St · Jabulani
Featured in: Guía local
Show on mapKramerville · Sandton
Ten blocks of design showrooms, rugs, African art and hidden bars.
Tip: Start on Dartfield Road, coffee at Father, finish at Katy's Palace Bar.
🚇 Uber/Bolt 10 min from Sandton · Kramer Rd
Featured in: In Your Pocket
Show on mapBirnam
The one Joburg neighbourhood designed for walking: cobbles, terraces and open-air shops.
Tip: At night it is the easiest place in the city to walk out to dinner and drinks.
🚇 Uber/Bolt 10 min from Sandton · Melrose Blvd
Featured in: Guía local
Show on mapCommissioner Street · CBD
An independent bookshop downtown that also runs the best CBD walking tours.
Tip: Book their downtown walking tour: daytime, guided, the best intro to Joburg there is.
🚇 Rea Vaya to the CBD · Uber/Bolt to the door
Featured in: Time Out
Show on mapBamboo · Melville
Joburg's most beloved independent bookshop, with launches and South African authors.
Tip: Check the launch calendar: the best place to hear South African writers read.
🚇 Uber/Bolt 12 min from Rosebank · Rustenburg Rd
Featured in: Guía local
Show on map