Johannesburg's relentless pace slows in the evening, and many restaurant kitchens close well before 22:00. Sunday nights are quiet, and many restaurants, galleries and museums are closed on Mondays. The city’s nightlife is scattered with no central district so plan your night out in advance and call restaurants ahead to check on kitchen-closing times. Convenience stores at petrol stations are the most likely places to be open after hours if you need basics like airtime for your cellphone.

Basic supplies

• Caltex Petrol Station, cnr 4th St and 17th Ave, Oaklands +27 11 483 3233
• Pick 'n Pay Express, BP Petrol Station Melrose Arch, 116 Corlett Drive, Birnam +27 11 786 8644
• Engen Petrol Station, 270 Rivonia Rd, Rivonia +27 11 803 0935
• Engen Oxford Convenience Centre, 120 Oxford Rd, Rosebank +27 11 327 2448. This has a Woolworths grocery store.

Pizza

• Andiccio 24, 3 Corlett Drive, Illovo +27 11 447 4603 Closes 02:00 most weekday nights and open 24hr on weekends.

Fast food

• McDonald’s, 157 Rivonia Rd (cnr Grayston Drive), Sandton +27 11 883 0712 Drive thru open 24hr. Restaurant open 05:00-23:00.

Late nights and early mornings
Areas like Melville and Greenside are traditionally late-night haunts and staying out until all hours doesn't deter locals from rising with the birds. Car traffic increases soon after dawn, and you’ll see joggers, cyclists, domestic workers and dog-walkers making their way through the suburbs in the early morning.