It's a quieter month on the culinary front, but there's still plenty to tuck into. There’s theatre on the menu, coffee festivals taking over rooftops and our usual favourites like Victoria Yards doing what they do best: tempting you in for “just one thing” and keeping you there far longer than planned. Further afield, the East Rand makes its case for your next food pilgrimage, while Springbok has grocery prices soaring as high as the name suggests. Plus: a contender for Joburg's best hotdogs, a high tea hitlist and some very good food (behind unassuming doors) in the inner city.
1. Moving and grooving: what's new in Joburg's food scene?
– One of our foodie favourites, Mpho Phalane, closes a chapter for Food I Love You, moving on from its home at Constitution Hill to the Troyeville Hotel, where it now caters private functions. Something to keep in mind for your next big do!
– Tortellino d'Oro opens at Sandton Gate. From our experience at the original in Oaklands, the restaurant is anchored by a busy deli where you can stock up on indulgences like Tortellino’s signature melanzane, spinach malfatti (ricotta and spinach dumplings) and anchovy pâté. There’s excellent pasta, veal and fillet dishes, too, while dessert will have you wishing you’d left more room.
– Pulse 99 is the new kid in Braamfontein's café scene and its stylish interior matches its slogan perfectly – artists for artists. Their chai looks fittingly warm for the cold weather creeping up.
2. Springbok named South Africa’s most expensive town for groceries
According to the Pietermaritzburg Economic Justice and Dignity Group’s April 2026 Household Affordability Index, the national average food basket rose to R5,452.09, with staples like onions, chicken feet, fish, tomatoes and bananas all seeing sharp increases, Daily Investor reports. The surprise finding? Springbok in the Northern Cape recorded the highest grocery basket in the country at R5,863.27 – more than R400 above the national average – while Cape Town came in as the most affordable. A reminder that in South Africa, where you live can shape your grocery bill as much as inflation can.
3. Must-visit foodie spots at Victoria Yards
Once a derelict cluster of light industrial buildings in Lorentzville, Victoria Yards is now one of our favourite creative destinations in Joburg – packed with artist studios, workshops, markets, galleries... and excellent places to eat.
A Vic Yards institution, The Fish and Chips Shop serves up freshly battered fish and gloriously soggy, old-school slap chips. Previously in Maboneng, Home of the Bean has settled cosily into its new home, and the blueberry lemon muffins are already a crowd pleaser.
Fama Delicatessen is stocked with some of the finest cold cuts we've come across – and at prices that won't make your eyes water. One exception: Remember that R10,000 dry cured prosciutto at Woolworths that had everyone talking over the 2025 festive season? It lives here now, and yes, you can sneak a taste before committing.
To end our adventures, we sipped on cocktails at Primal Spirits Distillery before taking a gin tasting tour with owners Aaron Pieterse and Gabriel Fine. It's a pretty intense process that goes into making that gin you love so much with tonic, and from the ones we tasted, the Union and Applewood Gins were the best.
4. Venturing out: East Rand bites to try
The North usually gets all the hype, but the East Rand has a food scene of its own. After seeing what @girlandcomeetsthingstodo ate recently, we’re officially intrigued. Two spots on our radar:
Gloria Jean's in Lakefield, Benoni, is the kind of halaal café where a quick coffee can easily turn into a full meal. The standout? Pink matcha pasta – unusual enough that we can’t stop thinking about it. Also halaal, Alta Gracia serves comfort food with global influences. We love the sound of the “2 Thai 4” – a house classic of coconut-infused prawns served with rice or naan.
5. Book for these foodie experiences
Fri, May 29 – Sun, May 31: From Aeropress to pour-over and everything in between, the Jo’burg Coffee Festival takes over the Fourways Mall rooftop with South Africa’s biggest celebration of speciality coffee. Get your tickets here.
Sat, Jun 20: It's a spectacle for the senses with The Royal Countess Zingara's La Dolce Royal at Melrose Arch as theatre, performance art and cuisine come together in a dazzling event. Book here.
6. A taste of RMB Latitudes Art Fair
When you attend an art fair, wine and bubbles are a given – but what about the food? RMB Latitudes always pulls through. This year, we had scoops of Baglios Gelato in the garden and, after a couple of walkabouts of Shepstone Gardens, finished off with Korean fried chicken from Banchan that we were still raving about come Monday morning. Find Baglios on 4th Avenue in Parkhurst, Mushroom Farm Centre in Waterfall, Midrand or Montecasino, and Banchan in Parkmore, Sandton.
7. Two markets worth visiting
BUS STOP 7: Every Sat and SunThrough the grapevine, we heard about Busstop7 Open Air Market in Pretoria East, a one-stop destination with 150+ stalls. Think farm-fresh produce (just-picked flowers, organic fruit and veg, free-range eggs, raw honey), proper artisan baking and counters stacked with cheeses, meats and still-warm loaves. The food stalls offer plenty of options for every kind of eater.
LOCRATE MARKET: Sun, Jun 7
Locrate – local + creative – does exactly what it says on the tin: a high-energy mash-up of makers, food and live music that feels more like a street party than a market. Always a crowd pleaser, Sumting Fresh will be there serving their signature fried chicken. The rest of the culinary adventure is for you to discover.
8. In case you missed it... recent reviews and food features
THE FILTHY MOUSTACHE, ROSEBANK
Paying upwards of R100 for a hotdog tends to raise eyebrows. The Filthy Moustache has been doing exactly that since 2016 – and, somehow, getting away with it by immediately winning people over. Is this Joburg's best hotdog? Read our review that makes a compelling case.
HIGH TEAS IN JOBURG
From cloud-like buttery scones piled high with clotted cream and jam, to elegant teapots, tiered cake stands and pianists quietly setting the mood – Joburg knows how to do High Tea with flair. Here's our list of the best High Tea spots in Joburg.
INNER CITY RESTAURANTS TO TRY
Long-table dinners in Yeoville, old-school Portuguese spots in Troyeville, street food in Fordsburg and great coffee and bar eats in Braamfontein... the city is packed with flavour, history and constant reinvention. Next time you find yourself in the inner city, try one these restaurants.
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