One of Joburg's most popular neighbourhood pubs, 'the Jolly', as its regulars fondly call it, is a Parkhurst institution, a scruffy down-to-earth pub that sits incongruously among the chi-chi boutiques and upmarket restaurants of Parkhurst's 4th Avenue. The Jolly's long-running popularity in part comes down to the fact that it always seems to be open – even on Christmas Day you can roll by for a cheap pint and a pizza.

As day turns to night and the night starts to stretch out into the early hours of the next morning, you'll find the pub only continues to get louder and busier with an eclectic crowd of punters stumbling in and out of the door. Like all great dive bars it's the kind of place that attracts people from all backgrounds. At any one time you'll find bachelorette parties sharing tables with jaded journalists, drunken students and the occasional old man and his dog, all happily chainsmoking and singing along to Bon Jovi's finest blaring from the jukebox. 

Spread over two levels, upstairs is less smoky with a wide balcony for taking a breather, while downstairs it can get as crowded as a rush-hour bus on weekend nights.