With fresh pizza made daily from scratch and other comnforting dishes, La Pergola is a go-to destination, and great spot for dining at 44 Stanley. 

Pair a former advertising client service account director from South Africa and an Austrian-born chef and you get a friendly and welcoming restaurant that focuses on authentic northern Italian cuisine (Austria and Italy share secrets across the borderland), with plenty of fresh ingredients and a charming village atmosphere. 

Owner Nomzamo Zondi-Faber (better known as Zamo) and Clemens Faber opened La Pergola in 2022. Clemens left Austria to study in London and did his first apprenticeship in hospitality. He then moved to Rome where he worked for La Pergola, one of the first three-Michelin Star restaurants in Europe (this is where his passion as a chef was evoked). He later moved to Kenya where he worked in resorts in Malindi and Mombasa. His travels didn't end there. Plenty more followed and today the chef has stepped back to create an inviting restaurant in one of our favourite Joburg locations. 

Drawing inspiration from within Italy and its neighbouring countries of Austria, France, Slovenia and Switzerland, this sage green restaurant, complete with hanging plants and old-school pictures, has a cosy yet trendy ambience. It's a space that makes guests feel right at home. The service is friendly (and swift – we were there for breakfast and got that necessary cup of coffee morning coffee promptly).

While lunch and dinner are on offer, we visited for the weekend breakfast menu (launched May 2023). The variety has something to please anyone, vegetarians included. A big hit on the breakfast menu is likely to be the pizza breakfast, which comes complete with a fried egg. People who favour classics like Eggs Benedict and Eggs Florentine will also enjoy the Eggs Royal. For those looking for a simple yet satisfying option, the croissant is a great choice or opt for the flavourful shakshuka, a nod to Italy's Mediterranean flavours. Currently, breakfast is only served on weekends but we'll keep you updated on that as and when it changes. 

For lunch and dinner, unlike many Italian restaurants that centre their menus around pasta dishes, La Pergola offers hearty and warming options. The star of their menu is the Goulash Triestino, a rich and flavourful stew served with a traditional bread dumpling from the Trentino-Alto Adige region of northern Italy, which has become a beloved favourite among customers. And, of course, guests can't go wrong with the fresh pizza made in-house daily with homemade sourdough crust.