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August, it's been real. From a city-wide art takeover to chess tournaments, cosplay, and spa days, the month was wild and wonderful for the Johannesburg In Your Pocket team. Find out about some of our favourite Joburg bites of late, the award-winning creatives we've crossed paths with, and the projects we'll be keeping a close eye on in the weeks to come.
Food about town: Recent culinary escapades
1. A WEEKEND LABORATORY
The team at The Test Bakery in Milpark, tucked behind 44 Stanley, has spent more than six months mastering the 'perfect' croissant – and it sure does taste that way. Judging by the wild coverage the bakery has received on social media, we're not the only ones who think so. Only open on Saturdays and Sundays, The Test Bakery is powered by a husband-and-wife duo, Muhammad and Sadika Lavangee, who bake from the soul. What started as a small idea has grown into a full-fledged artisanal operation, with 20 team members, a cult following, and a menu that blends tradition with imagination. We popped in for a visit to get the scoop behind Joburg's favourite weekend bakery – and what's next. Read the story.
2. SANDWICHES IN THE CITY
A fan of those delicious Portuguese custard tarts? Troy’s Café, from the team behind The Troyeville Hotel and Casa das Natas, is a charming little coffee nook next door to Asisebenze Art Gallery. Both are housed in the refurbished heritage classic, the Aegis Building, opposite the Rand Club in Marshalltown. The coffee is excellent, the sandwiches hearty (we loved the toasted beef, mustard, and pickles), and the prices kind.
3. FLAMING GOOD
We had a fiery good time at the Flames restaurant media lunch at Four Seasons Hotel The Westcliff (Wed, Aug 27). Flames welcomed its new culinary team – led by Avuyile Fumba, Nathan Jacobs, and Rudi Liebenberg – with a menu that pays homage to fire, full of smoky, fire-kissed flavours. We loved the perfectly charred, baby gem, crayfish Caesar salad with creamy cashew sauce, as well as the peri-peri chicken and coal-roasted kingklip with chimichurri. Our meal concluded with a trio of desserts: malva pudding, dark chocolate and hazelnut gateau, and a blackcurrant vacherin with white chocolate whip. Stay tuned for our full review.
4. GOLDEN HOUR
When a venue wears "Corona" in glowing letters across its walls, it is less a subtle hint than a declaration: this is a place made for a party. So it is with Ocaso, the latest arrival at Oxford Parks on the edge of Rosebank. This bright, breezy space channels the feel of a beach bar in our landlocked city. The menu features Mexican classics with a Joburg twist. During our visit, we sampled generously – tacos filled with chicken, pulled lamb, and slow-braised beef, alongside ribs of corn carved off the cob. Cocktails here are show‑stoppers: the Berry Basil Coronita (with minis of Corona suspended in berry‑basil cordial) is as playful as it is dangerously drinkable. Still to come: a rooftop deck, which promises to be the jewel of summer in Johannesburg. Read our review.
The good news
5. JOHANNESBURG CITY LIBRARY REOPENS
After five long years, Joburg got its library back on Sat, Aug 9, coinciding with Women’s Day and – fittingly – the Johannesburg City Library's 90th birthday. Our team visited the building with Griffin Shea, an advocate for the library’s reopening and a trustee of the Johannesburg Literary District. We came across a 1688 Xhosa Bible in the Harold Strange Africana Collection and African newspapers dating back 200 years (yes, even a copy of The Star from 1894), and a Library Theatre with full audio facilities. With 1.5 million books across eight collections, the library is a powerful reminder of how public libraries promote learning and literacy, serving everyone from scholars and students to inner-city residents and everyday Joburgers. While there is much to celebrate, work remains in pressing authorities to reopen the library on weekends for the thousands who call the city home. In the meantime, read more about our visit.
Adventures in Joburg and surrounds
6. BRILLIANT BIRDHAVENWe recently visited The Peech Hotel for a roaming office and, during some downtime, took a stroll around the charming neighbourhood of Birdhaven – a leafy enclave blending laid-back luxury with a sporty edge. Here you can enjoy French-style breakfasts, bagel bliss, skyline picnics and dog walks, padel showdowns, and secret foodie missions. To help you plan your next outing, we made you a guide to 10 of our favourite things to do in Birdhaven.
7. PLAYING CHESS
Chess has long carried a "boring" stigma – quiet rooms, hushed tones, and hours hunched over a board, reserved for the so-called "brainy" types. But in Joburg, the game is shaking off that stereotype and becoming the city’s newest way to socialise. From casual meetups to lively events, chess is now a way to try something different, meet new people, and connect with all kinds of players – young, old, sporty, stylish, and everything in between. We've been exploring the rise of chess in Joburg at Pawn to Play by Joburg Chess Club at Mamakashaka, Chesss Klubb at Bad Manors, and Five In Mates at The Last Alpaca. Fancy a game? Stay tuned for our review!
8. A DAY AT THE SPA
Visiting the new Saxon Spa at Steyn City feels like a gentle landing. Its unassuming exterior blends beautifully into its surrounds and opens up into a bright, deceptively large double-storey spa with views out over the estate, art-filled walls, flickering fires and water features, and many cosy nooks in which to rest. One of the most striking features of this spa is the hydrotherapy circuit, which includes a plunge bath, sauna, steam room, heated vitality pools, and a flotation pool. We were treated to a relaxing Swedish massage and a unique sound therapy session with the VibrAcoustic lounge chairs – a fascinating technology that’s a first on the African continent. The attention to detail here is something special: there are gorgeous chandeliers by environmental artist Stephen Pikus and nature-inspired mosaics – and don’t think we missed those Mungo towels. Stay tuned for our full review.
9. CELEBRATING JEPPE
Writer and urban planner Tanya Zack launched her new book The Chaos Precinct: Johannesburg as a port in what some know as Jeppe's "Little Addis". With stores and restaurants spanning a few blocks in the City Centre, it is undoubtedly one of Joburg's hidden treasures. Yet Zack is wary of exoticising the area as it's an incredibly powerful commercial engine, topping even the financial district of Sandton in terms of its economic contribution. The launch was a wonderful celebration and a testament to Zack's deep, longstanding relationships with this community. Here's why The Choas Precinct is a must-read.
10. COMMUNITY FUN
Comic Con Africa landed at the Nasrec Expo Centre (Aug 28 – Aug 31). It brought the usual suspects: cosplay competitions, the KidsCon Zone, 90% of attendees in some form of Naruto gear, and of course, our personal favourite, Tannie Ralie's pannekoeke (pancakes). This year introduced a new space called the Book Nook, a dedicated area for all things literary. First-time exhibitors, Desi Ink, a trio of South African Indian women writing fantasy and romance novels, gave a standout talk on the importance of writing our histories and identities into fictional characters. On the international celebrity front, fans got to see Misha Collins (Supernatural) and Dan Fogler (Fantastic Beasts), among others. Tens of thousands of fans from across the African continent packed Nasrec over the four days, sharing passions, making new friends, and proving that fandom isn’t just about the entertainment but can also be a bridge across communities, cultures, and generations.
Art highlights
11. RISING STARS
The Sasol New Signatures art competition is easily one of our favourite annual art events, and the 2025 edition did not dissappoint. The awards ceremony (Wed, Sep 3) was a wonderful, warm occasion where over 100 artists who made it into this year's finals – and their friends and family – turned out at the Pretoria Art Museum. As always, it was brilliant to see this display of art from across the continent – in just about every medium conceivable. The overall winner for 2025 is Juandré van Eck (Gqeberha) for his interactive ceramic sculpture, Cycles of the mind. Thabo Treasure Mofokeng (Johannesburg) is the runner-up for his painting, Still standing. It was also fantastic to see the Sasol New Signatures 2024 winner Miné Kleynhans present her quirky, thought-provoking solo Augury After Autogogues – a chance to delve deeper into the practice of this singular artist. A testament to the diversity and vibrancy of the country’s artists and makers, all of these works are on show at the Pretoria Art Museum until Sun, Nov 2. We highly recommend a visit.
12. WINDING THROUGH THE WORK AT WAM
"I wanted to create something that could stand on its own and didn’t need the artist." This is Serge Alain Nitegeka on his immense, site-specific installation titled Structural Response V – the key work in his major new solo exhibition at Wits Art Museum (WAM), showing until Sat, Nov 1. A packed opening for Black Subjects at WAM marked the artist’s return to his alma mater after nearly two decades. The sheer scale of what’s been purpose-built is incredible to see – it’s a show we highly recommend paying an in-person a visit. Read our review.
13. CREATIVE CITY
"Interesting, weird, surprising, beautiful, unusual"... just some of the words we heard (or uttered ourselves) traipsing around the city for CONTRA.Joburg art fair on the weekend of Sat, Aug 30 and Sun, Aug 31. We loved the sheer variety on offer at Transwerke (an Art Deco maternity hospital turned artist studio space), where you never knew what was waiting for you around the next corner. In the colourful studio of Joe Turpin at Bag Factory, his quirky cat candles caught our eye. It was incredible to see Joburg Ballet pop up in the ballroom at the historic Rand Club where, across the road, a sandwich from the newly opened Troy's Cafe more or less saved the day. At August House, we were delighted to discover the work of Mongezi Ncombo, meanwhile, Senzeni Marasela's solo 2 O’clock was one of the stand-outs at Ellis House. If you're looking for a way to explore Joburg among fellow creatives and art enthusiasts, this is an event not to miss next year.
14. A LEGACY EXHIBITION
An educator, academic, artist and co-founder of the leading print-making art education institution Artist Proof Studio, Kim Berman is a figure we deeply admire. Remembering and Forgetting: Landscapes in Dialogue at UJ Art Gallery is her first solo exhibition in 15 years. A deeply personal, thought-provoking, and in parts disturbing encounter with South Africa’s all-too-recent history – and a poignant reflection on destruction, memory, and the resilience of the human spirit. This landmark exhibition marks Berman’s retirement after 31 years of shaping minds, movements, and meaning through art and education. On until Fri, Sep 12, it's an absolute must-see. Read our review and check out our interview with Berman here.
15. SCULPTURAL MANIFESTOS
"I often think of my constructions as sculptural manifestos," says Stephen Hobbs. The Joburg-born artist has spent more than three decades using the city as both subject and studio. With a practice rooted in architecture and urban space, Hobbs maps Joburg’s suburbs, townships, and in-between zones – translating his observations into sculptural forms and spatial interventions. His multidisciplinary work explores the ways people move through, inhabit, and imagine the city. At Joburg Contemporary Art Foundation (JCAF), Hobbs' site-specific installation Mnara (Swahili for "tower") is both a physical and conceptual gateway to the 2025 exhibition, Structures. Skeletal yet monumental, it evokes unfinished architectures that mirror Johannesburg's ongoing cycles of collapse and reconstruction. Read our interview with Hobbs here.
All eyes: Projects to watch
16. NEW TO THE NEIGHBOURHOODIf you've driven past veggie paradise Garden Fresh of late, you'll have noticed construction furiously underway on the grounds. We met up with the team from Nine Yards Development and are here to tell you that something wonderful is in the works. Eight vacant homes in Parktown North are being incorporated into a shopping, eating, and lifestyle destination that will feature a 450m promenade, a bamboo forest, an underground events venue, the home of the new gallery from the people who brought you Kalashnikovv, and a restaurant. The vision? To become Joburg's answer to Cape Town's much-loved Oranjezicht market. Watch this space.
17. LET'S WALK TOGETHER
On a chilly Thursday morning, we hopped over to the offices of Jozi My Jozi in Marshalltown to kickstart important conversations about this year’s #JoziMyJoziWalks series of free walking tours on the weekend of Sat, Sep 27 and Sun, Sep 28. The boardroom brimmed with warmth, and everyone’s obvious love for Joburg was infectious. Of the 14 tours presented, we were awed by the determination to make Jozi My Jozi Walks a fun and exciting experience for all involved. Veterans in the industry, Ayanda Mnyandu of City Skate Tours and Maria Malepa of Lebo’s Soweto Backpackers gave some tips on creating immersive walking tours, both emphasising the idea of looking beyond the obvious and finding something truly unique about your community or neighbourhood that's worth sharing with others. Beyond the ‘point and talk’ type of walk, how else can attendees engage with your neighbourhood in a way that’s more interactive and out of the box? Food for thought. And precisely the aim of Jozi My Jozi Walks. Here are the 14 finalists. Keep your eyes peeled for the weekend's programme – you'll want to snap your spots up fast.
18. MAPPING JOZI
After dipping our toes back into the world of physical maps for our printed guide to the City Centre, we've been hard at work on an even bigger project – a comprehensive mini guide to Johannesburg in partnership with Jozi My Jozi and with support from Nando's. This A2 map of the city details some of Joburg's top tours and guides and most exciting attractions. We're launching it at the 2025 SATSA Conference (Tue, Sep 9 – Thu, Sep 11), and it will be distributed in the run-up to the G20 Summit in November. We can't wait to show you the final product.
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