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Great gastronomy in Gauteng
Gauteng food terroir
View from the Westcliff Hotel
Did you know?
The Jo’burg Market is the largest fresh produce market in Southern Africa.
While the food culture of other provinces is largely determined by climate and land, the food terroir of Gauteng reflects the alimentary energy of its people.
To understand the essence of Gauteng food the diner needs to know that this is a province of extremes. In Gauteng, the very ancient and the ultra modern have blended and infused the tastes of the local cuisine.
Millions of years ago ancient hominids ground their teeth on the fruits of the savannah grasslands at the Cradle of Humankind, World Heritage Site near Mogale City. The area now plays host to Roots restaurant, where head chef, Allistaire Lawrence’s award-winning menus are good enough to wake the most ancient of ancestors.
Aside from edible antiquities, it is ultra modern business that makes Gauteng’s food terroir buzz. Packed full of restaurants, one of the best views of Johannesburg’s man-made splendour is to be seen from the restaurant terrace of the Westcliff Hotel.
In the heart of the Sandton CBD, one of the country’s finest chefs, David Higgs has taken sophisticated dining to a whole new level at the Radisson Blu Gautrain Hotel. Cube tasting kitchen in Parktown North offers an 18-course adventure in modernist fine dining Jozi-style.
Soweto’s Kliptown Hotel satisfies the appetites of the epicurean elite with its elegant take on township culinary classics. For 30 years, Pretoria business has celebrated its successes at La Madeleine because no one pampers the posh quite so effectively as chef, Daniel Leusch and his team.
Big-ticket booze always follows the money, so raise a glass to good living in Gauteng at the Soweto Wine Festival, FNB Whisky Live Festival and the SA Brandy Festival.
With a big economy comes big dreams, and there are numerous immigrant epicurean entrepreneurs who have come to make their fortune in the golden province. Whether it’s piri-piri infused Portuguese in Turffontien, more-ish Indian in Fordsburg, or the Pan-African perfection of Zemara in Pretoria, the food terroir of Gauteng is deliciously diverse.
Travel tips & Planning info
Who to contact
The Westcliff Hotel
La Belle Terrasse
67 Jan Smuts Avenue
Westcliff
Tel: +27 (0)11 481 6000
Zemara Congolese restaurant
223 Schoeman Street
Arcadia
Pretoria
Tel: +27 (0)72 756 2057
La Madeleine
122 Priory Road
Lynnwood Ridge
Tel: +27 (0)12 361 3667
Forum Homini Boutique Hotel
Roots restaurant
Letamo Game Estate
Bartlett Road, Kromdraai
Muldersdrift
Tel: +27 (0)11 668 7000.
Radisson Blu Gautrain Hotel
Corner of Rivonia Road and West Street
Sandton, Johannesburg
Tel: +27 (0)11 286 1000
Fax: +27 (0)11 286 1001
Email: info.sandton.johannesburg@radissonblu.com
Cheese Gourmet
Tel: +27 (0)11 888 5384
Email: sacheese@gmail.com
Cube Tasting Kitchen
Open for dinner only, Tuesday to Saturday
Mobile: +27 (0)82 080 6603
Email: roxy@sugarevents.co.za
Pan-African culinary tours of
Johannesburg and Soweto
Food Tours Africa
Tel: +27(0)83 320 4915
Ancient Secrets
Tel: +27 (0)84 624 0000
Rhubuluza Tours
Tel: +27 (0)11 463 8895
Mobile: +27 (0)83 387 5436.
How to get here
Gauteng is accessible by air, bus, train, and by road. The Gautrain rapid high-speed rail link operates daily between Pretoria, Sandton, and O.R. Tambo International Airport.
Around the area
Food lovers should visit Haartbeespoort, Skeerpoort, the Pretoria Boeremark, and the farmlands along the Vaal River.
Tours to do
Soweto is a food destination in its own right, and well worth touring. Fordsburg is another ethnic food hub.
Get around
Self-drive, hire a tour guide or metered taxi, alternatively there are public buses as well as the Rea Vaya bus rapid transport system, and the Gautrain.
What will it cost
The price of a meal in Gauteng varies from venue to venue. A 3-course restaurant meal with a good bottle of wine will cost +/- €55 p/head. Advance booking, particularly at award-winning establishments, is essential.
The 18-course tasting menu at Cube Tasting Kitchen costs R500 p/head, excluding wine.
Where to stay
Accommodation in Gauteng ranges from chain and boutique hotels, country lodges, B&Bs, and backpackers lodges to self-catering options.
What to eat
While Gauteng is not an agricultural province, citrus, stone fruit, strawberries, and a variety of vegetables are grown in its surrounds. There are excellent cheese-makers, bee-keepers, and butchers.
What's happening
The Fine Brandy Festival is in May, Soweto Wine festival is early September, A Taste of Jo’burg and RMB Winex take place in October, and the FNB Fine Whisky Festival is in November.
Best buys
Gauteng-made cheese and more from the Cheese Gourmet deli.