À ne pas manquer à Johannesburg

Warehouse roastery named Cafe of the Year 2024, with a bakery counter and public cuppings. Pair a filter coffee with a pastry.

Weekday mornings are calmer

Fairtrade single-origin African beans roasted in the Stanley Avenue precinct. Good flat white, then browse the neighbouring shops.

Visit on a weekday morning

Inner-city coffee bar inside Arts on Main. Try the carrot cake brownie with a smoothie or filter coffee.

Combine with Arts on Main

Student-district cafe known for chunky pistachio chocolate cookies alongside decent coffee. Works as a break between Juta Street murals.

Cookies sell out; go early

Asian-leaning small plates for sharing, newly reopened at the Peech Hotel. Order the fish sliders and chickpea fries.

Book ahead for dinner

Steakhouse trading since 1994. Choose ribeye or fillet, then finish with malva pudding, the classic South African dessert.

Book for weekend dinners

Contemporary African tasting menu, for example smoked duck with umngqusho and amasi panna cotta. Considered good value for fine dining.

Reserve the tasting menu

Long-running inner-city spot for flame-grilled beef, sausage and ox liver with phuthu pap, eaten the traditional way.

Go with a local guide

Street that housed two Nobel laureates. Photograph Mandela's matchbox house, then walk to the Hector Pieterson Memorial nearby.

Visit mid-morning, avoid midday

Former prison complex turned home of the Constitutional Court. Brick ramparts and the court's viewing area make strong frames.

Open 9am to 5pm daily

295 m cable-stayed bridge over the rail yards, lit blue at night. Walk the pedestrian lane for skyline shots.

Shoot at dusk, stay vigilant

Converted laundry precinct with terraced gardens, a moss installation above the Jukskei River, and 40-plus artisan studios.

Come for First Sunday Market

Modern Mediterranean spot that won the 2026 Luxe People's Choice award; think mezze with three dips, seabass and baklava with ice cream.

Book weekend dinners