Johannesburg’s food scene keeps moving, always chasing the next plate that makes you pause. The 2025 FindMy Food Awards celebrate the restaurants and chefs our app users loved most this year. Winners were chosen through thousands of ratings, reviews and check-ins from real diners, combined with insights from the FindMy team’s tastings and local food trends. The result: a truly crowd-powered list of 45 standout spots across the city.
The first 45 standouts
Best Pasta
Tortellino D’Oro (Oaklands Shopping Centre, Cnr. Pretoria Road & Victoria Street, Oaklands)
Tortellino D’Oro has been run by the same Italian family since 1993, with its chefs trained in Bologna, the birthplace of tortellini. Famous for its handmade pasta and authentic sauces, the restaurant also supplies top local chefs and food lovers through its in-house deli, making it one of Johannesburg’s most enduring culinary institutions.
Best Farm to Table
Culinary Table (Lanseria Centre, R512 Malibongwe Drive, Lanseria)
Culinary Table in Lanseria is led by a father-daughter team and integrates an on-site butchery with a kitchen garden harvested each morning. The team breaks down whole carcasses in-house and repurposes trim for charcuterie and stocks, a low-waste practice that often shapes the seasonal specials.
Best Burger
BGR (Trumpet on Keyes, 21 Keyes Avenue, Rosebank)
The original outlet operated from a petrol-station forecourt before relocating to Rosebank’s Keyes Art Mile. BGR grinds its beef daily in-house and sears smash patties at high heat to achieve a delicate, lacy crust. Twice-cooked fries and a deliberately concise menu underscore its commitment to consistency, making it a reliable choice for high-quality fast-casual dining.
Best Sushi
KōL Izakaya (Hyde Park Corner Shopping Centre)
KōL Izakaya in Hyde Park Corner is inspired by Tokyo’s high-end izakayas, blending Japanese tradition with South African flair. Known for its robata-grilled dishes cooked over Japanese binchotan charcoal and an exceptional sake selection, it offers one of Johannesburg’s most immersive modern Japanese dining experiences.
Best Vegan
The Fussy Vegan (34 Gleneagles Road, Greenside)
Opened in 2018 as a kiosk at a Randburg petrol station, The Fussy Vegan expanded to multiple locations and earned back-to-back “Best Vegan” accolades in Johannesburg; despite its modest footprint, the kitchen produces polished, plant-based dishes that even committed meat-eaters frequently recommend.
Best Vegetarian
Truffles On The Park (Mushroom Farm Park, 125 Daisy Street, Sandown)
Truffles on the Park overlooks the serene Mushroom Park, offering diners a rare blend of fine dining and nature in the heart of Sandton. Celebrated for its sophisticated seasonal menu and award-winning wine list, it’s one of the few Johannesburg restaurants where you can enjoy gourmet cuisine surrounded by lush greenery.
Best Falafel
Teta Mari (Shop 05, Illovo Square, Harries Road, Illovo, Johannesburg)
Teta Mari brings Middle Eastern vibrancy to Johannesburg café culture, with pillowy, freshly baked pita and herb-forward salads brightened with lemon. An all-day menu featuring several vegetarian and gluten-free options further broadens its appeal.
Best Breakfast
Tashas The Marc (Shop LR 28, The Marc Shopping Centre, Cnr Rivonia Road & Maude Street, Sandton)
Every signature dish here is created specifically for this Sandton location. The kitchen cooks from scratch all day, so breakfast runs into late-afternoon snacking without missing a beat. The site-specific signature collection is refreshed seasonally, encouraging regulars to return for new plates.
Best Curry
Modern Tailors (189 Oxford Road, Rosebank, Johannesburg)
Modern Tailors presents regional Indian flavours through a refined, contemporary lens. Charcoal and spice set the tone, while the bar echoes pantry notes such as cardamom and tamarind in considered cocktails. The kitchen prepares its chutneys and spice blends in house to preserve volatile aromatics, which is why the flavours land with such precision.
Best Dim Sum
Yamitsuki (55 Van Buuren Road, Bedfordview, Germiston)
Yamitsuki was one of the first fusion restaurants in South Africa to introduce teppanyaki tables, letting diners watch chefs cook with flair right before their eyes. Combining Japanese precision with bold Asian flavours, it’s become a local favourite for sushi, ramen and interactive dining experiences that make every meal a performance.
Best Family Friendly
The Old Oak (1 Fairway Avenue, Linksfield North, Johannesburg)
The Old Oak is discreetly situated within the grounds of the Royal Johannesburg Golf Club, offering a gracious, tree-lined setting and generous plates, from crisp pork belly to indulgent desserts. It’s dining terraces look onto rolling fairways and mature oaks, creating one of the city’s most tranquil family-friendly restaurant outlooks.
Best Date Night
Marble Restaurant (Trumpet on Keyes, Cnr Keyes & Jellicoe Avenue, Rosebank, Johannesburg)
Marble offers a polished celebration of open-fire cooking against a panoramic Rosebank skyline, where fish, prime cuts, and seasonal vegetables meet measured smoke and a cellar-driven wine programme. It was co-founded by chef David Higgs and the restaurant’s kitchen is built around a bespoke live-fire grill engineered for consistent, high-heat cooking.
Best Banting or Keto Friendly
Col’Cacchio (Shop U30, Winifred Mandela Precinct, Winnie Mandela Drive, Bryanston) Col’Cacchio Bryanston presents a polished take on Italian-inspired casual dining, where inventive toppings sit comfortably alongside faithful classics. The brand’s long-standing focus on menu innovation helped popularise alternative pizza bases in South Africa, bringing cauliflower and gluten-free options into the mainstream.
Best Value for Money
The Schwarma Co (71 Grant Avenue, Norwood, Johannesburg)
The Schwarma Co in Norwood remains a long-standing neighbourhood fixture, drawing steady queues for juicy laffa wraps, well-seasoned meats off the grill and tahini done properly. Laffa breads are prepared fresh and the meats are marinated in-house, a combination that helps explain the enduring loyalty of regulars.
Best Sharing Plates
Mezepoli Melrose Arch (The Piazza, SL26, Whiteley Road, Melrose Arch, Johannesburg)
Mezepoli centres the experience on shareable meze, encouraging unhurried conversation over crisp seafood, grilled halloumi and bright, herb-forward salads. Beyond the wines, the bar features classic Greek spirits such as ouzo and tsipouro, inviting thoughtful pairings across the table.
Best Underrated Spot
Mike’s Heritage House (15 St Andrews Road, Parktown, Johannesburg)
Mike’s Heritage House is one of Johannesburg’s oldest dining landmarks, set in a beautifully preserved Edwardian mansion built in 1904. Once a private home, it now offers classic South African fare in a setting steeped in history, complete with wraparound verandas, vintage charm and views of the city’s historic ridge.
Best Street Food
Orexi (5 Lower Road, Morningside, Sandton)
Orexi offers a proudly Greek repertoire, from charcoal-kissed souvlaki to village-style salads bright with oregano and lemon, presented with generous portions and an unfussy, family-style rhythm. The kitchen strains its yogurt for a thick, tangy tzatziki and warms pita to order, a simple ritual that lifts even the most classic plates.
Best Braai Restaurant
The Braai Room (Lonehill Shopping Centre, Lone Hill, Sandton, Johannesburg)
The Braai Room approaches live fire as a craft, presenting aged beef with restraint so that cut, texture and smoke remain the focus. Selected steaks are dry-aged on site, then finished over hardwood coals to achieve a consistent crust without overwhelming the meat’s natural flavour.
Best Wine List
The Blockman (33, 4th Avenue, Parkhurst, Johannesburg)
The Blockman operates as both a craft butcher and a bistro, where guests select dry-aged cuts at the counter by cut and weight before the kitchen seasons and cooks them with restraint. The on-site butcher counter also offers retail cuts and house-made condiments, so you can take the experience home.
Best Buffet
Chiefs Boma (Indaba Hotel, Cnr William Nicol Drive & Pieter Wenning Road, Fourways, Johannesburg)
Chiefs Boma transforms dinner into an open-air tasting of South African staples, from slow-cooked potjies to expertly grilled game, presented across an expansive buffet. Select evenings feature traditional reed-fenced boma seating and live carving stations, echoing heritage cooking rituals while showcasing regional meats and marinades.
Best Fine Dining Experience
Level Four (54 Bath Avenue, Rosebank, Johannesburg)
Level Four combines white-tablecloth polish with a garden terrace that glows at sunset. Tasting menus foreground seasonal South African produce, while Afternoon Tea is delivered with classic ceremony, making it suitable for both milestones and quietly refined evenings. The tea service features a curated selection of single-estate leaves and patisserie made in house, with seasonal variations that change several times a year.
Best Deli
Mastro Craighall (Shop 1–4, Albans Square, 357 Jan Smuts Ave, Craighall Park)
Mastro reads as a contemporary trattoria with strong deli credentials, where handmade pasta sits comfortably alongside expertly pulled espresso. Some of their pastas are extruded through bronze dies for a rougher surface, helping sauces cling more effectively and intensifying flavour with each bite.
Best Seafood
The Prawnery (21 Keyes Ave, Rosebank)
The Prawnery presents a focused crustacean-led menu with buttered prawn rolls, spice-brushed grills and bisque-rich pastas, prepared with measured technique and clean flavours. The kitchen often runs a rotating market board of limited-quantity prawn sizes and styles, inviting side-by-side tastings for committed seafood fans.
Best Lifestyle Restaurant
Embarc (Cnr 4th Ave & 13th St, Parkhurst)
Embarc in Parkhurst delivers a seasonal, fine-bistro interpretation with precise technique and an elegant, restrained style. The kitchen maintains a rotating “test” section for limited-run dishes, allowing the team to trial new ideas and spotlight peak-season South African produce before those plates graduate to the main menu.
Best High Tea
The Saxon (36 Saxon Rd, Sandhurst)
The Saxon in Sandhurst was once the private residence of South African business magnate Douw Steyn and even hosted Nelson Mandela while he edited Long Walk to Freedom. Now a world-renowned boutique hotel, it’s celebrated for its award-winning fine dining and serene gardens, making it a symbol of understated luxury and South African heritage.
Best Kids Restaurant
Bambanani (85 4th Ave, Melville)
Bambanani delivers polished café fare alongside professionally supervised children’s play, giving adults the space to enjoy wood-fired pizzas, fresh salads and a well-edited wine list while little ones explore safely. The atmosphere suits birthdays and unhurried weekend lunches without sacrificing service standards. Interesting fact: the venue runs a structured schedule of child-focused activities with trained minders and dedicated play zones, which helps stagger footfall and keeps the dining room calm even at peak family hours.
Best Portuguese
Parreirinha (The Square, Cnr High & Old House Lane, Melrose Arch, Melrose North)
Parreirinha delivers classic Portuguese cookery with unfussy confidence, from coal-grilled prawns and peri-peri chicken to baskets of warm rolls ready for butter.
The restaurant is famed for its ceiling festooned with guests’ neckties, a decades-long tradition that turns the room itself into a living archive of regulars and visiting dignitaries.
Best Special Occasion
Pigalle (UO9, Michelangelo Towers, Maude St, Sandton)
Pigalle sets a polished supper-club tone, with silver-served seafood platters and prime steaks paced to live music that turns dinner into an evening out. The kitchen is renowned for generous shared platters and classic, continental-style service touches, warm clarified butter, lemon crowns and crisp linens that keep the experience feeling timeless.
Best Greek
Kolonaki (No 18 4th Avenue, Cnr 9th St, Parkhurst)
Kolonaki in Parkhurst channels a poised Aegean sensibility, where crisp calamari, oregano-forward village salads and subtle charcoal notes pair naturally with Greek varietals such as Assyrtiko and Xinomavro. The name nods to Athens’ Kolonaki district, and the wine list mirrors that heritage with a focused selection of Greek appellations alongside Mediterranean staples.
Best Thai
2 Thai 4 Restaurant (59 Corlett Dr, Illovo, Sandton)
2 Thai 4 remains a Johannesburg mainstay for Thai cookery that prizes wok heat, balance and clarity. Certain condiments and curry pastes are prepared in house with fresh galangal, lemongrass, and kaffir lime leaf, and guests can specify heat levels to traditional Thai preferences.
Best Outdoor Restaurant
Olive and Plates (Wits Club, 7 Yale Road, Parktown, Johannesburg)
Olives and Plates moves seamlessly from breakfast to candlelit dinners, pairing Mediterranean-leaning plates with a serious in-house baking programme. The location runs on-site patisserie kitchens that produce layered celebration cakes to order, so the dessert counter evolves throughout the day.
Best Wine Bar
Proud Mary (The Bank, 26 Cradock Avenue, Rosebank, Johannesburg)
Proud Mary occupies The Bank in Rosebank with a poised mid-century aesthetic, marrying an all-day kitchen and serious wine programme to a lounge-style bar where breakfast segues naturally into late-night plates. The venue regularly curates themed tastings and limited-release pours from the vault, allowing guests to explore rare expressions alongside the restaurant’s raw-bar and grill favourites.
Best South American
Che Argentina Grill (128 Jan Smuts Avenue, Parkwood, Johannesburg)
Che Argentine Grill began as an empanada stand on Johannesburg’s food-market circuit before evolving into a full parrilla and becoming one of the few Argentine restaurants recommended by Argentina’s embassy in South Africa. The kitchen prepares its chimichurri in-house and finishes provoleta in cast iron, yielding a caramelised edge that’s ideal with a pour of Malbec.
Best Mexican
La Rosa Mexican Grille (Honey Crest Centre, Cnr Duiker Avenue & Beyers Naudé Drive, Randpark Ridge)
La Rosa maintains a festive spirit while keeping its salsas bright and honest, pairing well-executed tacos and enchiladas with a considered agave programme that spans tequila and mezcal. The bar curates guided agave flights across blanco, reposado, añejo and mezcal styles, encouraging guests to compare regional expressions side by side.
Best Italian
Gemelli (Link Centre, Cnr Posthouse Street & Main Road, Bryanston, Sandton)
Gemelli in Bryanston interprets contemporary Italian cuisine with polished service and confident flavour, where signature pastas lead and the room gathers energy early in the evening. The restaurant periodically hosts winemaker and aperitivo evenings with boutique South African and Italian producers, creating pairing-led menus that spotlight limited-release bottles.
Best Chinese
Red Chamber (Hyde Park Corner, Middle Mall, 6th Road, Hyde Park, Johannesburg)
Red Chamber in Hyde Park mainstay is known for restrained, consistently executed northern Chinese cookery with signature such as Peking duck and delicately folded dumplings. The restaurant’s name is a deliberate literary homage, and its menu structure mirrors that heritage by foregrounding northern staples and seasonal specials rather than trend-driven novelties.
Best New Restaurant
Zioux (The Marc, Cnr Rivonia Road & Maude Street, Sandown, Sandton)
Zioux, a Marble Group project led by David Higgs and partners, opened in 2021 at The MARC as an elevated cocktail lounge intended to recalibrate Johannesburg’s idea of post-pandemic luxury. The name is pronounced “zoo” and the stylised is a deliberate brand signature that underscores its playful, fashion-forward identity.
Best Japanese
Tang Asian Luxury (Shop 120, Nelson Mandela Square, Sandton, Johannesburg)
TANG, launched on Nelson Mandela Square in winter 2021 by Nicky van der Walt and expanded to Dubai in 2024, marries sleek, high-gloss design with a cohesive pan-Asian menu that moves confidently from robata to dim sum. The grill runs Japanese binchotan for cleaner, higher heat, which helps achieve pronounced char without bitterness and preserves the clarity of seafood and prime cuts.
Best Ribs
Thunder Gun (281 Beyers Naudé Drive & Lewisham Road, Blackheath, Johannesburg)
Thunder Gun, a Northcliff institution dating to 1968 and the last survivor of the vintage “Six Gun” steakhouse group, maintains a proudly old-school formula built on flame-grilled ribs and steaks that have earned multi-generational loyalty. The kitchen is renowned for near-kilogram rib platters served with classic sides, a tradition that has changed little in half a century.
Best Indian
Thava Indian Restaurant (The Avenue & Grove Road, The Gardens, Norwood, Johannesburg)
Thava presents coastal Indian cookery with crisp dosas, fresh seafood and coconut-forward curries, encouraging guests to order several small plates and set the spice level to taste. The kitchen ferments its dosa batter in house and prepares coconut chutneys in small daily batches, which is why the crepes arrive lace-edged and gently tangy.
Best Steakhouse
The Grillhouse (H20 & H21, 38 Whiteley Road, Melrose Arch, Melrose North, Johannesburg)
The Grillhouse, established in 1994, pairs art-deco detailing with a deep wine cellar and a steak program that spans both wet- and dry-aged cuts, supported by an extensive whisky selection. The flagship Rosebank venue adjoins Katzy’s Live, allowing guests to segue from dinner to a classic cocktail and live music without leaving the precinct.
Best Korean
Banchan (108 Victoria Avenue, Parkmore, Sandton, Johannesburg)
Banchan focuses on homestyle Korean comfort, from bubbling jjigae and sizzling platters to exceptionally crisp fried chicken, framed by a changing spread of side dishes that sets an unhurried, convivial rhythm. The kitchen rotates its namesake banchan daily, often including house-fermented kimchi and seasonal pickles, so no two meals are quite the same.
Best French
Liberté Restaurant (345 Jan Smuts Avenue, Craighall Park, Johannesburg)
Liberté operates as a neighbourhood bistro with French inflection, emphasising seasonal produce and restrained technique. The team runs a rotating blackboard of market-led specials alongside the core menu, using it to showcase peak-season ingredients and trial pairings before they graduate to the main list.
Best Korean BBQ
Pocha Korean Restaurant (38, 4th Avenue, Parkhurst, Johannesburg)
Pocha channels Seoul’s after-hours spirit with shareable anju, tabletop heat and easygoing soju, best enjoyed in a group with a wide sweep of dishes and an unhurried pace. Many Pocha staples trace back to pojangmacha street tents, and the menu nods to that heritage with late-night favourites like tteokbokki and kimchi pancakes built for pairing with soju or beer.
Best Pizza
Café 28 (54 Wierda Road East, Wierda Valley, Sandton)
Cafe 28 overlooks manicured greens that lend Sandton an unexpected sense of calm, from first-light breakfasts to golden-hour sundowners at the edge of the course. The terrace orientation captures prevailing breezes and late-afternoon light, so tables remain comfortable even on warm days.
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