Joburg’s best budget eats

With the World Cup steadily approaching, restaurant prices have crept up all over South Africa. We’ve eaten our way through Joburg to bring you the city’s best budget eats.

1. African eats

Wandie’s Place in Dube, Soweto, has a buffet for R115 a person. While that’s not exactly budget, you do get a lot of food for your buck. Typical buffet dishes include mutton stew, beef stew, grilled chops, beef and chicken dishes, grilled chicken and mogodu (ox tripe), served alongside pap, rice, samp and dumplings, vegetables and salad. For afterwards, there’s ice-cream, fruit salad, custard, jelly, cake and coffee.

Contact: Tel 011-982-2796
Address: 618 Makhalemele Street, Dube, Soweto

Sakhumzi Restaurant in Orlando West, Soweto is located on the same street as the Nelson Mandela Family Museum and the school where Hector Pietersen was shot. As such, it attracts busloads of tourists, but it’s popular with locals too. There’s a buffet lunch which includes mogodu, maotwana (boiled chicken legs), samp, lamb stew, chicken, boerewors and pap. There are some great breakfast options if you’re after traditional township food – there’s the Lenz (fat cakes, snoek, chips and atchaar), the Alex (fat cakes and mince), and the Rockville (chicken feet, giblets and pap). Bunny chows are a house speciality and come laden with chips, sausages, liver and cheese.

Contact: Tel 011-536-1379, e-mail dine@sakhumzi.co.za, web www.sakhumzi.co.za
Address: 6980 Vilikazi Street, Orlando West, Soweto

Right in the heart of the Newtown Cultural Precinct, in the inner city, Niki’s Oasis offers well-priced African food, as well as live jazz on Friday and Saturday nights. Try mogodu for R39 or the chicken masala potjie served with dumplings for R50.

Contact: Tel 011-492-1134
Address: 138 Bree Street, diagonally opposite the Market Theatre in Newtown

2. Relive your student days

The Bowling Club at Zoo Lake has long been a haunt of skint students after cheap drinks and food. Avoid it on weekend evenings unless you want to be surrounded by drunk teenagers. The food is unbelievably cheap – the most expensive main on the menu is R45. Pasta dishes and bangers and mash are R20, while their popular prego roll and chips is R27.50

Contact: Tel 011-646-8734
Address: Prince of Wales Drive, Parkwood

3. Pizza and pasta heaven

Radium Beer Hall is one of Joburg’s oldest pubs. Go for the atmosphere and for half-price pizza on Tuesdays.

Contact: Tel 011-728-3866
Address: 282 Louis Botha Ave, Orange Grove

Jolly Rodger is a Joburg institution. It’s offers a lively pub atmosphere and great views of bustling 4th Ave from its balcony. Come Wednesday and Sundays it is packed with students and budget eaters after half-price pizzas.

Contact: Tel 011-442-3954
Address: 10 4th Ave, Parkhurst

Doing some carbo-loading? Picolinos Pizz-A-Ria in Fourways has a great Wednesday deal – all you can eat pizza and pasta for R40.

Contact: Tel 011-467-0618, cell 082-553-4826, e-mail picolino@mweb.co.za
Address: It’s on Witkoppen Road between Cedar Road and the Sasol Garage

4. Breakfast bliss

For the best budget breakfast in town, head to Chef and the Fat Man in Buzz Shopping Centre. If you’re into your breakfasts, indulge in the breakfast buffet for R55.

Contact: Tel 011-658-1273
Address: Buzz Shopping Centre, cnr Witkoppen and Nerine Avenue, Fourways