Eating out in Craighall Park

Updated 12th January 2022 

Local is lekker: eating out in Craighall Park 

What does ‘lekker‘ mean? Go to  Liz at Lancaster blog post on South African slang

Craighall Park is home to a wonderful variety of eateries – 2 excellent family friendly places, good Italian and bistro food, Greek, Chinese, fine dining, cocktail bar vibe and neighbourhood pub and even a wine tasting venue. All right on our doorstep. 

Dolci Cafe  is a fabulous little local eatery located in Lancaster Village cnr Clarence and Lancaster Aves. It’s informal, unpretentious, and owner run by Jackie and her husband Clayton.  They have recently (as of March 2017 expanded) and are now open for dinner as well. The best is that they are literally at the end of the block from Liz at Lancaster Guesthouse – a 5 minute walk. And they have live music on a Friday evening. 

Cnr Cafe  – Corner Buckingham and Rothesay Aves 2 and a half blocks away; closed Sundays evenings +27 11 880-2244 Excellent food and nice outside pavement venue and of course very convenient . Consistently voted one of Joburg’s best neighbourhood restaurants

Vice is a “hole in the wall’ coffee shop and off-shoot of adjacent popular neighbourhood restaurant: Cnr Café.  There is a 5km time trial run which starts from Vice every Wednesday morning at 6 am.

At 10 Bompas is a fine dining restaurant WineHouse which gets its name from a painting of pop singer Amy Winehouse but is also known for its extensive wine collection. Booking recommended  011 325 2442

 

Pronto At the nearby Colony Centre; Outstanding Italian menu with tables outdoors; great pastas. +27 11 447 4346; Open every day for lunch dinner except closed Sunday and Monday evening Pronto has recently opened a linked restaurant in the same centre: Liberte

The Royale is a fun Cuban-themed restaurant and bar where rum cocktails, salsa music, tropical decor and casual meals are the order of the day.  

Giles – Has become a very popular meeting place, especially on Thursday evenings and for those TGIF evenings after work – either in the pub or to have a meal out on the deck. Congenial home fare. +27 11 442-4056 It’s also on UberEats  

If you’d prefer winetasting to a more pub-like atmosphere, visit Gerakaris in the Delta Centre. If you can’t get to the Cape vineyards, this is the next best thing!  

An unusual little open are at 339 Jan Smuts Ave offers 3 small good value restaurants: Modo Mia – Good Italian fare, reasonably priced with an affordable R40 a bottle corkage fee. Open Monday to Sunday +27 79 343 6729 . Soul Souvlaki has delicious wraps, meze, bifteke and salads.  Closed Mondays 079 467 7897. They are on Uber Eats  so ideal to order takeaways. And then there’s a cheap and cheerful Chinese Yung Chen 011 325 4899

If you’re staying at Liz at Lancaster with children then Delta Café is a must. Located next to the garden nursery and on the edge of Delta Park, it has a fabulous enclosed safe  playground  with wonderful childminders on duty. There’s a great menu for kids including boiled eggs with soldier toast!! If you just want to chill in a quiet laid-back outdoor environment there’s lots of choice on the menu for adults. It’s only a 5 block walk from Liz at Lancaster. 20 Marlborough Rd +27 79 482 5286 Open daily till 5 except Mondays

Another wonderful child friendly restaurant is AJs in the Park . They’ve  got a jumping castle, jungle gym, trampoline & childminders to keep an eye on children whilst they play. Kids are also able to make their own pizzas. Outdoor tables overlook a large playing field where kids often play soccer and catches. 

So there are plenty of local restaurants to suit all palates, pockets and profiles.  

See:

• http://lizatlancaster.co.za/blog/local-vegetarian-eateries
• http://lizatlancaster.co.za/blog/eating-out-in-joburg-very-special-occasions
• http://lizatlancaster.co.za/blog/eating-out-in-joburg-afro-fusion
• http://lizatlancaster.co.za/blog/eating-out-in-joburg-indian-and-chinese
• http://lizatlancaster.co.za/blog/eating-out-near-liz-at-lancaster-sushi-and-fish

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