Johannesburg Nightlife

Cubana is a popular meeting place for the young people of Jhb. Not only Friday and Saturday night, but during the week as well.

It has a Cuban flavor, hence the name and serves the best cocktails.

Also good breakfasts.

Dress Code: Smart casual

Cedar Square is a new centre in Johannesburg, that offers guests a wide variety of Restaurants, Bars and clubs. From F TV to excellent Sushi restaurants, Cedar Square has a number of venues to suite those who enjoy living the high life. This venue is great for young proffessionals.

Dress Code: No Sneakers, Most Bars require collared shirts.

Joburg has quite a vibrant nightlife clubwise over the weekends and there is quite a diverse offering in terms of clubs ad crowds out there. People in Joburg love to party and you shouldn't have much trouble finding a spot to have some fun. I am including a link to a website dedicated to clubs in Joburg etc - worth a look as the scene is constantly changing and what may be happening today could be over tommorow.

A few of my favourite hangouts (clubs and bars): Colourbar, Cool Runnings, Tokyo Star, Unplugged, Six, Carfax, Fuel Cafe, Songwriters Club, 115, The Red Room

Dress Code: SA is pretty relaxed over all but Joburg tends to be a little bit more "dressy" depending where you go

115 is a Joburg tradition and is very much still an "old school" venue in the SA clubbing context. 115 is my personal favourite if I really wanna dance and get down without having to worry about anything else such as dress code etc. 115 is very much still a house venue primarily but I would certainly define this as Afro house as opposed to the stuff we know from the US and Europe. this is certainly one of the few night clubs in SA that is not some sort of emulation of "Western Standards". 115 is not a glamorous venue and is situated n the heart of the city but this is very much part of its attraction and value. the people are friendly have LOTS of rhythym music is phenomenal and people here like to party it up until 10 in the morning. 115 is a very inspirational representation of the up and coming generation of new South Africans - proud, creative and unified! Worth a visit? AT ALL COSTS!!!

Dress Code: anything you can get down in

Fashion TV Café in Sandtan is the venue for the young, fashionable and affluent. It was a little too pretentious for my taste. They also serve food but I did not eat there. The drinks are not too expensive considering. The dozen or so TVs showing FTV footage, along with the techno and dance music makes for a great atmosphere. Dress to impress!

Dress Code: Smart. No Sneakers.

A nice little theater inside Montecasino. A few years ago theater was dying in Jhb. People were to scared to go to the Civic theater as it is in downtown Jhb. With the revival of the CBD I'm grateful to say theater is alive again.

Pieter Toerien is a legend in SA theater. Since I can remember he put performances on.

Montecasino is in a safe area with lots of secure parking. I remember the days we had to park outisde the theaters and walked what felt like miles in our high heels and tight skirts.

Mostly SA artists perform here. Big productions are at the Civic or State theater in Pretoria.

Dress Code: Dress code is much more relaxed than previously. I've actually seen the odd character with shorts and sandals at the Circus maximus where we stay. I won't recommend it. You stand out and look a bit silly. Don't need to do the suit thing but dress nicely.

This is nice stylish Restaurant and later into the night it turns into a very stylish Night Club with great music.

Vacca Matta is probably one of Johannesburg's hottest nightspots, featuring some of the country's top dancers, DJs and music. However, what makes Vacca Matta brilliant is its celebrity pull. Many a local star and high profile individual grace its dance floor, tables and bar and this is what gives Matta that edge over other joints in Gauteng. It has also won the Ladies Night venue by the Leisure Options awards.

Dress Code: Dress Smart

This is definitely one of the best places in Johannesburg to chill. It's an old suburb, with lots of restaurants and bars on just a few streets, the main being 7th avenue.

This is NOT a tourist trap, not over-developed crap, and pretty reasonable. The restaurants and bars are quite small, but they all generally have great food and nice drinks.
Most places have a pretty well mixed South African crowd, and ppl tend to be quite friendly. If you're looking for nighttclubs, there aren't any, but ppl dance at some of the bars.

Good restaurants include Soi(Thai) n Meza Luna. The bars Six and Unplugged are next to each other and six has delicious cocktails.
It's very easy to bar hop and if you're Hungry at 5h00 or 3h00 or 19h00, there's always Cat Pyjamas on Main Road Mellville that is open all hours and has pretty decent middle road food. Try the Pink Panther cocktail if u want something sweet.

All in all, Melville is not pretensious like in the NOrthern suburbs, has a great vibe, is pretty laid back and has excellent food and drink.

Dress Code: No dress code for most places