Whoopah! Joburg Style Selects the Best Portuguese Restaurants in Jozi...
PIGALLE
Pigalle is the perfect spot for a special occasion, whether you choose to visit its Sandton, Melrose or Bedfordview branch. All offer a mouth-watering Portuguese fine dining experience. The seafood is legendary and the choice of dishes is varied, offering something for every discerning palate. Go for broke and order the Portuguese steak (pan fried in wine, ruby port and garlic and topped with a fried egg). A real treat.
RESTAURANT PARREIRINHA
www.restauranteparreirinha.co.za
It’s well worth the trip to La Rochelle to visit this legendary establishment, whose Portuguese menu is filled with traditional gems. Highlights include the prawns and the Crepes Suzette for dessert, but there’s plenty of other delicacies like trinchado, caldo verde and bacalhau na braza to tempt you. Sample one of the excellent wines on offer, followed by a selection of excellent cigars, including the Cuban variety.
THE RADIUM BEER HALL
Accompany your traditional Portuguese meal with a beer and some excellent live jazz. This Orange Grove landmark is famous for all of the above, not to mention a convivial atmosphere. Until 1986 the Radium was a beer hall, nothing more. But then Manny Cabeleira added a Portuguese flavour in the form of a restaurant, and the Radium became even more popular. Today, the Radium Tradition persists with the 19-piece Ft Sound jazz band playing on the first Sunday of every month followed by live performances four nights a week.
A CHURRASQUEIRA
www.restaurants.co.za/a-churrasqueira
Sometimes you need to travel a little further than usual to enjoy a really great experience, and visiting this Alberton establishment is one of those times. One of Joburg’s longest standing restaurants (it’s been around over 18 years), not to mention one of the most frequented Portuguese establishments in the city, A Churrasqueira is family run. Originally based in Rosettenville, it moved to its current Brackenhurst address in 2014. The menu is as delectable as ever and includes classic dishes such as peri peri chicken and prawn curry as well as more traditional Portuguese fare, including tripe and pork and clam stew. The prawns are the stars on the menu and the Churrasqueira steak is mouth-watering.
NUNO’S
011 482 6990
Melville’s vibrant restaurant strip on Seventh Avenue boasts this authentic Portuguese establishment that serves a selection of traditional Portuguese dishes as well as some Mozambican favourites. It’s a great choice for drinks if you’re going after dinner or want to watch a sports game on TV, and the live music is another plus. But the menu is too good not to sample, especially the rump espetada and the Portuguese sharing platter.
XAI XAI LOUNGE
011 482 6990
Located right next to Nuno’s and owned by the same person, this Melville establishment, which is nicknamed ‘The Mozambican Shebeen’, is filled most nights with regulars enjoying original cocktails and shooters that wash down traditional Portugese dishes. Choose from a selection of great dishes from the menu or a variety of specials written on the boards.
J’S DINER
011 781 3401
This popular family-run establishment is located on Conrad Drive in Blairgowrie. Known for its authentic Mozambican Portuguese dishes, the restaurant also offers a popular take-away service. Whether you choose to sit down or take something home, start with the Peri Peri chicken, which is hard to beat, and then venture into other great options including more Western dishes. The menu is as informal and relaxed as the atmosphere, and the food is really good.
TROYEVILLE HOTEL
A Joburg landmark, the hotel, which has been licenced since 1939, is renowned for its delightful Portuguese cuisine. While the food may be simple, it still draws the crowds, including artists, musicians, sports fans and food lovers who flock here for a great, unfussy meal that is completely authentic.
1920 PORTUGUESE RESTAURANT
011 326 3161
Husband and wife team Manny and Paula are the purveyors of this Portuguese establishment that specialises in Madeira-inspired dishes. This tiny Ferndale restaurant is always packed to the brim with diners enjoying Madeiran specialities such as Feijoada (a traditional pork, beef, chourico and bean stew), melt-in-the-mouth oxtail, tender calamari and incomparable prawn rissoles. A meal here is like dining at the owners’ family table – the food is scrumptious, the atmosphere relaxed.
What touched me is the attitude of the school and the passion of its teachers. To raise funds they grow vegetables on the school property and sell them to the community. A sewing group raises funds by sewing for the community and this is still not nearly enough.
These children deserve more. If you would like to make a difference in the lives of the pupils from Nkente Secondary School you can make a donation to the Siyafunda Education Support Trust. For more details, contact Sanny Oostra on 011 782 3381 or 072 600 8347
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