These are the eating establishments in Joburg where your pooch is welcome.
Joburgers love their dogs, but not all restaurants are equally enthusiastic. However, there are some eating establishments that are happy to host you along with your dog (as long as you’re both well behaved). Here are our top picks:
Arbour Cafe
Arbour Cafe in Illovo is a French-inspired cafe where you can take your dog along, enjoy a bite to eat and make use of the free Wi-Fi. It’s tucked away in the Birdhaven shopping centre and specialises in crepes and galettes – gluten-free French buckwheat pancakes. Chef Zané Robins launched a new menu in last month, so head there for dinner and try the salmon vol-au-vent, rib-eye steak with smoked paprika and nutella crêpes with ice cream. The gorgeous inside courtyard offers a lovely view while you’re eating – making a fresh change from looking onto a parking lot.
The Arbour Cafe courtyard
River Cafe
Dog owners living in the area will already know the Sandton Field and Study Centre, a large tract of land that is popular for training and walking the dogs. The River Cafe is a large enclosed space within the centre, where dogs are welcome and children can also run free. The decor has been revamped so the interior is now fresh and inviting, while the outside area offers loads of space for families to play, relax and eat together. The extensive menu offers tasty breakfasts, fresh salads, gourmet burgers, delicious pancakes and a variety of sandwiches.
Stanley Beer Yard
Housed inside the cobbled courtyards of 44 Stanley, Stanley Beer Yard features a hunting-lodge-style interior with leather armchairs, antique curios and a huge log fire. But if you’ve got your dog with you, pick up a craft beer, order a delicious chicken prego and then head outside and grab a long table beneath the olive trees. Your hound will enjoy listening to the live music every Saturday from 2.30pm – 6.30pm, and you may enjoy picking up an LP at the country’s biggest vinyl market held there on the first Sunday of every month.
The Stanley Beer Yard restaurant - {Photo credit: Thys Dullaart photography}
The gorgeous inside courtyard offers a lovely view while you’re eating – making a fresh change from looking onto a parking lot.
Experience for yourself:
- Arbour Café | 011 788 4111 | facebook.com/arbourcafe
- River Café | 011 783 2442 | rivercafesandton.co.za
- Stanley Beer Yard | 011 482 5791 | 44stanley.co.za/beeryard.html
This article originally appeared in Neighbourhood, Sunday Times.
