Restaurants

Johannesburg offers a thoroughly eclectic mix of dining possibilities: Just about every national cuisine is represented, so if you have a particular craving, simply ask your concierge or host to point you in the right direction. Alternatively, take your pick from the listings, all located a reasonable distance from the recommended accommodations.

If you like cafe society and browsing through menus and venues before deciding on where to hand over your credit card, head for one of the following neighborhoods.

Melville & Auckland Park

Melville is hip and happening; blink and you'll discover a favorite restaurant along 7th Street replaced by another. You'll also find the mix of down-at-heel and sophisticated eateries a little confusing at times, since Melville's arty crowd will happily put up with outrageously poor service and crude decor once they've committed to a preferred venue; also keep in mind that Melville's vibrant and varied nightlife options are aimed at attracting the city's trendsetters rather than serious foodies, so this is not a daytime destination, and that the popularity of 7th Street (from early evening till the wee hours) means that it inevitably suffers from congestion. That said, three perennial favorites are Soulsa (16 7th St.; tel. 011/482-5572), a decent distance down from Melville's frenetic bar action and offering tasty, nourishing food: springbok shank in red wine, slow-cooked oxtail with turnips and cumin, and -- a personal favorite -- rump topped with tangy duck liver. Good wine recommendations are standard. Farther up the road, with bars for neighbors, The Loft (tel. 011/482-8986) is a small, intimate, and (as the evening progresses) increasingly unhinged venue with a seasonal menu; a few favorites keep you coming back, like East Indian kabeljou (fish) curry. If it's available, try the juniper-marinated ostrich filet, or tuna loin in coriander and lime. The Loft hosts live jazz every second Sunday. There's slightly more old-school fare at Pomegranate, 79 3rd Ave. (tel. 011/482-2366), occupying an old house with small tables scattered around the various rooms. You need to watch yourself here, as waitstaff frequently offer tastes of wine, followed by entire bottles that you simply can't refuse. The menu changes regularly, but you can rely on the consistency of the meat dishes (including game and superb roast duck). This is an unpretentious venue with a very loyal local following, so book ahead.

To dine on traditional home-style Afrikaans food -- wholesome and tasty and served amid fawning locals -- consider Kombuis (77B 3rd Ave., next door to Pomegranate; tel. 072/737-3895), where meals are often accompanied by the crooning of small-time Afrikaans musos (musicians). If you're in the mood for Asian cuisine, Soi, on the corner of 7th Avenue and 4th Street (tel. 011/726-5775), is very good. A quaint, atmospheric option is ant-size Ant, serving wonderful pizzas at rickety wooden tables.

If you are in the area during the day, pull into The Service Station, Bamboo Centre, corner of Rustenberg and 9th streets (tel. 011/726-1701), where you help yourself to a buffet of great-looking salads, Mediterranean mezze, and delicious quiches, all paid for by weight. Browse for vino next door at winesense (www.winesense.co.za), the city's finest wine boutique; ask for a wine "credit card" so you can taste from a wide selection of excellent South African vintages before making your purchase. Alternatively, for weekday lunches (combined with shopping), head over to Auckland Park to the très trendy 44 Stanley Avenue complex, headquarters of the burgeoning Milpark loft district, where you could have a relaxed lunch at Blah Blah Blah (tel. 011/482-1260) or take a trip back in time at one of the alfresco tables of neighboring Betty's Tea Room, which styles itself on once ubiquitous old-fashioned South Africa corner shops.

Greenside

It's more sedate than Melville, but the restaurants are of a higher caliber; for a meal in a venue you won't quickly forget (particularly if you are a meat-eater), try township-imitator Mama Tembo's Café, which turns into a bit of a party venue as the evening progresses. Aside from Bite and Addictions, more recommended options include entrepreneurial restaurateur Nicky van der Walt's Circle, 141 Greenway (tel. 011/646-3744), and, across the road, Café Flo, 116 Greenway (tel. 011/646-6817), popular for its interesting chalked-up specials (salmon on wasabi mash with watercress sauce) and fabulously innovative pizza combinations (like aubergine and roast lamb); the attached bistro, Ove Flo (tel. 011/486-4576), serves equally delectable dishes. For daytime dining, particularly on Sunday, locals head to laidback Doppio Zero on the corner of Barry Hertzog Drive and Gleneagles Road (tel. 011/646-8740), for big portions of Italian and Mediterranean food, or see what's available at the ice-cream counter. Just around the corner is Karma, 2 Gleneagles Rd. (tel. 011/646-8555), serving Indo-Pakistani fare with a Middle Eastern twist; ever tried avocado korma or coconut samoosas (small pastries)? For fine-dining experiences, you should reserve ahead to get a seat at Streghe, 12 Gleneagles Rd. (tel. 011/486-2404), where the contemporary Italian fare has been earning accolades, but service can be infuriating. Occupying the awkward corner venue at 23 Gleneagles Rd., where much-missed Yum once served the country's finest cuisine, is Green Truffle (tel. 011/486-1645), which has great ambition and steep prices for less-than-superlative fare.

Norwood

Norwood's post-1990s revival is clearly evident along restaurant-saturated Grant Avenue, the social artery of this predominantly Jewish suburb with a busy village vibe. Bigger than Melville, Norwood has a more mature crowd, with fewer students (and fewer thumping car stereos) and more yuppies flaunting their easy style. The area lacks some of Melville's historic ambience, but come here for an evening meal and you're unlikely to miss out on atmosphere. (One drawback is that Norwood is not really close to any fabulous accommodations, although it's a relatively easy drive from Melrose Arch and Rosebank lodgings.) Try The Barrio, 80 Grant Ave. (tel. 011/728-2577), a kosher restaurant serving sushi and beef carpaccio, or the Singing Fig, 44 The Avenue (tel. 011/728-2434), considered by many (primarily patrons who refuse to dine elsewhere) to be the best restaurant in town. The fare at the Fig is French Provençal with a New World twist: Items like crocodile steak roulade and whiskey-marinated oxtail keep the menu interesting. If you're in the mood for classic Indian cuisine, go to Shahi Khana, corner of William Road and Grant Avenue (tel. 011/728-8157), where spicy curries are served in copper bowls. Small and intimate, Piccola Prima Donna (tel. 011/483-0089), at 38 Grant Ave., is a good place to enjoy a pizza or other well-considered Italian fare. Even if you don't eat in Norwood, be sure to stop in at meat on grant (tel. 011/728-6412), a traditional neighborhood butchery selling the best biltong (jerky) you'll find in Jo'burg.

Parkhurst & Parktown North

These two adjoining neighborhoods represent the city's most relaxed restaurant nexus, and lazy weekend lunches here are tremendously popular with the chic set who combine it with browsing: Locals flock here (particularly to 4th Ave.) not only for its sidewalk restaurants, but also for its quaint specialty stores -- selling anything from Belgian chocolate to African art or English antiques. Recommended restaurants are Cilantro, 24 4th Ave. (tel. 011/327-4558), for sublime calamari, and the more fine-dining Anno Domini, 4th Avenue and 13th Street (tel. 011/447-7634), where ex-Savoy chef Aristotle Ravagales serves up contemporary European fare in a romantic atmosphere. A great place to sample East African cuisine in stylish surroundings is Batuke (tel. 011/880-1515); steaks are typically Portuguese-inspired, while the Mocambican seafood is fresh and worth a splurge. Espresso must rate as one of the most popular Italian restaurant groups in the city, featuring some fabulous combinations -- try the pear and bleu cheese pizza. There are branches in both Parkhurst, on 4th Avenue (tel. 011/447-8700), and Parktown North (tel. 011/880-0920); note that credit cards are accepted at neither. Also in Parktown North, you'll find Fino Bar and Restaurant, 19 4th Ave. (tel. 011/880-6808), with Spanish tapas and an excellent wine list to accompany people-watching. Fino is right next door to La Cucina di Ciro, one of the city's ageless charmers. Next door to Ciro's is long-standing Jo'burg favorite Wombles, 17 3rd Ave. (tel. 011/880-2470), renowned for its sinful portions of red meat.

Got a Yen for Sushi or a Thing for Thai?

If you're in the mood for top-notch food from the East, head for Melrose Arch, where Jozi's jet-setters like to unwind with a cocktail after a day of wheeling and dealing. It's also home to one of Jozi's most lavishly styled restaurants, Orient, 4 The High St., serving what is widely regarded to be the best Thai, Japanese, and Vietnamese cuisine in the city -- and the Chinese dim sum isn't bad either. Orient is open from noon till 10pm, but be sure to reserve well in advance (tel. 011/684-1616).