The Highest Bar in Africa: Alto 234 Review

November 2021 Update: According to an Instagram post by Alto 234, the R300 entrance now includes a glass of Moët.

The Leonardo Hotel in Sandton has a new claim to fame. Already dubbed the tallest building in Africa, the hotel recently opened a rooftop bar on the tippy top!

The Leonardo is a 55-floor mixed-use building with a hotel, shops, and offices. It was completed in 2019. Alto 234 opened in September 2021, just in time for summer sundowners. The bar’s “234” is named for how many meters high the building stands. For reference, the Empire State Building is 443 meters high and 102 stories, so The Leondardo is just half as high.

The tallest building in Africa?

Is The Leonardo actually the tallest building in Africa? I wasn’t sure so I did a light googling to compare it to some buildings in Egypt (which is the first country that came to mind in Africa with tall buildings, tbt to when I lived there in 2007).

YES. It is!

However, according to this Wikipedia page, there are two buildings in Egypt that are set to surpass The Leonardo in 2022 and beyond… BUT will they have a rooftop bar with stunning views like Alto 234? V unlikely. Plus, these buildings are going to be in Egypt’s “New Administrative Capital,” which (no doubt) is going to be a pretty boring place as all the government buildings are moving there from Cairo. So have no fear, even beyond 2022, I’m sure you can still tell everyone you went to the highest bar in Africa!

Alto 234 Review

The basics:

• Cost: R300/pp (exclusive of any drinks or food)
• Reservations: required, book online
• Highlight: Go for the fancy vibe, great views, and Moët vending machine
• Budget: R700 for drinks, snacks, and a baby Moët to split between 2 people.

Bookings

There are three booking times: afternoon (12:30-3:30 pm), sunset (4-6:30 pm), and late-night (7-11 pm). Reservations are R300 per person for the honor of going up to the top and are required.

We had to change our booking date and it was pretty easy. If you need to do this, call the hotel and ask to be redirected to Alto 234 reservations to change your booking.

When you arrive at The Leonardo, take the escalator to reception and you’ll be given your Alto 234 wristbands. Also, check out the cool artwork on the way. You’ll also get a keycard that you’ll use to access the two elevators to reach the 55^th floor!  Don’t lose the card because you’ll need it to go back down.

Parking isn’t included in your ticket. However, you can do valet or if you’re totally loaded, you can get a helicopter to pick and drop you. Get in touch with the concierge if this speaks to you. We ubered so we could enjoy our drinks.

Alto 234 Views

One of my favorite things about Joburg is its iconic skyline. And Joburg-ers love it too! There is a ton of artwork and clothes with the skyline: two telecom towers, the Ponte City, and sometimes the Nelson Mandela Bridge. The buildings that distinguish Joburg’s skyline are 10-20km away from Sandton so you have a view of them in the wayy distance while watching the sun go down.

Do you see Ponte City?

If you want a view of the sunset, head to the right-side of the bar when you get off the elevator.

This is the second-best seat for the sunset! The sun went down right behind Wilhelm’s head.

Nibs and dranks

There are light tapas available. We got the olives and some root veggies crips. I’m pretty sure I’ve bought the same veggie crisps from Farm Earth Food Store. Also, 1/3 of the chips blew away in the wind haaa. I like olives as a light snack, plus they went well with my vino of choice that evening.

There is a vino, spirits, beer, and cocktail menu. Tea, coffee, soft drinks, and juices are also available.

What really sets Alto 234 apart (besides the views!) is the Moët vending machine. For an extra R280, you can get a cute, mini Moët and drink it straight from the bottle…

We had fun with the Moët!

Check out the Alto 234 menu here.

If you’re interested in dinner, head down to Aurum on the 7^th floor for “contemporary European dining.”

We spent R700 for 2 drinks, 2 tapas, and the Moët. The Moët is charged separately and you get a token to access the machine.

Weather 234 meters up

WINDY. Gosh. So there is a disclaimer that Alto 234 is an open-air venue so it will likely be closed if it’s raining. They also suggest you “dress appropriately,” which probably means to bring a jacket. I wish they told me to braid my hair because it was flying everywhere, and I didn’t bring a clip or hair-tie with me. Learn from my mistake. I felt like medusa up there.

The wind is less crazy in different spots on the roof so feel free to explore. We changed tables halfway through and the service staff was really nice about it.

If your skirt or dress is super short and or flowy, prepare to hold it down while walking around. My dress was a thick fabric so it was fine, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.

However, I did stalk a couple of people on the ‘gram and their hair wasn’t going wild so it will just depend on the weather! Maybe we had bad luck and that’s deff not Alto 234’s fault.

Who should you go with?

Anyone who isn’t afraid of heights! We saw couples, groups of friends, and families when we visited.

There are plenty of seating options: tables, high-tops, couches, and lounge areas with a fireplace!

Additionally, children under 2 visit for free and children aged 2-12 get a ½ price ticket. Though these kids probably won’t want a slurp of your oyster or a nibble of your duck tapas, they could be happy with some of the juice and soda options. Maybe feed the kids first before going…

Final thoughts on Alto 234

Unless you’re super into living the high life, you probably won’t visit Alto 234 more than once. I thought it was fun to say that we went there, but it was so windy and we weren’t totally prepared for that so it dampened the experience. That being said, I’ll definitely take my international visitors here for sake of them saying they’ve been to the highest bar in Africa!