Favorite food delivery options in Joburg
Loadshedding is getting worse and worse. If you’re lucky enough to have a gas stove or a generator that can power your stove—I’m jealous. Whether you’re just feeling lazy to cook, don’t have time, or believe Eskom is personally targeting you, so you don’t eat hot food (me), check out these great food delivery options.
Most of my food delivery suggestions are available over Uber Eats for peak laziness and to avoid the dark Joburg streets at night. That said, sometimes a restaurant may be located too far away for the Uber Eats peeps, but then what’s the point of ordering… A note that some restaurants are closed on Monday so check the hours before you get too excited; I’ve been there and done that.
Most of the suggestions have serving sizes that are family-style and typically are veg focused.
I’ll continue to update this list with more things I try out. Thanks to my Instagram community for their favorite spots as well!
Asian
Chopstix—Located in 27 Boxes in Melville, Chopstix has super authentic Chinese food. It’s cozy, spicy, and all the things you need for food delivery dinner at home. My favorite dishes are the veg chow mein, stir fry pressed tofu, and seasonal vegetables. It’s our first go-to delivery option.
Momo Baohous—With a few locations around Joburg, Momo has Asian-inspired bowls, dishes, and sushi. You can pick your choice of protein for the bowls, which gives a lot of variety for veg folk who like tofu (like me!). My favorite bowls are the Sechuan and Bangkok. The fiery green beans are actually HOT and work as a great side.
Italian & Pizza
Coalition Pizza— Only order the pizza if you live nearby and you’re too lazy to get the pizza yourself. When you get further than 10 minutes away from the restaurant, the pizza doesn’t taste as good re-heated (which you can’t do with load-shedding anyway).
Nonna Mia’s— I’ve been super happy with every pizza we’ve ordered from here. There are a ton of selections and I like that the pizzas are square, the way you get them from a corner shop in Rome.
Piza e Vino— With several locations around town, there are many pizzas and pastas that look delish. I ordered two pasta and two pizzas to test this spot out, as well as a salad; we were really hungry! I loved all the dishes. Pizzas can be shared but pastas are a single serving. I actually only found this place because I was craving a pizza on a cold, load-shedding evening and Nonna Mia’s was closed.
Colcacchio— A huge selection of pizzas are available here as well as salads and pastas. A halaal menu is also available.
Andiccio24— With shops across the city (several that are 24 hours), you can make your own pizza any time of the day or night!
Sushi
Miyako Sushi— There are excellent sushi combos and lunch boxes from Miyako. I like that there is not as much mayo in the sushi here as compared to other spots.
Oishi— All the sushi here is delicious! They have their own ordering and delivery system.
J&S Sushi— This is a steady favorite sushi spot in Joburg. I’ve gotten take-away here and liked all their classic rolls. I asked for no mayo in the sushis and later was told that the kitchen staff was told that I was allergic to mayo just to keep it out of the rolls. Haha. I appreciated this extra service.
The Big Mouth— The poke bowls at Big Mouth are a favorite from the ‘gram.
Veg and Vegan
Lexi’s Healthy Eatery— I’ve done take-away and in-person dining at Lexi’s and love it. I’m a fan of the beetroot falafels and their bowls.
The Fussy Vegan— Although I haven’t ordered delivery, only take-away, I like the vegan options here. They also serve the delicious beyond burger patty with their burgers.
Lekker Vegan— Self-proclaimed the “best vegan junk food in Africa,” get burgers, wraps, and salads and more.
Middle Eastern /Greek
The Schwarma Co— Make your own shawarma at home with all the fixings. We usually get a feast of 4 falafels, the Tabbouleh salad, ful, hummus & tahini & 2 pitas.
Soul Souvlaki— All of the yiros are delicious.
Yalla— Order a Laffa (wrap) with a protein of choice, salad, and sauces.
Mythos— Get your greek fix at Mythos.
For other shawarma suggestions, check out 2summer’s post on the top 5 shawarma places in Joburg.
Indian
Honestly, many of these food delivery options are so similar that it just depends on your tastebuds and what you like best. Here are some of our favorites and what we like to order. One of the most interesting fusion dishes I had was chili paneer in Bhutan (from an Indian restaurant). It took a while to find it again but several restaurants have a version of it here in Joburg. It’s like a Chinese-style red sauce with paneer. I love it.
Spiceburg— We like the eggplant curry, mushroom do pyaza, paneer makhana and garlic naan!
The Brothers Indian—The Brothers Indian has both a dry and a gravy version of chili paneer. Their baigan bhartha and malai kofta are also pretty good.
Taste of Punjab— Get the baigan bhartha, paneer palak, and paneer makhni.
Shaan-e-Punjab— The chili paneer and paneer makhni are great here.
Shayona— Check out the chili panner, tadka daal, and paneer makhni. We’ve also dined at the Illovo location a number of times. I like their selection of South Indian food as well.
Curry Up— With a couple of locations across the city, you can order plenty of veg and vegan food as well as bunny chows! I haven’t been yet but I’m now intrigued to get a bunny chow next time the power is out.
Unique Eats
Parreirinha Rapido – Illovo— The takeaway branch of the popular Parreirinha Portuguese restaurant is a classic. Although I’ve just been to their sit-down location, I was told on the ‘gram that their delivery/takeaway from Illovo is just as good.
Lele’s African Cuisine— An awesome suggestion from the ‘gram community, Lele’s African Cuisine is an online restaurant with unique “soul” dishes like tripe and cow’s head.
Order in Advance
Erica’s Meals— If you already know you’re not able to make lunch or dinner, try out Erica’s Meals. The plant-based meals are available fresh or frozen. These home-style meals with a twist will have you filled up in no time. There is a large variety of options from soups and salads to curries, bobotie and savory pies, to Asian favorites like fried rice. There are also desserts!
For absolutely incredible tacos in person (which you can also order fresh), you can visit the Playground in Braam on Saturdays. It’s my favorite stall and I always get 3 tacos to myself (and more if I have to share).
Order via WhatsApp.
Authentic Food Studio— Healthy food delivered. Check out the menu on Instagram and order in advance.
Pick up Options
These restaurants don’t have a food delivery option but if you still want an interesting dinner and want to drive, check them out.
Brian Lara— This Caribbean eatery in Linden is open Wednesday-Sunday. They have incredibly warming dishes like the jerk cauliflower and lentil doubles, as well as excellent sides like creamy spinach, sweetcorn fritters, and spicy rice and beans. Download the menu here.
Chef Micky’s Private Dining— This is the best Thai food in all of Joburg. Order via WhatsApp and then pick up the food in person. You can set a delivery time when you make the order. The restaurant prefers EFT payments for pick-up but if you can’t do that (like me), then kindly ask if their credit card machine is working. Our favorite dish is Pad Thai.
PRON— People’s Republic of Noodles is a favorite throughout Joburg. The veg offerings aren’t as much as the meat options here. Favorites for veg options are the Mapo Tofu, Veg stir fry noodles, the spicy eggplant salad, and then hand-break bread. If you like the combo of vinegar, chili heat, and soy sauce you’ll like the Rainy Day Noodle soup. I always want to like this dish more than I do but it’s definitely interesting. I’ve never managed to finish the bowl! Check out the menu.
Bonus: If you still can’t decide what to order, maybe you need a mini stove so you can make something yourself. A camping stove like this was recommended to me on insta after I went on a rant. Thank you for the suggestion 🙂
Do you have a favorite food delivery spot in Joburg? Let me know in the comments!