My Favorite Group Dining Restaurants in Joburg

When Wilhelm and I got married in Joburg and had our families visit, one of the things I was most excited to show them was Joburg’s foodie scene. There are so many amazing restaurants around the city. However, we were a big group and I felt super stressed trying to figure out restaurants that would accommodate not only everyone’s diets, but also their tastes (spicy vs not) and vibe! So, based on my experience, I’m sharing my favorite restaurants for group dining in Joburg.

We also had a mixed bag of vegetarians, vegans, pescatarians, and meat eaters to accommodate.

I’ve tried out all these restaurants for group dining in Joburg and thought they had great service, food, timings, and easy ordering. These restaurants are also in a great meet-up location for people staying around Rosebank, Linden, and Parkhurst areas (which is mostly where my life is and where I recommended people stay during their visit).

Chef Micky Private Dining

The Basics

• Thai cuisine with lots of veg options
• Around R170 per person
• Located here around Melrose Arch
• Street parking is available or use Uber
• Easy to accommodate groups and most people order takeaway
• Pre-order food

Dining at Chef Micky’s

Chef Micky’s is my favorite Thai restaurant in Joburg. The flavors are amazing, as are the portion sizes. The restaurant can also accommodate vegetarian diets as there are a lot of tofu dishes.  

In my experience, the restaurant is usually empty and instead, people (like myself) come for their takeaway orders. Our group dining experience was actually the first time I ever sat inside the restaurant!

You should make a reservation in advance and pre-order your food. I got very lucky and they were able to accommodate our party of 9 just an hour before. I made our food order at the same time I made the reservation. The dining space at Chef Micky looks like it can accommodate 30 people.

The sit-down experience was great. There was a table for our group (the only people in the restaurant) all set up. Because I had pre-ordered our food when everyone arrived, the starters were brought out, and then the main dishes.

Our total bill was R1,600 (that’s just 170 per person and we had leftovers).

Tips for dining at Chef Micky’s

• You can book by getting in contact with Chef Micky directly on WhatsApp or call her at +27 73 314 8188.
• Book at least a day in advance and place your order for the group in advance as well.
• Chef Micky’s transports really well—if you’re hosting at home then do a pickup order.

What to order

Everyone loved the range of options with the order below. All the food at Chef Micky’s is so good that I also wanted everyone to try a variety of dishes…. My favorites are green curry, panang curry, pad thai, and spicy eggplant.

We ended up with some leftovers from what we ordered below for 9 people. Mostly, we had a lot of rice left over because most people wanted noodles in our group. Instead, order less rice and then add more as you need. You could also cut out one of the main dishes. If you’re more people, add on more dishes or put doubles of my favorites. 

Appetizers

• 2 chicken satays
• 4 pieces chicken crispy spring rolls
• 4 pieces veg crispy spring rolls

Mains

• 1 Green curry chicken
• 1 red curry beef
• 1 veg panang curry
• 1 veg basil stir fry
• 1 spicy eggplant
• 1 veg pad thai
• 1 chicken pad thai
• 1 beef phad si ew
• 4 rice (though I’d suggest starting with 2 as they are large bowls, and then asking for more if you finish it)

Check out the menu here.

Modern Tailor

The night before our wedding we had a family dinner at Modern Tailor, an Indian restaurant with a South African Twist. Located inside the Zone in Rosebank, the evening vibes were lively. The décor is really unique with scissors and tassels hanging on the walls.

The Basics

• Indian cuisine food with lots of veg options
• R250 per person
• Located here in the Zone in Rosebank
• Lively ambiance and an opportunity to dress up
• Sharing dishes that work for all
• Fast service
• Fun cocktails

Dining at Modern Tailor

We were 18 people and Modern Tailor was clearly used to group dining. The restaurant was full on our Saturday in November and there were at least 2 other large tables. Even with our large order, our drinks came out in about 10 minutes and the food took only about 20 minutes. I think we got the best seat in the whole restaurant as it was right by Zone’s promenade so it wasn’t too loud and we had a great breeze.

What to Order

I highly recommend you start with one of the juices or cocktails (non-alcoholic available). The Sassy Lassi was the favorite (Bacardi Carta Negra rum, mango, chai syrup, honey, yogurt & ice, blended). There is the regular lassi (without alcohol).

I ordered food for the table, choosing a selection of dishes and multiplying it by 3 so that each section of our table had the same family-style sharing dishes.

We paid R4500 for drinks and 3 each of the below dishes, that’s about R250 per person.

Appetizers

• Samosas: selection of potato/peas and green chili/cheese

Mains

• Butter garlic Naan (we ordered more as we ate)
• Jeera rice
• Chicken Makani
• Lamb Rogan Josh
• Dhal Makani
• Raita

I’ve eaten at Modern Tailor before and have loved the Okra & Brinjal Curry and the Prawn Madras. The Goan fish curry also sounds really good to me.

A note about heat: I can handle spice and usually order medium at Indian restaurants so that there is some spice without totally overpowering the flavors. The two times I’ve visited, the spices have been of varying levels. The first time I ate, the food was a true medium. However, this second time I ordered medium spice, all the food was overpowered by the chili and many in our party (even myself to some degree) couldn’t handle it. Even if you like spice, I suggest ordering a low heat level and requesting some green chili on the side. This will ensure the dishes are tasty for everyone!

Check out the menu here.

Hombaze African Restaurant in Sandton

Hombaze is a great group dining option for people who just arrived in South Africa and want some continental African food. I’d eaten at Hombaze once before and really liked the selection of veg, fish, and meat options. They even have some vegan dishes.

The Basics

• Continental African cuisine
• Around R240 per person
• Located in Sandton’s Da Vinci Mall
• Easy to accommodate groups
• Lots of unique food like mopane worms, game meat, as well as South African classics

Dining at Hombaze

There are two locations in Joburg (and one in Pretoria), but I liked taking people to the Sandton venue so that they could see “Africa’s Richest Square Mile.” Before coming to Hombaze, we had organized a happy hour at Ponte’s Rooftop 501 and I felt that the contrast between Hillbrow and Sandton would really amazing people (it did), especially because it was many of our guest’s first night in Joburg.

The best address to use for Uber to enter Hombaze is “DaVinci Hotel and Suites” and then take the elevator up one floor. Hombaze will be on your right.

I made the reservation for 25 people (for a Thursday) the same day and I thought the restaurant would be empty. However, I should have known better because this is Joburg (a foodie capital) and Hombaze was totally full when we arrived at 8pm.

We had a large table in the middle of the restaurant. The service was excellent, and the food came out quickly. Our waitress was very helpful and provided suggestions on what to order based on popularity.

An impromptu speech by our friend Tuneer who was Wilhelm’s roommate in grad school.

What to order

Hombaze was my first (huge) group ordering experience and it was a struggle to decide how much food to order. I ended up over-ordering and we had a lot of leftovers. As such, I won’t suggest how much to order, just what dishes were the most popular for our group.

We didn’t order appetizers and instead went straight to the mains! The food came out in about 20 minutes so one option would be to place an initial order and then make a second order when you run low on dishes.

We paid R6000, that’s about R240 per person. I lost the receipt, but this bill includes several bottles of wine and even some shots.

Mains

• Pap and chakalaka
• Pap and spinach
• Pap with peanut butter veggies
• Jollof rice with oxtail
• Chapati with chicken curry
• Dumpling with grilled fish
• Pilau

I took almost no pictures! Ekk, Thanks to my mom for all these shots!

Check out the menu here.

Hombaze locations: Sandton, Parkmore, and Pretoria

Nice on 4^th

My bridal shower was hosted at Nice on 4^th in Parkhurst and I loved it! There are set menu options and the food is terrific. The restaurant itself has such sweet décor and so it’ll easily feel special for group dining.

You’ll need to do some pre-planning for Nice on 4^th. It’s one of the popular group dining restaurants in Joburg and quickly fills up. Get in touch with the events coordinator at nice@niceon4th.co.za if your group is more than 15 guests. There are three menu options that are great for groups: breakfast, tea, and lunch. They range from R200-235 per person (and then extra for more bubbly or drinks).

The vibe is so nice!

The Basics

• Located here in Parkhurst on the main strip of restaurants and shops.
• Set menus
• Delicious food for all
• Around R240 per person
• Great location

Tea at Nice on 4th

I chose the tea option, starting at 12:30/1pm because we had a wedding event the night before and I expected people would need some time to recover… We were a group of 24 people and Nice on 4th had two tables of 12 set up for us.

I loved all the food! We had a selection of veg, fish, and meat options on cute serving trays. The food was spread out and we had more than expected. The desserts were also delicious and beautifully presented. Nice on 4^th can accommodate vegans as well. My vegan friend had her own dishes brought out to her and vegan cookies were served for dessert as well.

Lovely decor by bff Joyce who brought roses, balloon, and confetti to really elevate the tables!

p.s. If you choose the breakfast option, you’ll have the famous Nice on 4^th’s toast “baskets,” which is a total treat.

The Northcliff Boutique Hotel

If you want to really impress your guests, I suggest reaching out to The Northcliff Boutique Hotel. We hosted our post-wedding brunch here. Although we were supposed to be seated outside, the weather was horrible and so instead we sat in one of the dining areas, which can accommodate up to 50 people. The food was amazing! We had a selection of tiny breakfast items served on trays as well as a coffee/tea station and mimosas.

This venue will require more planning than a regular restaurant and so you should reach out about your date and guest numbers far in advance. Contact events@thenorthcliff.com.

We were around 50 people for the brunch and the total was around R30,000 for the venue hire, food, and drinks. This is about R600 per person.

Tips for Group Dining

I warn you that I am a crazy, pre-planner micromanager. If you can go with the flow with large groups that is amazing, but that’s just not me. Besides, eating out in Joburg requires some planning because so many people eat out every day here and restaurants get filled up on a random Tuesday.

• Do not “wing it” unless you are laid back AF because this is Joburg. Make a reservation at least a day in advance just to be sure.
• Family-style sharing plates work great for large groups.
• To put less stress on yourself, study the menu and make a list of what to order in advance.
• Provide a seating range if you’re not sure of exact numbers and then follow up with the restaurant a couple of hours before to confirm your guest count. Overestimate if you need to so you have enough space.
• Order for the group. Rather than everyone stressing about what to eat and who to share food with, I ordered for the group. Granted, it was a little more stressful for me to estimate the number of dishes but it allowed people to just enjoy and chat.
• If you’re not familiar with everyone’s diets, go for a restaurant that definitely has a range of veg, fish, and meat.
• For a group, I typically ended up ordering 50% meat dishes, 25% veg, and 25% fish. Hopefully, the veg dish can also count as a vegan dish, but if not, you may need to check with your vegan friends to order something specific.

Here I am micromanaging at Hombaze when we arrived

Got any other suggestions for restaurants for group dining in Joburg or quetsions? Let me know in the comments!