Bar Guide · Johannesburg
Johannesburg
Bar Guide
42 bars across 6 neighbourhoods, organised by occasion. From rooftop sundowners in Rosebank to craft beer taprooms transforming the Braamfontein scene.
42 bars across 6 neighbourhoods, organised by occasion. From rooftop sundowners in Rosebank to craft beer taprooms transforming the Braamfontein scene.
Johannesburg's drinking culture has always reflected the city's contradictions. The northern suburbs trade in polished cocktail lounges and rooftop wine bars. Maboneng and Braamfontein deal in creative energy and lower price points. The best bars sit at the intersection of both worlds.
The regenerated arts district east of the CBD has produced Johannesburg's most culturally interesting bar scene. The galleries, studios, and restaurants that cluster around Commissioner Street spill into drinking venues that have genuine character. Prices are accessible, the crowds are creative, and the Marabi Club anchors one of Africa's best live jazz programmes. Best approached by Uber from the northern suburbs rather than on foot after dark.
The student and creative neighbourhood adjacent to Wits University has the highest concentration of craft beer venues in the city. The taprooms that have opened since 2015 have transformed what was a largely closed area into a functioning nightlife district. Friday afternoons see the full stretch of De Beer Street fill with the young professional crowd. The prices here are the most honest in Joburg.
The upmarket northern suburb has the most polished bar scene in the city. The Zone shopping development and the streets surrounding it contain 11 bars at the $$$ to $$$$ end of the market. The rooftop venues here have city views that the southern hemisphere cannot easily match, and the service standard reflects the premium price points. Best for business entertaining and date nights.
Africa's wealthiest square mile contains bars that would be considered expensive in London or New York. The hotel bars around Nelson Mandela Square are reliable if unadventurous, but several independent venues have established themselves in the surrounding streets. The after-work crowd here is the city's most financially powerful, and the bars reflect that in both quality and pricing.
The leafy suburb north of Rosebank is where Joburg residents go when they want a neighbourhood rather than a destination. 4th Avenue is a strip of restaurants and bars that trade consistently through the week, with sidewalk seating that captures the suburb's relaxed pace. The bars here are more wine-focused than cocktail-led, and the atmosphere suits a long conversation rather than a big night.
7th Street is Johannesburg's most bohemian drinking strip, a holdover from the post-apartheid cultural explosion of the late 1990s that has survived gentrification by remaining genuinely mixed in terms of clientele and price. The bars here are older, looser, and less focused on cocktail craft than the northern suburbs, but several have maintained a quality and identity that newer venues struggle to match.
One email every week. The bars our editors are recommending right now, across 60 cities worldwide including Johannesburg, Cape Town and Marrakech.
Sponsored listings, newsletter placements, and city guide partnerships across 60 cities including Johannesburg. Get your bar in front of the right audience.
Reach bar-goers actively looking for the best venues in Johannesburg. Featured listings from $299.
