Deciding where to go out in Joburg can be quite a difficult task; there are so many things to take into consideration. How much is the entrance, what’s the vibe like, what kind of music will be played, what kind of people will the place attract, where can I park, is it safe and most importantly what will I wear?
In recent years Greenside has become quite the place to party and eat, and along Gleneagles Road, there are numerous bars and restaurants (from the likes of sushi, pizza or gourmet burgers) to satisfy everyone’s needs for a great night out. And every place has free entrance, so making bar hopping all that much more convenient.
‘The strip’, as it’s sometimes known as, attracts a whole variety of different kinds of folk. There are the guys wearing two-sizes-too-small T-shirts who love to say ‘bru’ before and after a sentence. Then you get the indie crowd what with their hats, tight pants and Asian-big glasses taking up half their face. Occasionally you will see some punks out and about in their leather, silver-studded jackets and leather pants. I once saw the coolest-looking Mohawk; he had his hair all spiked up down the middle and on either side he had dyed his shaven hair so it resembled leopard skin. Everyone tries to outdo each other to look more outrageous or trendier. And the funny thing is that the guy wearing shorts, a t-shirt and takkies (no name) looks the coolest of them all!
So, you could start out at Bob Rocks, which is the newest addition to the street. This bar, with its tiny no-cat-swinging-space for a dance floor, attracts many people on the weekends that all bob and boogie away to the underground likes of old school swing and jazz and some good old rock n’ roll. The place gets really packed after 10pm and finally reaching the bar is a great achievement, just second to actually having a drink in your hands. There are plenty of opportunities to try out any new pick up line that you have been practicing all week long.
Depending on the DJ, some electro and dub step gets pumped out around 1pm which is fine for a song or two, but very soon it can get a little boring. So this would be the time to leave and head off for another spot to continue on partying. Along the way you could stop off at Mammas Shebeen, which is a laidback and chilled place to have a drink and a good conversation. If you get hungry you could pop into the ever-popular Andiccio 24 with their fabulous and well known sauce. Eat a pizza, and then go work off all that cheese at The Office, complete with huge calculators on the wall. The Office is a fun place to dance to commercial radio hits. There is also Gin which draws a younger crowd and has a relaxed kind of vibe and plays music to sing along to.
Being a residential area, all the bars and restaurants turn lights on at 2am and start playing awful music to get the people to go home.
Parking is on the streets with many car guards to watch over your possessions. There are some places where you can park off the street in parking bays and this will set you back R20. The streets are well lit, but there is always safety in numbers.
Click here to find accommodation in and around Greenside.
