Sandton is your next stop to feed your food fetish

The post-pandemic landscape has brought with it a new appetite for awe-inspiring experiences – especially when eating out.

Revellers want to be wowed by creative cuisine, a good atmosphere and spectacular view every time they visit a restaurant.

The traditional sit-down sans the “wow” factor simply no longer cuts it for those seeking food for their soul along with their meal.

According to food-service industry experts Simplot, 21% of consumers in the United States dine out to satisfy specific cravings while 19% are motivated by a unique ambiance and change of scenery.

These trends match the needs and desires of the South African dining public.

And Sandton, with its striking skyline and trendy rooftop eateries, is the CBD in the country that best fits this narrative.

Add a world-class public transport system that links its attractions and spirit to outlying areas such as Pretoria and you have something special.

Its silhouette, said to be one of the top-two most striking in all of Africa, is both beautiful and dramatic and the perfect backdrop for cuisine designed to stimulate the senses.

Joburg’s financial and lifestyle hub also offers that trendy vibe associated with contemporary hangouts.

The onus is therefore on the hospitality industry to produce the rest of the goods, according to Radisson Blu Gautrain Hotel marketing manager Sigourney Bruintjies.

Relevant establishments have to deliver on the all-roads-lead-to-Sandton concept if they want to take advantage of the latest fetish.

Inner-city dining combines the enjoyment of food with the energy and culture of the city, which Bruintjies describes as “cosmopolitan”.

Therefore, she says, the hotel chooses menus that offer an “immersive taste of urban life”.

Sandton’s dining scene is particularly suited to weekend day-trippers as it goes hand in hand with visits to popular hubs such as Nelson Mandela Square, Sandton City Shopping Centre and Mushroom Farm Park.

Executive chef Vonique van Zyl agrees and has even gone as far as to tailor the latest summer menu to the weekend crowd, giving takeaway and order-in favourites like pizzas and burgers a proper dressing up.

In addition, with apartment-living in the area commonplace, dining out or meeting at fashionable venues in the CBD become an extension of home life, Bruintjies says.

It is also a habit fuelled by the precinct’s strong networking culture.

An ever-increasing number of people view Sandton as a lively nighttime destination and a place to while away their Saturdays and Sundays with special friends and foods.

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CAPTIONS

Enjoying a meal with Sandton’s magnificent skyline as the backdrop is a must for visitors to Johannesburg’s inner-city. Photo: Supplied

A dressed up hamburger is the perfect weekend fare at trendy eateries in Sandton. Photo: Supplied/SetLife Studios

When the moon hits the skyline like a big pizza pie, that's amore in Sandton. Photo: Supplied/SetLife Studios