Sometimes we crave traditional home-cooked meals but don’t want to cook them ourselves. Luckily, Johannesburg has a wide range of places to enjoy traditional cuisines.

Here are some of our favourites:

Mkhaya African Cuisine & Grill
Situated in the heart of Marshalltown, Mkhaya African Cuisine is a convenient spot to get a wide range of African meals. It’s a great place to eat with your family, as affordable platters are their speciality. Prices cost between R170 and R500, and they’re ideal for 3 to 10 people, depending on the size of the meal. Some out of the standout dishes are the mogodu and hardbody meal which is served with pap and a side of your choice.

Pata Pata
Everything about this restaurant oozes South African culture. For starters, it was named after a well-known Miriam Makeba song, and you get to see local acts performing live as you enjoy your favourite traditional meal. The restaurant serves everything from burgers, wraps and soup to signature African dishes such as chicken livers, oxtail stew, mogodu and braaied meat.

Chaf Pozi
This is one of Soweto’s ultimate go-to venues for a good meal and a good time. It’s located conveniently at the foot of the iconic Soweto cooling towers and is spacious enough to cater for up to 1000 guests. There’s plenty of meat to choose from, including mutton, chicken, beef, wors and lamb served with pap, samp and chakalaka. There’s also a lovely beer garden to enjoy a drink in while you wait for the braai masters to prepare your meat. Prices for large meals range from R150 to R300.

Sakhumzi Restaurant
Located on the prominent Vilakazi Street in Soweto, this restaurant’s menu is packed with tasty meals cooked the African way. Expect to feast on cow hooves, giblets, mogodu, knuckles, samp, pap and dombolo. They have kiddies’ meals as well so it’s ideal for the whole family.

For the days you want to cook but need inspiration, try out our traditional South African recipes to blow your family away.