South Africa’s capital cities are mastering the art of the perfect serve — whether it’s leaning into counter-culture at a hip wine bar, or stirring the imagination with cocktail flair
Big in Japan
ANTHM offers ‘Japanese craft cocktails’ in an elegant space styled as a kominka... Think antique wood and vintage glassware, with a backdrop of vinyl jazz and soul. Cocktails are named after songs on the playlist, with ingredients such as, hojicha, miso and porcini. Conceived by Tetsuo Hasegawa, formerly of NYC’s Angel’s Share, there’s a small plate menu too. Try the Foggy Forest, a whisky based cocktail smoked with Japanese cherry blossom wood.
anthmbar.com
76 hout st, cape town
Spin Off
Newest to the Cape Town wine bar scene, Cassette Tiny Wine is a teeny bolt-hole in Sea Point, along the urban ocean fringe. The list skews toward minimalist, natural wines, with a rotating selection. Living up to its name, there’s a cassette player behind the bar spinning 80s tunes aplenty.
206 main rd, sea point
First Bagels, then Wine
Blink and you’ll miss it. Leo’s Wine Bar is shoe-horned inside a bagel shop in the city centre. No big brands here, you'll discover low intervention wines from smaller producers. Try the de facto house wine, entitled ‘Mystery Woman’, named for a tapestry of a woman with a bustier featuring bagels… It's an intriguing and hyper-unusual blend of carignan and muscat.
leoswinebar.com
shop 28, de oude schuur, 120 bree street.
Johannesburg... where it never stops Pouring
Keep your Pants on
Known as the smallest wine bar in South Africa, Mr Pants Wine Bar in Blairgowrie has earned a loyal following for its curated selection of local and international wines. Many are available by the glass, alongside a seasonal, rotating menu offering wine-friendly bites in a pared-back minimalist space. No reservations required.
mrpantswine.co.za
shop 7, delta central, 74 hillcrest ave, blairgowrie, randburg
What’s the Password?
Hidden behind an unmarked metal door near a popular pizza joint in Parkwood, Sin+Tax is a speakeasy-style cocktail bar that showcases local ingredients, South African botanicals as well as spirits. As for access to enter? You apparently need to tap out a tune on a metal door. sintaxbar.com
corner of bolton & jan smuts roads, rosebank.
Stella! Hey, Stella!
A Streetbar Named Desire, in Parkwood, is a cocktail bar and tapas lounge that blends Middle Eastern-inspired small plates with inventive cocktails. The rooftop terrace offers sweeping views of its setting, making it an ideal spot for sundowners. Try the gin-based Tea Time For Two. And seek out their sister enterprise Hush Money in Norwood, for more good drinks, food and vibes.
streetbar.co.za
144 jan smuts ave, parkwood, randburg
Text by Malu Lambert
