Johannesburg has a wealth of excellent restaurants, and just about every world cuisine is offered. Because of South Africa's love of shopping malls, many restaurants, bars and coffee shops are located there, but many have outside seating and extended hours after the shops have closed. One of the best malls to eat at is Nelson Mandela Square in northern Sandton City. It has a superbly attractive and atmospheric piazza lined with some of the city's best restaurants. A giant, bronze statue of Mandela smiles over diners at the alfresco tables. Not far from there, the Mall of Rosebank has a number of good eateries along its tree-lined streets. Melrose Arch has another square lined with trendy spots, and Hyde Park Corner Mall has some excellent restaurants among its luxury boutiques.

The large casino complexes feature a variety of restaurants, dinner theaters and food courts, and many of the top hotels have a range of places open to nonguests.

There are a few distinctive restaurant districts where a variety of establishments cluster on one or two streets, making them ideal places to wander up and down until something catches your fancy. These include Melville, where restaurants and dozens of small bars line a block of streets, the roundabout on Gleneagles Road in Greenside, and many streets in Parkhurst and Parktown North. These restaurant districts are all located in the northern suburbs.

Johannesburg's Chinatown is east of the city on Derrick Avenue in Cyrildene. A line of mostly unnamed and very cheap restaurants decorate themselves with red lanterns and dead ducklings. These restaurants serve up delicious, authentic food.