What makes chilli poppers so addictive? Is it the burst of hot melty mozzarella, the satisfying crunch of batter, or the way that hit of jalapeno heat slowly spreads across your tongue? Whether you like yours fancy with prawn tails, wrapped in pastry and stuffed with goat’s cheese, or simply oozing stretchy cheese, we’ve got the popper for you.

Johannesburg

Billy the Bums  
Order: poppers with creole mayo in a serving of four to six, depending on size, for R42.

Café Mexicho  
Order: jalapeno chillies stuffed with cheese, battered and deep-fried. Four for R44.

Cantina Tequila (Fourways)  
Order: standard chilli poppers stuffed with mozzarella and cheddar cheese, dipped in batter and deep fried. Each portion of around six is served on a bed of lettuce with tomato salsa and avo guacamole for R50. (They periodically offer a special of jalapenos stuffed with feta and peppadews. Ask the waitron.)

Cubana  
Order: chilli poppers stuffed with mozzarella and cheddar, battered and fried. Each portion of about five to six poppers is served with chips for R65.

Mexican Fresh  
Order: battered spicy jalapeno peppers stuffed with melted cheese and served with sour cream and salsa on the side. Cheese poppers for R32, chicken poppers for R36 and beef poppers for R38.

Piatto (Cedar Square)  
Order: poppers stuffed with mozzarella and fried in a breadcrumb batter, served with salsa. Servings of four to five poppers, depending on the size, go for R45.

Durban

Peri Peri De Mozambique  
Order: jalapenos filled with cream cheese and deep fried. Servings of four to five poppers cost R34.

Billy the Bums 
Order: jalapeno poppers stuffed with cheddar and cream cheese, deep fried and served with a cheese sauce. Five or six poppers per serving go for R30.

Havana Grill  
Order: poppers stuffed with cheddar cheese, rolled in bread crumbs and deep fried. Servings of three to five poppers go for R42.

Cape Town

Arnold's
Order: peppadews, stuffed with cottage cheese, feta and herbs on a bed of greens for R35

Banana Jam  
Order: chillies stuffed with feta, crumbed, and then deep fried. A serving of four costs R42.

Buena Vista (Green Point) 
Order: jalapenos stuffed with creamed cheese, then crumbed and deep fried. Each portion has three big poppers and comes with a cheese sauce of mozzarella and cheddar, salsa and cream for R43.

Cape to Cuba  
Order: jalapenos stuffed with sweet chilli and cheddar cheese, dipped in beer batter and deep fried. R12 for one popper.

Da Vinci’s  
Order: chillies stuffed with cream cheese and cheddar cheese, rolled in Japanese-style bread crumbs and fried. Choose between bacon or plain. Four poppers are served with sweet chilli sauce for R40. (R10 for one).

El Burro  
Order: the authentic chiles relenos, which are smoked jalapenos stuffed with mozzarella and feta, and grilled. Each portion is served with guacamole and a side rocket salad. Three poppers for R33 and five for R46.

Fat Cactus 
Order: chillies stuffed with cheese, battered and then deep fried. Three or four poppers, depending on size, are served with salsa mayo for R37.

Hudson’s Claremont
Hudson's Green Point
Hudson's Kloof Street   
Order: porky chilli poppers wrapped in bacon, battered and served with blue cheese dip. Three poppers in a serving go for R47.

Hussar Grill (Camps Bay)
Order: three chilli poppers for R36 (ask to see the blackboard specials). 

Joe Fish  
Order: prawn poppers, which are jalapeno chillies stuffed with prawn tails and mozzarella, battered and then fried. Each serving of four poppers comes with a salsa mayo anglaise for R47.

Neighbourhood 
Order: one of five different styles of chilli popper. Try the phyllo pastry stuffed with goat’s cheese; crumbed popper with mozzarella; beer-battered popper with cream (add bacon for extra R4); or the crushed nacho popper filled with cheddar. R44 for about four poppers per serving.

Panchos 
Order: a full portion for R55 or starter (‘Mexican’) portion for R32 of jalapeno chillies stuffed with cheese, wrapped in a flour tortilla and deep fried. Served with guacamole and sour cream.

Rafiki’s 
Order: jalapeno chillies stuffed with mozzarella and feta cheese, crumbed and deep fried. One for R12.50.

San Julian 
Order: chillies that have been marinated in Mexican vinegar overnight, stuffed with cheese, battered and fried. Each serving of three poppers comes with sour cream and chilli mayonnaise for R48.

Sticky Fingers
Order: golden jalapeno poppers stuffed with feta and served with their trademark BBQ sauce. Four to five poppers come with a side of crispy fries for R38.

Twankey Bar 
Order: jalapenos stuffed with cream cheese and cheddar, crumbed and deep fried. Four for R55.

Zapata Mexican Restaurant 
Order jalapenos filled with cheese, then battered and deep fried, served with cream cheese and sweet-chilli mayo. Four for R39.

Winelands

Makaron
Order: the peppeadew popper for R30 each.

Have we missed your favourite chilli popper spot? Let us know at info@eatout.co.za.

By Kelly Pluke, Linda Scarborough and Alicia Erasmus
Photographs: Featured on homepage: Gamene, El Burro, Cape to Cuba, Rafiki's and San Julian