To celebrate Heritage Day this weekend, we’ve rounded up five eateries in our capital city that are serving up proudly patriotic dishes with true Mzansi flair. From bunny chow and potjie to braaibroodjie and boerie rolls, here’s where to celebrate SA cuisine in Pretoria.

Baobab (Menlyn)

In the highly unlikely event that you find yourself looking for a reason to head to Menlyn Mall in Pretoria, it’s a safe bet that Baobab Restaurant will make for a worthwhile day out with the family. The unmistakably African restaurant will have you feeling right at home with the mouth-watering menu peppered with familiar Mzansi favourites, like the absolutely delicious, fall-off-the-bone oxtail potjie. This hearty feast is slow cooked in a cast-iron pot and served with a choice of starch, vegetable or fresh salad for a not-so-bad R120. Bring on the pinotage!

A photo posted by Thembalethu. (@mfazwet) on Jun 19, 2015 at 5:04am PDT

Blos Café (Faerie Glen)

The food at Blos is a mix of farmhouse classics with a South African twist. Start off with a biltong carpaccio with red-onion salsa before tucking into the signature lamb-and-prune potjie, richly flavoured with cumin, coriander, paprika and cinnamon, or a platter of SA snacks like sosaties and biltong. Alternatively go for the quirky SA favourites like the bobotie omelette with raisin chutney, the roosterkoek bobotie burger with masala onion, the braaibroodjie and fried pap cubes, or the traditional paptert with tomato relish and cheddar cheese. It’s a huge venue, with tables inside and out on the stoep, making it perfect for a sunny lazy lunch in the jacaranda city.

A photo posted by Michelle Nell (@michelle_nell) on Jan 16, 2015 at 8:19am PST

Capital Craft (Menlo Park)

A firm favourite amongst the beer aficionados, Capital Craft makes an outstanding bunny chow. Aptly dubbed ‘The Mamelodi Half-Loaf’, this quintessentially South African street food is borrowed from the popular sphatlo you can find being sold anywhere in Mams, taken to new heights. The dish consists of half a hollowed out loaf of fresh, home-baked bread crammed with plenty steaming hot, delicious, slow-cooked lamb curry and finished off with a flourish: a fresh salsa of tomatoes, pickled cucumber, red onion and crunchy toasted seeds with a dollop of double-thick yoghurt. Yum.

 

A photo posted by Capital Craft (@capitalcraftpta) on Dec 1, 2015 at 3:12am PST

Rocket 88 (Lynnwood)

You might be a tad too pleased with yourself upon discovering this Pretoria gem. Rocket 88 is a well-loved social space and restaurant with plenty of classic South African favourites like the humble roosterbrood, which is made in-house and stuffed with tender, deboned spare ribs, a tomato sheba and fries. If you’re feeling a little peckish after a few icy beers, there are the succulent, flame-grilled boerie rolls crammed with sweet fried onions for a well-priced R35. Their range of tasty build-your-own-breakfast options includes skilpadjies for R22, which can be enjoyed with a side of pap and sheba for an extra R27. If you’re feeling virtuous, you have the option of throwing in a grilled mushroom skewer for R5.

Carlton Café Delicious (Menlo Park)

This gorgeous cafe is adding more and more local flair to the already fabulous menu. The perfectly prepared melkkos is cinnamon-scented nostalgia in a bowl, served warm with a sprinkling of cinnamon sugar. Talented head chef Pieter du Toit recommends you add a buttery slice of freshly baked condensed-milk bread. What a treat! On the lunch menu, try the phuthu pap and biltong salad, piled with fried biltong and creamy mascarpone cheese. Another lunchtime indulgence is the old-school Marmite tart topped with a soft-poached egg, caramelised onion and a parmesan crisp for only R48, with the option to add a portion of house-made biltong for an extra R25.

The Marmite tart topped with a soft-poached egg at Carlton Café Delicious.