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There are few better strategies to escape the winter blues than indulging in a spicy, belly-warming dish. As hot treats go, the fiery chilli popper ticks all the boxes: golden, buttery batter, the tangy crunch of hot jalapeño, and the melting goodness of cheese oozing out from inside. (Yup, we’re drooling too.)
The precise origin of the popper is uncertain, but it’s most likely a Westernised version of the Mexican dish of chiles rellenos (stuffed and fried peppers). These days you are bound to find chilli poppers on the menus at your favourite eateries – and in countless delicious guises, too. (Feast your eyes on these 31 fearless ways to stuff a jalapeño chilli.)
If, like us at Eat Out HQ, you love this spicy snack enough to choose a restaurant based on its chilli poppers alone, then you’ve come the right place. Here’s our list of the best jalapeno poppers in your town, along with serious scientific details on the cheesy filling, price, portion size and whether the dipping sauce is creamy mayo or sweet chilli.
Johannesburg
Beefcakes
Bite into: Jalapeño chillies stuffed with cream cheese and sweet chilli sauce, deep-fried in beer batter and served with a zesty lemon mayonnaise.
Damage: R45 for three.
Billy the Bums
Bite into: Jalapenos stuffed with cheese, crumbed and deep-fried, with Creole mayo for dipping.
Damage: R45 for 320g, which works out to six to eight poppers (depending on the size of the jalapeños).
Café Mexicho
Bite into: Jalapeno chillies stuffed with cheese, battered, deep-fried and served with sour cream.
Damage: R49 for four.
Cubana (Fourways)
Bite into: Mild jalapeño chillies filled with cream cheese (with the option of bacon bits), flash fried in a unique batter and served with honey-soy and mayo sauces.
Damage: R79 for a basket (number of poppers depends on pepper sizes).
Library at Coobs
Bite into: Jalapeño chillies stuffed with cheese, battered and deep-fried, served with tomato salsa. (On the specials menu, so phone ahead to see if they’re on offer.)
Damage: R25 for three.
Mexican Fresh
Bite into: Battered jalapeño chillies stuffed with melted cheese and served with sour cream and salsa on the side.
Damage: R36 for three.
Piatto (Sandton)
Bite into: Poppers stuffed with mozzarella and fried in a breadcrumb batter, served with chilli salsa, tomato sauce and mayonnaise.
Damage: R59 for four.
The Smokehouse and Grill
Bite into: Jalapeño chillies filled with cheese and slow-smoked, served with blue cheese dip.
Damage: R39 for four to five (depending on the size of the chillies).
Social on Main
Bite into: Jalapeño chillies stuffed with cream cheese, cheddar cheese and bacon bits, tempura-battered and deep-fried, served with a dipping sauce of yoghurt, cucumber and chives.
Damage: R35 for three.
Pretoria
Cubana (Menlyn)
Bite into: Mild jalapeño chillies filled with cream cheese (with the option of bacon bits), flash-fried in a unique batter and served with honey-soy and mayo sauces.
Damage: R79 for a basket (number of poppers depends on pepper sizes).
Piatto (Menlyn)
Bite into: Poppers stuffed with mozzarella and fried in a breadcrumb batter, served with salsa.
Damage: R55 for four to five poppers, depending on their size.
Durban
Billy the Bums
Bite into: Jalapeños stuffed with cheese, crumbed and deep-fried, with Creole mayo for dipping.
Damage: R45 for 320g, which works out to six to eight poppers (depending on the size of the jalapeños).
Havana Grill
Bite into: Poppers stuffed with cheddar cheese, rolled in breadcrumbs and deep-fried.
Damage: R42 for three to five poppers.
Taco Zulu
Bite into: Jalapeños filled with feta and cream cheese and deep-fried.
Damage: R48 for four.
Unity Brasserie
Bite into: Jalapeño chillies stuffed with cream cheese, battered and deep-fried, served with smoky garlic mayo.
Damage: R48 for four.
Cape Town
Banana Jam Café
Bite into: Jalapeño chillies stuffed with feta, crumbed, and then deep-fried, served with salsa mayo.
Damage: R45 for four.
Bang
Bite into: Mild jalapeño chillies stuffed with seasoned cream cheese, crumbed and deep-fried, served with sweet-chilli sauce.
Damage: R45 for three to four (depending on size).
Beefcakes
Bite into: Jalapeño chillies stuffed with cream cheese and sweet chilli sauce, deep-fried in beer batter and served with a zesty lemon mayonnaise.
Damage: R45 for three.
Beleza
Bite into: Jalapeño-and-feta phyllo triangles, served with sweet-chilli sauce.
Damage: R40 for four.
Buena Vista Social Café (Green Point)
Bite into: Jalapeño chillies stuffed with cream cheese, battered and flash-fried. Served with homemade salsa.
Damage: R41 for three.
Da Vinci’s on Kloof
Bite into: Chillies stuffed with cream cheese and cheddar cheese, rolled in Japanese-style breadcrumbs and fried. Choose between bacon or plain.
Damage: R13 each.
El Burro
Bite into: Authentic chilli rellenos, which are smoked jalapeños stuffed with mozzarella and feta. The poppers are grilled and each portion is served with guacamole and a side rocket salad.
Damage: R50 for three or R65 for five.
Fat Cactus (Gardens)
Bite into: Jalapeño chillies stuffed with cheese, battered and then deep-fried.
Damage: R46 for three or four poppers, depending on size.
Fireman’s Arms
Bite into: Jalapeño chillies stuffed with cream cheese, battered and then deep-fried, served with sweet soya sauce.
Damage: R50 for four.
Hudson’s (Claremont, Green Point and Kloof Street)
Bite into: Chillies stuffed with three cheeses, battered and deep-fried, served with a tomato relish.
Damage: R40 for three.
Jamaica Me Crazy
Bite into: Jalapeño chillies stuffed with cream cheese, battered and then deep-fried.
Damage: R48 for four.
Joe Fish
Bite into: Prawn poppers, which are jalapeno chillies stuffed with prawn tails and mozzarella, battered and then fried, served with a salsa mayo Anglaise.
Damage: R47 for four.
The Mexican Kitchen
Bite into: Jalapeño chillies filled with cheese and wrapped in tortillas, deep-fried and served with guacamole, salsa and cream cheese.
Damage: R45 for four.
Neighbourhood
Bite into: One of four different styles of chilli poppers. Try the phyllo pastry poppers stuffed with goat’s cheese; crumbed poppers with mozzarella; beer-battered popper filled with cream cheese (add bacon for extra R4); or the crushed nacho popper stuffed with cheddar and mozzarella.
Damage: R44 for about four poppers per serving.
Pancho’s
Bite into: Jalapeño chillies stuffed with cheese, wrapped in a flour tortilla and deep-fried. Served with guacamole and sour cream.
Damage: R60 for seven.
Rafiki’s
Bite into: Jalapeño chillies stuffed with mozzarella and feta cheese, crumbed and deep-fried, served with sweet chilli sauce. They are also planning on serving a chilli-popper pizza.
Damage: R12.50 each.
Remex Mexican Cantina (Parklands and Richwood)
Bite into: Tortilla-wrapped jalapeño chillies stuffed with three cheeses, deep-fried and served with a five-layered dip.
Damage: R45.50 for four.
Salushi
Bite into: Jalapeño peppers stuffed with mozzarella, chopped prawn, sweet chilli, Asian spice and coriander and deep-fried in tempura batter.
Damage: R35 for three large poppers.
San Julian
Bite into: Jalapeño chillies filled with white cheddar, crumbed with toasted tortillas and served with smoked chipotle aioli.
Damage: R15 each.
Sticky Fingers
Bite into: Golden jalapeño poppers stuffed with feta and served with Sticky Fingers trademark BBQ sauce.
Damage: R10 each.
The Toad in the Village
Bite into: Jalapeño chillies stuffed with cheddar, feta and bacon, served with guacamole, sour cream and a sweet chilli sauce.
Damage: R50 for three.
Twankey Bar
Bite into: Jalapeños stuffed with cream cheese and cheddar, crumbed and deep-fried.
Damage: R55 for four.
Zapata Mexican Restaurant
Bite into: Jalapeños filled with cheese, crumbed and deep-fried, served with sweet-chilli mayo and salsa.
Damage: R39 for three to four poppers.
Winelands
5 Ryneveld
Bite into: Flame roasted jalapeño chillies stuffed with cream cheese and served with sweet chilli mayo.
Damage: R15.50 (portions vary according to the season).
Buena Vista Social Café (Stellenbosch)
Bite into: Jalapeño chillies stuffed with cream cheese, battered and flash-fried. Served with a homemade salsa.
Damage: R41 for three.
The Slug & Lettuce (Stellenbosch)
Bite into: Jalapeño chillies stuffed with cheese, battered and fried, served with chilli-infused mayo.
Damage: R45 for three to five, depending on size.
The Trumpet Tree Social Cafe
Bite into: Jalapeño chillies stuffed with mozzarella and cheddar cheese, fried in beer batter and served with guacamole and sour cream.
Damage: R43 for three.
Have we missed your favourite popper? Let us know in the comments.
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Are any of these restaurants halaal?
Ayesha strictly halal. I doubt it. But, if you’re not too strict there will always be things for you to eat. Mexican joints always have good vegetarian bean dishes and chill poppers are just chills and cheese. You will also almost certainly be able to eat all chicken dishes, as most places are supplied by either rainbow chickens or county fair, and both are halal o believe….
In CT if you looking for good mexican, rather go to Orinoco on Bree. Its venezualan but the flavours are very similar and its great.
Just went to a place called Perron in JHB and its the best chill popper in the country right now. And I’ve had them and literally everywhere that serve them in CT and JHB.
For Cape Town I also really recommend – Bang at Woodbridge Island in Milnerton – and Remex Mexican Cantina – a very well kept secret in Richwood.
Amen to Remex …. Now also in Tableview I hear.
Fireman’s Arms also have a great selection of poppers!!!!
Ryneveld 5 in Stellenbosch definitely has the best poppers in the Winelands if you like them crumbed and not so greasy with a nice sweet chilli mayo dip! And some red wine also compliments them well 🙂
Hi everyone. Thanks for the recommendations. We’re currently following up and will add the hot new chilli popper info as soon as possible!
What about Trumpet Tree’s Flaming Diablo’s? They are THE BEST chilli poppers in the WORLD!!!! No lies 🙂
Remex in Richood Cape town wins hands down…. best mexican food in town
Gilroy’s Brewery http://www.gilroybeers.co.za/ has the best chilli poppers I’ve tasted in South Africa. #Fact
If you live in Durban and fancy a fix at home, try Just Jalapeno poppers from Shongweni Market. You can get crumbed poppers filled with mozarella and cheddar cheese or the low-carb version: poppers filled with feta cheese wrapped in bacon – awesome on the braai.
Hi Kirstie. Thanks for the tip! Do you know who/which stall sells them? Would love to add them to the list. Yours in chilli popper-appreciation, the Eat Out team.
I tried the ones at Social and they were horrible, they were SO hot it was inedible
How about Mexican on Long?
Warning: Library at Coobs has seasonal menu. Chilli poppers only a summer item.
Hi Samantha, thanks for the tip. We’ll edit the listing to include that info. All the best
The best chilli poppers in Cape Town are definitely produced by The Toad in Newlands … Little bacon bits in melted cheddar cheese within the battered and fried chilli … Too legendary before and after the rugby next door!
Wow, those sound great, Tank! We see they’re already on the list. Snap.
The best chilli poppers to be had are not to be found at any restaurant but at a market in Stellenbosch, Cape Town. The Wood Mill Market has a little stall called The Hot Spot that is the best for chilli poppers. Thry use three different cheeses, the best beer batter and fried to perfection! I admit, I’m an Hot Stop addict, so bring on the counselling! So I vote The Hot Stop for president, oh wait, I can’t. Oh well, Best Chilli Popper Award goes to… The Hot Stop!
I know this is an old post, but i love chilli poppers and came across this post this morning.. Its sad that Durban has so few options compared to JHB and CT. I have tried the poppers from John Dorys’ which was ok but my absolute favorite ones are from Cubana on Florida road.
Thanks so much for the tip, Kathi 🙂 When we update this list again we’ll definitely go try those poppers!