Choosing the perfect wedding venue can be a daunting task. Luckily, we’ve made your planning a little bit easier by hunting down a list of beautiful Joburg restaurants that will make ideal venues for your big day.

Arbour Café and Courtyard (Melrose)

Arbour Café is a hidden gem amongst the hustle and bustle of Melrose. This French-inspired café and courtyard is bright, pretty and ornamented with plants and water features, making it an ideal outdoor setting for intimate weddings. It’s quaint and sophisticated, with just the right amount of romantic allure. You can have both the ceremony and the reception in the courtyard, with menus (ranging between R180 to R350) comprising plated set options for less than 30 guests and canapés and harvest table-style dining for slightly larger crowds.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Arbour Café & Courtyard (@arbourcafe) on Apr 22, 2019 at 10:13am PDT

Bellgables Country Restaurant (Muldersdrift)

Bellgables can accommodate between 70 to 80 people for more intimate weddings. You can make use of their quaint art gallery and courtyard for your ceremony, whilst receptions take place in the Crystal Terrace Room that overlooks the classically designed pool, rustic gardens and natural dams flanking the passage leading up to the indigenous forest. (Venue hire starts at R15 000.) The restaurant’s menu offering (from R495 per person) is country-style à la carte. Think carpaccios and crêpes, pan-fried kingklip and fillet medallions in mushroom sauce.

Buitengeluk Restaurant (Sandton)

Magnificent gardens and Cape Dutch architecture make this the perfect romantic setting in the north of Joburg. They operate as a four-star restaurant and wedding venue and have a chapel tucked away in the garden that can seat 160 people. You can choose between an à la carte menu, set menu, buffet menu and bespoke menu. Expect an eclectic mix of homely dishes from around the world: bobotie, butter chicken, pastas, oxtail and lamb shank, to name a few. (Menus start at around R200 per head.)

Canteen (Maboneng Precinct)

Located in the heart of Maboneng Canteen is a restaurant and venue enclosed by olive and lemon trees and surrounded by a vibrant multifaceted arts space. Canteen offers both indoor and outdoor spaces for both ceremonies and receptions, with the most-loved being the courtyard dappled with olive trees. It’s rustic and urban, with an eclectic and relaxed food offering that includes burgers, pastas, steaks, lamb chops and battered fish. (Venue-hire rate is dependent on the spaces used, but is normally around R10 000.)

Casalinga (Muldersdrift)

It’s a free-growing oasis in Muldersdrift with both indoor and outdoor seating. They strive to create the finest contemporary Italian cuisine using only fresh ingredients free of preservatives and artificial substances. Their vegetables and herbs are organically grown on their beautiful farm to ensure the highest quality. They can host ceremonies as well as receptions, either in the exquisite stone chapel or the pine forest. There are seven venues within Casalinga that can accommodate weddings of between 15 to 200 guests.

A table setting at Casalinga. Photo supplied.

Ferguson’s 5th Floor (Sandton)

This rooftop restaurant is in the heart of Sandton and can host both ceremonies and wedding receptions. Their weekly menu includes scrumptious breakfasts, delicious homely lunches and a freshly prepared daily harvest table. Wedding menus are tailored to guests and can feature everything from refined three-course set menus to cocktail and floating dinner options, as well as relaxed harvest table buffets. The venue can hold up to 150 people seated and 200 cocktail-style. (Pricing starts at R13 500.)

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Fergusons (@fergusons_5thfloor) on Apr 17, 2019 at 2:37am PDT

The Hide (Illovo)

The Hide is conveniently located on Melville Road in Illovo. They have a casual restaurant that’s open on weekdays for breakfast and lunch. It can host between 50 and 1 500 guests, subject to the setup required. The restaurant offers an extensive menu and caters to the specific requirements of each and every client. Ceremonies can take place under the trees in the beautiful garden or on the west-facing rooftop. (Venue hire starts at R6000)

Il Giardino Degli Ulivi (Milpark)

Il Giardino has created a uniquely chic urban Tuscan setting within the walls of 44 Stanley Avenue. There’s open seating amongst the olive trees and The Room is a chandelier-bejewelled venue with long white-washed tables that will host a wonderfully romantic reception seating up to 120 guests. Italian platters, bruschetta, great pizzas and handmade pastas are the call of the day. The entire restaurant and courtyard can be reserved for evening weddings from 6pm onwards, but smaller groups of 40 or less can be accommodated in their smaller venue in complete privacy. Wedding menus are adaptable to accommodate all personal requirements, and start at R300 per person.

KCC – La Vie en Rose (Lower Houghton)

KCC is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner seven days a week and is known for its beautiful outside area with manicured lawns and trees dappled with fairy lights. It also functions as a wedding venue. In good weather, KCC can seat up to 260 guests and can host your ceremony on site. Variety is what’s on offer when it comes to menu choices – everything from homey comfort food to Mediterranean- and Moroccan-inspired dishes are available, plus buffet set-ups, family-style dining and three-course plated options. Your wish is their command. (Menu prices range between R220 and R550 per person.)

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by KCC – La Vie en Rose (@lavieenrosejhb) on Jan 8, 2018 at 4:22am PST

The Living Room (Maboneng)

This eco-urban rooftop restaurant and venue offers breathtaking views across Johannesburg and, whilst it is small, they can host both ceremonies and receptions. The food is fresh and fabulous: simple meals and eclectic tapas are paired with signature cocktails, but they’re able to personalise menus depending on your needs. (Venue hire starts from R12 000 on weekdays and R25 000 on weekends)

The rooftop views at Living Room are perfect for a city wedding. Photo supplied.

Morrells Boutique Estate (Northcliff)

Morrells perfectly encapsulate quintessential French Provençal charm. Their gardens are simply magnificent: a mix of herbs and groves of trees, rose bushes and wisteria set between cobbled pathways. They have an on-site chapel and various indoor and outdoor venues for ceremonies and receptions. They serve breakfast, lunch and dinner at their restaurant, offering upmarket French-bistro fare. Weddings are catered for using set menus of a similar style, but catering to the individual needs of the client. They also offer fun touches in the form of gin stations, champagne stations and even craft beer stations. (Venue hire starts at R21 500 and set menus start at R695 per person.)

All set up for a wedding at Morrells. Photo supplied.

Olives and Plates (Wits Campus)

The 76-year-old Cape Dutch style buildings were modelled on the well-known Franschhoek farm and wine estate La Provence, making it a showstopper of a wedding venue. They can host between 120 and 150 guests, with ceremonies being held in the West Room chapel. Their daily menu showcases an exquisite array of Mediterranean-inspired dishes, including mouth-watering salads, steaks, pastas, souvlaki, fish and the best homemade spanakopita. Their wedding menus celebrate much of the same in the form of canapés, buffets or three-course plated options. (Packages start at R850 per head.)

A wedding shoot at Olives & Plates. Photo supplied.

Tres Jolie (Ruimsig)

Characterised by exquisite gardens and landscaped with fountains and water features, Trés Jolie is a country wedding restaurant and venue situated on a beautiful five-hectare estate in Ruimsig. The restaurant also boasts a farmyard where children can play, ride ponies and feed animals. The menu brings together Mediterranean cuisine and hearty South African favourites. They have a stone chapel on site for up to 200 people, or you can use their gardens and outdoor chapel for your ceremony. There are three venues from which to choose for your reception. (Venue hire starts at R1000 and set menus start at R280 per head.)

The Wild Side (Craighall)

The Wild Side restaurant in Burnside, Craighall, boasts a big pretty garden which is perfect for a city garden wedding. The charming Library and Patio sections of the restaurant can accommodate wedding receptions. The name of the place and its off-the-wall ethos are complemented by a quirky and quaint décor boasting bold colours and textures as well as spirited art that are sure to add a zest of life to a wedding celebration.  The venue hire is dependent on the number of people and the menu chosen. The Wild Side can take up to 100 people. Menu packages range from R320 – R480 per head.

Pic by Lik.a.girl Photography

Katy’s Palace Bar (Kramerville)

Katy’s Palace Bar is situated in Kramerville, a leading design precinct of Johannesburg. Located on top of Amatuli Artefacts, a souvenir store of African and Asian furniture, art and décor, it lends to this artistic synergy with a nostalgic retro-modern design style. Made up of adjoined spaces – the main open floor space, a mezzanine level overlooking the venue and an outside covered patio with an incredible view of Sandton – Katy’s Palace Bar is ideal for unique city weddings and receptions. It accommodates 500 people for a cocktail-style wedding event and 220 people for banquette style. For such events, the bar outsources its menu from a pool of varied caterers. You’re welcome to bring in your own catering at a surcharge of R5,000. Venue hire is at R32,000.

Eagle’s Fare Restaurant (Roodepoort)

The beautiful nature surrounding Eagle’s Fare Restaurant is its foremost attraction. Nestled in the Walter Sisulu National Botanical Garden, surrounded by indigenous flora and the Witpoortjie Waterfall en route to the Cradle of Humankind, it provides a scenic backdrop to any wedding. The restaurant and venue can accommodate intimate weddings as well as slightly bigger ones with up to 120 guests. Menu and venue packages are customised to what different clients need and in accordance to the botanical garden’s management rules.

The Rooftop Restaurant (Rosebank)

The Rooftop Restaurant overlooks the Johannesburg skyline from the leafy Saxonwold in Rosebank. It offers soulful casual fine-dining in a tranquil setting on its rooftop garden. The food offering can be personalised, from buffet-style to multiple courses to suit different wedding events. In addition, the restaurant is halaal-certified. Contact them for a package tailormade to suit your needs.

Have a fabulous restaurant in Jozi that also hosts weddings? Let us know in the comments below.