{"id":92099,"date":"2015-05-22T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2015-05-22T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/travelstartblg.wpenginepowered.com\/20-best-craft-beer-burger-combos-in-5-south-african-cities-nick-tells-us-how\/"},"modified":"2025-11-04T13:52:40","modified_gmt":"2025-11-04T13:52:40","slug":"20-best-craft-beer-burger-combos-in-5-south-african-cities-nick-tells-us-how","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.travelstart.co.za\/blog\/20-best-craft-beer-burger-combos-in-5-south-african-cities-nick-tells-us-how\/","title":{"rendered":"20 Best Craft Beer-Burger Combos in 5 South-African Cities: Nick Tells Us How"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sunday Times “On the Dop” beer writer\u00a0Nick Mulgrew<\/a> talks Craft Beer and burger combos in five South-African cities.<\/p>\n

\"Nick<\/p>\n

First up the Johannesburgers:<\/h3>\n

The Place: The Whippet<\/h2>\n

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Photo by Amy Uzzell<\/span><\/p>\n

The Burger: the Fondue Burger with breaded-chicken breast, three cheese fondue and jalape\u00f1os. R72.<\/p>\n

The Beer: CBC PIlsener<\/p>\n

Nick says: “When you have something as oil-heavy as a fondue burger, you need something to cut through the fat. CBC’s Pilsner is one of my very favourite beers, and is perfect here: clean, slightly bitter and refreshingly sulphuric \u2013 enough to cleanse the palate and provide a nice counterpoint to the jalape\u00f1os.”<\/em><\/p>\n

Find them:\u00a034 7th St, Randburg. Call:\u00a0011 782 7310.<\/p>\n

The Place: Craft in Parkhurst<\/h2>\n

\"smack!<\/p>\n

Smack! Beers by Reney Warrington<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

The Burger: “Less the Bread Chickpea & Coriander Burger” R89. Two grilled chickpea & coriander patties filled with avocado, red onion & tzaziki, served with micro greens and blooming onion.<\/p>\n

The Beer: SMACK! Republic Hillbrow Honey<\/p>\n

Nick says: “Everything SMACK! makes it top-class, and the Hillbrow Honey is one of the few beers in South Africa to do rooibos-infusion right \u2013 it’s like liquid summer, full of litchi and floral notes. Spiced burgers and spiced beers might usually make garish combinations, but this is right on the money.”<\/em><\/p>\n

Find them:\u00a033 4th Avenue, Parkhurst, Johannesburg. Call:\u00a0011 788 7111.<\/p>\n

The Place: The Wolfpack<\/h2>\n

\"The-Wolfpack<\/p>\n

The Wolfpack by Emma Jane Harbour<\/span><\/p>\n

The Burger: the Big Bad Wolf Burger with cheddar stuffed gourmet beef patty, pan finished in tomato stock, crispy lettuce topped with wasabi onion rings, jalape\u00f1os, pineapple, pancetta, fresh tomato and garlic aioli. R105.<\/p>\n

The Beer: Wolfpack Big Bad IPA<\/p>\n

Nick says:\u00a0“Wolfpack’s house American Pale Ale, made by Backwards Bean Brewery, is a bit light and creamy for an APA on its own \u2013 not really enough hop aroma, not really enough malt backbone. Nevertheless, it is decent and relatively rare; plus, it has enough flavour to compete with such a crazy, mish-mashy burger.”<\/em><\/p>\n

Find them:\u00a021, 4th Avenue, Parkhurst. Call:\u00a0+27 875503520.<\/p>\n

The Place: The Griffin, Gastropub<\/h2>\n

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The Burger: Gourmet Cheeseburger with homemade pickle, chunky chips, smokey tomato relish, red onion tzatziki (add bacon) R85.<\/p>\n

The Beer: Brauhaus am Damm Weiss<\/p>\n

Nick says:\u00a0“If they have it in stock, you can’t go much further than Brauhaus’ exemplary weiss, brewed near Rustenburg. Well-balanced esters of bubblegum, banana and clove combine with a chewy mouthfeel that will work well with Griffin’s pickle and smoked relish. The addition of tzatziki might not be classically German, but it’s still delicious.”<\/em><\/p>\n

Find them:\u00a0Oxford Road, Johannesburg. Call:\u00a0011 447 9842.<\/p>\n

The Place: The Foundry<\/h2>\n

\"mail&guardian<\/p>\n

The Foundry by Brett David Steele<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

The Burger: The Foundry Burger with sesame bun, rocket, tomato, avo, salsa, mature cheddar, bacon & onion chutney w\/fries R92.<\/p>\n

The Beer: Fuller’s London Porter<\/p>\n

Nick says: “It isn’t local, but it’s pretty much the purest example of porter out there. Rich, dark malt matches all the best notes in this burger \u2013 from sesame to bacon to onion \u2013 and it goes down dangerously quickly.”<\/em><\/p>\n

Find them:\u00a0Parktown Quarter, 3rd Ave, Randburg. Call:\u00a0011 447 5828.<\/p>\n

The Place: The Beer House Fourways, Johannesburg<\/h2>\n

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The Burger: Slow-roasted pork belly and onion marmalade roll (not a burger but close enough). R55.<\/p>\n

The Beer: Citizen Alliance Amber Ale<\/p>\n

Nick says:\u00a0“Beerhouse has a ridiculously extensive list of local and imported beers \u2013 some of which you can’t get anywhere else. It doesn’t mean you have to get complicated, though. Amber ale and pork are best friends, and Citizen’s Alliance’s caramel backbone accentuates the onion marmalade, with a light-ish body that won’t slow your eating. Save the more expensive beers for a clean palate.”<\/em><\/p>\n

Find them:\u00a0cnr Witkoppen, 1 Sunset Avenue, Sandton. Call:\u00a0011 465 2402.<\/p>\n

The Place: Voodoo Lily<\/h2>\n

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The Burger: The Voodoo Burger made with free-range braeside beef mince patty, roasted peppers, caramalized onion, rocket, local cheddar and mozarella cheese, served with hand-cut chips. R88.<\/p>\n

The beer: Jack Black Lager<\/p>\n

Nick says:\u00a0“Jack Black Lager. Jack Black’s Lager is a great match for this burger, especially straight from the tap. With slight earthen spice, modest malt and grain on the palate, it’s never going to overpower the freshness of the ingredients here \u2013 but that’s what you want, isn’t it?”<\/em><\/p>\n

Find them:\u00a064 St Andrew St, Midrand. Call:\u00a0011 442 6965.<\/p>\n

The Place: The Grillhouse & Katzy’s<\/h2>\n

\"erdinger<\/p>\n

Erdinger Weissbier by Rachun Alf<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

The Burger: Classic beef burger with bbq sauce and the Grillhouse specialty spice- (100% pure beef patty). R74.95.<\/p>\n

The Beer: Erdinger Weissbier<\/p>\n

Nick says: “You don’t always have to go for craft beer. Erdinger is the world’s biggest producer of weissbier, and while it isn’t exactly brilliant, its effervescent, citrusy and relatively acidic character combines well with heavier sauces. Simplicity is king, sometimes.”<\/em><\/p>\n

Find them:\u00a0Shop 1, The Firs \/ Rosebank Shopping Centre, C\/O Oxford Road & Bierman Avenue, Rosebank. Call:\u00a0011 880 3945.
\nAlso read:<\/strong><\/p>\n