Vegan in South Africa

MARCH 7, 2020 : Writing this from Johannesburg, where I am spending a few days with my daughter and her family on my way to Australia.

Meat is such a big part of the South African diet that it is hardly ever left out of meals. So I was pretty surprised when my daughter suggested going to Leafy Greens Cafe, a highly recommended vegan restaurant. I did not really expect vegan restaurants to exist here, let alone be highly recommended. On the other hand, Joburg has a thriving fresh produce market scene. The wide variety and the good quality of the local fruits and vegetables offers the potential of creating delicious vegan dishes.

Towards noon, we drove a half hour northwest of the city to reach the place. In true South African fashion, upon arriving we first needed to pass a quick security check. Once past, we found ourselves parking the car in a grove of trees. The restaurant is outdoors, under a tent top with open sides, that overlooks a beautiful large lawn with rolling hills in the background.

Leafy Greens Café operates as a buffet – you fill your plate and then pay by weight. The buffet offered a nice selection of cold and hot dishes – all vegan. There were spring rolls, humus and different vegetable salads among the cold dishes. Vegan pizzas, stuffed cabbage, breaded tofu and much more in the hot.

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One of the salads had a vegetable I did not recognize – it resembled a green orange. Turns out this is what they call African Cucumber, also known as Horned Melon. It has a very distinctive taste – reminiscent of cucumbers but stronger.

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Besides the buffet, there is a large beverage menu – including many smoothie variations. There is also a wide selection of vegan desserts, some even gluten-free. Chocolate was a predominant ingredient.

This restaurant, like many in South Africa, is very family friendly. Besides the large lawn for the kids to run on, there was a playground, a trampoline, and a nice kiddy menu for them to choose from. The baby highchair had a distinctive African style, very different from the simple white plastic Ikea high chairs that are pretty standard in Israel.

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After eating and frolicking on the lawn, we noticed a pathway and decided to go exploring. The path led to a large organic garden full of many vegetables, some recognizable and others less so. There were carrots, peppers, eggplants, lettuce, and much more.

We also stumbled upon The Green Bean –– a small local coffee bean company, that besides roasting and selling coffee beans, also has a coffee café for tasting their brews.

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As we were starting to head back to our car, a helicopter flew low overhead and landed on the large lawn, thrilling the grandkids and adults alike. Next door to the restaurant, the Joburg Gin & Tonic Festival was taking place, and we assume the helicopter brought a VIP to the event. The festival drew hundreds of people and had a live band to provide us background music for our wanderings.

What started as a trip to a vegan restaurant became a very enjoyable three-hour excursion. A day to remember.

P.S. If you ever get to go to the Leafy Greens Cafe, making reservations is recommended.