Best restaurant specials in Johannesburg: Where to dine every day of the week

Spring has sprung and this September Ocean Basket unveils its brand new summer menu packed with wallet-friendly seafood favourites.

For R99, diners can surely enjoy the Shore Thing, featuring fish, prawns, calamari and chips come with Ocean Basket’s creamy lemon sauce. Sushi lovers will go to Asia with the Sushi20 at R145. You read that right, it's a mix of 20 rolls with crunch, salmon and spicy sauce.

For the really famished, there's the Reel Love Platter at R145 and its prawns, calamari, fish, rice and chips will deal with your hunger very fast.

If you're have company, the Summer Wave will feed everyone with its generous serving of queen prawns alongside fish, calamari, mussels, rice and chips and Ocean Basket’s signature creamy lemon sauce, of course.

The specials run until 31 OCtober.

Few places feel more fitting for a Heritage Month meal than Sakhumzi Restaurant, thanks to its spot on the historic Vilakazi Street and known for its generous spread of African dishes. The restaurant’s buffet costs R270 per person, and diners have two hours to enjoy it. You can pop in at any time between 11am and 9pm throughout September.

If you’re heading to Sakhumzi’s Zoo Lake location in Parkview, look out for buy-one-get-one free draught beers and cocktails, as well as 25% off grills when you dine in. These offers run throughout the month.

If you’re craving Portuguese flavours this month, Casa d’Tia in Benoni has a selection of treats to choose from including grilled meats, chicken, prawns, calamari and espetadas.

Tuesdays and Thursdays: The menu keeps things good and simple, with a 400g sirloin and one side for R149, an espetada and one side for R149, half chicken and one side for R89, or hake and chips for R109.

Wednesdays: For seafood fans, get 10 grilled prawns for R169.

Fridays and Saturdays: The weekend specials are worth diving into with calamari steak, four prawns for R149 with a complimentary glass of house wine. You can also opt for a beef and prawn espetada for R199 or 200 sirloin with four prawns for R199.

Sundays: The R149 calamari steak, four prawns and one side comes with a free glass of house wine.

With restaurants across Gauteng, Piatto and its sister restaurants have no shortage of good deals this month.

No matter which day you visit, you’ll find chicken schnitzel topped with cheese and mushroom sauce for R99, beef mac and cheese for R129 and a 200g sirloin with blue cheese sauce, caramelised onion and bacon for R139 on the specials menu. Another option is beef curry with rice, sambals and poppadum for R149.

For something more substantial, choose 300g cocktail ribs with four buffalo wings for R175, a 500g sirloin on the bone for R189 or 10 grilled prawns for R179. Also on offer is half a baby chicken with five prawns for R179. A mega meat board and lamb shoulder chops with cocktail ribs are both R199.

Add Piatto’s pork belly ribs to the table at R175 for 500g or R299 for 1kg. These specials are available throughout September, with the exception of public holidays.

Spur's timeless menu caters to every appetite, which makes dining out even better value.

Mondays: For R62.90, the Unreal Breakfast includes two eggs, two crispy back bacon, grilled tomato, and two slices of toast with butter and jam. The value continues into the evening with a Half Chicken Schnitzel or an Original Spur Burger, both served with a 350ml soda for R99. There’s also something for the little ones too, with the Kids’ Burger for just R49.90. 

Bacon at all Spur steak ranches is actually macon and the restaurants also have a Halaal variation of their entire grills menu.

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Sushi lovers can make the most of a selection of September specials at Yamitsuki Sushi Teppanyaki Dim Sum Bar, only available for those dining in.

Mondays: Pick two sushi plates of the same colour and pay for just one. The offer runs until 28 September and is available for dine-in customers only.

Tuesdays: Every pink plate costs R57 and R1 for each one is donated to the SPCA. The offer is available for sit-down customers until 29 September.

Weekdays: Between 4pm and 5pm from Monday to Friday, cocktails are on a buy one, get one free special throughout the month.

Gold Reef City Theme Park is making the most of spring with a bumper line-up of food deals, running from 5 - 27 September. These offers are available to visitors with a valid park entry ticket.

The deals include two chicken burgers from Mochachos for R99.90, while Let’s Wing It has a two-piece fried chicken meal with hand cut chips and free soft drink for R65. There’s also a R65 burger and chips deal, while wings and chips are R60 with a free dipping sauce. The double boerie burger with cheese is R99, including a free soft drink or 30ml draught. 

Grab a jumbo Russian with chips, a roll and a 300ml soft drink for R75 at Sausage Saloon or pick a selected large pizza for R100 at Panarottis with a free 250ml soda.

Dessert deals include eight mini doughnuts for R55 with a free topping, rolled ice cream for R65 with a free topping and soft serve from just R15.

Chief’s Boma Restaurant is well suited to a Heritage Month feast, with a variety of South African inspired dishes to explore in one setting. This one is a really good option if you have a more experimental palate and are open to new experiences. From crocodile and ostritch to warthog and impala, Chief's Obama has a lot of exotic surprises for your tastebuds. 

Monday to Friday: The buffet is R395 per person during the week and R415 per person on weekends. With more than 120 dishes on offer, including traditional favourites and game meats, diners are spoilt for choice.

Indaba Tasting Room is making a little more indulgent this September with a pairing of two classic treats.

Sundays: Diners can get six freshly shucked oysters and a Van Loveren Papillon Mimosa for R200 per person, with the option to add another six oysters for R210. You can enjoy the promotion from 11am to 3pm throughout the month. 

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