Honey Makwaka

I’m excited to be joining the ElleAfrique team from Johannesburg, South Africa! My name is Honey and I’m an Africa enthusiast, her food feeds my life and her fashion feeds my soul! Here I will be sharing with you some of my favorite African food spots in Joburg, most are not very fancy but who needs fancy when you can have fabulous food?

The first spot I’d like to share with you is where all non-vegetarian hangovers go to die; Odudwa Republic Restaurant at 320 Marshall street in Jeppestown. Mostly because this city can pounce a party on you midweek and you won’t have an entire Saturday to remind yourself that you are no longer born to ‘turn up’. There isn’t a bad decision I have made at a midweek open bar that Odudwa’s spicy trotter stew has failed to undo!

Images of the cuisine on offer are brightly displayed to passers bye in the windows of the airy take away or eat in spot. Situated in quiet Jeppestown off the main roads, Odudwa is refreshingly unclustered and seldom very loud- nobody likes loud on a hangover. With a clean basin to wash your hands and never an excuse about substituting pap for gari, they pretty much have the primary requisites for success in a city with a huge appetite for West African food.

The menu hangs above the takeaway bar where you can order your food by what is most appealing to your eye. Waitresses in red t-shirts stay busy with takeaway orders and keeping the tables spotless. Cash is king and a meal costs between R25 – R50 ($2 – $5) per person. I often share a plate with my partner because the servings are fairly large. Don’t leave without trying their ginger juice, it’s life changing and I’m fairly certain science will soon find that it is a cure for some illness!

Oduduwa African Delicacy Located on 320 Marshall Street, Johannesburg, South Africa