Where Jozi goes to eat after dark

Relish Deluxe blends tradition and modernity in a city that never sleeps - or stops eating well

- Hasina Kathrada

It’s just past midnight in Rosebank and the streets have exhaled their daytime rush.

On Jan Smuts Avenue — where Parkwood and Rosebank blur — a new energy stirs. The neon glow of Minty’s garage cuts through the night, not for fuel, but for the irresistible pull of wood-fired dough, chipotle’s smoky heat and bold espressos.

Welcome to Relish Deluxe, Johannesburg’s 24-hour culinary haven, where a wagyu burger at 3am, fresh-baked croissants at dawn or a lingering coffee in a reimagined forecourt feels like a quiet revolution.

Only six weeks old, Relish has already woven itself into Jozi’s fabric. On two recent weekends, we turned around — upstairs seating packed, the forecourt alive with groups under orange streetlights.

Even on a Wednesday evening, it’s buzzing; less jam-packed, but no less inviting. And the hype delivers: a Mexican pizza with a charred, chewy crust; steak frites kissed with chimi-churri and an Asian slaw chicken burger, tangy and unforgettable.

This isn’t fast food. It’s memory in motion. A love letter to a city that never sleeps.