Silver Linings Parkhurst

Eskom load-shedding is annoying. No electricity. No internet. No lights. No electric stove, oven and microwave.

But there is one silver lining. When we get advanced notice that load-shedding is scheduled in our area during mealtime, we can use it as an opportunity to go out to eat. Ideally somewhere where there is no load-shedding currently. Or somewhere with a brick oven or a generator for backup. But we do not like to leave the pups home in the dark for four hours so our load-shedding dinners out are usually avec les chiens.






I had found an article in Eat Out magazine naming five dog-friendly restaurants in Joburg. Only a couple of them are actually open for dinner. Last week we made a reservation at one of them, The Burnside Cafe in Craighall Park. When we got there, we found it wasn't as dog-friendly as all that. Yes they took our reservation avec les chiens, but when we got there we found that they had moved a table for us from out under the warm and covered well-lit open-air porch into the middle of the grass where we were all alone and in the dark. Now we are very familiar with the New York concept of "restaurant Siberia." We were clearly not chic enough to be seen. Yeah well, homey don't play dat!

We are way too cute for restaurant Siberia!

We ended up cancelling our reservation on the spot and leaving to go back to one of our favorite dog-friendly towns with a slew of wonderful restaurants featuring cafe seating on the street. Parkhurst.

I was a little nervous because we didn't have a reservation and it was a Friday night. But if you get there early - say 6:00 - you can usually find a table. Stella e Luna, Craft, Coobs. Espresso Caffe and Bistro (which is also on Eat Out's dog-friendly list. So is Nice, but alas it is not open for dinner.) So many on 4th Avenue to choose from. Not only do they welcome dogs, they voluntarily put out a bowl of water for them!

@ Parkhurst's 4th Avenue Coffee Roasters

There were a noticeable number of dogs on display at other tables around town and we must have seen at least a  dozen on the street being walked while we were comfortably dining at Craft. They would all stop by to sniff and say hello!

Load-shedding just got a little more dog-friendly.