Review Sir James Van Der Merwe - Johannesburg

My time here was absolutely fantastic. The atmosphere was buzzing with positivity, and I had the pleasure of meeting some truly inspiring individuals. As for the food, I indulged in a delightful poke bowl, and it did not disappoint. The service was top-notch, and I can't wait to return for another visit! 😀

Such an amazing place. You will feel right at home here. You can see it's a local spot for many people. Really enjoyed our time here.

Katy's Palace. Great bar with fantastic music and atmosphere. If I can I will visit when coming back to POYNTING ANTENNAS. Great food and drinks.

First time going here was on a Wednesday evening. The Decor is beautiful. The staff are friendly and the DJ was awesome, playing all the 80's hits. I did not have a meal unfortunately. The venue gets very packed and hot with a mixture of different aged people. There are a lot of stairs so it's not ideal for wheelchairs.

The atmosphere was fantastic as it was a more mature crowd. The only negative was the smoking inside. Having a smoking allergy made it unpleasant. Otherwise, the music was excellent and a good evening was had by all.

We used Sir James Van Der Merwe for our company's birthday party. The event was truly magical thanks to all the support received from the team. They were super helpful and responsive at all times.

One of the genuine places in Joburg that you can listen to classics and have a good time. Good music, busy bar. Really enjoyed the night. A bit disappointed with the service during the special hours, the waiter claimed that there were no specials when we arrived at 17h00, even though social posts on Facebook/Insta said specials were from 16h00-18h00. Still had a great time :)

Such an incredible vibe! Alternative and old school music with a chilled crowd and great staff. Well worth a visit!

Katy’s palace bar is extremely trendy, it always has events and has good music. The drinks are good and when we went there were many drink promotions where they offered free tasters of new seltzers. I would recommend for a chilled Sunday afternoon. The only problem is there is very limited seating but if you haven’t booked a table and don’t mind standing then you should be okay .

Really great atmosphere and people. Very good music and very diligent staff

Wednesday madness at this "arty farty" roof top bar. We enjoy the sunsets, 80's music and the vibe of this rustic place on a regular basis. Go early, since limited entries are granted!

We held our surprise wedding at Sir James and had such a wonderful day. Thank you so much to all involved for helping us make our day so special. All of our guests absolutely loved the venue. All parties involved were extremely professional and efficient. I would definitely recommend this venue to anyone looking to host a function.

I celebrated my 50th birthday at Sir James on 20th January. What a special venue. Thank you to everyone at Sir James for helping the evening to be so perfect.

Fiesta Friday last night was epic. Celebrated my birthday with awesome friends, lots and lots of coronas and tequilas and a dance on the bar�

Food, music and prices were awesome! Decor is fun and there is great space. Had a blast, have recently relocated to JHB from CPT and can honestly say it is a brilliant venue!

I love the Friday Fiesta, best band and Mexican party in Johannesburg!! I can't wait for the next one .... I love the venue and Nuevo Latino Band vibe ;):) they just really make the party go on and on

Loved the venue & especially the fantastic vibe & great energy created by Nuevo Latino SA Band during Fiesta Friday!

Amazing vibe...set in an eclectic mix of artifacts&decor!Food&drinks on par...Beautiful views of Sandton city skyline...#durbantourist #decoratorsdiary #sundowners

Amazing team and beautiful venue! Hosted my 21st there recently and the night went to smoothly thanks to the amazing team!

Wednesday with a view of sandton for sunset, unbeatable.

Great decor. .great vibe. .great bouncy floor.

Amazing to be here on Wednesday nights. ... the music is fantastic! ! Love the vibe... heres to many more...

It's really crowded but an amazing vibe !

Loved the music and the vibe and the decor is like sitting in a time machine ! Service needs a little boost but awesome

Our first night in jhb .. Awesome spot .. Thanks Tania!!!

Always a jol. Just the queues always a long wait!

Horrendous service- bouncer was only too happy to accept money from an endless number of guys to get in. We were a group of 4- 3 girls and the one girls husband, the bouncer refused to let our friends husband in. No problem if his "I can only let 3 people in" excuse was valid- strange however that for guys who gave him money, that rule was waivered????

Good times will be had at Sir James guaranteed!!!

Just had the most unacceptable hospitality at this venue. I've, up until now, had only but commendation for this venue, until I asked the upstart manager to please do me a favor and let my wife in who was in the queue after I'd been there entertaining friends for the past 3,5hrs whilst she was putting our 6 year old son to bed. Basically I was told it wasn't possible and she could remain in the queue. When I then said to this upstart manager that I'd choose to leave if he couldn't help, he said he didn't take lightly to being threatened. That's the last time they will see me. Good Riddance.

Lovely social place fun good time loved the music

Perfect place for sunset drinks and an awesome social time!!!

Top class

We got there at 17H30, what I thought was way too early for an evening out, but already all the tables were taken. The very friendly and helpful manager asked patrons, on our behalf, if we may use the edge of their table which they agreed to.<br/>It was the Wednesday night before Woman's Day so a full house was expected and ladies could drink for free up until a certain time (not sure if this is a regular thing or a Woman's Day thing).<br/>An hour later it was filling up rapidly and by 19H00 one couldn't move but the vibe was fantastic.<br/>There was a great mix of all ages and the music was very 80's albeit very, very loud and while it added to the vibe, conversation was totally out of the question.<br/>I left at 20H30 and the queue to get in was half way down the block.<br/>I cannot comment on the food as we didn't order but what I saw of other people's food it looked yummy.<br/>The bar men/bar ladies and waiters/waitresses were all super friendly. The tables were cleared regularly and the lady looking after the toilets was also great.<br/>I doubt I will go back on a Wednesday night simply because of the number of people that squash in but I believe they are open on a Sunday afternoon so I wonder if that is a little less cramped.<br/>All in all, a really fun night.

I visited for a Mexican tequila festival. The location is stunning but set up is lacking. Plus the fact that we had to buy food downstairs and carry up to this venue wasn’t optimal. The drinks were well priced. The music was very retro so it’s not for a young crowd

The venue is too small, there is too much smoke and things can get really tight. The crowd sucks, loads of over 50's lurking around, don't they have kids, wives and husbands? The music is awful, just a whole lot of commercial 80's tunes, doesn't seem like they play anything after 1990. And the sound is pretty abysmal as well. And worst of all is the area itself, only a myopic Joburger would think it's cool hanging out in a warehouse in some industrial wasteland with a view of Sandton's so called skyline. So if you want to listen to crap tunes, wait forever at the bar for a drink and try to fit in with the other Joburg douchebag stereotypes while packed in like sardines then this is your place.

Nestled behind Katy's Palace this venue makes for a great location for 21st or a 50th birthdays. The decor ads to its cosy kitsch nostalgic feel. <br/>The food wasn't terrible nor amazing hence my 3.5 rating, however the bar is well stocked and the barman are generally quite helpful.

Such a great spot for afterwork drinks on a Wednesday or Friday.  Great views of the city, great decor and great vibe. I went with a group of girls and we got complimentary gin cocktails before 6pm. Fresh catering arrives at 5:30 and offers a basic menu for snacks - we shared a Mezze Board. Really worth a visit if you haven't already been.

Awesome little spot with sunset views, cool decor and lively vibe. Open every Wednesday - it's a perfect spot for after-work drinks and snacks... and before you know it the party starts, everyone is dancing, things get out of hand and it's after midnight :) great fun!

The manager at this bar was so condescending and arrogant. <br/>I was with my 18 year old cousin when we tried to enter the bar and we were refused entry. <br/>When we asked why, the manager said the venue reserves right to admission. This I fully understand, but when I asked why they did not put this on their Facebook page as we would have made the effort to come to the bar, he simply said that this was my opinion. <br/>As I understand customer service, "the customer is always right". Even if my cousin could not enter the bar it would be nice to be treated with some respect and not belittled. <br/>I am disgusted with how I have been treated and I would advise anyone I know to come to this bar or venue. I too, will NEVER be coming back here.

The place is nicely decorated but the music is lame! Too many chandeliers on the table #Sia#marykmeetsSouthAfrica#backpackerlife#frenchgirls #wecanttwerk I also felt very oppressed by old grand pas #fml #whysomanypeoplehungry?

What a party! Wednesday only, and if you want to have some drinks with peeps from work, then this is the place to be, but be warned - from 5 or 6 onwards, it gets packed and at 10, the weirdos (still the same people but after copious amounts of alcohol) come out. Oh, and when I mean packed... I mean PACKED. A sardine would get claustrophobic in this joint. So, what you gonna do? Got the proverbial balls?

An uber cool bar located in trendy Kramerville, just behind it's big sister, Katy's Palace Bar. The venue has a distinctive old world charm, and the decor is a mish mash of antique furniture and Indian collectables. It's perfect for sundowners as the balcony boasts a rather impressive view of the Sandton skyline.<br/><br/>I've only attended private events here, however the bar is open to the public every Wednesday evening. Go easy on the booze though, one has to navigate a rather steep flight of stairs when exiting.

AMAZING food, AWESOME vibe and SPECTACULAR decor and view. Based on this its a 5/5. The only NEGATIVE is that they allow smoking inside. 👎🏼

Been here twice. Great bar, good food. But the total concept around service (or sheer lack thereof) quickly gets irritating. To explain, there's ZERO table service for either drinks or food. Lotsa floor staff who ONLY bus tables. Thanks for the ambience but I'd rather go where I can pay for being treated after a long day on at work. Ciao.

I arrived around 8pm last night at this little spot and it was pumping! After queuing for around thirty minutes, I got onto the premises and as I walked up the stairs I then realised that I could not physically walk into the building - it was that packed. So instead, I hung around outside on their verandah for a while and took in the view. I loved what I saw - this little spot is gorgeous and I immediately wished that I had brought a good camera with me to capture it's attention to detail properly. There were antiques everywhere I looked, and I don't think that my photos have done it justice! <br/><br/>The lighting inside was ambient, and when I finally found some space to walk in, there were bar ladies standing on the bar pouring tequila into obliging mens mouths below! Then, it was the male barmen's turn to get up on the bar and as I looked down at my feet, I could physically feel the white & black checked floor below me bouncing up and down (which gave me an incredibly uneasy feeling). Thankfully, the floor did not collapse or open up and swallow me whole, my drinks finally arrived and I headed off to find a comfy couch in the corner with the girls! <br/><br/>It was an incredibly fun evening with the DJ playing the likes of the Coyote Ugly soundtrack, Dire Straits, Kenny Rogers, the Beach Boys, Tina Turner.. I loved every minute of the musical trip down memory lane and Sir James is certainly an experience! <br/><br/>*Recommendation: I saw many a person slip and/or almost fall down the steep metal staircase at the entrance in order to reach the bathrooms below so ladies, this is not the place for those impossible heels you've been dying to wear, especially if you are going to have a few.