I have being going to Xai Xai for almost 17 years both as Melville and outside resident. The vibe, Food and melville local ambiance alway great...It's my wife's favorite place recently as she loves Xai Xai Prawn platter...never a dull moment...staff is great and food amazing.
Xai Xai undoubtedly has the best vibe in Melville: absolutely unpretentious, really good food and drinks at honest prices, awesome staff and the most laid back, eclectic, open, chat about anything and then laugh your head off crowd of regulars. It's very likely that you'll arrive for breakfast and stay all day (and night!)
Best spot in Jo'burg by a long distance.
I enjoy their Long Island cocktail and their meat platter I'm out of words. My husband also loves their Brandy special
It has been way too long. You are reminding me how much I love the place and all of you hanging out there. See you soon!!
The best restaurant/bar ever. My office. I love it
My Home........More love love for this place than anyone can imagine!!!!!
I love the pizza, its so delicious, the chilli sauce is to die for, the ambience is amazing, the staff very friendly, will definitely go back,
One of the best pizzas I have had in my life! The vibe and people are pretty great and would definitely keep going there just to try everything on their menu!!! ✊🏼
This spot is a great hangout. If you're craving a good burger (just like I was) then I'd suggest trying the place out. The food was quite affordable and I was pleased with their potion size.
Amazing pizza 😍😍😍😍😍😍 best pizza I’ve ever had especially with the special chili sauce, I’ve gone here more than 5 times. And I’m never disappointed. Xai Xai pizza, prawn pizza is the best!
And their cocktails are very potent and cheap the Long Island
My favourite pizza joint. I usually get it take-away. I’m never disappointed. The best are The Godfather, Porra and vegetarian. I haven’t tried anything else on the menu.
I absolutely love this spot. The pizzas are amazing, my favourite is Godfather. The pizza bursts with flavour. The ladies are always pleasant, and the service is good.
This place has become a fav just to chill out at on a sunny day.. been here at night but didn't really enjoy it much.. seemed a bit too dark and loud or maybe I'm just old LOL! But great during the day.
We go here mainly for their finger snacks, the pizza cheese balls are so tasty 😋
The vibe is great and the prices are just too too reasonable.. you can eat and drink and not knock the wallet much.
They will definitely see more of me during the summer days 😎
Mpho Albertina Nocanda
+5
O.m.w the burgers at Xai Xai are the best and it's very affordable 😊 I would recommend the place to any foodie! It's really the best place hey
If youre in joburg and looking for bayside , almost the shore style Portugese prawns, Xai Xai is the closest to the ocean. Theyre menu is jam packed with flavour , if its not enough heat or spice for you, theyre side chilli sauce will challenge your pallate in all the right ways. From Trinchado, home baked portugese rolls to tge best peri peri chicken and pizza in town.
Besides their awkward service from waitrons that barely speak English this place is impeccable.
Creamy trinchado, huge helpings of ribs and chicken as well as a starter platter to die for!
Interior and service not up to scratch but would definitely recommend their food.
This might come as a surprise, but this unassuming gem makes damn good pizza. I'm not so sure about anything else on the menu, but the pizzas were amazing. Service was fair and friendly and the decor is nothing to write home about. Great informal pizza & beer spot.
Had some pizza slices from their pizza express next door, and it was amazing! Freshly made, cheesy and filled with toppings. Friendly staff as well.
The blue cheese slice is to die for.
Popped in for a quick lunch while driving through Melville and had possibly the best prawns I've ever eaten. We had the platter for two, which was 1kg prawns with a foccacia and Greek salad. Very decently priced and the prawns were amazing. Also came with a tasty chilli sauce and washed down with a proper Caiparinha. Heading back soon.
Good place to take mates and get a bite to eat. They have some really yummy things on the menu. Go there from time to time and everytime it's been a good experience.
If you are looking for a good, chilled out vibe, with a group of friends, great food and drinks, Xai Xai is the place to head to when in Melville.
Incredible friendly staff, a wide variety of delicious food.
Definitely on my list of recommendations
PS: Karaoke night every Monday!
Worth a visit Everytime when in the area...you won't be disappointed...a perfect setting for the area and makes you feel right at home, everyone knows everyone by name...
After a very long day shooting with MTV, we headed to Melville for lunch and found Xai Xai, a very casual place, but very busy spot on the weekends, I guess that is why some of our orders were mixed up, we were a very large group.
I ordered the Gourmet Burger: Cheese, mushroom & bacon topped with onion rings. Being a lover of avo, I asked them to add avocado on my burger.
The service was pretty slow but I can’t fault them on the quality of their food, the burger was tasty and delicious.
@Kay_Giiegh said: The avo was fresh, they had the right amount of onion on, the patty gave the whole burger a distinct taste.
I recently tried Xai Xai for the first time when I went to a friend's birthday party. I was really surprised by the delicious food that we were served. It is a very busy spot over weekends, the staff were friendly and the menu has an incredibly big variety of dishes. I can definitely recommend Xai Xai for a nice meal and a drink on a night out in Melville.
Very nice casual place for dinner. Monday nights are a bit dead but they do try to liven it up with very nice live music. However, they do need to make sure they distinguish their smoking and non-smoking sections clearer. Their latte is a bit bland. The Portuguese custard cake wasn't fresh, the crust was very chewy and hard to break, not a typical phyllo dough crust. The pasta trinchado was great however and the staff very nice.
My go to meet up place when in Melvile. This is an incredibly chilled and relaxed restaurant. The food has never disappointed me and the service is always pleasant. I have yet to have a meal here that I did not like. Their prices are reasonable and the food does not take very long.
Such a great experience. Fantastic WiFi connection so great to have a late meeting and ease into dinner. It is not a formal environment but yet you would still be taken seriously. The service was great and the food tasted like that of my Mozambique Portuguese friends Moms cooking. Fresh garlic, chilly and a secret mild red pepper sauce that is just addictive....I wanted to buy some and take it home.
So the place is not fancy, the food is very simple but authentic with an old school type familiar flavours that reminds you of home. Now what makes it my WINNER is that there is consistency in the simplicity of the food and I know because I have gone a few times, had the exact same Items that tasted the same in different times of the day and my expectations were met each time!!! So molto obrigado Xai Xai. Delicioso alimentos & oitimo hospitalidade...my Portuguese is very rusty so hope i didnt butcher that one :-)
It was my second time at Xai Xai (Shy Shy and not Zai Zai or Kai Kai like I thought). Look, I only eat halaal meat so the menu is limited to seafood and pizza. Having said that, the seafood pizza and their fish and chips is really good. The squid heads, perfect! The place is owned by the same owners of Nuno's and it has the same menu. The difference is in the vibe; Xai Xai reminds me of a pub in Birmingham bit better food. It's pretty chilled with a nice crowd. The waiters know the menu and they friendly.
As a porra chicken is my staple diet and Xai Xai delivers on succulent and tasty chicken! Consistent every time with good food and good service!
All the great and good of our 70's liberal blossoming pop in there occasionally... And not the irritating Wits kind. The staff are practically family. Have the half chicken, it's what nandos used to make before they started cooking pidgeons.
We've only ordered take-aways from Xai-Xai so I cant really comment on the service or atmosphere... But their food is absolutely delicious! Hubby LOVES the trinchado and I would recommend the chicken curry any day! Oh and their portions are huge, so we have lunch covered for the next day... BONUS!
Duncan Khomeliwa Nthulane
+3.5
Friendly staff, lovely music, the cocktails are questionable but the gourmet burger to die for! They kept the whole 'small canteen in Mozambique' look complete with gaming slots at the back for those feeling lucky ;-)
The food is there to feed the local population. It is average Portuguese fare. It's why locals go there on a regular basis. Good value for money, but there is so much more to it than that as you will see on google if you search for my link that I may not publish here. It is called 'My South Africa' and much of it take place in the Xai Xai.
Whenever in Melville and looking for somewhere to grab dinner, I tend to stick to my tried and tested places, and this is one of them. This establishment is named after a resort in Mozambique and I love the casual arty vibe of Xai Xai. Their staff are friendly, and very efficient and dining here becomes an evening of meeting new people, drinking Katemas (Coke and red wine) and having a good laugh with some great music playing in the background.
Food is pizza/pasta, light meals and favorites from Mozambique. Order a number of things and share as you take in the ambiance and do some celebrity spotting. Well, local soap opera stars and musicians, that is.
Daniele R (Beautiful Mistakes)
+5
Always good.even if you pop in for a drink or grab a takeaway. The staff are absolutely cool. Food is yummy and if there is sports, you can watch in one section, which is great, leaving the other sections to socialize.
Great service, friendly locals, definitely the best place in Melville to make new friends if you're a tourist or new in town. Great people, food, and prices. Music is always good, and if you need to watch a game that's not on one of the screens, they'll generally put it on one for you.
Super dope average Joe's pub in Melville. The atmosphere and staff are good.
Excellent place, with a superb variety of different Mozambican dishes. This place functions well even in case of load-shedding and attracts a wide and diverse crowd of locals. The food is mostly focusing on meat and fish and is quite delicious. I highly recommend the beers on tap and the steaks. Great place for dinner!
Very cool bar. Staff were really friendly and welcoming. Need to try the food next time as the pizzas looked amazing.
My fav spot! Delicious pizza and affordable alcohol. Although a decor upgrade is not a bad idea
Great pizza and pasta and the bar is a great place to meet new people😀👌
Great bar to hang out in Melville. Food was also good, I had a seafood pizza and a slider, both excellent.
Xai Xai is one of my most favorite spots in Melville Joburg. I've frequented this place for years. If you're looking for chilled, laid back, cosmopolitan Joburg, this is the place
They also have my favorite pizza after Pizza e vino 🍷
Good specials on drinks and good food.. Friendly staff too
Dope place, the manager has a terrible attitude, but the place is very nice
Best spot for pizza and a good time in Melville 🍕🔥❤️
Recommend the beef trinchado!
Just stopped for a refreshing drink on a hot day
Always a great place to go for sundowners, a beer, a snack or a meal. It's been a fan favourite for more than 20 years. Staff are always friendly and accommodating. You haven't experienced Melville until you've been to Xai Xai. Only drawback is the constant smoke hanging over the place. But, that's old school for you.
Good place good friendly service... tables couches or a bar to choose from. Occasional live music. Always something going on and usually open till late.
My favourite place in Melville by far!
I was first attracted to their low drink prices. Once they sucked me in I was left stunned by their incredible food!
The atmosphere is always just the way you want it. Their extensive sports coverage means that a destination for weekend drinks is always an easy choice to make.
The staff are so cool! Vibrant and with speedy service. They are also aware of the crime in the area (it's Joburg, crime is everywhere!) and always make sure that you are being responsible in order not to loose any valuables.
I choose Xai Xai every single time. And I will keep on doing the same.
I've always loved xai xai but my last experience was terrible ,we ordered sea food pizza and the meat was off to a point where my boyfriend was vomiting we tried to alert the waiter but he was ignorant I'm not one to Complain but please make sure the sea food is always fresh
An error has occurred! Please try again in a few minutes