Review The Factory On Grant - Johannesburg

What a lovely casual place to enjoy a meal! The decor is simple but effective, the music is great and at the right volume, the service is friendly & reasonably prompt & the food itself is not only served in generous portions but also reasonably priced & really nice. There are sofas & there are books and the invitation is to linger. I really enjoyed having lunch here. I’d give it 4.5 stars if I could but I’ll give it a generous 4!

Amazing food. Atmosphere. It's a hidden gem 💎

Great service. Good food. Generous portions..Free Wi-Fi.

Amazing view from their "Crafters" bar upstairs, but the service can get a bit slow and inconsistent.. Expensive food

Really nice craft beer and delicious food! Check the ostrich fillet is a must!

A great spot for a nice breakfast. The food is consistently good and the prices are very reasonable.

Fantastic cocktails with a sky view bar . Had a great evening of good music , good food and great views .

Epic views from this new rooftop bar. Great service and comfortable seating.

Food was hot and tasty, drinks were on point. Ambience was beautiful. The place is not loud, so you're able to have a decent conversation. There was live music in the evening, tons of fun. Will definitely be visiting the place more regularly.

Such a fun Sunday vibe! Be sure to catch the live music and great cocktails

Depends on what you want. Wine menu is very very limited but the view is fantastic and it's a rather interesting venue. Be careful of high heels there's some steep stairs to climb. Take someone strong along, the chairs are HEAVY.

Awesome meeting and eating place whilst sampling craft beer!

3 in 1 restaurant... You can choose to eat in doors at this fine establishment, or sit outdoors in the courtyard whilst being entertained by a live band or head on upstairs to the rooftop and party the night away. Fantastic atmosphere and amazing service with yummy dishes to choose from!

Good food and great friendly service

What a nice place .... No airs and graces, good food and such a nice vibe about the place. Service good and prices reasonable .... I will be back.

This place recently was taken over by new management and changed its name to ‘ndawo yummy’. Honestly there’s a lot of potential for this place to be a great African cuisine restaurant and is an aesthetically space. However the fact that our belongings were stolen and not to mention the poor service and unavailable menu items is all really such a let down.

What a horrible experience. Food ordered was not correct and extra items ordered were not available and only communicated when food was served. When asking to speak to the manager, there was no manager available. This review is for the "Ndawo Yummi" as there been couple of past restaurants at this location.

Our Xmas Team Lunch was a disaster from the moment we walked in. The service, waiting time & food was appalling. One example, my salad had 4 ingredients missing. The same calamari was deep fried again after I sent it back. The lettuce was old and soggy. I will never recommend this place or go back.

Absolutely delicious seared duck salad. Lovely setting, excellent service and friendly and polite staff. All in all a lovely experience. Will definitely visit again.

Visited for the first time ever and what an experience. They have introduced a selection of African dishes and was fortunate to have tried two with my partner: Beef Stew and Traditional Chicken (a.k.a. Hardbody). Both were succulent served with Chakalaka, Spinach and Salsa on the side. The starch of our choice was iDombolo which was well prepared as if done eZiko (traditional Zulu oven). <br/><br/>Looking forward to the next visit to listen to some Jazz by McCoy Mrubata and the band.

Had the most amazing birthday dinner for my brothers birthday ... despite my late booking and request for a special event , the staff and owners went out of their way to make it amazing.<br/>Food was great ... according to the birthday boy “one of the best steaks ever” . <br/>I especially enjoyed that the place was kiddy friendly and our waiter Michelle was especially kind to the kids making them feel special.<br/>Will definitely be going back !

Food: I ordered what I thought would be duck and sides but it turned to be a salad. I'm not a fan of salads and this one did not do much to change my mind. The duck was well cooked. My friend has the kingklip and absolutely loved it.<br/>Service: Very very very very slow.<br/>Ambience: The was a lovely live performance happening downstairs, and a DJ playing music upstairs.

The good things - service is great - food is very tasty. The bad - insanely overpriced for tiny tiny portions. I had the arrabiata - was delicious but the portion was not even big enough for a small child.

The factory is under new management. A whole bunch of us 20+ went for breakfast this last Saturday . The waiter bought us the new menu as well as the old one . I ordered eggs Benedict R85-00 but’s was then told by the waiter that was the old owners menu the new price is now R145-00 🤬 when we finally got our food (hour later) I actually couldn’t believe how small the meal was especially for R145-00 . The new owner has doubled his prices and halved his servings ! Trust me I will not be going their ever again

The food is delicious! We love their pastas or tramezzinis for breakfast. The honey and mustard salad is tasty and big portion. The decor is vintage and cozy. We love it.<br/>However, the food takes a bit too long. Nevertheless, definitely worth the wait.

Factory on Grant has a great, chilled vibe. I went there on a Saturday mid morning with a friend to get some cake. Their cakes are to die for. Service was quite slow but the cakes were fantastic.

Unfortunately very disappointing- beautiful setting but horrible food! Pizza was raw and cooked in a convection oven and cheese cake with no taste besides sweet and topped with half of it being cream??? (Not to sure what it was actually) And our waiter couldn’t even open the beer us when he served it.

What a shocking experience from start to finish.<br/><br/>We arrived for a late mothers day lunch at around 2pm to a half full restaurant. The drinks arrived fast but that's where the joy ended. We order a caprese salad to nibble on while we waited for our mains. The caprese which consists of tomato, mozzarella and pesto only took nearlly 35 min to arrive. It was so watery it's like it had been sitting for some time.<br/><br/>Next our mains arrived. My mom ordered a salmon board and the smoked salmon was frozen solid. My mom's boyfriend pizza was doughy and raw. The chicken livers in my pasta were grey, hard, rubbery and tasteless like stock has been in the freezer for ages.<br/><br/>The food was terrible and no manager was seen until we tracked one down. I will never step foot in this establishment again and will not recommend it to anyone.

The Factory on Grant is more than worth a visit. We have had breakfast, lunch and dinner at this delightful venue.<br/><br/>On a fine day breakfast and lunch are a real treat sitting in the courtyard.<br/><br/>Least night we dined inside because it was a typical jozi winter evening.<br/><br/>As for the food - we enjoyed every dish. The pasta options are seriously good and for starters last night, we had the lobster bisque which was sublime.<br/><br/>We have also found the staff to be friendly and attentive.<br/><br/>If I have to tender any criticism, it would be that the wine glasses are too small. I particularly do not enjoy a good red wine without a generous glass that allows me to enjoy the bouquet as well as the taste<br/>

We often come here for breakfast and it is a great place to have a meeting over coffee. Nice relaxed vibe, always able to find a quiet corner for a meeting or to do some work ; nice courtyard for breakfast or lunch. Staff friendly, coffee good. apart from breakfast haven't really tried their other fare but haven't been disappointed with breakfast (although not wowed either); rating it high because one of the most chilled spots in Norwood to catch up/have a meeting/do some work/have a relaxed coffee

Perfect sunset with great music at the rooftop bar area! The service was great and waiting time wasn’t long. The food delectable and Definitely value for money.

Quite disappointed with my experience here. I ordered a beef burger (which was recommended by the waiter) and after reading the description on the menu I was waiting to be wowed. Firstly, the menu said brioche bun.... there was none of that. It was a dry bun, I didn't even bother eating the top one. Secondly, I asked for my meat to be medium, but it came out closer to raw.... it was very mushy, plain and it didn't taste like a burger. I didn't finish my meal. <br/><br/>Thirdly, the waiter got my friends order wrong. When all our food came they took hers back and had to wait 20min or so for her meal to come.... but it was still the wrong pasta

3 of us met for breakfast there this morning and each one of us had an excellent meal.  The banting bread was superb as was the fantastic service. We sat in the sunny courtyard and the restaurant has a relaxed and welcoming feel about it.  We'll definitely be back!

A lovely spot to have breakfast in the courtyard. Travelled from pretoria to meet up with family for breakfast yesterday, we all basically ordered eggs benedict except for 2 people.. being my favourite breakie of all time.. the hollandaise sauce was obsolete.. knowing where to be found.. which was a little disappointing and somehow our toast was soggy, weird without and hollandaise sauce, meaning the poached eggs carried some extra water when it went to the plate. <br/>Otherwise the chicken livers that I tasted were delicious. Friendly wait staff, just a long wait for food and drinks to arrive to the table.

Met a friend for brunch as it almost halfway between us ... loads of tables and much bigger than we thought when we came in from the courtyard. Chose a sunny spot next to the windows which was lovely as it was cold out. Service was friendly & efficient - I had smashed avocado on toast with poached egg which was really good (sorry my photo is a bit blurry & I had only had coffee 😀) and my friend had eggs and bacon which she rated as really good. It was a cosy spot to catch up and our we didn't feel rushed ..

Staff were amazing and so helpful but my toasted bacon, cheese and tomato on brown bread. There was no seasoning, the bread was not toasted properly and the cooked tomato made the bread soggy and you couldn't eat it without a knife and fork. A basic sandwich, I expected more.

Came here with a large table and service was attentive but waiting time for food was a bit long. Food was average and was lacking salt (prego sauce was tasteless according to those that had). Food portion sizes were good. Ratings around the table varied between 1 and 4 out of 5. Desserts were really good and was loved by all. The restaurant has a nice ambiance though. Overall an average experience

YUM, YUM & YUM! It feels like a different world when you are there. The food is exceptional and very friendly service. Will definitely visit them again soon. Can highly recommend all the tramazini's with a Std. Mocha.

Was writing review and it disappeared.  I found The Factory Cafe last year and became a regular on Saturday mornings  (usually on my own - and feel very comfortable and at home).  The ambience is good - it sort of hums.  The Staff are outstanding and they remember one.  I love sitting in the small outside courtyard - it could do with some freshening up, maybe a bit more greenery would help.  With the somewhat cold days we have experienced over a couple of weekends, I have had to sit inside - again it could do with some freshening up, but it's got a good feel to it.  One can also watch the glassblowing which takes place on the one side of the courtyard - interesting.  Now, the MOST IMPORTANT fact of all - How is the FOOD??  I find it really good.  Presented very nicely always - one can't wait to get ones teeth into it.  My Favorite Breakfast/Late Morning meals are their 2 types of Toasted Baskets - one with scrambled egg, etc. and the other with 2 poached eggs, etc. Absolutely Scrumptious. There should be a photo on this page - I have a good one which I shall give to them. I can also vouch for their Beef and Chicken Pregos and their Chips.  They have an overall very good menu.  The Factory Shop is really worth a visit.    Sally Gallagher

The place is well positioned, the food is divine , I specifically enjoyed their Ribs and salad ,the onion rings are excellent. Just the menu that's not up to standard .

Worst service for dinner. There was no heater in the cold joburg weather. The food was average<br/>And a we saw a rat run through the restaurant I wish I was lying.<br/>Horrible.

I had dinner at The Factory on Grant tonight. I was served by a tall young gentleman who was very friendly and attentive. I ordered the 200 gram rump with pepper sauce and chips, and it came with a complimentary side salad. The steak was a bit tough, but tasty and cooked the way I asked it to be done (medium) and the chips were lekker crispy and well seasoned. The salad was pleasingly tangy and crunchy. Usually side salads are like a neglected afterthought, like an elderly relative shoved in a home, but this one had nuts and seeds and something citrus in it, so the chef definitely gave it some loving. I wish he'd extended this affection to the pepper sauce. <br/><br/>The only disappointment was the pepper sauce. It didn't taste of anything. I wouldn't have known that it wasn't just a ramekin of warm pouring cream if it wasn't for the fact that it took up real estate on my plate where the sauce would normally be. Most of the meal was a hit but this runny sauce was a bad miss. I hate complaining, but the waiter and his manager (I presume) apologized profusely, and offered me a complimentary cappuccino. Incidentally, the barista there is very talented because he shaped the foam and crema to resemble a very detailed smiling face, with a moustache nogal! I would gladly eat here again because I feel the chef made a small booboo and God knows, I make a few every day too. <br/><br/>It's warm and welcoming and they play gentle old Hollywood style big band croony music in the background, which made me want to slow dance with the big bottle of mineral water on the table. But I didnt.

Great spot for a casual lunch. Really nice menu with lots of variety. Every time I come I have the fish cakes, which are fresh and delicious, as well as the Zucchini Fritti. Really nice ambience and vibe too!

The factory is in Norwood. Service here was so slow, you'd actually feel like walking out. Meals were quite average but their decor was lovely.

Came here for lunch, love the decor and setting. However the service is quite slow. My boyfriend had the beef prego which he felt was the best prego he'd had in ages, in this town. I ordered the rump steak which was quite bland and overcooked despite requesting medium steak. I sent it back and when it came back it was still bland & I'm pretty sure could've made it better at home. The steak portions are good but fatty. I like the ambiance so will only come back for drinks and desserts next time... maybe the prego.

Not for me, sadly. I found the food very bland and simple. The decor and seating is very nice however and I'd recommend coming here for a drink and chat :)

Just went here for lunch. <br/><br/>Let's just put it this way... it's a restaurant one would go to if everything else is closed. <br/><br/>It's not horrible or shocking. It's just not good either. <br/><br/>The service:<br/> Waited about 5/10 minutes for them to take our drinks order. And even after they got the orders the service was still slow. It was almost like we weren't in the restaurant. The waiters were all just standing around and speaking to each other. <br/><br/>Prices:<br/>The prices were quite high for average tasting food. <br/>I had a tramazine with olives, feta, and spinach. It was edible but very average. <br/><br/>The coffee was drinkable, but nothing outstanding. <br/><br/>As I said at the beginning. I'll go back if I'm unable to go to the other restaurants on Grant Ave

Service here is very slow even when quiet. The burger patty was burnt to a crisp and the bun was stale. The chips were very good if that's any consolation. Lovely setting and will be back to try out the bar on the roof deck as it can't be easy to mess up a beer

We had a nice relaxed experience here for valentines day. R275 for a three course meal and bottle of wine was well worth the price. Our waiter Promise was great ! They also allowed us some substitutions which was very nice of them. The spatchcock chicken was really nice though the potato wedges were abit oily. My fiance had the rump which he said was delicious and well worth it. They offered us two huge chocolate brownies and we opted to take one home, along with most of the chicken. Each course was plentiful and service was great. Would love to come back and try the Sunday Spit.

We came here for a quick breakfast. The coffee was really good and the breakfasts we reasonably price and portions were very big. The food was tasty and really enjoyable. <br/><br/>Staff are very helpful and friendly. <br/><br/>Atmosphere is great. <br/><br/>Really enjoyed The Factory on Grant and will definitely be back.

The view from the rooftop bar is really spectacular, it's a nice little hideaway in Jozi. The cocktails were terrible as for most of them they never had an ingredient and the others just didn't taste as good as they should. The staff are really friendly and accommodating. And the food was good and well priced. I would highly recommend for a new and different place to go to in Joburg

This is a fantastic space and you pretty much spend your entire day here, which is exactly what I did. Apart from their poor menu, The Factory has a wonderful courtyard with shops surrounding it and this is a lovely way to have a bustling breakfast. They also have a bakery (I haven't tried the baked goods yet) right there. Inside the restaurant. You'll find a cute little reading corner with a comfy couch and bookshelf which also happens to be my it spot at this establishment. I'm not done yet. Upstairs is an open space which is good for afternoon drinks and checking out the surrounds. Although thI views aren't great, it's kinda cool being up and out there. The Factory needs to improve their menu offering because they really do have potential.

I used to come here a lot when it was Vovo Telo and was pretty surprised (thinking I'd totally lost the plot) to find this new establishment. What a lovely little spot this is. Right in the middle of Grant Avenue in Norwood. I really enjoy the atmosphere. I had a very quick breakfast meal here after gym - the hummus on toast - it was pretty decent as far as toast goes, as in it was not burnt. The hummus was divine.

Not particularly impressed with the factory on Grant. I enjoy the atmosphere in the courtyard, surrounded by other little shops - but that is about as far as the good stuff goes. I ordered their vegetarian halloumi  burger and the halloumi cheese was not cooked well at all. Very disappointing as it does have a good location. Service is also a bit on the slow side.

Not too fond of them. It was okay when they opened as Vovo telo initially but there was gradual deterioration in food and Service. New look and new name now but not much has changed: Service is slow and food is below average. Waiters run slips because the owners for some unknown reason doesn't want to get zapper or snapscan - we have literally asked a number of times!!! I won't support an establishment where I know money is being stolen and I sincerely hope no one else will either.

Just had an amazing breakfast at The Factory and have enjoyed every bite! The food was simply delicious and the staff was very friendly and attentive. Bonus points for the courtyard on a hot day!!!

Love this spot on the main Norwood high street, it is absolutely gorgeous opening out onto a courtyard at the back with all kinds of eclectic interesting shops.<br/><br/>Beautiful decor and great service, definite big thumbs up from me!