Review The Bull Run Restaurant - Sandton

Couldn’t pick a better spot to grab a bite in Sandton. Great food, great service and an awesome atmosphere. You will be extremely well taken care of in this fantastic steak house. Socks and the rest of the team are just great, and have a keen eye for detail.

We went to The Bull Run on a Monday night and it had a very lively atmosphere. We had about a party of 12, the service was excellent, and they were able to seat us immediately. The food for everyone was absolutely terrific and the cost was very reasonable. If we have time, we will definitely return. Thanks for making our dinner date a success!

Another review that I HAVE to do while eating in the restaurant because… wow! This time I am on a solo trip so the noise of the bar was what I wanted, there is a more quiet section (and private rooms too). The restaurant is busy as heck and they deserve to be because the food, and cocktails, are out of this world! Just called my husband and told him to definitely add this restaurant to his repertoire! The service is a bit slow at times but that’s because it’s crazy busy, but it’s also crazy worth the wait.

The Bull Run is an excellent venue for date nights to corporate lunches, would like to say Thank you to the bull run staff for making my wife and I feel welcome and at home during our date night out! Thank you to Cyprian for the lovely service as well as the managers John and Ryan for checking up on us and making us feel welcome at all times. The food here is absolutely top ten quality and the dishes are elaborately planned down to presentation and expectation of their customers. Would recommend this steak House to anyone!

Loved this place and will highly recommend it to steak lovers. Food us cooked on site and well cooked. Worth the price. Great service . We're were served by Brian and he served us with aroha. Ubuntu.

What makes me a happy girl - Meat, Potatoes and a Cosmopolitan 🍹 Fantastic dinner in the private dining room at The Bull Run Restaurant Sandton My creamy snails were delectable, and my Pork Ribs and Chips were just yummy. The meat was so tender. No need for dessert, but I did taste a piece of the Key Lime Pie and Opera Cake. The Key lime Pie is quite nice, light and refreshing. Thanks to Brian for his service during our dinner. #TheFoodMusketeer #TheFoodMusketeerEats #TheFoodMusketeerDrinks #TFMTheBullRun

It is a very beautiful place with a great atmosphere, and I even forgot to take pictures... our waiter was so friendly with a very positive attitude...would definitely recommend 👌

My Mother's Day lunch was phenomenal. We had such a chilled Sunday, the atmosphere, the food and the wine was just great. Will definitely return

The bill run was such a breath of fresh air. I love the service and the atmosphere. It was easy to find, the food was affordable as well.

Been here a few times for after work meals or for lunch during the day and they are always so efficient, great service , delicious food and good vibe. They do get super busy and you might have to wait a bit to be seated if you don’t have a reservation. They make amazing ribs and the calamari is very good. Thank you to Nhlanhla for his amazing service during my last visit! I popped in for a super quick lunch and he made sure I was able to leave within my desired timeframe. I also appreciate that whether you are in a small group or a huge group they provide consistently great service.

Great restaurant and the bread on the table was fabulous. I had a lamb shank that had no flavor so disappointing for an item so highly priced. Cool ambiance and service just this lamb shank needs more flavors and maybe doing it with red wine!

The Bull Run was truly wonderful. Loved the ambience and the service was spectacular! We had fried calamari and steamed pork buns to start and steak and stuffed chicken as mains. The food was perfectly cooked and delicious. The steaks were sublime and the reason we chose the restaurant and we were not disappointed! The only negative comment was the chocolate mousse which I had hoped would be more flavoursome. The texture was perfect but it was creamy rather than chocolatey and I like my chocolate mousse to have more punch. Other than that, a thoroughly enjoyable evening and keen to return.

A very beautiful space. Had the most delicious meal as well as drinks. The staff was also very friendly, fast and efficient. There didn't appear to be any parking close by, had to park at the Marc Mall and then walk to the restaurant.

The service is good. All the waiters and managers were very nice, smile at you even they were not the ones serving us. And nice vibe, very good place to have few drinks with friends or date. I definitely will come again.

We had such a lovely evening at the Bull Run. This restaurant has a lovely atmosphere with all the bells and whistles you would expect from this type of restaurant. The service was excellent and the steaks (I had fillet and vegetables) were soft, tasty and well prepared. We shall definitely visit them again.

I've been wanting to visit for a few months and finally got the chance this weekend. This is the epitome of what a steak house is supposed to be; waitrons were extremely knowledgeable when it came to the meat, everyone's steak (in a party of 6) was perfectly cooked and there are some strangely wonderful sauces on the menu. An amazing experience and probably my favourite steak house in the area. A must try.

We had a great corporate lunch event. The food was great and the staff very friendly. Parking is a mission as you need to drive around to Stella Street to park. Nothing a glass of wine couldn't fix.

We had an amazing Date Night. Our waiter, Liston, was awesome. Our steaks melted in our mouths and the onion rings were to die for... I couldn't decide on dessert so Liston offered to make the choice and came back with the tastiest cheesecake! Thank you for an awesome date night... Traveling from the North of Pretoria was absolutely worth it!!! We will be back with friends!!!

Appalling to say the least. When dinning at a steak house, or any restaurant with steak on the menu for that fact, you expect the chef to know how to cook a steak, not in this establishment. None of the steaks came to our table as ordered, my dinning companions very well done (ordered medium rare), flattened! (Literally with a mallet) rump steak served with a detached piece of fat on the side is one of the worst presentations of meat I have ever witnessed. My own rump was even worse, it was well over cooked and dry when it was also ordered medium rare, served with a thimble of sauce which is a pretty penny at R25 extra. We thought we would sweeten the meal with a desert of creme brûlée, only to be served your bog standard yellow carton custard (you know the kind) it's great at home but not expected when paying R45 per desert. A very underwhelming meal and won't be returning or suggesting for a night out to anyone other than an enemy.

Well as I walked into the restaurant this evening all I seen was prestigious awards and autographs of previous VIP visitors. High expectations kicked in... The restaurant looked amazing and had a terrific ambiance! Sadly I was unable to eat the ambiance or the award certificates...or the VIP autographs! I ordered the sirloin and prawn combo and my oh my the shell down the road has better pies. Seems like they ran out of salt, pepper or any seasoning for my steak...a very bland piece of steak with a side salad that looked like scraps from all the unused garnish of the day...very average prawns too. To sum it up the ambiance would have definitely tasted better than my meal!

Probably the worst value for money meal I have ever had in my life. Close to R250 for a glass of wine (R70) a 180g steak and a pepper sauce. The service was equally poor.

Awesome place to be in when around Jozi; the stuff are really friendly as they take initiative in building customer relations hence the service and experience is mind blowing but then again it could be the environment its in and the setting.

Really nice rib eye steak and the service was spot on. Awesome value for money.

Food �...I was not pleased at all with the food..the steak was bland and my wedges burnt..soooo disappointed.

We came across the restaurant while out for a walk. The ambience was great and the server was extremely informative in helping us select our meals. The food was as ordered and tasted great. Good time and experience.

The food is awesum, the portions are big and the staff is friendly. Enjoyed the ambiance

I wanted chicken wings sadly out of the menu. Ordered new kid on the block chicken livers not nice, well I was still waiting for my main meal baby chicken and salad. I asked them to put it in a takeaway as I wanted to enjoy in the comfort of my room. Chicken sat exactly ontop of my salad my salad was literally cooked why order a cooked lettuce

Excellent food and great service - always a great experience.

Awesome!!! Thanks to the great staff and the amazing fillet!!!

We went for Valentine's day supper. From the start everything was awesome! Greeted immediatly and taken to our table. We had friendly servers. The food was amazing!! We had spicy chourico and beef carpaccio for starters. Then we had wild mushroom gnocchi and chicken kebab for mains. The chicken was a little bit dry. The rest of the food we could not fault. The atmosphere is something beyond anything I have experienced. The cocktails were nice. We will be going back for supper again! The chefs took time to come and talk to us, which was amazing!!

Ordered a seafood platter. Came as a normal plate of food. Atmosphere is good but the food made me sick shortly after we left.  Very overpriced for that portions. But my advice is don't order seafood at a place that specializes in steak

We arrived at the restaurant and waited to be seated. After realizing we won't be getting attention any time soon we ended up seating ourselves. This first impression dampened our existence of the Bull Run. Regardless. The waitress apologised and attempted to attend to us accordingly. As for the food, for starters we got mussels which were delicious. For mains we got ribs and feta and jalapeños filler. The ribs were very disappointing to say the least. I expected much more flavour from this type of establishment. The fillets offered a slightly better food experience. Overall it was an average experience.

Good service from Ronald. Unfortunately I ordered medium steak and when I cut into it the blood flowed freely onto the plate soaking the chips and vegetables. I expected a restaurant of this calibre to be able to cook a steak to the correct order. My partner ate her meal while I waited for my steak to be cooked properly. Good flavours but disappointing with the cooking. No sign of any management.

About a month ago I attended the relaunch of The Bull Run hosted by Johannesburg in Your Pocket. The Bull Run, situated in the heart of Sandton across from the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, is an ode to Wall Street and the steakhouses of downtown New York (thus the clever name). The Bull Run has recently undergone a R20 million renovation and extension giving rise to the new Dollar Bar, the unveiling of the great bull sculpture and a gorgeous redesigned interior.

I love steak. I always have. So whenever I visit a new city, I like to try out a few steakhouses. In my travels, I've seldom been more disappointed with a restaurant. <br/><br/>First, the good. <br/><br/>The restaurant is stunning with great atmosphere. Sitting inside the restaurant was a relaxing experience until the food came. <br/><br/>I ordered the rump steak, and it's the toughest rump I've ever had in my life. I upsets me when I can get better quality meat from the supermarket up the road. But if the meat was tough, I could perhaps overlook that. <br/><br/>The meat was terribly under seasoned. For the premium price I paid for the cut, I would've expected some salt at least. <br/><br/>When asked how the steak was, I replied honestly. The chap who I spoke with asked if I ordered the steak plain. When I told him that I did indeed order it plain, he told me that that was the issue. I was told that I should've ordered a sauce. <br/><br/>If the steak is such poor quality that it needs a sauce, why am I paying a premium for it. And why is the meat only seasoned if you order a sauce? <br/><br/>The chap came back and told me there was nothing that could be done about the steak, but offered me a free beer to compensate. I agreed to the beer, but after a few sips, I left. I was rather angry at the poor quality of the food that I just wanted to leave. I left without tipping since a) the food was bad and b) the service was slow. I do however feel uneasy about not tipping. This is out of character for me, and not something I would usually do. But I just wanted to get out - what's that say about the experience? That I would leave most of a beer and go somewhere else?<br/><br/>The restaurant is empty, but the service is stupidly slow. And to need a toothpick after spending R150 on steak is disgusting. <br/><br/>Avoid this restaurant, and rather go to the myriad of better restaurants in the area. The street food vendor up the road sells steak rolls for R40 which are tender AND well seasoned.

we found this place on the entertainer app...5 star....the food was cooked to perfection, we ordered medium rare fillet and we got it...we also ordered chicken cordon bleu and the chicken was so juicy....we did corkage which was R90....pricing is not bad and had very good service. vibe is great and venue is beautiful

I was really disappointed with this restaurant. My food was average but very overpriced. The chocolate brownies were tiny and dry. When we complained politely to the manager, she didn’t say a word and nothing was. Wouldn’t recommend

Okay, I was ready to give this place a solid 1 out of 5, but as the night progressed, my experience got better. <br/><br/>It started off with getting to the Bull run at around 20:00pm on a Thursday, and it was very busy. To my disappointment, it seems that the restaurant didn't care about anyone who wasn't at a large table or something because I came here alone to get a drink while I waited for my girlfriend and boy was the service horrific. I got a table outside and I waited 5 minutes to even get a waiter to come to me. Once someone spotted me, I asked for a drinks menu and I only got a wine list as well as a cocktail menu when I specified that I wanted to see what beers and ciders they had. I just ordered a hunters dry instead of beer because I couldn't wait anymore. I waited another 10 minutes just to get served a bottle of cider and given a glass. During this period, I could see the waiter who took down my drink order focus his attention on a table that had about 8 people. Completely forgot about me. <br/><br/>I left the restaurant to meet up with my girlfriend at the Protea Marriot next door and I had planned to take her to Nelson Mandela Square for dinner. Fortunately for the Bull run and for me as well she was too tired and asked if we could eat in. I decided to try again and run downstairs to order some food so I can bring back to our room. <br/><br/>This is where my experience got better and had it not been for my previous visit, would I have given them a deserved 4.5 out 5. I got there and ordered an ostrich fillet for myself, which was cooked beautifully (medium) and got my girlfriend some calamari. Also ordered some cheesecake for dessert and a virgin strawberry daiquiri for her. The food was amazing and the service this time around was satisfactory. I was helped by a friendly lady and she made me change my opinion. <br/><br/>Because I experienced both sides of the bad and great service, in one day, I feel that a 3.5 is fair. I would still come here for something to eat and I recommend it to anyone who loves good food, but consistency is key.

Fridate at The Bull Run!<br/>Beautiful decor + ambience, really has a classy feel! Our waiter, Godfrey was brilliant! Made polite and accurate suggestions, guided some of our choices of sides and was very attentive.<br/>My finance had the feta + olive stuffed fillet, wrapped in bacon - he raved about it! I had the lamb cutlets and I was less thrilled, however, I found the lamb to be a bit dry/chewy. Next time, and there will be a next time cause we had a great time, I'll try the ostrich instead. Must comment, the meat is perfectly cooked. If you ask for rare, medium, etc. That's what you will get.

Started off nice with us getting our drinks order but went a bit pear shaped from there. I ordered a medium T-bone which came out well done and my wife's medium rump came out very rare. When we told a waiter about it he said he'll just cross check the order for us, as if to say we were in the wrong. Second round of drinks never arrived. Highly disappointed in an establishment which charges those kind off prices.<br/>

We would never recommend The Bull Run Restaurant in the Marc, Sandton.   The guests who ordered the pork belly suffered from food poisoning that night (early hours). The steaks on the other plates were overdone and not cooked as requested.  Vegetables also sub-standard.  Service very mediocre. Wine glasses whisked away before we had a chance to order more drinks.  Glass of water came an hour late.  Waitress obliging but didnt know the menu.  Ambience not bad but very noisy.  Rather spend your hard earned money somewhere else.  We ate the meal reluctantly as it was around 8.00pm once it arrived and we were hungry.  Horrible experience, especially for the birthday person.

The most Bland steak I have ever tasted, zero flavour zero taste, it also took too long to come. I was not impressed at all I can say even the chain restaurants have better steak.

The worst steak ever it was bland and had no flavour and was dry. It took the kitchen 30 mins to prepare the rib eye that had zero seasoning. The kingklip tasted like egg and lacked flavor. The only nice thing was the mash and malva pudding. Will definitely not be coming back here.

Best steak I've had in Johannesburg for sure, beautiful interior and nice vibe. BUT we had a terrible waiter and it really ruined the experience for us!<br/>After booking a large table a week in advance, you'd think they will make sure to appoint a very experienced and well trained waiter.<br/>We waited an hour after arriving to order drinks.<br/>A fairly simple order was then mixed up.<br/>He was really actually rude when we asked for menu recommendations or more info on a certain dish and his unenthusiastic answers actually made the food sound terrible.<br/>We would still be waiting for ice for our white wine if we hadn't asked another waiter who brought us a large ice bucket in under 15 seconds.<br/>We feared the worst for the food order but there were no problems there surprisingly.<br/>So all's well that ends well UNTIL he started insisting we "owe" him more tip money. Not wanting to argue we just gave him some more cash. He then came back again and said we still "owe" him?!?! We then realised if he removed the 2 extra cocktails that we never ordered, from our bill like we asked, he would have seen that he was tipped way more than 10% and way way way more than the worth of the service we received!<br/>We are always very generous with a tip if the service is on standard, not to even mention if we receive good service so being accused of still "owing" him money is not on.<br/>After closing the tab we decided to have drinks at the outside area. When we ordered last rounds at around 22h00 the barman really did not want to get our two last drinks and eventually agreed by saying "ok but last order!".. I understand that you've worked hard long hours but we would have appreciated an announcement of sorts stating that no orders can be placed after whatever time.<br/>I don't think expecting service, that is at least on standard, at such a highly rated reputable restaurant is outrageous, in fact we we're really disappointed!

Terrible service resulting in a terrible experience. I requested a cocktail menu but was brought a cocktail instead. My friends ordered Magaritas that weren't mixed correctly. Waiter just brushed them off and said it was correct. We called for the manager who took over 20 minutes to arrive even though the restaurant was empty. Manager told the waiter to replace the drinks which never arrived. Turns out the waiter told the manager that we didn't want them. Definitely won't be back.

Went as part of the Restaurant Week offering and was frankly underwhelmed... My medium Sirloin was uber well done and tough and leathery. The malva dessert was a redeeming feature.

Disappointed by the service and meal. <br/><br/>Medium rare steak turns out medium. <br/>Drinks arrived only after probing because server “forgot” about it. <br/>Waited 30 mins for main course to be served. <br/>Place is too small as server keeps bumping into my seat while moving around tables. <br/><br/>Overall the restaurant wanted to be one of the higher ends establishment. They only succeeded in the hardware refresh; all the soft elements including the meals are a TOTAL LETDOWN. <br/>

Great tasting steaks, we ordered fillet which was extremely tender and a rump which was also tender and tasty. The steaks were cooked exactly as requested. The service was friendly and efficient. Nice venue. The only negative thing I would say is that the sides were a bit small, and could have been bigger portion size, the plate looked a bit empty.

Loved the atmosphere, best vanilla gin and tonic, brilliant waiters and excellent decor.... but why serve cold steak....?? You need to up your game when it comes to your food- especially when vompsring it with the price you ask for your food....

Eish , it’s ok. Look it’s a decent place , but the vision and execution don’t quite marry. I can see what it’s trying to achieve , homey but classy, elite but unpretentious, that’s great but on execution - the menu , it’s a bit of a let down. Ambiance is so exquisite , heightens expectations, then serves butternut and spinach. The food is great , but I would imagine this is no ordinary steakhouse, or at least the vision is to be somewhat distinct. <br/><br/>Anyway , for what it’s worth , the staff is really friendly , felt really welcomed here. I had the chicken and veggies- not the best , but again I believe in the intention. The chicken pieces tasted like separate meals- but that’s too much unwarranted detail. I will definitely come back to try the other dishes , if only to prove myself wrong.

I made reservations on Friday (24/08/18) for 18h30 however on our arrival I was told that there was no booking under my name. This was a bad experience for a first time guest and the fact that there were people walking in with no bookings and no one had issues (I won't mention the race) pissed me off. Their saving grace is a hostess who made sure that my daughter and I were comfortable and the food is not bad. PS: if you cannot pronounce my name ask me to spell it!

Great lamb chops and veg. We had the house white which was delicious, red a bit pricey. Seating really not good. We had a booth and it doesnt work for a business dinner. Everyone needs to slide out for the person on the inside seat when wanting to visit the loo, which is embarrasing for ladies!! Had to pass plates of food down to end seat... or rely on waiter having extremely long arms. Back rest of booth needs an extra cushion for ladies with short legs...

The food was excellent. The staff were friendly and polite but the ‘booth’ seating is DREADFUL. First of all there is no support for your back. Secondly the waiters cannot reach you to serve your plates to you, so the guests are passing plates along the table and thirdly the guests are passing the same dirty plates back to the poor staff who cannot do anything to Change it! I asked for a cushion for my back but, alas they don’t have any! Really not good interior design.

So good we ate here twice. Great selection of top notch meals stuck as Kingklip (fish) and grilled prawns.<br/><br/>Service was exemplary and the desserts were tasty.

Excellent service to start off with. Food wise, a good variety and selection to add to your taste. Good food good flavour properties in their dishes. Something for every one. Definitely a must, well done guys.

Awesome setting - service was phenomenal. Ordered the 350g rump which wasn't tender at all, the steak was incredibly tough and I had it at M/R. Possibly a change of butchery would need to be done to get me back as I doubt anyone could fix that quality of meat. Besides the steak - will definitely be coming back for a drink to enjoy the setting.

Nice restaurant in the Protea hotel.<br/>The service is quite fast - the staff is friendly.<br/>Ambiance is cozy.<br/><br/>The food is not bad at all.<br/>I had the chicken and prawn curry which was very tasty.<br/>The salmon wrap was nice and the chicken and parmesan salad was ok.<br/><br/>Must try: the Don Pedro cocktail! Really sweet but strong - amazing desert! 😏

My visit here was because of Restaurant Week but after looking at the set menu options I opted to do the a la carte menu. The restaurant is located at the front of the protea hotel, thus the patrons being mainly hotel guests and foreigners. It's a classic dark woods style spacious spot that leads onto a patio.<br/><br/>We opted for just drinks and mains, and unfortunately round one of the lamb chops and rib eye was a let down. The lack of flavour on both meats was not expected, barely seasoned and just grilled. The rib eye on the bone was medium but bleed all over the plate, being 550 grams it just needed resting and flavour. The herbed mushroom sauce was oddly brown. Meals didn't look appetising but the mash was good. Bear in mind pricing here is not cheap and the menu shows you the dollar, pound and euro prices so expectations were high. We returned both meals and went for a replacement rump and chicken kebabs. The chicken with the peri peri was good. My rump was just average.<br/><br/>Our waiter Godfrey was excellent and management was apologetic and thanked us for feedback, which was appreciated.

After having visited the restaurant years ago, i had more of their food recently at an Eat Out SteakOut. Their offering was lovely...prosciutto covered fillet with cheese and jalapeños...luv'd it. They even gave us some of their amazing biltong!

A steak at Spur is ten times better... <br/>Steak was dry... service was great... the place is overpriced... like waaayyy overpriced.... starter seem to be ok judging from everyone's comments

Very good restaurant.<br/>Staff is cheerful and very nice.<br/>We can even order raw meat for take out, which I did many times, as I am not a SA resident.<br/>Would I recommend it? Yes

Good meat (I had the fillet) and well cooked (medium rare). The pepper sauce was too much peppered but the mashed potatoes was delicious. The service was also good. Overall, good experience. Will come back tomorrow.

the patrons like interrupting the conversion to ask if "everything is ok?" instead bringing you what you have ordered, and don't want to tell you what's the special today until you ask, and try to ask you to get them more tips.

Service was a little slow but the food was very satisfying. We had the stir fry which was tasty and good for anyone who is a vegetarian. Great ambiance and stock trading theme!

I am not happy at the moment that you do not have any restaurant weekday specials at Billy Run. You must stop trying to put high prices for most of your meals and this will not get many customers. Can you please review your specials as soon as possible.

Well done... That's how you will rate yourself after battling it out with ur 550 gms ribeye stake. At the bull run; get a table for 8 and you'll be flooded with wines or aperitifs at no extra cost. The staff will give you ample of time for you to choose from the attractive menu and then penetrate you brain while discussing with you a whole new palletable appetite. This is a must visit...

Well as I walked into the restaurant this evening all I seen was prestigious awards and autographs of previous VIP visitors. High expectations kicked in...<br/><br/>The restaurant looked amazing and had a terrific ambiance! <br/><br/>Sadly I was unable to eat the ambiance or the award certificates...or the VIP autographs! <br/><br/>I ordered the sirloin and prawn combo and my oh my the shell down the road has better pies. Seems like they ran out of salt, pepper or any seasoning for my steak...a very bland piece of steak with a side salad that looked like scraps from all the unused garnish of the day...very average prawns too.<br/><br/>To sum it up the ambiance would have definitely tasted better than my meal!

We had a delicious dinner at this restaurant! The place is warm, charming and simple! Friendly staff and great service!<br/>In had the halloumi and avocado salad which I highly recommend! And the lady's fillet as a main course! Spots on!!

We have not been to this restaurant in ages. It was exceptionally quiet, probably due to the ongoing infrastructure upgrades around it. Definitely keeps patrons away. The restaurant itself hasn't changed much. Same decor typical of steakhouses. The spicy chorizo starter was really tasty although the pap was cold. Not a big issue for us as we don't like pap. The potato soup was okay, a bit too runny and slightly on the salty side. The mains steak and lamb chops were cooked to perfection although it definitely had to be eaten with sauce. Service was great.

The flavour on the Venison was not too bad but the medium rare was very watery, I couldn't tell whether it was defrosted or just bloody. No one gets Sirloin wrong, seriously. I had a frank conversation with the waiter and she also was of the opinion that the sirloin and rump are not always that good.<br/>Conclusion - this restaurant is overpriced. There's a lot of places that have great steak, don't waste you money at the bull run. I would recommend somewhere else - Meat Co. @ Melrose Arch, Vicky Cristina's @ Hyde Park, Founders Grill @ Cresta Mall

I used to visit this restaurant very often, mostly for lunch but have not been for a long time. It has been subject to major construction next door for a long time and it sort of hidden behind the construction barriers, really a pity as it still has the most amazing food. We stopped in for lunch and I ordered my personal favorite, the 300 g fillet done blue with a blue cheese sauce. As usual it was magnificent, tasty and juicy and very well prepared. Service was good as usual. The restaurant was very empty and it would be such a tragedy if this restaurant fails due to the unfortunate construction mess and delays.

Wonderful restaurant. From the atmosphere to the food to the people. Ate garlic snails for starters and a rib eye steak for main course. Both were cooked to perfection. The dessert was chocolate brownies and was really nice. Not to sweet but just right. Would definitely recommend coming here.

Tucked away so nicely in Sandton with a small cottage, pub styled sign that could easily be missed if you didn't know the area, Bull Run is one of my favourite places for red meat options. Their steak sizes are decent and they cook it so well. When I asked for medium, i got medium. <br/><br/>Definitely recommend this to anyone on the look out for red meat dishes.

This is the restaurant I visit on average at least once a month . My Wife love the beef ribs and I eat a range of food of the menu. The bull Run red is very good but like most restaurants not in a fridge ps red wine also needs to be in a fridge in hot South Africa

What happened to the passion? What is it is that happens to a professional chef such that s/he loses all interest in the food they prepare? It may be only a simple dish that they have to prepare but if there is no passion, no love and no soul, then there simply is no taste. And then dining becomes eating - and no one should have to pay their hard earned money to simply eat.<br/><br/>From all accounts, The Bull Run is a reputable steak house. Online reviews and word of mouth rate this small steakhouse in the Sandown area of Johannesburg fairly high. So with that I mind I thought it a good bet for a great piece of South African beef.<br/><br/>A fairly simple restaurant with a fairly good wine list and an extremely quirky menu is what you get at The Bull Run. Good attentive fun service with very well trained waitstaff. Missing my African childhood, I decided to start with a plate of Biltong. Biltong can be a very personal expression of one's craft as it can literally be created any way you wish. It is clear that the meat was of great quality but I was left disappointed by the lack of spice and flavour. A 500g ribeye steak medium rare was ordered upon recommendation from the waiter who claimed that the restaurant stands by the quality of this cut. The meat, upon the manager's own admission, was rare and it was a shame because again the quality of the cut itself was phenomenal. To be fair, they did offer to change it but I declined because I'd rather have it undercooked as opposed to over cooked. <br/><br/>The Bull Run has a good thing going with its casual feel and high class cuts of meat - the chefs just need to find their spirit again.

This is by far the worst restaurant I have EVER visited! The service was nonexistent, the responses from the managers to our complaints left me speechless m. When our food was eventually served, it was disgusting!!! I threw up at the restaurant!! I would only recommend if you want food poisoning. Disgusting everything here!!! I had the stir fry by the way, which looked like vomit on my plate and tasted like nothing!

Very disappointing, beef ribs was very tough. Fillet on the bone was average. Told the waiter and manager offered us something to comp us something but didn't want. The waiter and manager were friendly and helpful just very disappointed with the food. Expected much more from a upmarket restaurant.

i used to work in the area so the Bull Run was always a choice for after work drinks, a farewell dinner or an alternative when traffic was gridlocked. Its not a busy place but the service is great. I had an amazing steak and can vouch for the delicious biltong. I always got my biltong fix there, its freshly sliced and delicious.

Dependably top notch! Superior quality beef, on point service, a super solid wine list then? The value, incredible value!!! Worth it for a casual nosh or a special occasion.

A rather huge letdown. From the looks of this elegant place, we took for granted that we'd be fed with some fine cooking. But, no. Our expectations were short lived.<br/><br/>Reason why we chose this place. Closest to the hotel that we were staying in. We did not have the energy to walk until the Sandton Mall.<br/><br/>We were lead through another entrance into restaurant. Courteous and friendly waiters did a perfect job of keeping us comfortable. But, service and cost aside, the food was an utter mess.<br/><br/>*Chicken Burger : with chips that had no salt and were under cooked. The chicken pieces were hard to cut into. Bland. No sauces. The only good thing was that burger buns were at least soft.<br/>*A Vegetarian pasta had to be dossed with salt before it could be eaten. With Alfredo sauce, rather bland.<br/>*Greek Salad : too many olives. Okayish.<br/>*Garlic Breads : the only delicious thing. Soft. Great taste.<br/><br/>Beverages : A nice champagne kept us company through the dinner. Coming from a person who generally prefers to be a teetotaller, this could be just be a nice complement.<br/><br/>Service : Perfect! Definitely well trained! One of my colleagues left off her glasses there. And one of the restaurant people actually walked down half the road behind us to give it.<br/><br/>Bottomline : this place is more of a steakhouse. We could have ordered the wrong dishes.<br/>But if that is the case, then this is a big no-no for Vegetarians.

Appalling to say the least. When dinning at a steak house, or any restaurant with steak on the menu for that fact, you expect the chef to know how to cook a steak, not in this establishment. <br/><br/>None of the steaks came to our table as ordered, my dinning companions very well done (ordered medium rare), flattened! (Literally with a mallet) rump steak served with a detached piece of fat on the side is one of the worst presentations of meat I have ever witnessed. My own rump was even worse, it was well over cooked and dry when it was also ordered medium rare, served with a thimble of sauce which is a pretty penny at R25 extra. We thought we would sweeten the meal with a desert of creme brûlée, only to be served your bog standard yellow carton custard (you know the kind) it's great at home but not expected when paying R45 per desert. A very underwhelming meal and won't be returning or suggesting for a night out to anyone other than an enemy.

Not impressed at all. One rump steak beautifully thick cut but we'll over a medium-rare cook, the other rump about 1cm thick, which the manager had the gall to tell us was correct, and hammered flat to "speed the cooking time". That we sent back and didn't bother to replace. Spare ribs were above average. <br/><br/>Ever optimistic, we stuck around for desert. Creme brûlée was a bowl of Ultramel custard (I kid you not) with a finger biscuit protruding (why?!).<br/><br/>R840 for two mains, two deserts, two coffees and a (decent) bottle of wine (R260). <br/><br/>By my reckoning, a rip off. Low quality, and overpriced. Score raised to 2 stars for the ribs and wine list. <br/><br/>Please don't support such below average mediocrity.

The quintessential, classy steakhouse that nails it every time. The oysters - fresh. The steak - perfection. The service - precise. The wine - pricey. Iron your crisp collar, and expect a cosy, elegant evening. I recommend the oysters, and their fillet.

Difficult to get in on the spur of the moment. Meat is cooked to perfection with loads of flavour. You will never be disappointed with The Bull Run

Had an amazing experience. The service, atmosphere and food were good. Had pork ribs, their spicy wings and a medium rare fillet steak with blue cheese. The ribs and wings were amazing, but the steak and sauce lacked flavour, it was a bit blant.<br/>Oh, and I rate their mojito very highly. Best I've had at the same level with Belthazzar at the Waterfront in Cape Town.

I went for an early light dinner. Initially the service staff were flustered trying to place us but once we were settled the waiter was adequately attentive. The menu is broad with regards to steaks and meat options. The bull run burger was delicious and was brought out quickly. Wine menu is extensive yet over priced for some more well known labels. Relaxing atmosphere, easy to converse and overall good experience and ambiance. If you've read this far into the review, just know that parking is an absolute nightmare in that area with the current construction.

Very inconsistent -have had good meals there but also very poor ones.Something seems not quite right in the kitchen.<br/>Have also had occasions where menu items were unavailable.<br/>On balance I feel that they can improve their offerings for a so called prestige restaurant charging high prices.<br/><br/>Returned after a long break.Establishment has been beautifully renovated.Now really upmarket and impressive look and feel but very comfortable.Meal was excellent. Service outstanding. A bit pricey but all the dishes we had-salad,rump steak and calamari together with sides were generous and very tasty. <br/>Thoroughly enjoyable evening.

My steak was tough.<br/>The waiter got the wine order wrong. The manager gave us two free bottles of the house wine free to make amends.<br/>Doubt if I'll go back again.<br/>I thought quite pricey for what one got.

I was invited recently to The Bull Run for the first time and was not disappointed with the upmarket, classic and subtle décor. A combination of brick and ambient lighting. This establishment boasts the likes of patrons such as Geoff Rothschild (former JSE Chairman), Ryk Neethling, Derek Watts, Doug Doel, Ryan Tedder of One Republic, Daniel Carter of the All Blacks, Lucas Radebe.. the list continues. An interesting touch is that there is a menu that sets out the offerings in either Rands, Dollars, Pounds or Euros and with their whiskey, cognac, port & cigar range, I half expected the place to be full of preppy investment bankers, given the location so close to the JSE.  I particularly like that they run a different special daily and as fresh oysters are a particular favourite, I have already made up my mind going forward that Thursday night will be my next visit.<br/>What I found to be a quirky (and yet special) touch is that although the Chef's Recommendation for your steak or venison is "no more than medium rare", you still have ample options as follows:<br/>1. "BLUE – STILL QUIVERING (TAIL & HORNS EXTRA)<br/>2. RARE – COOL, RED CENTRE<br/>3. MEDIUM RARE – WARM, RED CENTRE<br/>4. MEDIUM – HOT PINK CENTRE<br/>5. MEDIUM WELL – SOME PINK<br/>6. WELL DONE – COMPLETELY STIFF AND JUICELESS (WE ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE)" And with so much to choose from on my first visit, I went with one of the 'Chef's Specialities'. The food was excellent! One faux pas that I noticed was that I had chosen to wear a pair of particularly new high heels for the occasion, and as such, on the first trek down the stairs to the Ladies toilet, I regretted that decision immediately! The Bull Run is definitely a restaurant that I will be going back to, again and again in the future, but possibly just wearing flats! x

One of the finest steak houses I have ever been to. Deserves a thumbs up for the food and service. the steaks and pork chops are my personal favourites. It's cooked to perfection and the red table wine bottles specially for the restaurant is based on pinotage which is just perfect!<br/>The staff is very well versed with the menu,cooking techniques and ably led by dynamic managers who are always running around smiling and assisting guests. <br/>The alfresco area is best suited for an early evening dinner accompanied with wine. The wrought iron furniture makes the place looks rustic and charming!<br/><br/>Must visit for all meat and wine lovers!!

Went out with my friends on our weekly dinner outings to this restaurant.<br/><br/>One could see the restaurant signage and seating from the main road, but apparently that wasn't the main entrance.  It was only later, whilst leaving did I realize that the entrance was a very discreet set of doors just inside the main entrance of the Balalaika Hotel.<br/><br/>I had to step over the various rocky pathways on the "outside" of the restaurant to get into the set of doors which technically led from the inside of the restaurant to the outside seating area.<br/><br/>Was shown to a table and my friends arrived not long after.<br/><br/>The waiter that served us was prompt and courteous.  <br/><br/>The winelist was rather comprehensive and my friends ordered a bottle of the Wolftrap, but I didn't have any as I do not drink.<br/><br/>My friend ordered a starter of the "Hot Bull" which was beef strips in a creamy slightly spicy gravy with a toasted pita bread.  I had a taste of it and the beef was done nicely and the gravy tasted rich and beefy.<br/><br/>We ordered our mains, and my friends had the Kingklip and the special of the evening which was full rack of ribs.  I had the chef's speciality of "Chicken Cordon Bleu"<br/><br/>The timing of the food was decent as we didn't have to wait too long in-between courses.<br/><br/>My chicken dish tasted decent but nothing startling.  Portion size was respectable and I did feel full after polishing the chicken and the grilled veggies (no starch for me).<br/><br/>My friends also enjoyed their fish and ribs too.<br/><br/>We ordered dessert to round off the meal.  My friends shared the Malva pudding and I ordered the trio of sorbet.  The Malva was soft and tasted very nice.  My sorbet tasted cold and refreshing.<br/><br/>A very pleasant evening with good friends and decent food.<br/><br/>My only complain is that patrons had to park our cars on the side of a rather dark street.  After parking, one has to walk along this rather dark unlit path back to the hotel and restaurant.  There were shockingly, quite a few furry rodents scurrying around out in the open.  This is really shocking as the JSE is just directly across the road and the area is supposedly Africa's richest square mile!

We went to bull run for a birthday dinner. As it was out first time, and we heard some good things about this place we expected some good food and good wine... This I can tell you was exactly what we got. We ordered the French and Spanish wine, which was absolutely Devine and went down well with our meals. The French I thought was better. The starters although small was prepared very well and we enjoyed sharing and tasting each other's dish. For mains I had ordered the 200g fillet, medium rare with vegetables. This was done as ordered and there were no complaints by anyone I was with. The service overall was good but I think it could have been better as sometimes we had to get the attention of other waiters to come serve us, so points were lost there unfortunately. Overall it was a very good experience and we enjoyed our meal. Would go back again.

The Biltong and Avo Salad is absolutely delicious! Seriously one of the best salads I've ever tasted! Good and attentive service. There menu is also in multiple currencies so you can pay on dollars, euros etc. Pity this place doesn't advertise a lot because it really should!!

Bit expensive but love, love, LOVE this place!<br/>Worth every penny! :)

Good food and great wines too......

Went there on a Monday afternoon, while the sun was coming down. We were sat on a table outside, just next to a buzzing but not disturbing main road. The service was swift and had good knowledge of the menu and proposed two entrees we directly went for. The oysters and the springbock carpacio. Do not miss out on the spring bock carpaccio, it is heaven in your mouth. As a main we went for a fillet steak with wedges and cream spinach on the side. The steak was grilled to perfection and fresh as ever with a migrated german butcher cutting up the meat. The wedges were crip on the outside and soft on the inside, and the cream spinache offered the perfect round up to a wonderful meal. As a desert try the wild berry creme brule, to die for. A must visit for anyone in Sandton

Decent food and vibe and a unique menu but slightly over priced

Brilliant service!Excellent food! One of the few restaurants where you can enjoy your meal and a good night out.

Great ambience and vibe with brilliant service. They got my order wrong first time round but fixed it really quickly and I don't think that happens too often. Schnitzel is a huge portion and really tasty!

If you want a truly universal restaurant come here, prices given in pound, dollar, rand etc for what you eat, nice ambience and meat that packs a man punch on taste and flavor