Sandton | Sandton City
Cuisine:
Bakery, Cafe, Coffee Shop, Mediterranean
Good for:
Breakfast/Brunch, Dinner
Walnut Grove
1 Visitor Photos +
REVIEWS
2 Reviews
Sandton | Sandton City
Expert Review
The food court at the Sandton Mall can be disheartening at times. It’s mostly fast food chains, and you have...
The food court at the Sandton Mall can be disheartening at times. It’s mostly fast food chains, and you have to sit in a loud dining area with loads of annoying people around. But no worries, just look up and you’ll find the answer to your dining dilemma. Walnut Grove may be accessible via a staircase from the food court, but once you get up there, you’ll stumble into an upscale restaurant whose atmosphere is the complete opposite of the food court.
When you walk in you’ll see several glass cases full of multi-colored pastries and cakes, which all look delicious. (Be sure to save room for them for later.) The decor of the restaurant features plush booths and stained, dark wood tables. Lighting is dark in parts, and bright in others, giving you a choice of ambiance.
The menu at Walnut Grove is rather impressive in size, and includes sandwiches, salads, pizzas, soups, seafood, steaks and much more. You’ll also find everything from healthy items to waist-expanding bar food. When we ordered, we decided to get a bit of both and split a chicken and vegetable dish along with a Margherita pizza. The pizza was as close to New York-style as I’ve had in South Africa, yet it was cut up into smaller slices. Of all the pizzas I’ve tried in Johannesburg, this was actually one of the best, even though Walnut Grove doesn’t specialize in pizza. The chicken portions were massive considering the price, and came with large helpings of brown rice and mixed vegetables. The food was so good that we ended up coming back to the restaurant a few times after this, but always got a similar dish as it was so good the first time.
Overall, Walnut Grove is a welcome relief and escape from the generic food in the mall, it is open late into the night, and is a perfect place for relaxing after a long day at work, especially when there is load shedding!
Expert Review
The first thing you notice when you walk up the stairs and enter Walnut Grove is the beautiful display of...
The first thing you notice when you walk up the stairs and enter Walnut Grove is the beautiful display of brightly colored cakes, cookies and cupcakes. This made me want to eat dessert for lunch, but I refrained. The second thing you notice is the inventive décor: a massive crystal “tree” that hangs over the main dining area, egg-shaped loungers, and clear plastic dining chairs. This made me want to sit back and relax for a while, which I did not refrain from, because that is the general idea: located bang in the middle of Sandton City mall, Walnut Grove is a fun, stylish place for shoppers to relax, recharge, and get a caffeine and sugar fix.
The vast menu covers breakfast, lunch, and dinner and includes gourmet cafe fare like the sticky sesame chicken salad, toasted Swiss cheese sandwich, fish and chips, and margherita pizza. There’s also a selection of burgers, chicken mains, seafood dishes, and “social dining boards,” which are meant to be shared amongst a group. You can choose from the “rustic African nachos,” “sticky fingers” (wings, ribs, mushrooms and chips), and the seafood selection platter.
I chose the pasta scampi, which was not only a huge portion and very tasty, but beautifully presented in an artistic-looking clear glass bowl that had an irregular texture. My companion ordered the towering signature burger, which was heaped with onions, tomato relish, BBQ sauce and melted cheddar. The onion rings and rocket are piled on top, and the whole creation is held together with a stick. Mercifully, the chips are served on the side. The burger was also presented on unusual dishware – this time it was a wooden cutting board.
Those who just want a quick drink or snack can sip an artisanal coffee, freshly pressed juice, pina colada, or decadent shake, or munch on a red velvet cupcake, rainbow cake, macaron, cheesecake, or biscuit. It is worth coming here just for the desserts alone.