Wolves, Illovo

Yesterday on Workers Day, I headed out to do something I haven’t done in a while… Joburg! The day was rather sombre and I needed something relaxed to suite the mood of the day. A friend had recommended going to a place the sells thee most delicious red velvet cakes in the city. Not being so enthused about going to a bakery type of place, I was convinced to go after all. The motivation was cheap beer!

We arrived in Illovo a couple of traffic lights off Corllete drive by Illovo Corner. There’s a stretch of quirky shops just off the corner. If you don’t remember to look up, you’ll miss it.

So no, it’s not a bakery, though has a very corner coffee house feel to it.  As you walk in, you’re greeted by a mixed crowd of people, some with mac books going on about their business, some relaxing outside, or by the window and some just hanging out or having lunch. It’s a relaxed, no fuss atmosphere. By no fuss, I’m in no way saying grungy.

The comforting outside area

The best part is, one need not wait for a waiter to order a drink, instead, you walk straight to their old school type of refrigerator and take out whatever cold beverage you fancy. Like you just got home after a long day, and there’s a cold one with your name written all over it! Though the cheap beer part is a myth! It’s evident that people feel at home here. They even take away their own plates after eating as one would do at home after a meal. Of course this is optional. If not, you may order your coffee or/and one of their renown cakes at the counter, which the famous being red velvet cake or cupcake for about R25. Personally for that much I’d rather order another Steph Weiss Beer, which seems to be trending around Joburg. If you fancy a bite, their light meals range from R45.



That, that makes the room

Visually it’s a charming little house, with all types of paintings around and a shelf occupying the majority of the right wall with an array of ornaments (all for sale).  We grabbed table inside and a game of scrabble off the shelf. The combination of cold Steph Weiss Beer, good company and the easy atmosphere made for good simple fun.

Though being right bam in the middle of the week, they do lock shop early, around 4pm. They don’t chase you away or make you feel unwelcome by packing up whilst you’re still busy. They actually encourage you to relax and complete whatever it is you were doing, games not included. If you fancy an evening do, Thursday to Sunday they close shop around 7pm.

I’ll definitely visit again for an easy-like-Sunday morning or a home-away-from-home type of atmosphere. This time, I’ll have the cup cake and not feel so stingy about it!

The View

The atmosphere

This is really charming

The quirkiness