Skimming Stones | Sula's Blog | Sula1968 A South African poet, potter and mother
Sampling the top 3 roadhouses in Boksburg, was a good dose of fun and adventure. Retro is in, but in Boksburg (not a fashion capital of the world) for many it never went out. Not when it comes to roadhouses anyway. Boksburgians have a point here. The Fireplace, Kota Joe and Orama were all better than, or equal to take away chain stores, and all were far more generous with their servings.
Before embarking on the quest to find the best roadhouse in Boksburg, I created a poll on a Boksburg Community Facebook page. Patrons were passionate in their responses in support of their favourites. In total there are at least 7 roadhouses in Boksburg (in most towns they are extinct). I chose to visit the top 3.
1) The Fireplace 2) Kota Joe and 3) Orama
We visited 1 each month and in the end agreed with the rankings reflected in the poll. For the roadhouse connoisseurs this is my summary.
The Fireplace – This is the Grandfather of Boksburg roadhouses, founded in 1958. Generations of locals have treasured memories, shared here.
PROS – The flavour and quality of food was the best, the floats are excellent and it has a good old-fashioned feel about it.
CONS – The location is lousy and the prices slightly higher than the others
Kota Joe – Bright, fun and well priced.
PROS – Good quality and flavour, modern and bright. The location is good and the prices are very competitive
CONS – Dreadful loud music (?) and no window tray
Orama – on Trichardt Road
PROS – Window trays, bright and clean, good seated diner area
CONS – No specific cons but nothing stood out as being extra special or memorable.
At each of the roadhouses we ordered a few things the same each time, for comparison. Standard hamburger for me, Hawaiian pizza for the kids to share and chocolate milkshakes.
Milkshakes – Fireplace – forgot to note, Kota Joe R15.90, Orama R17
Standard Hamburger – Fireplace R34, Kota Joe R29.90, Orama R29
Hawaiian pizza – Fireplace R65, Kota Joe R49.90, Orama R68
Interestingly the chips at all of the roadhouses were below par.
So there you have it. If you’re in Boksburg, do as the Boksburgites do, try a roadhouse. I would love to read your thoughts and comments below.
I definitely think Orama is fantastic. Great food, Great service and Great prices!
Have tried Kota Joe’s, portions are big, but not very impressed with the overall service and flavors. the loud music was a major put off for me. Haven’t tried the fireplace.
Thank you for your feedback. Love hearing what others think
Great piece. I have only seen roadhouses in certain American movies and was delighted to find that they exist. My guy and I also did a side by side comparison of the various roadhouses. We love Fireplace. There’s just something special about them. They just get it right. We often have the burger, pizza and cream soda floats.
We used to go to Oramas quite often, but not anymore. There has been is huge drop in service from Orama and management seems unable to sort it out. They went so far as to say that they have to be “neutral”. Not good.
Kota Joes is great. But not as good as Fireplace
Thanks for your comment. It’s great to hear from someone who has tried all 3. I agree with all your observations. Yup well if neutral is what Orama are shooting for, they’ve nailed it 🙂
Fireplace has fond memories of my earlier years in the eighties and nineties. Glad to see it is still going. The huge burgers and the curries were my favourites on the way home from a drive-in. I’ve not heard of the other two roadhouses but there was another one we used to frequent in Boksburg, I can’t remember the name now. The friends I used to go with are now spread around the world, apart from one.