Sticking to a banting or keto diet can be tough when there seem to be no restaurants that don't add carbs or sugar to their dishes. Luckily, these banting friendly restaurants have your back!
Voodoo Lily Café
Voodoo Lily Café is a great spot that has a menu to suit everyone’s tastes. They have a couple of Banting options on their menu too, which is great for those who are living the banting lifestyle. Expect to choose from creamy scrambled eggs with chicken livers and grilled salmon to build-your-own breakfast options (banting bread is available) and even banting cupcakes!
Our pick: Jonlyn’s Banting Smoothie, which is made with omega three oil, double thick yoghurt, frozen berries, xylitol and full cream milk. Talk about a meal in a glass!
Where: 64 St Andrews Street, Birdhaven, Johannesburg.
CNR Café
Corner Café serves up food that everyone loves. They’ve got banting pizzas so those following the banting lifestyle don’t have to miss out on one of the best foods out there! They also make a mean beef fillet so keep an eye out for that should you prefer to wolf something meaty down.
Our pick: An olive pesto focaccia with feta drizzle, parsley and lemon oil (on a Banting base, of course).
Where: Corner Buckingham and Rothesay Avenue, Craighall, Johannesburg.
Casalottis
In terms of banting friendly restaurants, you wouldn't expect a pizza spot to be on the list. Casalottis is a pizza parlour that caters to the Banters out there with their cauliflower base. Trust me, you won’t even know the difference! What’s great is that any of their pizzas can be made Banting-friendly so you can pick and choose from the whole menu. Plus, you can even replace the centre of your pizza with a green salad to make it extra healthy!
Our pick: The Beef Supreme, made with free-range beef strips, avo, garlic, feta and chilli. Warning: it’s HOT.
Where: visit the link below to find your closest branch.
JB’s Corner
With such a huge menu, there really is something for everyone at JB’s Corner… yes, Banters included! They have Banting bowls with eggs, grain-free salads, burger patties that can be ordered without the roll and plain old chicken breasts – you can’t go wrong here.
Our pick: The Banting Spear, which is asparagus topped with two poached eggs, bacon, red onion, herb mayo and Parmesan shavings.
Where: 3 High Street, Melrose Arch, Johannesburg.
Sandton City Shopping Centre, Corner 5th and Maude Streets, Sandton, Johannesburg.
Fat Zebra
The Fat Zebra is a cute little spot in the trendy area of Linden. Here, you can make your own breakfast up to ensure that it fits in with your eating habits. They also serve beef fillet, burgers on a bed of greens and great side options, like blanched green beans, wood-fired cauliflower and creamed or wilted spinach.
Our pick: The Banting Burger, made from 100 per cent pure beef, served with tomato and lettuce, and presented on a bed of greens instead of in a roll.
Where: Corner 3rd Avenue and 7th Street, Linden, Johannesburg.
Toni’s Fully Furnished Pizza Co.
At at Toni's, you can visit while still sticking to the Banting principles! Toni’s Fully Furnished Pizza Co. is a great place to visit when those pizza cravings hit. They make Banting pizza bases so scan the menu and go wild!
Our pick: Carciofi, which is a tomato base with mozzarella, artichokes, olives, ham and fresh basil. Yum!
Where: 101 Lancaster Avenue, Corner Clarence Avenue, Craighall Park, Johannesburg.
Belle’s Patisserie
Surprisingly enough, Belle’s Patisserie, which is known for decadent cakes and desserts, has a healthy menu as well! It’s filled to the brim with all things banting, such as chia seed bowls, cauli rice super food bowls and even cauliflower wraps!
Our pick: the Chopped Super Food Bowl – cauli rice with broccoli, hemp seeds, cabbage, baby spinach, celery, carrots, pumpkin seeds, Peppadews, toasted chickpeas, coriander, mixed sprouts and Belle’s dressing. You can also add tuna to this bowl if you like.
Where: click here to find your closest branch.
Fresh Earth Food Store
Not only is Fresh Earth a vegetarian restaurant, but they have banting friendly meals, too! Their breakfast options can be served with banting toast, and their burgers can be made banting-friendy upon request. They even have banting options when it comes to sandwiches – there’s so much to choose from!
Our pick: Roast Veg Sandwich – it comes with roasted veg, fresh basil pesto and goat’s milk cheese. On banting bread, of course.
Where: 103 Komatie Road, Emmarentia, Johannesburg.
Know other great banting friendly restaurants not mentioned above? Let us know below!
Remember that our “Top Picks” are not paid for and are compiled at the discretion of the journalist. We only write about what we love.
