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Koperpot, fire kitchen in Parkhurst

Fire kitchen in Parkhurst

Dinner, cookedslowlyover coals.

Cast-iron pots that sit on the fire for most of the day, meat and vegetables off the grid, bread baked in the embers. Pull up a chair and stay a while.

See the menuTake a pot homePrivate dining

Koperpot docketNo. 000

Today

Checking the fire

On the stove today

The pot of the day

When
Guests
2

Two more steps. Nothing to pay.

A pot hanging low over a wood fire
Torn bread baked in the embers

How we cook

One fire. A row of pots. No shortcuts.

Every morning at seven, Daniel lights the fire in the open kitchen. By nine the first pots are on, and they stay there, lids rattling, until dinner. There is no gas line to the stoves and no microwave in the building.

A potjie cannot be rushed, so we don't try. What reaches your table has had the hours it needs: oxtail that falls off the bone, a bredie thick enough to hold a spoon, bread that still smells of smoke.

on the coals for the Thursday oxtail
12 hrs
on the coals for the Thursday oxtail
cast-iron pots on the fire most nights
7
cast-iron pots on the fire most nights
seats, plus eight at the pass
54
seats, plus eight at the pass
Meet the kitchen

The week on the stove

A different pot leads every day.

Each pot goes on in the morning and stays on until it runs out. Thursday's oxtail usually goes first, so book early or come hungry.

Full menu

  1. Tuesday

    Chicken, apricot and dhania

    Free-range thighs braised with dried apricots, ginger and fresh coriander. Served with dumplings.

    R215

  2. Wednesday

    Beef shin, porter and barley

    Shin on the bone in a Joburg porter with pearl barley, carrots and thyme.

    R255

  3. Thursday

    Oxtail, red wine and butter beans

    Our longest pot: twelve hours over the coals, finished with butter beans and gremolata.

    R295

  4. Friday

    Cape Malay mutton curry

    Mutton on the bone, cardamom, cinnamon and curry leaves. Sambals, atchar and roti on the side.

    R245

  5. Saturday

    Lamb shank and tomato bredie

    Shank, ripe tomatoes and potato, the way a bredie should be: thick enough to hold a spoon.

    R285

  6. Sunday

    Sunday lamb and quince

    Lamb neck, quince, cinnamon and baby onions, slow for nine hours. Served with yellow rice and raisins.

    R285

Closed on Mondays. The vegan bean, sweet potato and spinach pot is on every day.

Off the grid and out of the oven

Beyond the pots

Chops, boerewors and fish off the coals, roosterkoek from the grid and a malva pudding baked in its own pot. Everything comes out of the same fire.

  • Roosterkoek and smoked butter

    Bread rolls baked on the grid, whipped smoked butter, Cape gooseberry jam.

    R65

  • Snoek and potato croquettes

    Smoked snoek, crushed potato, apricot chutney mayonnaise.

    R105

  • Lamb chops

    Three Karoo chops, braai salt, mint and parsley chimichurri.

    R265

  • Boerewors and pap

    Coiled boerewors off the coals, chakalaka, stywe pap.

    R165

  • Whole roast cauliflower

    Roasted in the embers, tahini, dukkah, pomegranate.

    R165

  • Malva pudding

    Baked in the pot, Amarula custard.

    R95

Prices include VAT.

See the whole menu
Lamb chops and boerewors on a slate board
A dark chocolate dessert
Steam rising from a pot on the coals

Private dining and functions

Bring everyone. We'll bring the pots.

A long table in the cellar, eight seats at the pass, or the whole house for the night. Set menus are served family style, straight from the pot.

Up to 16 seated

The Cellar Room

Our private room downstairs, one long table under the old brick arches, with its own sound system and a door that closes.

8 seats

The Pass

The counter facing the fire. Ruben cooks a five-course menu in front of you and talks you through each pot.

Up to 60 seated, 80 standing

The whole house

Weddings, year-end functions and birthdays that need the full room. Lunch buy-outs are easier to book than dinner.

Plan an event

Gift vouchers

Give someone a long dinner.

Pick an amount or an experience, add a message, and send it by email or collect a printed card. Valid for three years.

Make a voucher

Pots to go

Take a whole pot home.

Order on WhatsApp a day ahead and collect it hot, for two, four or six people. Bring the pot back next time.

Build an order
Ruben Adams, chef and owner
“My gran never measured anything and never rushed anything. I only kept the second rule.”
Ruben Adams, chef and owner

Good to know

Before you come

Do I need to book?

For Friday and Saturday dinner, yes. We keep a few tables at the front for walk-ins on weeknights, so it is worth popping in, but a booking is the only way to be sure of a table.

Is there parking?

Street parking on Fourth Avenue and the side streets, with car guards on duty in the evenings. On Friday and Saturday nights, give yourself a few extra minutes to find a spot.

Can you cater for allergies and dietary needs?

Yes. Every course on the menu has vegetarian and gluten free choices, and the bean pot is vegan. Tell us about any allergy when you book and again when you order. Our kitchen handles nuts, gluten, dairy, eggs, fish and shellfish, so we cannot promise a dish is free of traces.

Are children welcome?

Very. We have high chairs and a small menu for under-12s at lunch and early dinner. After 20:00 the room gets quieter and more grown up.

Do you charge corkage?

R80 a bottle, with a limit of two bottles a table. We don't charge corkage on a wine that is older than our restaurant.

What happens if I need to cancel?

Let us know as soon as you can. Tables of up to seven pay nothing to cancel. For larger tables we take a deposit, and you get it back in full if you cancel at least 48 hours ahead. See our booking terms for the detail.

Visit

On Fourth Avenue, Parkhurst.

Look for the copper pot on the sign and the fire through the front window.

Book a tableDirections

Hours

Monday
Closed (lunch on public holidays)
Tuesday to Friday
Dinner 17:30 to 22:30
Saturday
Lunch 12:00 to 16:00, dinner 17:30 to 22:30
Sunday
Lunch 12:00 to 17:00

Find us

21 Fourth Avenue
Parkhurst, Johannesburg
2193