The Beginning
Born of Conviction
Joanna's Steakhouse was founded in 2009 by Joanna Dlamini, a Swazi-South African entrepreneur who believed that Johannesburg deserved a steakhouse worthy of the city's ambition. Not a chain, not a franchise — but a single room where every detail, from the sourcing of the beef to the folding of the napkin, was an act of intention.
Joanna grew up watching her grandfather tend his Nguni cattle in the Eswatini Highveld, and it was there that her conviction was formed: that beef raised slowly, on open mountain pasture, by farmers who care, is a fundamentally different product. It is this conviction that has guided every decision at Joanna's since the first table was laid.
Today, Joanna's occupies a landmark space in Sandton's financial district, with views across the city that match the ambition of the kitchen. The restaurant has received five international awards, but the measure Joanna herself returns to is simpler: whether every guest leaves feeling that the evening was worth it.
What We Believe
Our Philosophy
Provenance
Every cut of beef served at Joanna's is traceable to a named farm in the Eswatini Highveld or the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands. We know our farmers by name, and they know us.
Restraint
Great beef requires very little. Our kitchen's role is to honour the animal's life through precise technique — the right temperature, the right rest, the right seasoning — and then step aside.
Hospitality
Service at Joanna's is not a transaction. It is the art of making a guest feel that the entire restaurant exists for them alone, for the duration of their evening.
Fifteen Years of Excellence
Our Journey
2009
The First Table
Joanna Dlamini opens a 32-seat dining room in Rosebank with a single vision: to serve the finest beef on the continent, prepared without compromise.
2012
The Move to Sandton
Growing acclaim prompts a move to Sandton's financial district. The new space seats 120 and introduces the now-legendary dry-ageing cabinet.
2015
Africa's Best New Restaurant
The World Culinary Awards recognise Joanna's as Africa's Best New Restaurant, cementing the restaurant in the continental fine dining conversation.
2018
The Private Dining Suite
The Eswatini Room is inaugurated — a private dining suite for up to 18 guests, named in honour of the mountain kingdom where Joanna's beef is sourced.
2021
The Wine Programme
Head Sommelier Naledi Mokoena joins the team, building a cellar of over 400 labels with a focus on South African and Burgundian vintages.
2024
Five Awards in One Year
Joanna's receives five international awards in a single calendar year, including Luxury Waterside Restaurant Africa and Africa's Best Asian Cuisine Restaurant.
The People Behind the Plate
Our Team
Chef Sipho Dlamini
Executive Head Chef
Born in Mbabane, Eswatini, Chef Sipho trained at the Institut Paul Bocuse in Lyon before returning to southern Africa to champion the continent's finest beef. His philosophy is one of restraint — allowing the provenance of each cut to speak for itself through precise heat, seasoning, and rest.
Naledi Mokoena
Head Sommelier
A Cape Town native with a WSET Diploma and three years at a premier Stellenbosch estate, Naledi brings an intimate knowledge of South African terroir to every pairing. Her cellar of over 400 labels is curated around the principle that great wine and great beef are inseparable.
Experience It For Yourself
Reserve Your Evening
Book a TableRecognition
—Award-Winning Excellence—
