Feel like hanging with Jozi’s celebs?
Yes, there are affordable and easy-to-access places where you, our treasured reader, can hang out and check out your favourite celebs… This ain’t Hollywood darl and we don’t have The Ivy … yet.
Well it depends on the kind of celeb you’re looking to meet. If it’s an SABC TV actor or radio star you have two main options.
First is to simply go to the source… to the SABC b…
uilding! You don’t need to be invited to go in there, you just have to find a parking (often a challenge unless you’re willing to pay) and stroll in casually to either Radio or TV park. Radio park you’re obviously more likely to come across Metro FM and 5FM radio jocks hanging out at the canteen in serious looking meetings. Or if you’re a real fan you can actually watch them “live on radio” through the glass booth… remember to wipe any drool off the window. If it’s TV celebs you want then you need to make sure you hang out in the TV building… there’s a canteen there too. You’ll be amazed at who goes riding up and down those escalators in the foyer.
Then of course if you like to play a little more hard-to-get, you need to head off to our favourite suburb in Jozi, the one and only Melville. One sure-fire spot for a bit of TV celeb-spotting is Spiro’s on the corner of 2nd and 7th – the favourite hangout of many a TV person – stars and wannabe’s. Spiro’s also serves good food incidentally and is affordable too!
Otherwise just keep moving from cosy restaurant to cosy restaurant and you will be bound to spot at least a few Isidingo stars.
Then there’s musicians and our favourite radio station Y-FM…. well, if you want to hang out with famous musicians you have two choices too.
Just go to any major gig at the Bassline or in Newtown in general and they’ll be there. You see, that’s the cool thing with Jozi musicians, they like to be real and hang out with the real people supporting their colleagues and competition. Tres down-to-earth.
Otherwise, if you prefer a more sit-down environment, you need to head to the restaurant in this photo… yip, PRIMI PIATTI in The Zone in Rosebank. Primi’s is amazing. At literally anytime of the day you can spot a famous musician or at least a YFM DJ… (YFM is round the corner) having lunch, coffee and sometimes even drinks in Primi lounge (that mysterious room at the back.) We were there on the public holiday and in the short time we were there we spotted Mapaputsi and Judith Sephuma. I love the food there too.. especially the Pizza’s. The food and drinks are suprisingly affordable, the service is always quick and friendly thanks to the Giant Orange Jelly Beans that work there and the cocktails are not half bad either.
If you head to Primi at peak lunch hour you may have to wait a little for a table, but we assure you, as long as you’re not seated anywhere near the kitchen, you’ll have a great time celeb spotting!
Bon Appetit!
