Why this Japanese restaurant in Rivonia is a must-visit

Johannesburg is filled with extraordinary restaurants from around the world. They hide behind ordinary shopfronts, inside shopping centres and in parts of the city most people seldom go.

Some of the best meals I have eaten here have started with me wondering whether I have arrived at the right address.

Shinya Izakaya is one of those places.

Hidden in Rivonia, an area establishing itself as one of Johannesburg’s most exciting destinations for Asian food, Shinya may be the coolest Japanese restaurant I have visited in South Africa.

For a long time, many South Africans understood Japanese food almost entirely through sushi. California rolls, salmon roses and all-you-can-eat platters became our entry point into one of the world’s most complex and exciting food cultures. There is nothing wrong with loving sushi, but it represents only one small part of an enormous culinary landscape.

Shinya offers something different. This is not hushed fine dining, but rather a far more relaxed and social Japanese tradition.

Shinya translates roughly to “deep into the night”, while an izakaya is Japan’s answer to the neighbourhood pub. It is part bar, part restaurant and the spot you hit after a night out when you aren’t ready to go home yet.

Historically, sake merchants began inviting customers to sit down and enjoy something small to eat while they drank. Over time, these shops developed into informal gathering places where patrons could unwind over alcohol and a constantly evolving procession of small plates.

There is no pressure to choose a starter, main course, or a dessert. You order a few drinks, choose something small and see where the evening takes you. 

The lights around the restaurant shifts colour, transforming the room and creating an experience that feels removed from the Johannesburg waiting outside. 

The restaurant is the brainchild of entrepreneur Angie Chen, who has developed a reputation for recognising trends emerging from East Asia and finding ways to translate them for a South African audience. Importantly, Shinya does not feel like a collection of decorative references thrown together for social media. The concept influences how you eat, what you drink and how the evening is allowed to unfold.

To me, the drinking is an essential part of the experience.

You can explore premium sake, a fermented rice drink that is frequently called rice wine but is produced through a brewing process that has more in common with beer. The rice is polished to remove some of its outer layers, while kōji helps convert its starches into sugars that can be fermented. Depending on the style, the result can be clean and dry, fragrant and fruity or rich in umami.

If sake is not your thing, there are cocktails, Japanese beers and whisky highballs. 

Then you eat.

The marinated wakame seaweed salad is a good place to begin. Tender strands of seaweed are dressed with sesame oil, soy sauce, rice vinegar and toasted sesame seeds bringing a nutty finish. It is cold, bright, slippery and refreshing, exactly the kind of dish you want between drinks and richer plates.

The prawn gyoza are delicate dumplings wrapped around whole prawns, creating that beautiful contrast between soft wrapper and firm, juicy filling. Dip them into soy sauce for salt, black vinegar for acidity or chilli oil for heat. Ideally, move between all three.

The chicken yakitori brings a different kind of pleasure. Pieces of juicy chicken are grilled on skewers and glazed with tare, a glossy sauce that is sweet, salty and savoury. As the sauce meets the heat, it caramelises around the chicken, creating charred edges and concentrated pockets of flavour. A squeeze of lime and a little chilli prevent it from becoming too heavy.

Although these spots wouldn’t typically be known for Ramem, here they do it perfectly.

Order the tonkotsu. The broth looks creamy and milky, but there is no dairy involved. Pork bones are boiled for hours until their collagen, marrow and fat break down and emulsify into the liquid. This creates the broth’s distinctive cloudy appearance and an almost luxurious texture that clings to your lips long after every mouthful.

The bowl is loaded with thin wheat noodles, slices of tender chashu pork, a marinated soft-boiled egg, nori, spring onion and sesame. 

What I love most about the restaurant is that it introduces Johannesburg to a side of Japanese food culture that many people here have never experienced. It reminds us that Japanese dining is not always precise, formal or quiet. It can also be loud, relaxed, communal and built around the simple pleasure of eating and drinking with people you enjoy.

This is not somewhere you visit before or after the jol.

Shinya Izakaya is the jol.

What you need to know

• What to order: Wakame salad, prawn gyoza, chicken yakitori and tonkotsu ramen
• What to drink: Premium sake, a Japanese whisky highball or an ice-cold Japanese beer
• Best for: Late-night drinks, shared plates, group dinners and adventurous date nights
• Address: 329 Rivonia Boulevard, Rivonia, Johannesburg

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