Lucky Tsotsi Shebeen & Bar

We decided to reserve a spot here based on the high rating and our unfamiliarity with African cuisine. The restaurant did not disappoint. All the food was flavorful/​delicious and was served fast and hot. Even more of a delight were the staff, they were friendly, made great recommendations and were helpful in just recommending stuff to do in the area. Considering we walked in at 9:15 pm (late night and last table), it was nice to get such friendly service.
We had the prawns which were amazing! The chicken wings and curry bowl were also very tasty.

This is probably anyone from South Africa’s dream come true with favourites such as Bobotie, Koeksisters, Savanna’s and even Chappies.
Did you know that?!

You wouldn’t know it’s there, this little African joint. Not hidden, just not in a glamorous spot. You probably walked by several times and didn’t even notice it … Such a shame!
The venue is nice: we were upstairs, celebrating a birthday. A massive blackboard customised to the occasion greats you as you reach your booked area, surrounded by copies of Drum magazine, marking historical events for Africa. Nice, peaceful vibe for a rainy Tuesday!
The food is great: South African original recipes — according to our SA raised friend Greg — with a simple but tasteful spice balance, or more surprising items like very well prepared snails.
Slowly but surely, you forget the rain and out of nowhere, you start to feel the warmth, the friendliness and the rhythm of Africa …
Missing a spoon of duck fat to keep the doctor away, but in this instance, who cares!

Lucky Tsotsi is an authentic South African bistro-​style add-​on found with the Lucky’s Shebeen & Bar along Oxford Street. The décor is spot-​on on theme. A number of South African drinks and cocktails are available.
BOBOTIE $ 22.90 (Spiced mince with sultanas topped with egg custard and baked)
Bobotie is arguably South Africa’s national dish. The flavour of the dish is very unique as it was originally an Indonesian dish which was then adapted by the Dutch and Malay settlers in South Africa over time. Curry, tumeric, ginger and fruit are common ingredients found in a Bototie and are testament to the complex origin of the dish. The complexity of flavour was spot-​on at Lucky Tsotsi. It was a very fragrant dish that did deliver with great depth of flavour from the with cloves, curry and turmeric. The bursting fruity sweetness from the sultanas. The mince cooked in the dairy-​based sauce had that rich runny baked egg texture that is enhanced by the rice. This is of course served with Mrs Balls Chutney!
PEPERMINT CRISP TART $ 8.50 (A tart mixed with the flavours of Peppermint crip bar chocolate, caramel and cream)
Peppermint crisp tart is a classic homemade dessert made from common supermarket items. The peppermint is normally from the Nestle Peppermint chocolate bar (the one with the green peppermint candy) once grated, these little green shards mix well and give a crunchy texture to this soft cold pudding. The rest of the ingredients are Tennis biscuits, tin of caramel and cream. This dish tasted exactly like a homemade rendition and is a delight if you’re a fan of peppermint. It was very sweet and the only way to finish a South African meal.
Conclusion
Lucky Tsotsi is probably the most authentic South African restaurant I have been to in Sydney. From the décor, menu, and feel, you can find most things South African enough to cure any homesickness like Spar-​letta Crème Sodas, Bunny Chows or Castle beer. The menu items were classics done well. The Bobotie was quite authentic and yummy and the dessert was on-​point.
@thesydneynoob

As a Southern African this place is a wonderful trip down memory lane. I go there enough that I am a local and really enjoy having a Windhoek lager accompanied by the garlic snails and followed by the pork ribs. The chicken wings are pretty good too. Silvio, the owner, is always warm and welcoming and really adds to the atmosphere of the place. Fellow Africans, be sure to pop in and experience this place for yourself!

This is one of those places where you gotta try when you’re around the area. We came here to experience what other Unilocalers have been raving about — and they weren’t lying!
The food was great. I used to think Hurricanes had the best pork ribs, but this place has impressed me with the perfect ribs. It was not too burnt, like the ones at hurricanes. It was very very tender and the sauce complements it really well.
We couldn’t pass the garlic butter snails after reading it on all the Unilocal reviews so we ordered one. It was quite nice and went well with the bread (I wish we had more bread to soak up the garlic butter)
I tried one of the South African beer and felt like dancing to the tune of Sugarman and all the other South African songs played in the restaurant.
We will be back!

I have only three words for this review.
GARLIC BUTTER SNAILS.
That’s it. That’s all I feel I have to say about this restaurant. Those snails are the reason why I will keep coming back here.
I’ve been to Lucky Tsotsi twice and for some reason, the food (aside from the garlic butter snails) weren’t as tasty as before. Somehow I feel as if I had «new cuisine goggles» (that feeling that everything is just oh-​so-​good because I haven’t had South African food before) my first time here. Despite that I’ll still rate them five stars, mainly because of the snails, but also because they’re unique and funky and not too expensive. All in all, a great place to go to if you’re sick of the standard Asian or pub fare.

Amazing authentic South African food. Great atmosphere not too pricey. Pic enjoyed the awesome nostalgic Namibian beer.

Everything we were looking for and more. Relaxed atmosphere, friendly staff. Had the peri-​peri chicken livers to start and the bunny chow. Very tasty! Bunny was literally served in a bun and not the traditional ½ or ¼ loaf, but still more than enough food with the starter. My wife had the garlic snails and pork ribs… Both delicious. Good selection of imported beers. Nice detailed website to check out before you go.

A huge thank you to Unilocal for helping me discover this place! I went here for my birthday dinner and was really impressed by the food and the service. This is a cozy li’l bar that has really cool décor. Service was really friendly, with empty bottles of water being promptly replaced and dishes being cleared right away.
We ordered:
— garlic snails
— prawns
— chicken wings
— ½ Mozambique chicken
— pork ribs
— samoosas
All of it was good!!! Though if I had to pick a top 3 it would be the garlic snails, chicken wings, and pork ribs. The garlic snails were swimming in this herb/​oil mixture that sooo tasty. Even after we’d gobbled up all the snails we couldn’t stop dipping our bread in the remaining oil.
I’m a sucker for chicken wings, and while the chicken wings weren’t exactly buffalo wings they were still really good. The marinade was really yummy and the chicken wings were pretty juicy with a flavory skin.
Pork ribs were a good deal, too. Probably my 2^nd favorite ribs in Sydney. My mom commented that they reminded her of the ribs in Phil’s (San Diego).

Cocktails are amazing!

Super good Super good Super good.
Pretty much just what you looking for from a South African restaurant.
the menu is simple but they have just what you need. They have local beers, free sweets at the bar too.
Their meat is great and very very well cooked. I’ve had loads of friends go back again and again here.
they have a foursquare special too and you really just feel relaxed and looked after here.

This is the place to come to for a taste of the South African townships. From the décor featuring clocks made of beer signs to the menu featuring a mix of Indian Durban, Cape (town) Malay, and Dutch Afrikaner, you’re transported. Spicy flavours and fresh ingredients with some outstanding dishes such as the Bunny Chow (curry served in a hollowed out mini bread loaf) Peri Peri prawns cooked to perfection with a softened shell, and melt off the bone ribs in a smoky barbecue style marinade. Wash it down with Wind Hoek beer from Namibia to complete the experience. A busy place on Saturday night, make sure you get in early or have some drinks at the bar before you’re seated. Great atmosphere!

Comin’ atcha from outta heart o’ darkness! Know what a shebeen is?
I didn’t either, but thanks to Lucky Tsotsi I do now. And I love the idea. Oh sure, love is such a strong word, but in this case I feel it’s warranted. You’ll see why shortly. So shebeens are unlicensed bars that crop up in African townships. Anything even remotely associated with sedition is automatically cool in my book (probably stems from my anti-​establishment phase as a dyed-​in-​the-​mohawk punk in in the 70’s), but these even more so, as they’re hotbeds for drinking, ideas and conversations. It’s a magic formula, and Lucky Tsotsi («lucky thief») hits it right out of the ball park.
The drinks: there’s Castle beer from Seth Effrica, Namibian Windhoek, Savanna Cider with the best bottle design in the history of good bottle design, and shooters like the African Apple and Sowetan Long Drop. On opening night the barmen were fixing up an African margarita and a twist on the caprioska featuring a Kenyan-​inspired (I think) ‘dour’, a wooden stick smothered in honey that sweetens the cocktail as you drink. Sound epic? It was. I literally could not stop drinking them.
The food is designed to share. Think fall-​off-​the-​bone Meneer spare ribs, butterflied prawns smothered in peri peri, Durban-​style samosas, samp & beans and the brilliantly-​named Lekker Chakalaka.
This ain’t a simple theme bar compadres. Far from it. Get ready to east drink, chortle, conspire, meet people & make friends. It’s the kinda joint you’ll always come away with stories. Make sure to say hullo to Oscar, the owner. Dude’s a legend, funniest bloke this side of Capetown.