Durban Burger Joints

Durban is spoilt for choice with craft beer and burger bars. I've visited two of them and let me say this now... I am not going to choose between the two! I loved them both :)

Republik in Durban North

What striked me from the start at Republik was how warm the initial reception was as well as the overall friendliness of the staff. I felt comfortable from the start which is great for their business because then I can easily eat, drink and be merry!
 
They've got ample seating inside and outside. Both times I've visited we sat on the veranda. Perks of the forever summer here in Durban :)
 
 

Hello Republik

 

 
Now they have a big selection of beers. Familiar ones I recognised from Cape Town was CBC, Darling brew and Devils peak. My tasting companion (now Husband yay) enjoys Weiss beers and ordered the CBC Amber Weiss (twice haha)! It is an old favourite which did not disappoint.  Other beer variants available are ales such as the Van Hunk pumkin ale, largers such as the Jack Black Larger and pilsners.
 

Cheers!

 

Now I am not a beer fan but what made me very happy was their bubbly selection that ranged between R35-R38/glass . Now this can be very dangerous in my case because I LOVE bubbles. I enjoyed a glass of the Miss  Molly and the L'Ormarins and don't think I will ever order anything other than this when I visit them!

They've got a great red and white wine selection and all wines are available by the glass or bottle. I love this because I often want to start my evening with a glass of white and switch to a glass of red wine when I enjoy my food! Some of my favourite wine farms from Stellenbosch namely Brennaisance and Warwick feature which helped with some of the "missing home sadness"!

Now lets get to the great part- the food! When you visit Republik you have to eat a burger. Yes there is a salad option and chicken strips but you will miss out on the best.
 
There are a few steps you follow when your order:
Step 1 Choose your base: Bun, non-bun or a large garlic grilled Portobello mushroom(my favourite)
Step 2 Choose your patty: Chicken, beef, lamb, vegetarian or ostrich?
Step 3 Choose your burger toppings from the black board. They have a big variety of toppings ranging from caramelised onions to different types of cheeses. It's difficult not to go overboard!
Step 4 Choose your sides : Zucchini, truffle or shoestring fries.



Below: Beef burger served on a Portobello mushroom  with zucini fries




Top right: Chicken burger with shoestring fries


I always choose the Portobello mushroom beef burger with zucchini fries and just change the toppings to keep things interesting. It's delicious! You really don't need a bun to enjoy a burger. My tasting companion begs to differ though :)
 
Flip over the menu and be tempted by milkshakes and sweet desserts such as churros served with barone and a milky bar sauce. Now I recently enjoyed churros in Barcelona and they were more light and airy than those from Republik but is still delicious dough dusted with cinnamon sugar that can be smothered with chocolate sauce? We does not enjoy that!
 


Chocolaty churros!

 
As you can see from the above you are in for a good time at republic. Visit them for a date or as a big group. They cater for both!
 

Inside Republik

 

 

Contact them at 031 573 1429 or info@republik.co.za
Visit them at Unit 8 Broadyway, Durban North
Like them on Facebook
Follow them on Instagram
Tweet them @republikdbn

Unity bar in Musgrave

We popped into Unity bar after work in the middle of the week. It was relatively quiet when we were there  so I can't comment on atmosphere but friends who have been there on a Friday evening said it was awesome.
 

Welcome to Unity

 

Unity has a more extensive menu compared to Republik. It is ideal for post-work drinks because of their variety of appetisers.  If you are interested in a few you can make up a plank. 3 appetisers for R160, 4 for R295 and 5 for R235. Choose between dishes such as salt&pepper squid, jalepeno poppers,  spinach& feta samosas and much more.
 
They also serve curries and bunnies ranging between R42-R105.
 
We however opted for the good old burger and boy were they good. I enjoyed the Mexican which is a beef burger topped with cheddar, guacamole, sour cream, jalapenos and tomato salsa(R95). It's a mouth full but delicious. The jalapenos is a great break between the creaminess of the cheese, guacamole and sour cream.  My husband enjoyed the classic bacon, avo and feta burger(R85).
 

They are not stingy with their toppings!

Dessert looked appealing. Think homemade beer and honey ice cream served with peanut butter brittle and a chocolate dipped sugar cone(R45) or a pecan & white chocolate brownie served with ice-cream(R55). Unfortunately the burger was too good and we had to skip dessert but we will be back. Unity praises itself that they shop and support local with a low carbon footprint as the result .

Drink wise I had a mojito which I did not enjoy. It was not sweet enough. My husband had a pale ale named "That Blonde" which was perfect for him after  a long day of work.
 

The beer was a hit!

 


Visit them at   117 Silvertone road, Durban
Contact them at 031 201 3470
For more information visit their website
Like them on Facebook

So both places have beer and burgers. Both are awesome. I would leave it up to you to decide which is better! For me, I just make turns between the two :)

 

Other beer & burger bars on the list:

 

Rocomamas

Surf Riders Food Shack

Dropkick Murphy's

Union Square

S43

 

Hello, again

Wow, I can't believe it has been 8 months since I blogged. The last 8 months have been jam-packed with change. Last year I completed my final year of medicine and qualified as a doctor. In that time I was also anxiously waiting to be placed somewhere for my two years of internship. Needless to say after being third rounded, crying a lot and feeling hopeless I was placed in Durban.

I've never been to Durban. Funnily enough after one of my final year exams last year April I visited Umhlanga with my mom for 5 days. We did not venture to Durban at all. I think life was already prepping me and showing me signs for my future that awaited me.

At the end of November I was placed in Durban for my internship. I was scared yet excited. I was about to enter 100% uncertainty. Luckily I was joined by my then fiancé. God was good for us and within a week he also obtained a job in Durban.

Shortly after Christmas we made the big move to Durban. I remember driving through the Marrionhill tollgate thinking to myself... "What are we letting our self into? Unknown place, unknown people and away from our comfort zone??"

We moved into a flat in Morningside. Our first life lesson was learnt here. Don't make any property decision to quick. We move into a tiny flat with only one parking thinking to ourselves that we will definitely find some extra parking to rent in our complex. The following morning our one car was stolen.

We were gobsmacked. How could this happen to us? We left everything and everyone that was important to us. How could we be punished like this. That was where I learned how important your attitude is for your our own sanity.

I started working the 1st of January. Started my job with a first through the night call. I left work the following day at 17:00 thinking to myself this cannot be life?

After the car incident we decided to move. Luckily we found a place fairly quickly we could move into the following month. We were still under contract at our previous flat but the owner was very kind and told us as long as someone new will move in there wont be a problem. No one was interested in the flat initially and we did not feel pressured to move thinking we will pay double rent for maybe a month. To our surprise,  on a Thursday evening, were told to be out of our flat the Sunday. I was on call the entire weekend and we could only move into our new place the following week. Needless to say a lot happened that Thursday evening :) Our troublesome path however has been packed full of guardian angels and a family friend helped us move and store our belongings with a days notice.

We had awesome friends and family who supported us through this all. In between all of this we were also busy planning our wedding for April. Life was very busy.

So we moved in February and my mom drove up a new car for my fiancé. She also helped us to unpack our new place. ( Thank you mom)

Our wedding was getting close, work was busy but we managed to survive. Then a fire truck drove into our new car, I scratched my old car. This all happened two weeks before our wedding. By that time we just laughed. We refused that any of this will get us down. Yes, it was difficult but also necessary in a way. Life is though but there are worse things happening in the world.

Now at last after four months our luck has turned around. I am married yay! We have adjusted to work, the environment and no "disasters" have occurred  recently.  If they are coming for us we are ready for them :)

We have embraced Durban and all that it has to offer! I can't wait to share it with you!