The Wild Side Restaurant — Restaurant in Gauteng

The Wild Side was unfortunately a disappointment.

Let’s start with the positives: Super cool venue, with quirky decor - great if you want some cool social media posts. So if this is up your alley, you’ll get great photos. The fillet steak I had was delicious We arrived during load shedding, but there was candle lighting and the music was still somehow going. Well done for maintaining a vibe during loadshedding, it’s tough for any business but especially restaurants

The negatives: The waitron spoke so softly, it was difficult to hear them over the music When I asked what was Gluten Free (GF) on the menu, it was clear the waitron didn’t know - staff NEED to be educated about food allergies! They directed my attention to the vegan meals. Vegan meals are not necessarily GF, so I asked them to check. On the waitrons return, they didn’t seem to have any clarity on which meals were GF and again pointed out the vegan options. I then asked specifically if the filet was GF and they said yes. When the fillet arrived, I was told “I think the sauce might have gluten in it”. That’s not helpful, as there’s zero certainty and it’s too late once my meal arrives at the table. The waitron spilt most of a tonic after opening it on the table (not their fault that it was very fizzy) but drinks should be opened away from customers and it would have been appropriate to offer to replace it. The waitron made a small attempt to clean up the mess but the table was so wet and sticky, that I eventually had to go wash my hands and request serviettes to dry the tablecloth, all the menus and whatever personal belongings were on the table. The waitron’s service was poor, and I would have mentioned this to a manager - had one actually come to our table to check how our evening was going.

In conclusion, it’s a cool venue decor wise but I won’t...

False advertising and noise disturbance — not really a restaurant!

I live nearby and wanted to support local businesses, so I decided to check out this place, which advertises itself as a restaurant. However, after visiting (and several nights of trying to sleep), it’s clear that it turns into a nightclub after hours — with loud music, large crowds, and noise continuing late into the night and that with an retirement village as their neighbours, how disrespectful!

This wouldn’t be such a problem if it were properly licensed and transparent about what it actually is, but it seems to be operating without the appropriate permits for a nightlife venue. It’s misleading to call this a “restaurant” when it mainly functions as a club after dark. And it can be an amazing restaurant!

I hope the owners will address this and be honest about their business type and a bit more respectful towards the neighbours responsible for upkeeping the area they operate in, or that the relevant authorities will look into their licensing situation. It’s frustrating for local residents who just want some peace and...

Even though residents of Craighall have pleaded with the owner Yanky to cease playing loud music both him and the owner of the property continue with DJ events at the Wildside on weekends. These are in contravention of the current zoning permissions.

The CRA's objective remains clear: residents oppose Wildside Café’s application for a “place of amusement” licence, which would legitimise the current nightclub-like activities. This was made clear in the objection and corroborated in the over 100 objections made by residents.

This is not an attempt to close down the café; rather, residents want it to operate as a responsible restaurant, coexisting peacefully with the residents, as it did in its first year of operation.

Nightclubs do not belong in any residential suburb. The interests and well-being of residents and ratepayers must take precedence. Claims that the objection actions to loud music would lead to job losses are irrelevant to our stance, as residents are not pushing for closure—only for lawful and respectful...