“All Over the Hands”: Tourist Foodie Tries Unique SA Food Across Joburg and Loses It

• American food creator Mark Wiens visited seven spots across Johannesburg with local food guide Nick Hamman, trying 15 different dishes
• The food trail covered some of Joburg's most historic and culturally rich eating spots
• South Africans flooded the comments with pride, nostalgia, and a few opinions about which spots deserved a visit

American food creator Mark Wiens, who travels the world reviewing food full-time, teamed up with South African food creator Nick Hamman for a Johannesburg food crawl. The review was shared on 16 March 2026 on the @trying_south_african TikTok page. The gentlemen tried the best food Joburg had to offer, hitting seven spots and trying 15 different dishes in one day.

Their first stop was Solly's Corner in Fordsburg, a spot with over 60 years of history that locals call the University of Fish and Chips. Here they tried the famous parcel, a Joburg fast food special made from slap chips, fried fish, Viennas, Russian sausages, masala spice, vinegar and gravy, all wrapped together. They also tried the Nick Hamman, a towering toasted sandwich.

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From there, they headed to Oriental Plaza, built in the 1970s. Despite that dark history of the spot, the Plaza is now home to some of Joburg's most beloved food spots. This included a kitchenware shop with a hidden masala cappuccino bar at the back that has been open for 60 years. Next was Harry's Cafe and their legendary mutton masala toasted sandwich, with mutton that had been cooking for six hours. At Alhamra, they tried the famous chicken tikka and buttered naan.

They then hit a spot serving the Rounder, a towering circular bun packed with minced steak, burger patty, chips and three different sauces. In Alexandra township, they ate peri-peri chicken grilled over fire. The day ended with cow heels, mopane worms and pap from a vendor cooking food from the northern parts of South Africa near Limpopo and the Zimbabwean border.

Watch the TikTok clip below:

SA gets excited for the Joburg food crawl

Mzansi had a lot to say in TikToker @trying_south_african's clip:

@moezzyyy wrote:

"They really found us 😂❤️"

@vinolia moabelo532 said:

"Nick is the GOAT of food blogging."

@Sammy🇿🇦 added:

"This guy respects all cultures and their food ❤️"

@Lue🇧🇼🇿🇦🇬🇧🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 wrote:

"I'm salivating. Missing home food."

@halima moolla said:

"Alhamra chicken tikka, the best ever."

@Robyn-Lee added:

"Nothing beats slap chips 🤤"

@Blondie wrote:

"South Africa has the BEST food!"

@Patti Blueh noted:

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"In Cape Town, a parcel is fish and chips."

@Bragga Tha Dad warned:

"Give it about ten hours. Even baby wipes will feel like sandpaper 😶‍🌫️"

@Jax suggested:

"Next time at Solly's, try a hot dog special ❤️🔥"

More on SA food winning over everyone

• Briefly News recently reported on three Australian tourists who ordered everything on the menu at a one-woman South African Indian restaurant.
• An American tourist gave a thorough review of traditional South African food during her visit.
• A Joburg food creator said she finally got the Chinese food she had been looking for in Mzansi.

Source: Briefly News