4 days ago
Chasing sunsets in the city with Rosebank's Mexican-style cocktail restaurant Ocaso
Johannesburg offers no shortage of upscale restaurants and cocktail lounges with delectable food, tasty drinks and a warm atmosphere.
Rosebank's Ocaso is no different - with a tinge of its own special flair.
Step into a taste of Mexico with a South African touch
The Mexican-style restaurant and cocktail lounge has opened its doors on the steps of the growing lifestyle cluster the Oxford Parks, encompassing diners with a soft ambience of light, earth tones, leafy backdrops and bohemian rope-style chandeliers encapsulating the Spanish-Mexican theme created in partnership with Corona.
Ocaso is located at what was the award-winning chef Luke Dale Roberts' The Shortmarket Club's location after he sold the restaurant to Sandton restaurant Greenhouse owners Daniel Rismani, Ben Stanger and Luke Dakers, who fused The Shortmarket Club's kitchen with Greenhouse.
Thus, with The Shortmarket Club's location available and developed by seasoned restaurateur Heinz Rynners, Ocaso was born.
Co-founding the warm and inviting cocktail lounge at just 21 years old, Daniel shares with TRUELOVE the vision behind Ocaso.
'Ocaso means 'sunset', so we have a gong here every time the sunset hits. We hit the gong, and the vibe changes to a more up-tempo sort of vibe, that's why we have a DJ here. Now it's 16:00, the music turns up and, ja, so that's the sort of vibe you're going for. Obviously, our menu and our cocktails tie into [the] sunset, ocaso, Spanish-Mexican cuisine,' Daniel explains.
He adds, 'It's very particular and specific. We try to do that in every single little detail ... From the cocktails, to the decor, to the name, to the gong strike, to the volume. We have timers on the master, so at 16:00 [the music] turns up.'
Wednesdays will have famed music group Mi Casa's trumpeter Mo-T easing in the sunset for smooth lunch and after-work vibes, while weekends will see amapiano, hip hop and R&B DJs transforming the space into an upbeat lounge venue.
Careful curation is at the heart of Ocaso
It wouldn't be a successful eatery and cocktail lounge without a carefully curated and specific menu of Spanish and Mexican-inspired cuisine with a South African twist.
A unique tableside-made guacamole experience shows off just how fresh every dish is. Starter dishes, coupled with fresh pico de gallo and salmon ceviche, are accompanied by expertly seasoned tortilla chips, showcasing just how intentional every bit of seasoning and fresh ingredients are.
Ocaso makes for a relaxed venue to dine, whether with a group of friends, for a quick drink at the bar or for a date night overlooking the Johannesburg sunset.
There's something for everyone to enjoy. Health nuts will enjoy a peach and kale salad with a hint of citrus salad, and if that doesn't offer much appeal, meat platters of seared steak and lamb chops, chicken pieces and corn ribs are perfect for sharing.
Mini taco boards range in flavours from slow-cooked beef birria with a thick beef consomé, lamb, tuna, chicken and pork tacos and speciality cocktails that cater for every taste. While the drinks' pricelist lies on the steeper side with speciality cocktails going to the over-R200 mark, the food menu offers healthy portions that will fill up your belly and won't break the bank.
Described as 'Corona's spiritual home in South Africa,' Ocaso will host summer-time events leading up to the anticipated Corona Sunset festivals.
Daniel shares how Ocaso's founders have traversed every Mexican-style grillhouse, bar, restaurant and lounge across the city to curate a considered food and cocktail menu to feast on.
'A lot of the dishes we have on the menu are from TikTok, actually, and some of the drinks too. So, ja, it's the new age. The cocktails I was from A to Z, I was involved in the cocktails,' Daniel says.
