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ABOUT US
The Radium Beerhall is the oldest surviving bar and grill in Johannesburg, with a genuinely historic ambience that's just as enticing as the good food on the menu; as authentic as the foot-tapping live jazz that makes the embossed tin ceiling vibrate in sympathy. The walls are covered in memorabilia, from photos of pre-war soccer teams and jazzmen who have played there, to vintage posters and press clippings that record the Radium's history.
Opened as a tearoom by the Khalil family in 1929, the Radium had a double life as a shebeen. It sold liquor to black customers who were barred from drinking "white man's booze" in that day and age. After 13 years, a wine and malt licence was acquired and the Radium Tearoom became the Radium Beerhall. The ancient scarred bar, which is now more than 100 years old, was rescued from the demolition of the Ferreirastown Hotel. During the 1922 Rebellion on the Reef, striking miners were egged on by passionate speeches delivered by a fiery female activist who stood on that very bar, brandishing the weapon which got her the nickname "Pick Handle Mary."
In 1944, Joe Barbarovich -- one of the players in the Thirties soccer photos on the Radium's walls -- took over the wine and malt licence. The Radium began to develop a legendary reputation; it was a community pub, an Orange Grove landmark at the corner of Louis Botha and Ninth St. Many tales are told of this era, about the exploits of eccentric customers and obstreporous barmen.
GALLERY
     
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