When I noticed visitors to Serge the Concierge coming from Brooklyn…South Africa…I was surprised, wondered if it was all a mistake.
Being so close to New York City, in my mind there could be only one Brooklyn.
It is still not quite clear to me if this Brooklyn is a separate town or just a suburb of Pretoria.
Forgive my ignorance!
I also discovered Mugg & Bean which seems to be the South African IHOP.
Their Customer Reviews on Food 24 go from ‘good value’ to ‘horrible’, some go as far as calling the place ‘Bugg and Mean’.
I did not realize until today that South Africans could express their opinions with such ‘honesty’.
Anyone with positive information and travel tips on Brooklyn, South Africa…spill the beans!
Most recent South African stories: Celebrating Bastille Day and A meatless barbecue
As a native from Brooklyn, Pretoria – now living in Afghanistan, I can certainly try to shed some light on this older suburb of the Jacaranda City. Brooklyn is situated between the posh Waterkloof neighborhood and the student town of Hatfield (home of the University of Pretoria). Characterized by it’s tree-lined streets it boasts mainly older (as old as early 1900s) home on large plots, now of course surrounded by high walls, fences and with alarm systems.
The suburb is a peaceful area with old trees that touch the tops across most of the streets. Its placement is idea, close enough (5 mins) from the major highways, and shopping meccas such as Brooklyn Mall as well as Menlyn Center, it brings old-world charm with modern day convenience.
Home prices have sky rocketed mainly due to its close proximity to the university and the excellent high schools in Pretoria including both the English and Afrikaans boys and girls high schools.
On the Mugg & Bean issue – it’s basically a Starbucks with an extended menu and a very mean “death by chocolate” cake. The comparison to iHop (I lived in the States for six years) is completely inaccurate, it is much more “classy” and not at all cafeteria-like in the iHop style. You mainly find Mugg & Bean outlets inside malls, not strip malls like iHop, or on popular outdoor dining squares and the like.
Brooklyn boasts a number of good B&Bs and would be an excellent place to be based if you were visiting Pretoria, the capital of South Africa. The city boasts a myriad of excellent restaurants and other night-time venues for your enjoyment.
Hope this clears some of the questions about Brooklyn, Pretoria. To give a comparison with something in the US, if you are familiar with Los Angeles, it would be like Westwood.
Cheers
Susan