Pret A Manger lands in South Africa. Is it worth the hype?

Anyone who’s spent even a tiny amount of time in London since 1986 will have had a Pret A Manger sandwich. It’s hard to avoid, given its prevalence on every high street and at every train station or airport.

This takeaway sandwich joint holds special appeal for the South Africans counting their rands. Pret isn’t the cheapest, but on our currency, a chicken mayo sandwich and a flat white in pounds is just palatable. Like a fancy meal out in Cape Town, really.

Post-Covid, the brand has embarked on a massive international expansion drive. It opened 81 shops outside of the UK in 2023 and reckons that £1 in every £4 comes from international stores. For the first time, it’s hit £1bn in revenue.

Now it’s South Africa’s turn, thanks to the Millat Group, which has the rights to the brand locally. The sandwich store has just opened its first spot in Joburg – at Melrose Arch. In the spirit of research, we flitted down to the space to have lunch (which we paid for ourselves). Here’s what we make of it.

The vibe

Standard Pret stuff. Blonde wood, maroon branding, a counter where you order drinks and pay, and the all-important fridge full of preprepared stuff. There are a handful of tables inside and a few more outside. You could sit and take your time over a meal, but it’s mostly an in-and-out kind of place.

The staff

Classic Joburg hospitality – friendly, switched-on cashiers and a manager walking around making sure customers are happy. We’d say that it beats the UK offering, but the last London Pret we were in (in 2024) was staffed by a cool bunch of young foreigners, amazingly still there after Brexit – so even-stevens.

The offering

There’s obviously a base global standard for what the brand offers. South Africa has rolled out a solid version of this, so you can expect the classics, like an egg mayo sandwich, a falafel and halloumi hot wrap, or a chef’s Italian chicken salad, which you’d get overseas. Here, there’s a smoked trout sarmie (cheaper in South Africa); in the UK, it’s salmon.

There are also protein pots, little breakfasts and desserts, pastries, biscuits, and the usual array of coffees and cold drinks. In the UK, Pret is known for things like seasonal releases, including a Christmas turkey and pork stuffing sandwich bonanza, but our Pret is halal, so presumably the team will adapt that or release other cool specials.

Already uniquely local menu items include a “textures of cauliflower” bowl (very good for the carb-free types, but not cheap at R95), a lekker soetvleis sarmie (R52), and a delicious-sounding cheddar, Pret pickle, tomato and red onion braai broodjie (R55), which you take to the counter to be toasted.

What we thought of our meal

The “textures of cauliflower” bowl was a standout, and the halloumi and falafel wrap (R64) was pretty decent too. Our mum (officially the best egg mayo sandwich crafter in the universe) pronounced that Pret’s version (R49), which also includes cheese, was great – albeit needing seasoning – and the fresh bread got a special shout-out from her.

The chicken salad (R95) was fine and includes lettuce, olives, tomatoes, pistachios, peppers, parmesan and cucumber, though the dressing seemed a bit artificial and sweet. A classic olive oil and balsamic mix would have seemed fresher and more modern.

The mini peppermint crisp dessert (R40) was excellent, as were the espressos (R25).

The comparison

We know we cannot compare the cost of living in London and Joburg, and that our weak currency skews things, but it’s still interesting to note the discrepancy between Pret prices here and there.

An egg mayo sandwich at Pret in London costs £3.70 (roughly R87); here, it will set you back just over half of that. A single espresso there costs a killer £3 (about R70); here, it’s R25.

The actual comparison worth looking at is similar brands in South Africa. We didn’t count the likes of Kauai or Nü, as there you order and they make up items fresh. Our main point of assessment became food retailers that sell preprepared stuff that you can just grab and go – namely Woolworths and Checkers.

Woolies charges R49.99 for an egg mayo on brown bread. That’s 99c more than Pret, but we think the latter’s bread is fresher and less chilly (the Woolies cold chain does what it says on the label). A few Checkers stores sell an equivalent for R29.99, but the emphasis is on “a few”.

Woolies’ to-go salads are cheaper, but as we all know, they are mostly of the pasta variety if they include chicken, so we couldn’t really compare them. Woolies’ peppermint crisp dessert pots cost R2 more than Pret’s.

Woolies also does deli-style daily sandwiches and baguettes, and we think the prices on those are great for what you get. A baguette stuffed with chicken mayo and avo for R60 is good going. But then the Pret versions are R60 too.

Our verdict

As we reminded ourselves while eating in Melrose Arch, we were reviewing a very down-the-line sandwich joint – not a Michelin-starred restaurant. Would we drive all the way there for a quick lunch? No. But would we go four Tube stops for one in London? Also no.

That said, if we were in the area and needed a fast, good bite or coffee, we’d stop by. Likewise, it seems an obvious choice for the many lanyard-wearing workers in the complex. The prices are decent (though the salads are on the pricey side).

We think the success of Pret hinges on passing clientele – especially the corporate types rushing for a fast bite – so it makes sense that it’s going into Rosebank next. The thing is, there are limited instances where we South Africans have this kind of culture, so let’s see how it goes.

_{Top image: Facebook. Images: Sarah and Jo Buitendach.}