I’m not going to beat around the bush. I have been a regular punter in Hatfield for the past 14 years. Call me old-fashioned if you want to but Hatfield still offers some of the best live music gigs in Pretoria & debatably the cheapest booze in Gauteng. And I absolutely love the vibe there.
I might be 33 years old, but I’m still young at heart. I’m not the kind of person who likes to pay R32 for a double Brandy & Coke at a pub / club in Pretoria East if I can get it for half the price in Hatfield. And I do know quite a few people working there. Some of them have been around since the late 1990s. Maybe I don’t want to grow up or move on, but I don’t think that’s the case. I still love it.
I’ve decided to make a list about being a regular, please feel free to comment and expand on this list.
You know you’re a Hatfield regular when:
- you refer to Drop Zone as “Mordor” or “Droppas”.
- you greet at least half the bar men / bar ladies working in Drop Zone / Herr Gunters / OppiSquare / Cheeky Monkey / Aandklas.
- you know exactly what a Chicken Surprise is at Vetkoek Maleis.
- you know who everyone is talking about when they refer to “the cigar lady”.
- you don’t find spontaneous table dancing at Aandklas strange or odd.
- you know the ingredients and taste of a Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster / Cheeky Ice Tea at Cheeky Monkey out of the back of your mind.
- you know where someone wants to go when they refer to the “Afternoon Cocktail special”.
- you know what the terms “Oom Wors” and “Tannie Wors” refers to.
- you know exactly what “Lets Go Upstairs” means when you are in Hatfield.
- you order brandy & coke at the bar referring to it as “A brandy special”.
- you laugh at people from Johannesburg / Cape Town / Durban who are claiming to be experts on pub crawling.
- you give your liver a pep talk before a huge rugby match / concert.
- you’ve been to multiple TUKS FM New Years Eve parties.
- you know what a “jam jar” is.
I’m sure that there could be more things added to this list. If you are a regular in Hatfield, please comment on this post. Feedback is appreciated.
Watch this space for updates in the Opinion category on Running Wolf’s Rant.
7 Comments
Spontaneous table dancing at Aandklas…wow that takes me back to when I worked in Hatfield. Jan, one of the owners, used to work with us and resigned to open Aandklas. It wasn’t long before we even saw spontaneously broken tables from all the dancing.
Brady: Thanks for the comment. I remember Aandklas’ early days. I was actually asked to stop changing the music on one occasion 😛
You know you’re a regular when…
You nod at the droppas DJ and he plays a tune you like.
You’ve left Droppas last. Stone cold last.
You’re not afraid to walk-of-shame into the club with your young daughter on your hip and ask for your lost car keys back.
You’ve managed to rip off a car guard while he was trying to pick pocket you…
Oh dear, best stop there.
Shaun: Thanks for the comment. Have you seen the lost & found in the Hatfield Square parking lot? Insane 😛
Hi there,
I’ve never been to Hatfield, but I believe my other half used to spend considerable time there. Would you mind taking the time to share the recipe for the cocktail you mentioned (pan galactic gargle blaster) so I can surprise her with one.
Cheers from Sheffield, UK
I somehow never got the recipes for the cheeky monkey ice tea or the pan galactic. Please, please, please share the ingredients.
I’m also looking for that one, that was an evil cocktail…