Hatfield: Signs that you’re a regular punter

Post Summary: After 14 years as a Hatfield regular, the author celebrates what keeps them coming back: great live music, affordable booze, and vibrant bar culture. They've created a humorous checklist of signs you're a true Hatfield regular, including knowing bar staff, understanding local slang like "Mordor" for Drop Zone, and recognizing iconic drinks and people. The author invites feedback from other regulars to expand the list.

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 punt when:

1. You refer to Drop Zone as “Mordor” or “Droppas”.

2. You greet at least half the bar men / bar ladies working in Drop Zone / Herr Gunters / OppiSquare / Cheeky Monkey / Aandklas.

3. You know exactly what a Chicken Surprise is at Vetkoek Maleis.

3. You know who everyone is talking about when they refer to “the cigar lady”.

4. You don’t find spontaneous table dancing at Aandklas strange or odd.

5. 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.

6. You know where someone wants to go when they refer to the “Afternoon Cocktail special”.

7. You know what the terms “Oom Wors” and “Tannie Wors” refers to.

8. You know exactly what “Lets Go Upstairs” means when you are in Hatfield.

9. You order brandy & coke at the bar referring to it as “A brandy special”.

10. 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.

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