Eighth in an occasional blog series called This Is the East, about hidden spots on Johannesburg’s East Rand. This edition features the Deliciously Greek Coffee Shop and Deli, a cheese shop and Greek grocery store/deli in Elandsfontein.

Just before Christmas, I went with some friends to stock up on Italian holiday treats at Cremalat. As we drove through the boom into the Greenhills Industrial Estate (yes, this is Joburg and restaurants/cafés are frequently hidden inside boomed-off industrial complexes), a man handed us a flier that read:

Global Cheese Company
Coffee Shop and Deli
Deliciously Greek
Prices that won't CHEESE you off!

After leaving Cremalat, we had to drive around the block to get out of the complex due to one-way traffic. Around the corner we spotted the source of the mysterious, cheesy flier.

We already had more than enough cheese and other food to take home. But this place was too adorable-looking to pass up so we parked and went inside.

A Deliciously Greek Jozi Oasis

The inside of the deli was delightful and I immediately pulled out my camera, which drew the attention of the owner, Steven Neofitou. Steven, who was also quite delightful, told us he’d just opened eight days before.

The shop was filled with imported packaged goods — mostly from Greece but a few from Italy as well. There were also tons of locally made Greek products and lots of cheese from all over the world.

There was a cheese counter at the back, where Steven was handing out free samples. Our favorites were the blue cheese and the freshly made haloumi.

Steven has been running a business called the Global Cheese Company for years, in which he sells cheese — some local, some imported — to big suppliers. The Deliciously Greek deli is his first retail shop, and behind it is a huge, brand-new cheese factory. Steven showed us around the factory although not much was happening there yet. I imagine it will be a hive of activity once 2020 gets going.

I bought a package of spicy olives, some haloumi, and a few other interesting things. It was all great but the olives were particularly tasty and insanely cheap.

The deli has a coffee bar serving Italian coffee and a couple of tables outside. I can’t wait to go back.

As far as I can tell there is no web site or Facebook page for the Deliciously Greek deli or the Global Cheese Company. Maybe Steven prefers real-life advertising, like the life-sized plastic cow — perched on top of a truck — spotted just outside the industrial estate.

The Deliciously Greek Coffee Shop and Deli is at 442 Martin Crescent Drive in the Greenhills Industrial Complex, Elandsfontein. The shop is open Monday to Saturday from 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Sunday from 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Call 011-822-2791 or 011-822-2804.