The winners are in

The winners of the 2026 702 Gauteng's Greatest Awards were announced live on air throughout 6 October. 115 finalists, 23 categories, and one clear takeaway: Gauteng really showed up for the independent businesses it loves.

Yoco sponsored this year's awards and picked one category ourselves: the Yoco Choice Award, which went to &Fries, a retro-style burger joint in Soweto that reopened a month after a car crashed through its shopfront.

Here’s the full list, along with the story behind our pick.

23 categories, one big night on air

702 Gauteng's Greatest is an annual campaign from Talk Radio 702, with Yoco on board as headline sponsor this year. The public nominates and votes for their favourite independent businesses across 23 categories, from coffee shops to mechanics.

Nominations closed on 15 September, finalists were announced a week later, and the winners were read out live on air yesterday, 6 October — 115 finalists in total, across all 23 categories, plus two discretionary picks: 702's own Station's Choice and the Yoco Choice Award, which we select ourselves rather than put to a public vote.

Every category, every winner

Put it all together and the winners read like the perfect weekend in Gauteng.

Category by category, for Independent…

• Art Gallery — The Viewing Room Art Gallery, Pretoria

• Bakery/Deli — Something Nice, Roodepoort (Yoco merchant)

• Beauty Salon — Azania Hair Boutique, Alberton

• Bicycle Shop — Cycle Mania, Pretoria (Yoco merchant)

• Book Shop — The Book Keeper Shop, Pretoria East (Yoco merchant)

• Brunch Location — Grumpy's Café, Edenvale

• Burger Joint — Bev's Burgers, Randburg (Yoco merchant)

• Car Wash — Prime Auto Spa, Edenvale

• Chisa Nyama (Shisanyama) — HungoverBoksburg, Boksburg

• Coffee Shop — Alostro Coffee Club, Sandton (Yoco merchant)

• Date Night Restaurant — Lumo Lounge, Roodepoort (Yoco merchant)

• Drinks Spot — The View Rooftop Bar, Pretoria

• Family Restaurant — Mike's Heritage House, Parktown

• Fashion Designer — Thula Sindi, Klerksdorp

• Food and Craft Market — Rosebank Market, Rosebank (Yoco merchant)

• Hairdresser/Barber — Silvester Icut, Pretoria (Yoco merchant)

• Kids Party Place — MaxFun, Bruma

• Laundromat/Drycleaner — Washing Zone, Melrose

• Pet Friendly Restaurant — 4 Ways Farmers' Market, Modderfontein

• Pizza Place — Cheese Louise, Pretoria (Yoco merchant)

• Steakhouse — The Blockman, Parkhurst

• Takeaway — The Kitchen of Oz, Emmarentia (Yoco merchant)

• Wedding Venue — Inimitable Wedding Venue, Muldersdrift

Our pick: &Fries

&Fries — Mofolo South, Soweto

Lwazi Madonsela opened &Fries in March this year, a retro-style burger joint built on one pet peeve: paying extra for chips. So at &Fries, the fries come with every burger. Hence the name. The thought shows everywhere — the cheeky branding, the bright red shopfront, the diner feel inside, brioche buns freshly baked on-site, and even the gherkins pickled in-house.

Months after opening, a reckless driver crashed through their shopfront. &Fries didn't stop trading. They moved into a food truck, kept serving their customers, and reopened a month later with help from the neighbourhood and supporters around the country. That's why we had to pick them: a young business still finding its feet, that refused to close when faced with every reason to, backed by a community that showed up again and again.

This is bigger than a trophy

A huge congratulations to every finalist and winner. These independent businesses create jobs and hold our communities together. Every business on this list built something without a franchise playbook, a head office or someone else's rules to follow. They aren't small, and neither is their impact. We're proud that nearly half of this year's winners, and more than a third of all finalists, run their businesses on Yoco.

Gauteng's Greatest choose Yoco to sell, run and grow their businesses, and we're proud to grow with them. Yoco is the all-in-one commerce platform built for independent businesses, and since 2015 it has helped over 200 000 independent operators build the businesses they love.

Go meet them yourself

Want to see the rest of the list, or find a new favourite near you? Visit the official 702 Gauteng's Greatest site for every category and this year's winners.