Melville is Johannesburg's most bohemian suburb, centred on the bars, restaurants, and record shops of 7th Street. It has a distinctly different character from the polished northern suburbs — scruffier, more independent, more likely to have live music on a Tuesday night. Artists, writers, and academics are drawn here partly by its general atmosphere and partly by proximity to the University of the Witwatersrand, which is just to the east.
The suburb sits on a kopje (a rocky hill, the characteristic landform of the Highveld) and has some of the best residential views in the city — the lights of Johannesburg spread out below on clear nights. The streets are more walkable than most of the city, though you should still be aware of your surroundings in the evenings. 7th Street is the main strip for eating and drinking: a range of independent restaurants, a few vinyl record shops, and bars that tend to stay open late and attract a mixed, local crowd. It is one of the few parts of Johannesburg that feels like it has a genuine street life.