Tashas takes a taste of Mzansi to London

“If you can make it there, you'll make it anywhere; it's up to you….”

Ol’ blue eyes, Frank Sinatra, may have been singing about the Big Apple, but for restaurateur Natasha Sideris it was London — not New York — that captured her imagination when it came to expanding her much-loved chain of Tashas cafe-style eateries.

It’s been almost 20 years since the first Tashas cafe opened in Johannesburg, but fast-forward to 2024 and you’ll find Tashas cafes across six cities on three continents.

“The UK has such an unbelievable and vibrant food scene and culture of dining out,” says Sideris. “As a restaurateur, it has always been a dream to open here.”

That dream came to life late last year in one of the British capital’s most energetic urban precincts, with the opening of Tashas’ first-ever English outpost, in the rejuvenated industrial precinct of Battersea.

The heart of Battersea is the iconic, four-chimneyed power station that dates back a century and has been featured everywhere from Batman movies to the cover of a Pink Floyd album. After a restoration and rejuvenation that took almost a decade (not to mention nearly two-million bespoke bricks), the Battersea Power Station unveiled a brave new world of urban living in and around one of the world’s architectural icons. And right on the doorstep is Tashas Battersea.

“Before coming to the UK, I wanted to prove that we could open in markets outside SA. Thankfully, we have done that very well, so the timing seems right to expand,” says Sideris. “The next step was to find the perfect location. When we looked at the Battersea Power Station development, I realised it was time to make this dream happen.”

And in many ways, Battersea has proven to be the ideal locale for a Tashas.

“We like to have both residential neighbourhoods and businesses close by. The Battersea Power Station has both and it attracts tourists as well,” adds Sideris. “Battersea is a beautiful precinct and less competitive than the rest of London. I think all of the other areas we’d like to go to — Marylebone, the high streets, Chelsea, Mayfair and those types of areas — are pretty saturated. As a new and developing area, it seemed like the right place for our first location in London.”

To sweeten the deal, it’s alongside the biggest Zara in London, and right at the entrance of the power station. Wander up from the new underground station and you can’t help but be drawn inside.

While the surrounding precinct is thoroughly global — apartments by Frank Gehry, outdoor roof gardens by Foster+Partners and the first Art’Otel in London — a 164-room charmer overlooking the iconic chimneys — step through the doors and you’ll feel right at home.

For starters, look up: there’s the same hand-embossed paper installation from artist Elonah O’Neil that will evoke a nostalgia for the original Tashas cafe that opened in Atholl in Johannesburg in 2005. There are elegant screed walls and tiled floors, an abundance of greenery and a warm “howzit” from affable general manager Allan Moita, who used to operate the Canal Walk branch in Cape Town.

Take a seat — the booths near the widows are best for views of the power station — and you’ll discover a menu of global ambition but with proudly SA roots. 

There’s an upmarket take on a “braai broodjie”, here with Parmesan, cheddar and mozzarella. Order a side salad — the Greek is excellent — to make it a meal. The prawn pasta with Tashas’ signature prego sauce, stracciatella and toasted breadcrumbs has become something of a TikTok sensation, while the Cape Malay curry channels authentic Bo-Kaap flavours. Savva’s chicken pasta — grilled strips with wild mushrooms — has long been a favourite, and has become a hit in London too.

“The menu is significantly smaller than that found in SA,” says Sideris. “But it still retains the heart of what we are known for — fresh food, made on order, with the best-quality ingredients.”

Another tweak: there’s a dollop of London glam to the dining experience, from the stylish stemware and elegant crockery to the addition of a cocktail menu offering both boozy and nonalcoholic options.

Cheekily titled, simply, ‘“Booze,” the drinks list also revels in some of SA’s best-loved names. Wines come from the likes of Ken Forrester and Dornier. There’s Cap Classique from Mr bubbles himself, Pieter Ferreira, alongside artisan gins from Inverroche in the southern Cape. Homesick Saffas longing for a Savanna can even indulge in that here.

Amid the buzz of the Battersea bustle, Sideris has crafted a beautiful balancing act, retaining all the warmth and soul of her much-loved SA cafes while infusing the experience with a global aesthetic. Old Frank would be pleased.