Business

Woman behind Tashas bringing eight new high-end restaurants to South Africa

Bianke Neethling • 4 May 2026

The Tashas Group, which operates the highly successful Tashas restaurant in South Africa, has big plans for its expansion in the country, including eight new brands.

These brands have already proven successful in the group’s international operations, with Tashas now looking to accelerate its expansion in South Africa.

Tashas was started by South African-born Natasha Sideris in 2005, with the first restaurant opening in Atholl, Johannesburg.

Prior to starting Tashas, Sideris had built up years of experience in the hospitality industry, starting from her childhood when she would work at her father’s restaurant, Fishmonger.

The idea for Tashas was born when Sideris noticed a gap in South Africa’s restaurant market for great breakfasts and lunches, served in a relaxed yet classy, contemporary space.

Thus, the Tashas concept was created to combine Sideris’ love for food and hospitality with her passion for beautiful interiors.

The food was made to order using high-quality ingredients, and the cafes were inspired by the elegant, stylish cafés found in Paris, New York, and London.

This concept proved to be a runaway success, with Tashas quickly seeing queues out the door.

Sideris’ success caught the eye of JSE-listed Famous Brands, which acquired a 51% stake in her business, though she later bought it back in 2020.

Tashas continued to expand across South Africa and, in 2024, Sideris took the concept overseas, opening stores in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the UK.

Today, the Tashas Group has 45 locations across these countries, with 22 of those located in South Africa.

These locations include the Tashas brand, as well as other concepts the group has developed over the years, such as Flamingo Room, Avli, Le Parc, and Galaxy Bar.

Le Parc currently has one location in Johannesburg, with three more set to open this year.

The group recently added three new international concepts – Cafe Sofi, Arlecchino and Tashas Home, a retail homewares concept – to its offering in South Africa.

The success of these brands in the local market has inspired the Tashas Group to bring even more of its international concepts to South Africa.

More Tashas concepts coming to South Africa

The Tashas Group said it wants to accelerate its local expansion by introducing a further eight of its internationally developed brands into the market.

“With six concepts already established and a global portfolio of 14 distinctive brands, the group is uniquely positioned to serve a broad spectrum of the hospitality landscape,” the group said.

The group has plans for concepts ranging from casual all-day dining and fast casual to elevated dining, globally recognised bars, and luxury retail.

“The reception of our latest international concepts in South Africa has made us realise that there is market demand for all of our brands,” Sideris said.

“Having the right partners has helped to drive our success locally, and we would like to take the same approach to introducing the rest of our brands to this market.”

Tashas said it is seeking to partner with a select group of experienced operators to introduce its remaining international concepts across South Africa.

The group does not use a traditional franchising model, but rather a a collaborative, turnkey partnership model.

“This involves working closely with partners across every stage of the process – from partner vetting and selection, initial design and brand development to project management, staff training, operational setup and ongoing support,” Sideris explained.

“Rather than providing a static framework, the group remains actively involved in each business, ensuring consistency, quality and long-term success.”

The group said the additional and existing brands set to be introduced into South Africa consist of a curated selection of Tashas Group’s internationally developed concepts across its key categories, including –

The continued growth of existing international concepts, such as Cafe Sofi and Arlecchino
Elevated dining concepts, including Avli, Flamingo Room, Bungalo34 and African Lounge
Fast casual concepts, represented by NALA
The group’s bar portfolio, including Galaxy Bar and Perlage
Retail concepts like Collective Africa and Tashas Home.

“Each of these brands presents exciting opportunities and reflects a distinct expression of our approach to hospitality,” Tashas co-founder and group development director Savva Sideris said.

“We believe there is a strong appetite in South Africa for these concepts, and through the right partnerships, we will be able to bring them to market in a way that maintains our standards while allowing for meaningful local growth.”

The images below, courtesy of the Tashas Group, show its various restaurant and other concepts/brands.