Soya Café opens doors at CBD
Lucy Kgweetsi | Wednesday November 26, 2025 06:00
The launch drew a cross-section of public figures, including Minister of Sports and Arts, Jacob Kelebeng and FNB CEO Steven Bogatsu. There were also other familiar faces from business and cultural circles present at the occassion. Their presence signalled interest in a space positioning itself as a meeting point between relaxed dining and contemporary urban living. The restaurant’s menu leans toward Mediterranean influences, a direction that has been slowly gaining ground locally.
Rather than attempting a grand culinary statement, Soya appears more focused on assembling a set of dishes that highlight variety without overwhelming diners.
During the launch, guests sampled offerings that suggested how the kitchen may interpret this identity going forward.
The Soya house salad opened the tasting with clean, straightforward flavours, setting a tone of simplicity rather than embellishment.
The creamy pesto pasta followed in similar fashion recognisable, familiar, but aiming for steadiness above reinvention.
Brazilian quesadillas introduced a slight detour from the Mediterranean thread, yet they fit within the ambition of giving diners a textural mix.
Peri peri chicken sosatie and steak affettato completed the tasting selection, each leaning into a different idea of comfort food, but both presented with an eye toward balance rather than excess.
The beverage offerings during the launch suggested that Soya is preparing to accommodate various preferences rather than prioritise a singular profile.
Guests moved between cocktails amongst them a Red Bull watermelon gin mix alongside beer, cider, cognac, and a trio of wines.
Freshly squeezed juice rounded out the options, a reminder that the restaurant aims to keep its doors open to patrons with different dining rhythms, from casual midday visits to slower evenings.
What stood out most at the launch was not the spectacle but the attempt to create a space grounded in calmness despite its busy surroundings.
The CBD has grown increasingly dense, with new establishments often competing for attention. Soya’s approach, at least on its first outing, leaned toward subtlety.
The gathering itself seemed to reinforce that, bringing together individuals who spent more time in conversation than in ceremony.
Speeches were brief, focusing mainly on the practical significance of another dining venue in an area that continues to evolve.
There was an emphasis on the value of places that can host both professional exchanges and social moments without insisting on formality.
That intention was reflected in the layout, which encouraged movement and interaction rather than directing guests toward a single focal point.
While it is too early to tell how Soya will position itself once the regular flow of patrons begins, the launch offered a glimpse of a restaurant seeking to carve a space through steadiness rather than spectacle.
Its Mediterranean-leaning menu provides a framework that can grow or shift as the kitchen settles into routine, and its central location ensures that it will meet a varied audience.
For now, Soya enters the CBD not as a disruptive presence but as a quiet addition, one that seems intent on building its identity dish by dish, evening by evening, without rushing the process.