A new Greek restaurant, Gyros, is to open in Glasgow’s West End in the former Martha’s deli on Byres Road.
Spearheaded by the team behind popular restaurant brand Halloumi, Gyros is reimagined Greek street food that combines a modern taste with traditional Greek flavours. The new ‘grab and go’ style diner aims to offer a culinary trip to Greece’s boldest flavours.
The venue is currently undergoing refurbishment and will open from late March 2022.
General Manager Andrew Kangulu said, “Customers to our fast casual-dining experience will be treated to delicious flavours of modern Greek street food, inspired by the casual Gyros venues that are found throughout Greece. The Gyros team will use time-honoured cooking methods, familiar recipes and quality produce.”
Scoop Restaurants has announced that Ka Pao Edinburgh will be opening its doors at St James Quarter on Monday the 21st of March.
The announcement comes hot on the heels of the news that the Michelin Guide has just awarded Ka Pao Glasgow with a coveted Bib Gourmand award in the 2022 guide.
Head Chef Sandy Browning has been at Ka Pao’s helm since it’s inception as a pop-up residency in Glasgow’s SWG3, and now leads the Edinburgh kitchen. General Managers Lily Maclean and Paige Wilson will oversee the operation, with over 40 new roles having been created.
“The team are so excited to be getting started. They all have a real enthusiasm for the food we’re cooking and are going to be a crucial part of creating the restaurant’s atmosphere. We already know what Ka Pao can be at its core, but the St James crew will really put their stamp on the place,” says Lily. “Sandy’s so excited to be back in Edinburgh where he grew up and that energy is totally infectious.”
A passion for the food and cooking of Southeast Asia is central to Ka Pao’s style, with a menu of sharing plates honouring the team’s time living and travelling throughout the region. The name Ka Pao, a play on the Thai word for holy basil, has become synonymous with Scotland’s thriving dining scene, having quickly built a reputation for its bold flavours, low-key funky setting and good-night-out vibes.
The menu will unite the very best of UK produce with ingredients, flavour combinations and cooking techniques gleaned from the core team’s travels and experiences working in Northern Thailand and Vietnam, Malaysia and Singapore, and sampling the uniquely knit Asian influences found in Australia’s modern cuisine.
As well as advanced bookings, Ka Pao will also keep a number of spaces in its bar area for walk-ins. Diners without a booking can either walkup or view live estimated wait times and join a virtual queue via the restaurant’s website on the day.
“Ka Pao is a really good fit to be in a retail led, lifestyle district like St James Quarter,” says Scoop Managing Director, Jonathan MacDonald. “It has a great vibe for a fun night out with cocktails, and is equally well suited to popping in for a tasty bite to eat when you’re out shopping or going to the cinema.
“The virtual online queue is a great feature, it means at peak times you can put your name down and go for a drink nearby or a wander round the shops and we’ll text you once a table is ready.”
The 92-cover restaurant and bar has been designed by Stuart Black: Head of Interior Design at Mosaic, also responsible for the interiors of Ka Pao Glasgow and Ox and Finch. Stuart’s interior combines bold terrazzo and ceramic surfaces with bespoke architectural metalwork and mid-century furniture.
Nick Peel, Managing Director at St James Quarter, said: “We know that all of Edinburgh has been looking forward to Ka Pao opening, and we know it will be a sensational addition to both the Quarter and the wider city centre.
“Our Edinburgh guests and visitors from further afield are in for a real treat. This is another world class addition which will ignite the nighttime economy and food culture in the East End of Edinburgh.“
Nico Simeone is set to bring his Glasgow dining concept to Aberdeen this Spring when he opens ‘Six by Nico’ in Scotland’s North East, his first in the area and his 10th across the UK and Ireland. The restaurant and bar will be located in the heart of Aberdeen City Centre in Union Street taking over the former Topolabamba restaurant space.
Following in the footsteps of his other Six by Nico restaurants it will feature a carefully curated and constantly evolving tasting menu that re-invents the dining experience every six weeks, serving a brand new six-course tasting menu, each one themed on a different place, memory, or idea drawing inspiration from home and abroad, such as the street markets of the Middle East to a journey across Route 66 in America. Each new chapter will be a surprise, and new menus will be revealed two weeks before the next theme.
Chef Nico Simeone from Simeone Group said, “We are thrilled to bring Six by Nico to Aberdeen this Spring. During the pandemic, we launched our Home by Nico dining range on HOME-X – our home delivery experiences – and the appetite in Aberdeen and surrounding areas was strong, making it an obvious choice for our first restaurant site outside of Scotland’s central belt due to its thriving foodie community.
Expansion into Aberdeen signals our first move into Scotland’s North East and a significant step in our plan to grow further this year. In the nine locations where we operate in the UK and Ireland, we have quickly established an enthusiastic base of repeat customers, and we intend to and look forward to doing the same in Aberdeen”.
Simeone Group has commissioned Glasgow-based designers Burns Design to create the new city centre restaurant, which is currently under construction.
Paul and Chris Charalambous, co-owners of Michelin-starred Cail Bruich have announced they will open a new restaurant concept, Shucks, in Glasgows West End in what used to be Nicks Bar in Hyndland.Paul and Chris also own Epicures and Brett.
The new restaurant, in partnership with itison founder Oli Norman, will be a seafood bar and restaurant with the menu designed by Head Chef Shaun Haggarty.
Co-owner Chris Charalambous said: “Shucks has been a long time in the making and we are delighted to finally be able to announce it to the Hyndland community.
“We hope that Shucks will bring a unique dining experience to the area which will add to the already burgeoning hospitality scene that the west end has to offer.
“We are also proud in the fact we have created 30 sustainable jobs in the area and we will continue to invest in our people and the product to deliver first class hospitality experiences.”
The £250,000 refurb of the 80-cover venue is being carried out by Surface ID who designed sister venues Cail Bruich, Brett and Epicures. The refurb will see the Hyndland spot, site of the former Nicks, transformed into a comfortable restaurant, bar and outdoor terrace.
Alongside the fresh seafood menu, the drinks menu will include a Champagne and cocktail trolley brought to the table, as well as a wine and Champagne list by Cail Bruich’s head sommelier.
Hospitality businesses in the Greater Glasgow area could save up to £10,000 by focussing on reducing food waste and an initiative called Hospitality Zero aims to help. However you must note interest by tomorrow 25th February.
The Hospitality Zero pilot project organised in partnership with Zero Waste Scotland and Scottish Enterprise aims to help to operators identify priority actions specific to the business to implement food waste reduction measures, many of them low or no-cost measures.
This is a pilot project aimed at businesses within the Glasgow City area and those who sign up are required to measure and monitor their food waster for a month. Equipment will be provided to collate detailed data around their stock waste, plate waste and prep waste.
Participants will meet with a consultant – paid for through the project – who will give support on monitoring and advice on food waste reduction, create an action plan and give recommendations for measures to take, including changes in operations or behaviours, as well as identifying any equipment that would support waste reduction (e.g. vac pack machine, oil filtration system).
The Hospitality Zero project is being delivered on behalf of the Scottish Government by VisitScotland with development and delivery input from Scottish Enterprise and Zero Waste Scotland.
Plans for a new campaign to encourage locals back into city centre restaurants, bars and hotels have been announced by Essential Edinburgh – the capital’s dedicated Business Improvement District (BID).
Celebrating the best of food, drink and hospitality, and with over 30 participating venues confirmed, the ‘Eat Out Edinburgh’ campaign will run for two weeks from 14th to 27th March.
Roddy Smith, Chief Executive & Director, Essential Edinburgh, said, “Edinburgh City Centre has an unrivaled variety of bars and restaurants, catering for everyone’s own individual taste and preferences.
“Eat Out Edinburgh has been designed to enable our residents, visitors and office workers to enjoy what’s on offer with special menus, events, and offers for city centre workers.
“After the last two years of on/off restrictions for our hospitality industry this also gives everyone a great reason to get back into the city centre and enjoy some quality time with friends and family in world-class hospitality premises.”
A full list of participating Edinburgh venues will be announced in the coming weeks, promoting special tasting menus, set menus, events and exclusive offers to attract bookings and increased footfall throughout the campaign period. From business breakfasts to leisurely lunches and evening gatherings over dinner and cocktails, the Eat Out Edinburgh campaign has been designed to bring friends, family and colleagues together whilst helping to support the city’s vibrant hospitality sector.
Multi-cuisine restaurant group, COSMO Authentic World Kitchen, will officially open its doors next week (on Monday, 21st February) at their new restaurant in Glasgow’s St. Enoch Centre.
Ahead of their opening, COSMO is giving back to emergency services and care workers and inviting over 300 emergency services, social care sector, education and armed forces guests into the restaurant to dine for free.
The contemporary restaurant’s roots lie in Pan Asian with six cuisines taking centre stage in their self-service world kitchen. There’s also plenty of theatre on offer at COSMO; you can watch specialist chefs master roaring flames with teppanyaki and more at eight live cooking stations across the venue.
Catering for up to 280 diners, the all you can eat luxe restaurant offers something for all tastes, with a showstopping 150 dishes and a world of flavours and cultures to choose from.
Designed by hospitality expert, Robert Angell, the spacious 11,000 sq-ft restaurant is full of contrasting textures and tones with an innovative lighting system and inviting Italian marble counters to guide guests around their world of flavours buffet.
Fridays, part of newly listed Hostmore plc, has announced a new era in its UK operations with the opening of the first ‘Fridays and Go’ Quick Service Restaurant in Dundee, Scotland, due to open next month.
Spanning 2600 square feet, the restaurant, situated on Reform Street, just off the High Street in the centre of Dundee, is expected to create 25 full and part-time jobs for people in the Dundee area.
Robert B. Cook, Fridays CEO, said, “We are extremely excited to be launching the first ever ‘Fridays and Go’ in Dundee – a vibrant city with a proud history of jute, jam and journalism, fantastic people, two great football teams and a bustling student community.
“We are always looking to offer customers new experiences under the Fridays umbrella. ‘Fridays and Go’ will deliver our best ever food at speed for customers on the move, with the iconic Fridays experience remaining a constant. We can’t wait to launch this new concept and continue to spread that Fridays Feeling further across the UK and particularly in Scotland.”
Buzzworks Holdings, has announced it will bring its flagship restaurant Scotts to Inverclyde, creating over 70 jobs for the town, and open at the new £19.2 million cruise ship visitor centre in Greenock towards the end of 2022.
It will be Buzzworks fourth Scotts restaurant, joining Scotts of Troon and Largs, as well as its newest Scotts, based in the East at South Queensferry, just outside Edinburgh.
Set to open at the new Greenock Cruise Ship Visitor Centre, currently under construction on the banks of the River Clyde, the restaurant will be the dynamic, family run business’s first venture in Inverclyde.
The new visitor centre is supported by UK and Scottish government investment through the Glasgow City Region Deal and is being delivered by Inverclyde Council.
With a significant seven figure investment from Buzzworks, the new restaurant venue will be designed by Jim Hamilton, featuring an open air rooftop terrace with panoramic views across the water and with capacity for 150 covers within the restaurant.
Kenny Blair, Buzzworks Holdings MD, said: “Having been in the pipeline for over three years, this is another significant step forward in our continued growth strategy as we continue to branch out from our historical base in Ayrshire.
“The venue not only fits our ethos of enhancing communities through great hospitality, but will allow us to bring a new exciting dining experience to the area and help create numerous opportunities for the local community to work with a company that has ranked within The Sunday Times 100 Best Companies to Work For over recent years”.
Councillor Stephen McCabe, leader of Inverclyde Council, said: “I’m delighted to welcome Buzzworks and their famous Scotts brand on board for the restaurant space within the new Greenock cruise ship visitor centre.
“This will not only bring a quality operator to Inverclyde and significant inward investment into the local economy but will also deliver a large number of jobs to the area”.
The dedicated Greenock cruise ship visitor centre feature a museum paying tribute to the late artist George Wylie, who worked as a customs officer in Greenock and lived in Gourock for many years and a dedicated arrival and departures hall for the many cruise ships that dock in the area. It is estimated that the development is expected to increase visitor numbers to 150,000 a year and provide a £26 million boost to the Scottish economy.
Multi-cuisine restaurant group, COSMO Authentic World Kitchen, is opening in Glasgow’s St. Enoch Centre next month.
Drawing inspiration from the East to the West cultures, the 150-dish menu covers six different cuisine genres including Pan Asian, Italian, Indian, Brazilian and European.
Since opening in 2003, COSMO has expanded throughout the UK and Ireland and now has 19 restaurants, with 4 now in Scotland. The restaurant will create 50 new jobs in its 280 cover space.
Speaking about the upcoming launch, Suzanne Wink, operations director at COSMO said, “Glasgow is a vibrant multicultural city and we can’t wait to open our St. Enoch Centre COSMO location next month.
“We’re confident in delivering exceptional dining and excited about giving Glasgowegians a comfortable new space to savour a world of global flavours from our talented kitchen team. Look out for an exciting launch next month – we’re planning on making our arrival in style!”
Award-winning Chef Roberta Hall-McCarron and husband Shaun McCarron have opened a new restaurant and wine bar called Eleanore.
The Leith-based restaurateurs originally operated The Little Chartroom out of the premises, but after the couple relocated the restaurant in September to Bonnington Road, and have now replaced it with Eleanore.
The new restaurant, with 20 covers, takes its name from the boat owned by Roberta’s family and named after her mother, and focuses on relaxed counter culture with high-top dining, and small plates.
Chefs Hamish McNeil and Moray Lamb (formerly of Little Chartroom on The Prom) will run the pass, whilst also incorporating their own culinary influences.
The new restaurant has been designed by Studio Niro who have incorporated soft whites and hints of dark blues – will hint at the makings of a boat and the Scottish coastline whilst earthy tones from the muds of the deep sea will be reflected in the hand-crafted ceramics. The space has been designed for flexible dining, from a full meal to a glass of wine. The team are pictured above.
Hero Brands, the operator which owns Glasgow-based German Donar Kebab, is set to launch its salad bar restaurant Choppaluna in Glasgow and Edinburgh following on from its London opening in October last year.
Choppaluna is a fast-casual dining brand that was founded by Nikras Agha and Bijan Azadfard and is part of the Hero Brands family.The environmentally-focused business services health-conscious consumers and provides a range of salads and favoured toppings delivered in Chopped Bowls and Big-Rolls.
Hero Brands CEO Athif Sarwar said: “Hero Brands is responding to emerging consumer trends and focused on growing the brands of the future.
“Choppaluna responds to this trend and we worked very closely with Nikras and Bijan to develop the brand and a proposition that truly disrupts the healthy eating space. Expanding across the UK is a huge achievement for them both and we will give them unrivalled industry expertise as they forge ahead with their growth ambitions.”
The Glasgow store is set to open In the second quarter of next year followed by Edinburgh, Manchester, Oxford, Birmingham and Cambridge.
Agha said: “We are excited to be forging ahead with our growth plans to bring our super-delicious, healthy dining experience of guilt-free indulgence across the UK.
“It is particularly pleasing to forge ahead with plans to open seven new restaurants across the UK so quickly after the launch of our first restaurant in London Bloomsbury in October 2020, and in my hometown of Berlin last year – it’s a huge achievement for our team.
“The opportunity is truly resonating with our franchise partners within the Hero Brands group and we will work with them to explore opportunities for further expansion throughout the UK.”
Glasgow burger restaurant, El Perro Negro, have opened their first Edinburgh outlet within the Bonnie & Wild food hall in the St James Quarter.
Nick Watkins, founder of El Perro Negro said they had been looking for the right Edinburgh location for a while, and that the prospect of “joining the Bonnie & Wild family was a brilliant opportunity, and too good to pass up on”.
He went on to say, “Opening in Edinburgh is a massive milestone for El Perro Negro, and both myself and business partners Peter McKenna and Ivan Stein are delighted to head east and join such a fantastic line-up at Bonnie & Wild. The support from customers over the past seven years, since we started out as a small pop-up in Glasgow has been overwhelming and we can’t wait to welcome everyone at our newest location.”
El Perro Negro has won a string of culinary and business accolades in recent years, including UK’s best burger in 2021 and in 2019. The popular eatery has a restaurant in Glasgow’s Woodlands area.
Bonnie & Wild’s Director of Operations Ryan Barrie said: “I’ve over the moon that Nick and the El Perro Negro team are joining Bonnie & Wild. Nick’s focus on high quality and responsible sourcing really chimes with Bonnie & Wild, and we’re delighted to be welcoming the El Perro Negro team into our Scottish Marketplace, where they’ll be joining the likes National Chef of Scotland Gary Maclean, The Gannet and Chef Jimmy Lee, as well as local favourites east PIZZAS, CHIX and Joelato. I can’t wait to get my hands on one of their Top Dog burgers!”
Since opening in July, Bonnie & Wild has served more than 150,000 guests and attracted businesses such as Bowmore, Naked Malt, Bruichladdich, Virgin Atlantic and Scotland Food & Drink for product launches and other high-profile events.
Independent Scottish brand Kitchen 77 have continued their expansion by securing sites in Glasgow’s Silverburn shopping centre.
The Ayrshire-based restaurant group have selected Silverburn to debut their latest concept, stàilinn Scottish Kitchen. Championing locally sourced produce, the eatery will offer the finest home-cooked Scottish fayre when it opens in Spring 2022.
Kitchen 77 owner Chris Steele already operates the Ayr-based stable of Arthur Street Kitchen, Hollybush Inn, Stage Door Cafe, Drunken Coo Stakehouse and Twenty20. He said, “At stàilinn Scottish Kitchen, we believe in championing locally sourced, home cooked comfort food and aim to bring Scottish staples to the public. As locals ourselves, we often visit Silverburn as it is a great venue to shop, dine and socialise and we are eager to join the community.”
The Simeone Group, founders of Six by Nico, HOME-X and most recently Beat 6 restaurant in Dennistoun, is looking to shake up the Scottish dining scene once again with the launch of Chateau-X, which will open to the public at 10 Claremont Street in Finnieston on 8 December.
Chateau-X will solely serve exceptional Chateaubriand with a ‘focus on quality, flair and affordability’. The menu offering will be simple. Chateaubriand, prepared to perfection by the Chateau-X team of chefs, priced at £30 for two.
The launch menu will consist of a 500g Chateaubriand and a choice of six sides. Sides will updated seasonally and the menu will kick off with Beef Dripping Rooster Chips, Barbecue Hispi Cabbage with Black Garlic and Aged Ewes Cheese, Mac & Cheese Croquettes with Chipotle Emulsion, Roasted Sprouted Broccoli, Buttermilk and Tarragon dressing, Bone Marrow & Oxtail with parsley crust and a Classic Caesar Salad with Aged parmesan. Diners will be tempted first with warm sourdough bread from Soja Bakery, whipped butter and gordal olives. Soft serve ice cream will also be available to tempt those with a sweet tooth.
Commenting on the launch Nico Simeone founder of Six By Nico said. “From the time we started talking about launching the Chateau-X restaurant idea, we knew everything had to revolve around the perfectly executed Chateaubriand. We’ve taken this much-loved restaurant classic and improved it with seasonally inspired sides and attention to every detail that will set us apart from the competition”
Andrew Temple, Six by Nico’s Head of Creative, who oversaw the Chateau-X menu design, added, “Our objective has always been to provide incredible value for money to our community through our food and drink experiences. We were so excited and passionate about disrupting the market when we debuted the Six by Nico tasting menu to Glasgow, and we are equally as excited and passionate about bringing a new concept that will focus on this wonderful cut of beef, Chateaubriand.”
Chateau-X will source all of its produce from locally sourced farms and suppliers to ensure quality and seasonality with every bite. John Gilmour Butchers, based in Tranent and Cairnhill Farm in Girvan, will both source the beef in Scotland, while Peter Borgan of Urban Grocer will work with Andy and his team to select seasonal vegetables for the restaurant’s ever evolving sides menu.
Although the restaurant is something completely new for Glasgow, it’s not the first time diners in both Scotland and indeed across the UK will have tried out this concept. In 2020, during the pandemic, when Nico and his team launched their innovative HOME-X home delivery concept, they quickly discovered that their Chateau-X at home box was proving to be one of it’s best selling to date. Foodies couldn’t get enough of the steak and sides box with over 10,000 boxes ordered to date, and have been enjoyed by celebrities including Comedian Jack Whitehall, Reality TV Star Ferne McCann and TV Presenter Jenni Falconer.
Nico further commented, “As a business we are really tuned into what our customers want and we invest a lot of time into researching and refining our menus. Over the past 12 months it became very clear that our Chateau-X boxes were a huge hit with many of our customers commenting that the quality and simplicity of the ingredients allowed them to create a restaurant standard meal at home.
The success of the Chateau-X brand so far has all been driven digitally but now it’s time to bring the brand to life with our first restaurant in our home city of Glasgow. We are confident the launch will capture the hearts and taste buds of meat loving Scots and I hope our accessible price point ensures this dining experience is accessible to many.”
Chateau-X will be in the thriving Finnieston food scene, and the restaurant will be split over two levels offering 60 covers and will open for lunch and dinner as well as breakfast on Saturday & Sunday. The restaurant will have an informal and relaxed atmosphere with walk-in diners and bookings both welcomed. The decor is simple and chic with paired back and minimal furniture combined with calming earthy shades adorning the walls with exposed brick and wooden panelling adding texture.