O Sole Mio: Peek inside Glasgow restaurant's new Bath Street home

The popular Bath Street restaurant left diners devastated when it was forced to shut its doors last February after permission was granted to flatten five buildings at the on the corner of West Nile Street to make way for a multi-storey hotel.

O Sole Mio, said to be Glasgow’s first Italian restaurant, had sat on the site since 1965 alongside The Iron Horse pub, which dated from 1872.

Djamel Benouari, owner of O Sole Mio Italian restaurant at Bath Street, Glasgow. He is pictured outside the restaurant's new home at 22 Bath Street, close to where it used to be (in background). Its former home, along with the former Iron Horse pub,

More than 400 objections - coming from around the world - were submitted against the plans, with 2000 people signing a petition put forward by the pub.

For owner Djamel Benouari, he was convinced it was the end of the line for the popular eatery.

READ MORE: Owner of Glasgow's oldest Italian hits back at hotel demolition plan

He said: “I went away to Merchant City and bought a sandwich bar. People asked what I was going to do and I thought maybe semi-retirement but Covid-19 taught me a lesson about retirement - it’s no good.

“I needed to get back to work and I thought maybe it was time for me to reopen.”

Djamel had explored the idea of keeping the businesses open prior to its closure last year and investigated a potential spot at 22 Bath Street - just a block away from the famous 32 Bath Street location.

However, at the time it was deemed too expensive and he walked away.

A year of coronavirus restrictions, though, meant he was able to secure the space earlier this year.

“We did a major refurbishment,” he said, “keeping some of our original decor with a modern twist.

READ MORE: Permission granted to demolish popular Glasgow pub and restaurant to build hotel

“Some of our original staff have come back. They just wouldn’t go anywhere else. They were waiting for me.

“We’ve kept the same menu but with some reduced opening hours because there’s not much happening in the area at the moment.”

The restaurant reopened its doors in line with Scottish Government restrictions and the reaction thus far has been “incredible”.

Djamel said customers have been elated to discover the restaurant had survived with one diner insisting it was “the best thing that happened to them since Covid-19”.

Today and tomorrow the eatery will celebrate its reopening by inviting local businesses inside for a peek at the new venue.

While bookings available for diners looking to return to the restaurant.

 

READ MORE: Historic Glasgow pub Iron Horse and Italian restaurant O Sole Mio to be flattened for new hotel

Djamel said: “We closed on February 6, 2020, and the reaction from the Glasgow public was so upsetting, so emotional it was one of the things that made me want to come back.

“If we hadn’t closed, we could have been affected by Covid-19. If we had extended our lease even by one year - which is what we were asking for - it would be a different story.

“In a way, it was a blessing in disguise.”