One of Glasgow’s biggest restaurant spaces, Mediterraneo, is being repurposed by its new owner, Romano Perella.
Owner of the city’s successful Italian spot Amore, Perella bought Mediterraneo last year with the intention of ‘changing it up’.
It is expected that Mediterraneo will be closed for four months as it is transformed into a new concept, described as a sister restaurant for Amore – but any further detail is being kept under wraps for now.
Perella said: “It’s going to be a completely new concept – I think we can say it is still the very best of Italian food of course as that’s our key area of expertise.
“We expect the work to take around four months so we should be opening just after the summer. It will look completely different – we have a very strong idea of the concept and how it looks and feels.
“We took Mediterraneo on with an idea of what we wanted to do already – the full concept wasn’t set in stone then but we have put a lot of time and energy into it,” said Perella.
“The new idea is very much for people who know food, but will be welcoming to all – we’re very excited to bring something totally new to the city.”
Mediterraneo occupies a massive site in the middle of the city, between Merchant City and Queen Street and just off George Square.
Perella added: “We’re very fortunate that Amore continues to run at capacity. I think people appreciate the quality and consistency we offer so even in these tough times we can do well.
“We’re very busy at weekends and although our concept means you never have to wait long for a table, it makes sense to have another offering close by so people can choose to wait or go to our sister restaurant.
“Of course there is much, much more to our plans than a second Amore just down the street,” he stressed.
“It’s something way, way beyond that. For once I feel this is a closure story which is actually a positive thing for the city and for the food scene here.
“Mediterraneo had its time – the new concept we are creating is the future of dining in Glasgow.”
