Less than a year after opening, Glasgow’s Sebb’s has won a place in the Michelin Guide.
The underground bar and restaurant on Miller Street joins fellow Glasgow restaurants Ox and Finch, Ka Pao and Margo — all part of the Scoop Restaurant Group — on the prestigious list.
Scoop managing director Jonathan Macdonald described the recognition as vindication of the ‘leap of faith’ it took to open a new venue in Glasgow city centre after the pandemic.
“As soon as Ka Pao opened in 2020, Covid hit and everything else was put on the back burner,” said Macdonald.
“Once we made the decision to push forward, it took years to design the place from scratch, making significant structural changes, and working through all of the associated paperwork that comes with it being a listed building.
“To be honest, there were moments when we thought about selling the space,” he admitted. “People told us not to open in the city centre — post-pandemic things looked bleak. But we took a leap of faith, and I’m glad we did.
“The city centre is buzzing again. There is lots of excitement and a few like-minded operators have opened more great venues.”
Sebb’s — named as an acronym of Sixty Eight Basement Bar — is as much about music and atmosphere as it is about food and drink, an ethos that underpins every Scoop restaurant.
“It’s more of a bar, with music playing a bigger role than in our other venues,” said Macdonald. “But the food is approached with exactly the same passion and standards.
“The kitchen team works with the same suppliers and processes, and importantly, they care just as much about the food.”
The Sebb’s kitchen is led by head chef Danny Carruthers – who started his Scoop journey as a chef de partie at Ox and Finch almost a decade ago – and who has shaped Sebb’s menu around charcoal-grilled, globally inspired BBQ dishes.
“Sebb’s is really a celebration of food from across the globe, served in a way that’s fun and unfussy,” said Jonathan. “Danny has been instrumental in shaping that. The team is everything to us, and people like him show what’s possible when you give great people room to spread their wings.
“We don’t take the decision to open new venues lightly, we take these opportunities organically. One of the key drivers behind it is creating new opportunities and providing longevity and career growth for our incredible teams.”
Macdonald spent his twenties travelling the world with McLaren’s F1 team, living in London, Melbourne and Vietnam before eventually returning to Glasgow to launch Scoop in 2012.
He sees Sebb’s as a sign of the group’s continuing evolution around its central principles: “Our restaurants run fairly autonomously — each team brings their own flair to menus, cocktails and atmosphere, but with a shared ethos and back room support.
“Recognition from Michelin is brilliant, and it definitely raises our profile, but it only gives us more reason to keep moving forward. We’d slide backwards if we stood still.”
