Here are eight closed Glasgow restaurants people still miss today

And while we may be spoilt for choice with the wide variety available, that doesn’t mean there aren’t some closed eateries that we still think about.

We asked Glasgow Times readers their most missed restaurants on Facebook and, after more than 1500 replies, here are the results...

Dino’s, 35-41 Sauchiehall Street

Dino Ferrari, known as Dino’s, was a favourite of city centre diners for more than 50 years.

The Italian restaurant was opened in its original form in the 1960s on Buchanan Street before relocating to Sauchiehall Street, and served pizza and pasta to locals, tourists and celebrities alike, including cookery writer Antonio Carluccio.

It closed in March 2014 and was replaced by a Halifax branch.

The Fish People Cafe, 350A Scotland Street

Southside restaurant The Fish People Cafe was opened in 2012 on Scotland Street by Andy Bell and his family who own the adjacent fishmongers of the same name.

With a passion for “seafood, wine and hospitality”, the menu offered “modern, vibrant dishes” using local ingredients.

The venue was closed due to lockdown restrictions and did not reopen, with bosses announcing its permanent closure in April last year.

Cafe Mao, 84 Brunswick Street

Cafe Moa, which was located in the heart of Merchant City, is missed by several Glasgow Times readers who stated they still weren’t “over it”.

The Brunswick Street restaurant was open for around 10 years and served Thai fusion food in a “colourful, lively space”, which included Andy Warhol-style portraits of Chairman Mao.

According to reports online, the eatery closed in September 2009.

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Rogano, 11 Exchange Place

Rogano opened in 1935 with the same art deco style as the Queen Mary, which was being built on the Clyde at the time, and was the oldest surviving restaurant in Glasgow when it closed in March 2020.

The popular restaurant served “the finest fish and seafood in the world from Scottish water” for more than 75 years, with one reader claiming they served “the best lemon sole I’ve ever tasted”.

While a lot of people listed Rogano as a closed restaurant they miss, the good news is the owners have confirmed it will reopen - but is it not currently known when.

Grill On The Corner, 21-25 Bothwell Street

Grill On The Corner proved to be one of the most missed restaurants in the city by Glasgow Times readers.

The Bothwell Street steakhouse was a fixture in the city centre for 12 years before Living Ventures, whose Blackhouse restaurants included Grill On The Corner, were ‘left with no choice’ but to call in administrators.

The eatery closed for lockdown in March 2020 and never reopened, but the vacant space is set to become a new brasserie and cocktail house.

Spaghetti Factory, 28 Gibson Street

Although Glasgow has no shortage of Italian restaurants, the closure of Spaghetti Factory in the West End left a pasta-shaped hole in the heart of many people.

The venue opened on Gibson Street in the 1970s, and is reportedly where director Bill Forsyth spotted future Gregory's Girl star Clare Grogan who was working there as a waitress.

The restaurant closed in the early 1990s and is now home to Stravaigin.

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Café Insomnia, Woodlands Road

If you were looking for a late-night feast or were hungry after a night of dancing, Cafe Insomnia in the West End was the place to go.

The 24-hour cafe, which was located on Woodlands Road, is missed by readers for its pitta pockets and eggs benedict, while former staff said they had some “crazy” memories of their time there.

The café was closed by the start of 2006, according to reports online.

Khublai Khan Mongolian Barbecue, 26 Candleriggs

One of Glasgow’s most exotic restaurants, Khublai Khan spent almost 20 years serving the city’s adventurous eaters.

Based in Candleriggs, the barbecue restaurant served a range of meats, including crocodile, zebra and kangaroo, which diners got to watch being cooked on a grill in front of them.

Bosses announced in 2017 the venue was closing for a major “refurbishment and rebranding” but it has not reopened.

Other restaurants that also got several mentions by readers were Chicago Meatpackers, Spice Garden, Unique Restaurant, Pancake Place, The Trees and Wimpy.