Coia's Cafe: Glasgow restaurant on 95 years and what's next

This month Coia's Cafe marks 95 years of dishing up Italian fare to folk from Dennistoun and beyond.

Set up by Carmine "Charlie" Coia and his wife Amalia in September 1928, the eatery has grown from a small cafe serving homemade ice cream and juices to a bustling restaurant with over 100 covers and plans to open a second venue.

Coia's cafe, Duke Street. left is Tony Franchitti (alfredo's mum's father) and Frank Coia (not a relation but he worked in the cafe).. (Image: Coia's)

Alfredo ( cap ) and his father Nick outside their long established family run Coia's Cafe 25.11.99. (Image: Coia's)

Carlo Coia (L) and Alfredo Coia (R), by Robert Perry (Image: Robert Perry)

Now in the hands of Alfredo Coia, 59, and his 24-year-old son Carlo Coia, the pair were at a loss for words to describe how proud it made them for the restaurant to come so far.

Alfredo said: "It makes my hair stand up and it excites me so much that I can say in five years time we will be 100 years old and still run by the same family.

"Coia's was started by a man and a woman who came to Glasgow as poor Italian immigrants, they didn't have any money.

"It's incredible how it's got to this stage - if I could wake my gran and grandfather up and show them what we've done, they would be blown away."

L to R:Carlo Coia, Alfredo Coia and Arben Hoxha (General Manager)Picture Robert Perry 28th September 2023. (Image: Robert Perry)

Alfredo attributes the "phenomenal" success of Coia's Cafe to the unwavering support of everyone in the family and the close bond they share.

He said: "If you’re busy working, it affects your family time and could cause problems.

"But our family does understand and that's what drives the business to the next level."

Carlo, the fourth-generation Coia to steer the firm, has big plans for the future including adding a second venue down the road at the corner of Duke Street and Bellgrove Street.

The new two-storey venue will have the same "aura" but with a more upscale, bar and restaurant feel, says Carlo.

Plans entail an upstairs champagne and cocktail bar and a main restaurant with a "brand new pizzeria, fish and chips bar, and wine bar".

Carlo said: "I'm extremely excited, I think every year is a milestone in here.

"The most important thing for me is I never stop thinking, creating new ideas.

"Externally it's still the same Coia's internally I'm always trying to move with the times."

When asked what the key to longevity is in such a tumultuous industry, Alfredo's answer is simple: consistency and remembering where the business started.

Coia's Cafe, 1980s (Image: Coia's Cafe, 1980s)

He said: "My grandparents first arrived in Glasgow as Italian immigrants, there was a need to work hard to earn a living.

"The demand to do things differently was always the foundation of the business.

"To build the business through the different eras, each generation has made their mark."

To find out more about Coia's, click here.