The DRG, one of Scotland’s largest independent restaurant groups, is collaborating on a £200,000 investment to transform its Di Maggio’s Italian restaurant in Glasgow’s West End into the city’s second Chaakoo Bombay Café.
The new restaurant, in Ruthven Lane just off Byres Road, will open in mid-October, bringing an authentic Irani café taste with a fusion of flavours from classic Iranian grill dishes to traditional Bombay specialities.
Chaakoo is a successful collaboration with Paul Sloan and Callum MacLachlainn, who have a great track record with the DRG spanning 10 years. Successful restaurants include the Topolobamba brand and Mezzedekia alongside the first Chaakoo Bombay Café, which opened in St. Vincent Street in 2016. The successful restaurant now serves over 2,000 diners every week.
The DRG has an 18-strong portfolio in Scotland, which includes The Anchor Line, The Atlantic bar & Brasserie and Café Andaluz brand.
With 110 covers, Chaakoo in Ruthven Lane will echo the interior of a traditional Bombay Cafe in India. These restaurants, also known as Irani cafes, were made popular in 1950’s Bombay, now Mumbai, by Persian and Iranian immigrants who combined Middle Eastern and Indian cooking styles. The menu ranges from Irani kebabs to Bombay small plates and an extensive selection of curries, including a wide choice of vegetarian options.
Mario Gizzi, founding director of The DRG, is confident that the second Chaakoo will prove equally popular with Glaswegians and visitors alike.
He said: “With more than 35 years’ experience serving the people of Glasgow, we were very confident that Chaakoo would appeal to the city’s appetite for new culinary concepts, but we’ve been taken aback by just how popular it’s become in less than three years.
“We’re very excited about opening our first ‘neighbourhood’ Chaakoo and firmly believe it will be a welcome addition to Glasgow’s west end.”
Di Maggio’s will close on 2nd September 2019 and Chaakoo will open in mid-October 2019.
