Rogano: Legal ruling that could seal the fate of Glasgow's oldest restaurant

In 1935, as the Queen Mary took shape on the Clyde, Rogano restaurant was fitted out in the same Art Deco style as the great Cunard liner and a classic of Glasgow hospitality was created. It had an unbroken history in the city centre until the doors were closed in March 2020 during the pandemic. A legal ruling this week casts light on the circumstances that have prevented Rogano from reopening while raising doubts about its future. There may not be much left of the restaurant to rescue, now boarded up and subject to a legal tug-of-war.

Rogano is the oldest surviving restaurant in Glasgow. When it was open, students from the Glasgow School of Art would visit regularly to maintain the wallpaper and historic fixtures. It was a time capsule of local hospitality. I took some French food writers there in the summer of 2018 and they were charmed by their surroundings but the seafood and fish menu was starting to feel lacklustre.

Rogano was reinvigorated a year later with the appointment of Martin Connor as head chef and the introduction of a progressive menu that elevated some of their signature dishes and added some flair back to the kitchen.

My last visit was on 5 March 2020 when I had lunch at Rogano with my parents: “It’s an immersive experience, placing yourself in a room that stands at a particular point of time while still embracing modern Glasgow hospitality. Henry Kissinger, Elizabeth Taylor, Bob Dylan and Rod Stewart are among the luminaries who have dined here. Not all at the same time. Had they arrived en masse, there would have been a serious discussion about who would sit at the prized table 16.

“This is considered the best table at Rogano as you have a sweeping view of the restaurant, and with the aid of mirrors you can see what’s going on behind you at the door. Should you, a visiting celebrity or a tired shopper, wish to avoid anyone at the entrance, there’s convenient access to the back door nearby. As we begin lunch, there’s an elevated sense of presentation, a spirit of innovation rather than a definitive pivot in a particular direction. More to come, we sense. For the moment we are suitably impressed.”

On Friday 20th March 2020, 84 years of uninterrupted trading came to an end when the restaurant closed for what was anticipated to be a pause, in line with government guidance. Rogano was active on social media and posting about future plans.

Then between December 2020 and January 2021 something changed. The ramifications are now the subject to protracted legal action between a Glasgow business family and Spain’s richest man.