Sushi restaurant to open in landmark building on George Square

Following the exit of the lease by the existing occupier, Italian restaurant Assaggini, a Danish Japanese restaurant group has agreed to a new 20-year lease for 8,500 sq ft across two levels of the landmark building on George Square. Due to open in November 2025, this will signify SticksʹnʹSushi’s debut in Scotland and its first UK location outside of the South East of England.

The Glasgow opening will bring the chain to 31 restaurants across Denmark, the UK, and Germany, with additional openings planned in the coming year. Located at 7 George Square, the new restaurant will seat 177 diners and include a bar.

Designed by Danish practice OEO Studio, the interiors “draw on Japanese architectural principles whilst incorporating Scandinavian design”. The menu will feature Sticks’n’Sushi’s signature blend of sharing dishes, sticks, sushi, and sashimi offered a la carte or as set menus.

Popular dishes include beef tataki - beef fillet with miso aioli, truffle ponzu and artichoke crisps - and temaki setto - sushi rolls with lobster, wagyu tartare, and avocado. From the grill, highlights come in the form of gindara no miso - miso-glazed black cod - aigamo tsukune - grilled duck with egg yolk in supreme soy - and ramu niku, a lamb dish with garlic butter, spring onion, and soy sesame.

Behind the bar, the drink selection spans sake, Japanese teas, creative cocktails, premium spirits, beer—including a Sticks’n’Sushi own-label—and a wine list. Founded by half-Danish, half-Japanese brothers Jens and Kim Rahbek and Thor Anderson, the group currently consists of 12 restaurants in and around the Danish capital, 15 in the UK, and three in Berlin, Germany.

John Menzies, director in the retail team at Savills Scotland, who negotiated the lease, comments: “Despite the well documented trading challenges and cost pressures affecting the hospitality industry, this latest deal proves that there remains considerable appetite from national, and in this case international, operators for prime sites in the right location within Glasgow. George Square is one the best addresses in the city and the new restaurant promises to be a fantastic addition to one of our best in class office buildings. What’s more, with George Square currently undergoing a major renovation, to be unveiled next year, it is encouraging to see new brands looking to locate to this part of the city centre.

“SticksʹnʹSushi’s debut, alongside Indian restaurant Dishoom, which signed a new lease earlier this year, is testament to the city’s vibrant and exciting food scene, and we are currently in discussions with a number of other major food & beverage occupiers looking to open in Glasgow over the next 12 months.”

Andreas Karlsson, CEO of SticksʹnʹSushi, adds: “We’re proud to add Scotland as the fourth country in our journey from Copenhagen to the world. Opening in Glasgow marks not just our debut in Scotland, but another step in sharing the SticksʹnʹSushi experience with new guests, in new places, while staying true to our Danish-Japanese roots.”

Peter McNamara, director at Union Investment, says: “We are delighted to welcome such an exciting and fresh brand to the building. As we substantively reposition the G1 Building, we are confident that our tenants and the wider community will thoroughly enjoy the offer SticksʹnʹSushi will bring to Glasgow.”