Tapas restaurant at Princes Square has closed after 20 years in city centre

Barca Tapas & Cava Bar at Princes Square has closed after 20 years in Glasgow city centre. Staff were informed of the move on Friday and Saturday was the restaurant’s last day of trading. The employees have begun the process of seeking new roles after the unexpected announcement.

Barca Tapas were approached for comment on Friday but declined to offer any details on the closure. Princes Square was contacted but referred our enquiry to Savills Estate Agents who in turn referred us to LCP Group, who bought the shopping centre last year. At the moment, bookings on the Barca Tapas website are open until the end of January and closed after that. No-one was answering the phone yesterday.

The restaurant opened in 2005 and would have been celebrating 20 years in business this year. The menu included 30 different types of tapa dishes: “Dine on one of our terraces to enjoy the ‘al fresco’ atmosphere of Princes Square or relax in our bar or main restaurant inside. Our dedicated bar serves up a varied selection of cocktails, Spanish Cavas, wines and beers. It’s the perfect location to relax with friends and enjoy a drink.”

Barca Tapas was operated by Princes Restaurant Group, owned by the Dexter family, with venues in Edinburgh and Glasgow. They also have Cranachan Cafe at Princes Square, offering “a relaxed eating experience at any time of day, serving authentic Scottish cuisine using the finest locally sourced produce to share with all its customers.”

They also have The Willow Tea Rooms on Buchanan Street, a Charles Rennie Mackintosh inspired cafe and gift shop. In Edinburgh, the group has Salerno Pizza at the St James Centre and Ragu Pasta on George Street.

Princes Restaurant Group is led by Alan Dexter and his family, with a portfolio of restaurants, bars and cafes. They previously operated Azure bistro and NY American Grill at Princes Square.

Update: The restaurant has issued a statement on social media: “It is with sadness that we must confirm the permanent closure of Barca Tapas and Cava Bar. Having traded for twenty years we feel proud to have been a part of the Glasgow restaurant scene and more importantly so many special occasions over the years.

“We are incredibly grateful to have served you!We would like to take this opportunity to thank our customers for their loyal support and to our dedicated team, many of whom have been with us since the early days.

“A special shout out to our fantastic manager, the one and only, Craig! You’ve seen us through the good times and the bad and we’ve always laughed along the way. Barca wouldn’t have been Barca without you.We’re taking an opportunity to rest and reflect on many years of hard work.

“If you have a valid voucher for Barca please don’t worry. We have contacted all voucher purchasers via email with details on how these can be redeemed in our other venues or refunded. Enviando Amor, The Team at Barca Tapas.”

M Core, a commercial property and investment collective, acquired Princes Square retail development in 2024. The 118,625 sq ft property, bought for an undisclosed sum, features four self-contained retail units along Buchanan Street and an inner mall spread across five levels, with occupants including Levi's, Michael Kors, Cos, Office, Sweaty Betty and Everyman Cinema.

New hospitality openings at Princes Square have included bistro Maison by Glaschu, sports bar The Clubhouse and courtyard wine bar Zibibbo.