Exclusive:Team behind Malaga Tapas to take over East End hotel and open new restaurant

The team behind one of Glasgow’s most popular Spanish tapas restaurants Malaga Tapas which has five premises in and around Glasgow are taking over The Fullarton Park Hotel in Glasgow’s East End where they will open their second La Cabra restaurant.

It will be renamed The Sandmyle Hotel which is what the hotel was previously known as 25 years ago and will open in its new form later on this year. They currently have restaurants in Pollokshields, Clarkston, Bearsden and Kelvinbridge. They first opened La Cabra in Airdrie last year on Clark Street and have been a big hit with locals in the North Lanarkshire town.

I sat down to speak to Malaga Tapas co-owner Jamie Gonzalez- Bradley who told me all about the new venture in Tollcross.

You first opened La Cabra in Airdrie last year, tell me how that is going and a bit about this new venture.

“It’s going really well in Airdrie. My business partners Dad always drank in The Fullarton which we are changing back to The Sandmyle Hotel which it was 25 years ago. It was called that because it is halfway between Sandyhills and Carmyle. There’s a couple of businesses in that such as the six-bedroom hotel, the hotel bar, two function suites and a restaurant. We will be putting La Cabra into the restaurant there which will be totally separate. La Cabra is the same concept and same idea as Malaga Tapas with a very similar menu.”

Malaga Tapas is already very familiar with doing large functions, is that something you want to be able to incorporate into this new venue?

“100%. Another thing we’ve noticed with opening different units is that we’ve not been able to offer people somewhere to go before or maybe after their meal. Especially with the bar space, this gives us a good option. Like you say, we’ve done a lot of outside catering and a lot of people have came back to us asking about a venue for gatherings. I think having these different businesses put together will generally help them all.”

We’re currently sitting in Malaga Tapas on Park Road in the West End which opened last December. Seven months after opening, how have things been?

“It’s going really well and we’re really happy with it. We’ve spoke to a lot of customers and local residents and they’ve said that the premises that we are in is the busiest they’ve ever seen it as it has been quite a few different businesses in recent years. It’s a bigger unit than what we are used to and we base a lot of it here on fresh seafood. After seven months in the West End, we are definitely happy with how it’s started. We are better than where we wanted to be.”

Talk to me a bit about the East End where you are originally from. Is it nice to return home?

“Definitely. I joke with some people and say that I’m obliged to do it. Being from the East End, loads of people have been asking ‘when are you coming?’ I do feel as though this is a sort of homecoming. I’m really excited and there is so many family and friends who are absolutely buzzing about this one specifically.”

The hotel and restaurant will be at 1230 Tollcross Rd, Glasgow G32 8HH.