The family story behind Shawlands' favourite neighbourhood Italian restaurant

Those who have lived in the area will have known the restaurant as Bella Napoli which first opened its doors over 26 years ago. It then became Oro around nine years ago and is continuing to look forward to with exciting future plans.

I sat down to speak to Alfredo Crolla about his memories of growing up around the restaurant and what’s next for the Italian favourite.

Tell me about your memories of the restaurant and the history of it.

“Before Oro, we were called Bella Napoli, which opened just before the year 2000. I can remember it being a busy, bustling place. It was a completely different setup back then as it was my grandpa that had it. He had the deli at the front and the pizzeria. It was a different ball game altogether. As time went on, my dad then bought it off him. I just remember coming in here after school, having two or three dinners, doing my homework, and then shooting up the road. I mean, I've always been in here. Since its birth it seems.”

Some of Glasgow’s best known Italian restaurants always seem to begin as delis. Do you feel as though your dad took the restaurant in a different direction when he took it over?

“Each generation, we like to think, has sort of taken the concept and improved it, taking it a notch further. So that's what we intend to keep doing.”

The Crolla family is synonymous with Glasgow - tell me a bit about that connection with the city.

“Especially my grandpa back in the day and my dad. At one point my grandpa had maybe 13 restaurants, chip shops, nightclubs and hotels including the Buchanan Hotel back in the day. He came from a wee village in Italy and started from nothing when he came over here in the sixties. He just started running chip shops which kept growing and growing. He retired around 10 years ago and his most famous place was probably Dino’s on Sauchiehall Street which was iconic. I think he’s put a lot into me and my dad in terms of the work ethic. He was up at four o’clock every morning and working until silly o’clock.”

Talk to me a bit about being a business in the Southside and particularly Shawlands.

“I think over the past 10-15 years, it's definitely came up. It's still not exactly where we want it to be. The parking situation doesn't help. I mean, for somebody to come in for lunch, for a two hour slot it costs about £12. So if you can imagine two, three or four people sitting at that table, they're not going to want to spend £50 on parking. So they’ll probably just go somewhere else. So I feel as if that's taken a hit, especially lunchtimes. But I mean, we're just rolling with the punches. We could be doing better, but I think we're probably doing better than most.”

Is the planned Shawlands Arcade something that you would welcome?

“For sure. I mean, we've been hearing about this for over a decade. And for us, it will be a game changer if we've got 300 odd flats across the road. Not just will it make the street look a lot nicer, but it’ll be amazing for the area. I'll bring a lot more people to the area. The bars and restaurants will be loving it.”

Do you find that more people are now choosing to head to the Southside whereas before at weekends or days off they would be heading to the West End?

“The vibe's changing completely to what I was used to when I was growing up. I mean, people want to chat about gentrification or whatever, but the people in general are changing. The people that are coming in seem a lot trendier and there's different faces, it's different clientele altogether. So it's a lot of the younger crowd that are bringing a bit more trendiness to the area.

“We’ve changed completely over the years. Before it maybe used to be come in for a wee sandwich or a coffee, but as the years go on we’re evolving into that sweet spot in between casual dining and fine dining. You’ve got to move with the times. If we were still the same concept as what Bella Napoli used to be, it wouldn’t work as you need to move with the times.”

We spoke about the different generations of the Crolla family earlier on. The restaurant now looks completely different after the recent refurbishment. Does this feel like a new beginning for Oro?

“We were starting to become a restaurant that we didn't like. So the look that we had maybe looked good 10 or 15 years ago, but it was very dated. We didn't want to be a place that people thought they could only come for a special occasion. We wanted to be an every day eatery, somewhere that you don't need to dress up to come into. But again, we're trying to get that balance between casual dining and fine dining at a fairly reasonable price. Our lunches have been the busiest they’ve ever been and I’m just using common sense. I want to give people a good deal that is value for money which is why we offer a pasta and side for £12 at lunch.”

Can you tell me a bit about what’s next in the story for Oro?

“We’re about to start an extension at the back of the restaurant which will give us space for another 100 extra covers and will also be creating a rooftop garden space for the people of the Southside to enjoy.”

ORO, 85 Kilmarnock Rd, Shawlands, Glasgow G41 3YR