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.
On Friday 20th March 2020, 84 years of uninterrupted trading came to an end when the restaurant closed alongside other hospitality venues in the city for what was anticipated to be a pause, in line with government guidance at the time.
Rogano was active on social media and posting about future plans. Then between December 2020 and January 2021 something changes. After a period of silence it became clear in court document that damage to the restaurant left it unable to reopen.
The long-running legal battle surrounding Glasgow’s Rogano restaurant reached the UK Supreme Court in May 2026, marking a major turning point in a dispute that has kept one of Scotland’s best-known dining institutions closed for six years. However the expected showdown between the owners of the city’s oldest restaurant and their landlord, a company controlled by Spain’s richest man, Amancio Ortega, took an unexpected turn.
However the culmination of the legal wrangle did not, in the end, produce the courtroom drama that was expected as the senior judges were told that the parties, who had been at loggerheads for years, had settled the dispute on the eve of the case being heard.
It remains unclear now how the settlement will impact on the potential future for Rogano, but agreement could open the door for a comeback.
Here is the history of Rogano in Glasgow as the restaurant could return after court settlement.
5. Rogano
Donald Grant did not just influence how the restaurant looked, he also left a legacy of using Scottish produce which has survived. During the 1940s and 1950s, with Grant at the helm, the restaurant had its own stretch of river for salmon, it brought lobsters from Brora and oysters from Portpatrick. | Rogano
6. Rogano
It 2009, Ian Smith was the general manager and the restaurant had 70 staff. He told The Scotsman: "We learned a lot about service from a great man called John Mitchell." Mitchell was a barman at Rogano in the 1950s who returned to run the bar after the refurbishment in the 1980s. "I don't know how he never got fed up saying to people 'How's the weather?' or 'How is it out there?' but he never did. He'd do it over and over again but the customers never knew. He got to know people because he knew how to start a simple conversation without being intrusive." | Rogano
7. The Rogano
Janey Godley had dinner with Anthony Bourdain for an episode of his CNN travel show Parts Unknown. | CNN
8. Rogano
Rod Stewart was a frequent diner at Rogano restaurant, other celebrities including Elizabeth Taylor, Frank Sinatra, Mick Jagger, Sir Alex Ferguson, Kylie Minogue, Keira Knightley, Jude Law, Harvey Keitel, David Bowie and Tony Bennett have dined there. | Rogano