A slice of Italy in Glasgow from Celentano’s

Background

The love of food is what brought married couple Dean and Anna Parker together, who moved from London to Glasgow to make their dream of creating a beautiful romantic restaurant a reality. Armed with a culinary career working in some of London’s finest restaurants, Dean is the mastermind behind Celentano’s popular quirky dishes while Glasgow-born fashion graduate Anna is in charge of running the business.

The couple testify that many of their dishes are inspired by their honeymoon, where they visited both Florence and the Amalfi Coast and were inspired by the laid-back comfortable aura that surrounds dining out in Italy. Therefore, as well as creating delicious dishes, the duo is just as keen to create the same chilled out environment in their own restaurant.

While the couple always had intentions to open their own restaurant, the COVID-19 pandemic spurred them on to make their dream a reality when they bought the historic Cathedral House in the summer of 2021. This great city centre location makes Celentano’s the perfect venue for relaxing with a glass of wine and bowl of pasta after work or meeting friends for a relaxed meal.

Décor

Upon entering Celentano’s you can expect a split-level dining room decorated with rich sage green wooden panelling and a grand bar ,which is a perfect spot for people watching over a glass of wine. The combination of sage green and plants helps to create a calm environment.

Sustainability

As well as creating a beautiful and delicious Italian dining experience, Celentano’s is committed to sustainability by only using the best seasonal ingredients and minimising the amount of waste as much as possible.

Food

The food at Celentano’s is designed to be shared with a feasting menu available on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday evenings, and all-day on Saturdays. The feasting menu starts off with snacks such as Nocellara olives, lasagne fritter, chicken liver mousse and smoked cod doughnuts with prices ranging from £3-£6. It’s the perfect way to ignite your taste buds before embarking on the full tasting menu offerings.

The feasting menu is priced at £42 per person and is split into different categories in true Italian style. The Spuntini offers seaweed cracker and Celentano’s sourdough with olive oil. Antipasti brings charred leeks, strachiatella, wild garlic dressing and garden herbs.

For seconds you can expect glazed dexter beef with side offerings of potato strati or cavolo nero with miso butter. Finish off this delicious tasting menu with Celentano’s Affogato or Errington Farm cheese served on a seeded oat cracker with honey.

When it comes to the main menu, offerings include a range of delicious dishes such as lasagne fritte, linguine with clams, cod cheeks, kombu butter and wild garlic, and monkfish served with wilted greens. For dessert, indulge in the delicious Rye Choux Bun served with yoghurt sorbet and Yorkshire rhubarb. Sip cocktails in the beautiful garden and choose from options including blood orange Champagne, espresso martini, and Celentano’s margarita.

Celentano’s is an excellent restaurant to visit for Sunday lunch too, with the Sunday menu available from 12-6pm and even live music on offer. Popular dishes include tagliatelle with wild mushrooms and toasted breadcrumbs as well as BBQ spot pork loin served with miso butter, celeriac and cavolo nero. Alternatively, sample the dayboat monkfish with creamed chard and toasted nori.

Drinks

While Celentano’s has a modest range of drinks available you can be assured that there will be something that will tickle your taste buds. The team recommends that you start off your meal with a Celentano’s Negroni. However, if wine is more up your street, you will find a range of whites and reds on offer from Italy, France, Spain and South Africa. Each wine will complement specific dishes on the menu, so don’t hesitate to ask for advice from Anna if you would like to know. If you are looking to crack out the bubbles, then there are plenty of Champagne and sparkling wines fit to toast every celebration.