12 Nov 2024
Why Glasgow and Italians go hand-in-hand
Glasgow and Italian food go way back. In fact, Glasgow and Italy go way back! Fleeing the famine and poverty catalysed by Italy’s reunification, the 1890s saw a large emigration of Italians to Glasgow. The diaspora grew significantly in the wake of World War One, and, at the time, Glasgow was home to the third-largest Italian community in Britain.
The Eusebi family (of the West End’s Eusebi Deli) are credited as some of the first people to bring a taste of Italy to Glasgow. It was current owner Giovanna Eusebi’s grandmother – entrepreneur and general ‘cool chick for the time’ – who opened the Deli, originally established as a shop selling ‘exotic’ veg like aubergine and mushrooms. Forty years have passed, and Eusebi has become a benchmark for great Italian food in the city, as well as a meaningful emblem of the Italian-Glasgow community. The menu has, of course, since modernised, but the restaurant remains true to its Italian roots: the sea of Italian football shirts filling out the restaurant during the Euros last summer is surely testament to that fact!
Menu highlights now include ‘Yesterday’s Lasagne’ (unctuous tomato ragu; perfectly crispy, cheesy top) and their 72-hour fermented Roman sourdough pizzas (never greasy; always served with perfectly charred crusts). If you’ve got room, we recommend sampling one of their homemade Bombolone – an Italian-style donut filled with custard. Yum!
Eusebi’s isn’t the only ‘old school’ Italian eatery in town. Enter La Laterna: established in 1970 by Valerio Martinolli and Antonio Fassone, this restaurant has truly stood the test of time. Regular customers, an array of impressive rewards, and an authentic menu to boot – it’s no wonder that many consider it the best Italian in Glasgow. From Verdurine Fritte to start – delicately fried mushrooms, courgettes, and aubergines – to their decadent Spaghetti Arragosta (filled with king prawns and lobster claw meat) each mouthful is a total pleasure. There are two outposts, one in the city centre and one in the West End. Whichever you choose, we promise you’re in for a treat.
Italian restaurants continue to bloom in Glasgow. Our favourite newcomer is Celentano’s, a punchy Italian-inspired restaurant whose focus is on seasonality and sustainability. The menu is a delightful mix of tradition (there’s antipasti, primi, and secondi) and modern flare. Classics like squid linguine come laced with kombu butter and black chilli, and a seductive ‘snack’ menu, boasts things like ‘Lasagne Fritti’ (shards of fried lasagne – yes really), and Smoked Cod Donut served with kimchi. The atmosphere is charming and relaxed, with its sage-green wooden panelling and original flooring, and the service is slick. So, don’t hesitate, this place is booking out fast!
Glasgow is lucky to have such a rich heritage of Italian immigration. From introducing us to courgettes and aubergines in the 1930s, to providing us dessert-loving Scots with homemade cannoli and proper espresso in the present day, one thing is for certain – this city wouldn’t be the same without its Italians.