Harry’s Dolce Vita takes Ivy premises – Daily Business Magazine

Amy Macdonald was among the guests at the Ivy launch in 2019 (pic: DB Media Services)

A new dining experience is coming to Glasgow, writes PAUL TRAINER

Glasgow’s Buchanan Street may be losing The Ivy, but it is about to welcome a new name to Scotland’s hospitality sector. Harry’s Dolce Vita, which has a number of restaurants in London, will take over the corner premises and is promising to bring “authentic Italian flavours” to the city.

The Ivy is relocating to a bigger outlet next month after seven years in its current location. It held a celebrity-attended launch event in July 2019, transforming the former Nationwide building into a 222-cover restaurant with two bars, private dining and outdoor seating.

It will serve customers for the final time in Buchanan Street on 4 October before moving around the corner to a much larger new home at 30–40 St Vincent Place. The new Ivy Glasgow Brasserie and Scotland’s first Ivy Asia will open on 20 October.

Harry’s will then take possession of the Buchanan Street site with a plan to open later this year. The company describes Harry’s as being inspired by “mid-century Italian elegance, combining dark wood interiors and traditional Italian hospitality with a menu placing particular emphasis on pasta and pizza”.

Harry’s currently operates restaurants in Knightsbridge, Covent Garden, Marylebone, King’s Cross and Victoria in London. Its original Knightsbridge restaurant, close to Harrods, offers all-day Italian dining in Venetian-inspired surroundings.

Menus across the group feature Italian dishes alongside cocktails including Bellinis and Negronis, with Harry’s describing its restaurants as a contemporary take on the glamour of la dolce vita. Signature dishes at the Knightsbridge restaurant include seafood spaghetti and its distinctive Toadstool dessert.

The Ivy’s move will create 90 jobs and expand The Ivy Collection’s offering to more than 265 covers in the heart of Glasgow’s city centre, with 175 at The Ivy Glasgow Brasserie and 90 at The Ivy Asia Glasgow.

The two restaurants will sit within one of Glasgow’s most striking historic buildings, located between George Square and Buchanan Street and at the centre of the city’s retail and leisure circuit, offering two distinct dining experiences under one roof.

Dating from 1870–1873, the building was originally constructed for the Clydesdale Bank during a period when Glasgow was one of the world’s major commercial centres. It was designed by celebrated Scottish architect John Burnet Sr., whose work also includes Glasgow’s Stock Exchange and Merchants’ House.

Its spectacular former banking hall was inspired by Renaissance Florence, featuring a soaring glass dome, Ionic columns, symmetrical arcades and ornate leaded glazing.

This is an edited version of an article first published by ScottishNews.com

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