Glasgow to welcome second Ka Pao restaurant following £3.4m investment

A new Ka Pao restaurant is set to open in Glasgow this August.

Sumac House Ltd – the company behind Ka Pao on Vinicombe Street and Ox and Finch on Sauchiehall Street – has secured a provisional premises licence for new premises, allowing the sale of alcohol.

Members of the city’s Licensing Board were told the company is investing £3.5m in the Miller Street restaurant which will create 60 jobs.

It was granted permission to convert an empty B-listed building into a new venue in August last year.

Stephen McGowan, the licensing lawyer representing the firm, said the company is hoping to open the new restaurant in August. He said it was applying to reinstate a previous licence which lapsed during the pandemic.

Planning permission for a change of use had initially been awarded pre-pandemic but had also expired before it was renewed last year.

Mr McGowan said the firm operates “some fantastic venues” and is “a multi-award winning operator”.

Ka Pao specialises in South East Asian cuisine.

Initial plans for the bar and restaurant, submitted pre-pandemic, stated the ground floor and basement have been “utilised as a retail unit but most recently as a gallery”.

They stated the street struggles “to attract the basic footfalls required to guarantee a thriving and successful retail business”.

“Having been vacant for a significant period of time, a new use for the property would add vitality and vibrancy to the street in accordance with the planning policy,” the application added.

“The proposed change of use to a high quality independent bar/restaurant will add to the already impressive line-up of food and beverage operations on Miller Street adding to the vibrancy and vitality of the area.”