Side Dishes: September 2026
Ailsa Sheldon finds a slew of new ventures taking over established locations as we round up the latest Glasgow and Edinburgh openings
Kicking off in Glasgow, The Liquor Store has opened on St Vincent Street. From the same team as Tabac, Devil Of Brooklyn and The Last Bookstore, it promises comfort food and cocktails in a cosy bottle-lined bar. Sagar Massey, the chef behind Cardonald’s Angeethi, has launched his first city-centre restaurant, Kalinga, on West Regent Street (replacing Grilled By Ajay Kumar). And Sprigg’s salad domination continues with a fourth site on Byres Road offering their combo of soups, salads and focaccia.
In Edinburgh it’s another new opening (or at least a new direction) for Nico Simeone as what was Six By Nico, then Somewhere By Nico, becomes a third site for new concept Lennox (do keep up). The focus is on open-fire cooking, dry-aged meat and fish, and sharing dishes with a casual late-night feel. Gulp Ramen, which preceded Mirin, has returned to Leith Walk with a new venue (walk-ins only) in the spot recently vacated by Churrito. Also new in Leith is French bistro and wine bar Chez Bernard on The Shore, just along the road from other new-ish pub The Keelson. Nearby, Asu joins the gang at Brown’s of Leith. It’s from the team behind Glasgow’s Five March, with chef David Cleary at the helm. Expect Asian-inspired dishes like pho ga with poached chicken and kimchi salad, alongside Five March classics including fried chicken sandwiches with katsu and hispi cabbage, and their famous roast spuds. The lack of trams due to the Princes Street fire has hit Leith hard. With the street set to reopen by the start of September, it’s all the more reason to get down there and try somewhere new.