Glasgow’s hospitality industry joins forces to launch new food and drink month this April

The focus will be firmly on spring dining, drinks and bringing a buzz back to the city with this new initiative. Experience Glasgow Food & Drink, the city’s Regional Food Group in partnership with Glasgow Cocktail Week have joined forces to launch the inaugural festival aimed at generating footfall, local bookings and raising the profile of the hospitality sector.

Running throughout the month of April, the initiative will encourage Glaswegians to get out and support their local neighbourhood businesses with the introduction of a producers’ market at Princes Square to kick off the celebrations, followed by the inaugural Glasgow Restaurant Week (11th April - 18th April), launch of the Glasgow Cocktail Trail and finishing with the annual city-wide Glasgow Cocktail Week (19th - 28th April) celebrations. 

Glasgow Restaurant Week will see businesses offer set price menus at £10, £15, £25 or a tasting menu (price set by restaurant) to encourage consumers to dine out and support local. Some of the first restaurants confirmed to take part for the week include Alston Bar & Beef, Celentano's, Eusebi Deli, The Gannet, Hanoi Bike Shop, Mackintosh at the Willow, Mharsanta and Ubiquitous Chip.

Guests can book in advance directly with participating venues to enjoy these inaugural GRW menus running 11th to 18th April.  Bookings will go live soon.

Speaking about collaborative opportunities, Anh Nguyen, Experience Glasgow Food & Drink Lead said: “We’ve been working away in the background to bring together this new food and drink initiative over a number of months. It’s a challenging time, especially for hospitality and if you are a restaurant, cafe or bar who wants to take part, please email me on [email protected].”

The finale will be 2024’s Glasgow Cocktail Week (GCW), set to return for its 10-day celebration of the city’s cocktail scene, highlighting Glasgow’s best bars, bartenders and beverages. The festival unlocks exclusive discounted cocktails in participating bars across the city, as well as special set menus and bar takeovers in 40+ bars including Absent Ear, Dakota, Platform, Kong, The Citizen and The Locale.  

In a new era for the event, GCW will host a luxurious bar and events space in Princes Square, called the GCW Courtyard bar and welcome a raft of exciting events including cocktail masterclasses with Buck & Birch botanical spirit, Don Papa rum, Belvedere vodka, Brockmans gin, botanical floral arranging with luxe florist Bee Wild Blooms and Edinburgh Gin, whisky tasting with Woven whisky and Glenmornagie, and fun live events to the central hub, rounding off a busy Glasgow Food and Drink Month in style. 

To kickstart the month’s celebrations, Experience Glasgow Food and Drink will curate a producers market in Princes Square Courtyard from Saturday, 6th April from 10am until 4pm. Expect a wide range of local and Scottish produce from gin to oats, chocolate to coffee to be confirmed.

Anh Nguyen, Experience Glasgow Food & Drink Lead said: “We’re thrilled to announce the launch of Glasgow Food and Drink Month this April. We wanted to celebrate our city’s wonderful sector and give it a boost at the same time. This is all about encouraging residents and visitors to support our local businesses - their survival depends on it.  This is an opportunity to get together with friends and family, visit new places and fall in love with the city again.”

Peter McKenna, owner of The Gannet said: “Glasgow’s Food and Drink Month is a great initiative to encourage people to explore the city this April and present a unified front from the hospitality scene. As we head into spring, it’s a fantastic time for restaurants and chefs to innovate and create some very special seasonal dishes so we’d encourage Glaswegians to come out and support local businesses.” 

Nicola Gemmell Moir, Glasgow Cocktail Week organiser said: “It’s really exciting to have Glasgow Cocktail Week join forces with Glasgow Food and Drink Month. The festival has always been focussed on pushing Glasgow forward as a must-visit destination for cocktail lovers, so we’re delighted to be collaborating with outstanding local businesses to showcase what’s on offer throughout the year in the city.”

BUSINESSES: HOW TO GET INVOLVED: If you are a Glasgow food and drink business who would like to be involved in Glasgow Food and Drink Month, please apply by contacting Experience Glasgow Food & Drink Lead, Anh Nguyen at [email protected]

HOW TO BOOK

Guests will need to book directly in advance quoting ‘Glasgow Restaurant Week’ with participating Glasgow venues to enjoy these inaugural GRW menus running 11th to 18th April.  Bookings will go live soon, follow @experienceglasgow social channels for updates. 

For more information, head to glasgowfoodanddrink.com