Glasgow's westenders are preparing to welcome a new pizza restaurant in the form of Nostrana.
The beautiful new bar and restaurant will serve freshly-prepared and authentic Italian food on Hyndland Road from Thursday, September 1. The 100-seater venue aims to have 'something for everyone', offering a takeaway and dine-in service.
Meanwhile, it is fully-licensed and will be open for fresh coffee, draft beers, cocktail and organic wines. Owners say 'neighbourhood and community' are at the heart of their new venture.
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They will welcome customers following a six-month fit-out and transformation of the legendary Pizza Magic takeaway and former Tabak local store, next to Old Station Park.
A statement from the team read: "Nostrana (meaning 'local' in Italian) will serve freshly-made handcrafted pizza, pastas, mains, snacks and desserts from noon to evening in a stylish and relaxed setting."
Proprietor Marco Stevenson, who has traded at the location since 1989, said he is thrilled and delighted to be opening.
He added: “Hyndland and the West End have given me so much over the years and I feel privileged to be part of the neighbourhood. I have never lived here but I consider it my home because of the friendliness and warmth of my friends and the local community.
"We are really excited about what we have here. I have struggled to define Nostrana as just a restaurant serving good food - we want it to be a place where people can come for anything; drinks, a coffee, a meal, as a couple, as a group, or by themselves
“However people experience Nostrana, they can be assured of a warm neighbourly welcome, a friendly smile, and quality food and drinks at reasonable prices. "On price, we are serious about being realistic and affordable.
"We are fully aware of the pressures that our neighbours and friends are facing.”
Marco added: "My wife Angela has been a huge motivation behind the restaurant and has encouraged me all the way. She should take all the credit for the interior design and look and feel of Nostrana.
"Neither of us have done anything like this before and it has taken a tremendous amount of work by a lot of people to get to this stage."
Marco and his team are due to serve Neopolitan pizza with dough made fresh daily to a traditional recipe will be available with speciality Nostrana Pizza - a handcrafted, rustic-style pizza made for sharing and served on bespoke boards - and pizza by the slice. Meanwhile, pastas made with fresh and locally-sourced ingredients, haddock suppers and scampi are on the menu with Mac & Cheese, Loaded Fries and salads.
Marco used to run both Pizza Magic and Tabak, but when the grocery shop closed in 2016 after Sainsbury’s opened nearby, Marco saw an opportunity to do something different with the businesses. After a number of false starts and the disruption of Covid-19, he finally closed his popular pizza takeaway in February this year and set about the merger and transformation of the two units.
Marco's mother, who came to Scotland at 16 years old from Monte Cassino in Italy and later met her Scottish-Italian husband, gave her son a love of good food and hospitality.
He. said: "My family are everything to me and my mother was an amazing woman who led a remarkable life. She was all about people and caring.
"She was cooking for the family from an early age. I’ve taken what she taught me and run by businesses with a strong sense of community."
The new restaurant has created 25 full-time and part-time jobs, with an emphasis on employing local staff. Nostrana will host a pre-opening night for friends and neighbours on Saturday before opening to the public on Thursday, September 1.
To find out more, you can follow Nostrana on Instagram here.
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