Celentano’s, the acclaimed Italian-inspired restaurant originally located at Cathedral House in Glasgow, has reopened in a new setting within the Arthouse Hotel in the city centre. The relocation marks a significant shift from the restaurant’s previous home in a turreted Scots baronial building near the Necropolis to a more refined Art Deco environment.
Established by Dean and Anna Parker in 2021, Celentano’s quickly distinguished itself with a reputation for innovative Italian cuisine, earning a Michelin Bib Gourmand within six months of opening. The Parkers, a couple with extensive culinary backgrounds, merged their experience from prominent UK kitchens to establish the restaurant. Dean Parker’s culinary approach emphasizes fermenting, smoking, preservation, and a zero-waste philosophy, while Anna Parker leads the front-of-house management.
The new premises at Arthouse Hotel retain much of Celentano’s character, though the setting is notably more polished and contemporary. The interior features high ceilings and Art Deco flourishes, complemented by reclaimed timber floors and open-display biodynamic wines. Despite the change in ambiance, the restaurant’s menu remains largely consistent with its former incarnation.
Celentano’s offers a set chef’s menu from Monday to Saturday, priced at £59, consisting of antipasti, primi, secondi, dessert, and a canelé. The à la carte selection is concise yet inventive, maintaining an Italian reverence for simplicity, with dishes reflecting global influences. House-made pasta forms a core component of the menu, drawing acclaim for both quality and creativity.
Signature dishes include pappardelle with Highland beef ragù enriched with Ayrshire milk and Corra Linn ewe’s cheese, and linguine featuring cod cheeks, courgette, pumpkin seeds, a berber chilli blend, and preserved lemon. Among the standout secondi is dayboat monkfish served with wilted chard, lemon butter infused with roe, and the restaurant’s celebrated strati—layered, beef-fat-glazed potatoes regarded as a decadent local favorite.
Desserts continue to showcase Parker’s unconventional style, exemplified by a dish combining a sugar-encrusted corn bun with corn custard, milk gelato, and stewed red currants accented by foraged mint flowers. This reflects the restaurant’s inventive spirit and ties to local and seasonal ingredients.
Celentano’s reopening in the Arthouse Hotel represents an ambitious effort to blend its signature quirkiness with a more sophisticated urban backdrop, seeking to offer Glasgow diners a familiar yet elevated experience.