Osteria

Osteria del Tempo Perso, or the Inn of the Lost Time, promises to transport diners from Glasgow city centre to another place and another time, Italy of old. Helmed by the mother and son trio of Sabrina, Marco and Matteo Lacobelli, this incarnation is in fact the third Osteria del Tempo Perso in existence, with another in Edinburgh and the original back in Casalvieri, central Italy. The osteria’s express lunches are popular among the city’s workers, making this John Street address a busy one during the week, while long and lugubrious dinners accompanied by fine wine and beer are encouraged with the aphorism ‘time is an essential ingredient in Italian food’. We recommend taking it at Osteria del Tempo Perso.

Start your voyage into Osteria del Tempo Perso with a refreshing beer, a wine selected from this central Glasgow Italian restaurant’s long and carefully curated list, or an aperitif alongside some fresh-baked Italian bread and olives. Osteria del Tempo Perso is at pains to ensure that dining at its intriguing John Street premises in the city centre be as relaxed as possible – even its so-called ‘express’ lunches have the tendency to lose themselves in an afternoon, with Italian wines from Friuli, Puglia, Lazio and elsewhere in regional Italy available, temptingly, by the glass.

Osteria del Tempo Perso’s dinner menu follows the Mediterranean culinary dogma that food should be simple, colourful, and flavourful. It’s the same dogma that keeps the Italian food on offer at this Italian restaurant in Glasgow’s city centre fresh and healthy, whether you go for the homemade meatballs in a classic tomato sauce or the Caprese salad to start, or the chef’s selection of premium Italian cheeses, cured meats and starters to share. Classic primi and secondi piatti, sides and pizza meet Scottish beef steaks and Italianate burgers – all bases covered. Then there’s the famous ice cream sundaes and an incredibly authentic selection of handmade desserts: go for the ‘tiramisu della mamma’ paired with a sweet and sparkling Moscato d’Asti for a proper finish.