The opening of the new site is timed to coincide with the fifteenth anniversary of the opening of Bar Soba's first site in Glasgow on Mitchell Lane in 1999.
The Merchant City will be the third in Glasgow, after a second restaurant and bar was opened on Byres Road in 2012. The popularity of the Pan-Asian street food brand has now also spread south of the border to Leeds, with additional venues in Manchester and Liverpool in the pipeline for 2016.
The new multi-level restaurant and bar, which occupies the former Chophouse Brasserie, will feature three dining areas, including balcony seating with views over Merchant Square, two purpose-built cocktail bars and a DJ booth for showcasing the UK’s up and coming talent.
The site on Albion Street, which opens later this month, is undergoing a £500,000 refurbishment which will see it decked out in keeping with the brand’s signature urban Oriental style.
Brad Stevens, the Scottish entrepreneur behind the Soba brand, said: “The Merchant City has thrived since the success of the annual Merchant City festival, particularly during the 2014 Commonwealth Games and we now feel that the time is right for Soba and the Merchant City to come together.
"We’re working hard on creating the perfect space in our new home in Merchant Square which promises balcony views as well as frontage on Albion Street.”
