The restaurant, located on Queen Street, will close its doors for the final time on 14 September with the team shifting its focus to the launch of Clydeside Containers, a new riverside street food and drink destination opening on Glasgow’s waterfront.
Mikaku opened in 2018 and offers a Japanese izakaya experience designed to bring ‘a slice of Tokyo’ to Glasgow. Menu items include a range of sandos, ramen, katsu, donburi and robatayaki.
“Closing Mikaku was not an easy decision,” says director Nathan Sparling. “It has been a truly special place for both our team and our guests, and we are incredibly proud of what Mikaku has achieved.
“From celebrating Ramen Week with £1 bowls, to launching one of Glasgow’s most innovative cocktail menus, to introducing a real robata grill to the city for the first time – Mikaku has been about bringing something bold, different, and authentic to Queen Street, seven days a week. The memories created here, and the community that has grown around it, will always be a huge source of pride.
“But like so many venues in Glasgow and across the UK, we’ve faced the well-documented challenges in hospitality – from rising costs and staffing pressures, to shifts in consumer behaviour.
“The recent rise in National Insurance contributions has added even more pressure, strangling independent operators like us at a time when the sector is still recovering. These wider challenges have been a significant factor in the decision to close, allowing us to refocus our efforts and resources on the exciting opportunity ahead at Clydeside Containers.”
Clydeside Containers is described as Glasgow’s ‘first-of-its-kind, outdoor multi-eatery venue’ and is due to open in September. Confirmed food vendors at the site include ‘vegan junk food’ brand Rabbit Food; Crumbleologist; Neapolitan pizza brand Pizza Cult; Greek Street Yeeros; and the New York sandwich-inspired Sub126.
It will also have space for a special guest vendor for a limited period of time.
Earlier in the year the restaurant launched a ‘30 days to save us’ campaign amid what it said was an ever-challenging trading environment. As part of the campaign, it called on Glasgow City Council to do more to support hospitality venues, by increasing footfall, improving public transport links, addressing city centre parking challenges, and recognising the role these venues play in Glasgow’s social and economic fabric.
It also urged both the Scottish and UK Governments to implement what it says are ‘meaningful policies’ that support hospitality – particularly around employer tax burdens, energy costs, and long-term investment in the night-time economy.