Sugo Pasta
Paul Stevenson opened Sugo in 2019 as the pasta follow-up to Paesano, then sold both brands to Di Maggio's Restaurant Group in 2024 in a deal reported at eight figures, so the Paesano crew you were told about are no longer the owners.
Why go
The format is narrow on purpose: around ten pasta mains plus specials, made fresh daily, served fast across roughly 200 seats with no reservations taken. The shapes and sauces follow Italian regions rather than a house style, so a Sicilian chitarra sits next to Emilia Romagna ravioli and a squid ink spaghetti with baby squid ragu. Together with Paesano the group was serving close to 22,000 customers a week at the time of the sale, and DRG has announced at least six more restaurants across the two brands.
Order this / avoid
- Order: pappardelle with slow-cooked beef ragu, or the squid ink spaghetti. Gaby Soutar found the pasta
rustic and wholesome,
though she thought the squid ink dressingdidn't seem quite acidic enough to lift the musky squidiness.
2 - Avoid: the 7pm weekend crush. No bookings means a line, and the room is loud enough that the Scotsman called it "a clattery decibel assault."
What locals & experts say
- Harden's (2026 survey):
Perfectly cooked pasta in a range of mouthwatering sauces is served up by the friendly, enthusiastic FOH team,
scored food 3, service 3, ambience 3, with an average price of £36.1 - The Scotsman (Gaby Soutar, January 2020): filed it as
a satisfying pitstop rather than a massive treat,
and hard to beat if you want to eat in the city center for under £10.2 - Insider (2024): the trade report on Di Maggio's Restaurant Group buying Paesano and Sugo from Paul Stevenson.3
- Local rec: Jeff's save, and his two lines below are the honest summary.
Good to know
- Timing: walk-in only, all day. Go early or late if you have a group, since the line is the main cost of eating here.
- Booking: none taken, for parties of any size. Same policy as Paesano.
- Getting there: Mitchell Street, a few minutes' walk from Glasgow Central, which makes it a workable pre-train dinner.
- Cost: single-figure pasta plates at 2020 review prices, with the 2026 survey average at £36 once drinks and extras are in.
- Sites: two Sugos now trade in Glasgow. This one is 70 Mitchell Street in the Lighthouse building, and everything above is about it. The second is 8 Cresswell Lane in the West End, off Byres Road, which the group's own contact page lists alongside it. Nothing here has been tested there.
Jeff's take (his words)
- Note: "From the Paesano crew for fresh pasta. Good for groups. Tasty, but not super special."
- Note: "From paesano crew. Fresh pasta. Good, but not amazing and overpriced."
Verdict
could-visit — If it is on your way. Fresh pasta made daily, ten or so mains built on regional shapes, roughly 200 seats and no bookings, at a price the Scotsman called hard to beat under £10 when it reviewed the place. The ceiling is low though: Harden's 2026 scores it a 3 for food, the Scotsman filed it as 'a satisfying pitstop rather than a massive treat', and Jeff's own note says tasty but not super special. It is useful, it runs high volume, and it is unremarkable.