Italy's Doppio Malto planning up to 100 UK restaurants

An Italian kitchen and brewery brand is to open its first UK restaurant this month, with plans to grow to 100 venues across the country.

Doppio Malto, which was founded in 2016 and specialises in craft beer, runs 28 venues across Italy and France and now has its eye on the UK.

It has taken on the former Jamie's Italian site in Glasgow's George Square, which will relaunch on 13 August. A second site in Newcastle is set to follow before the end of the year.

“We are incredibly proud to be in a position of growth despite a tough 18 months and we cannot wait to open our doors next week,” said Doppio Malto chief executive and founder Giovanni Porcu.

The Glasgow venue will seat 80 diners and offer 15 house beers and a menu including fresh pasta, pizza, burgers and barbecued meats cooked to order.

Signature dishes include the ‘pizza croccante’, slices of pizza fried and topped with a tomato sauce and grated Bella Lodi grant cheese and fresh basil leaves; and a beer-drenched roast chicken served whole with hot and spicy sauce.

Desserts include a white tiramisu with ladyfinger biscuits soaked in Old Jack beer and chocolate flakes.

Porcu said: “At the very heart of Doppio Malto is our motto “un posto felice” – a ‘happy place’. Everything is designed around feeling good, from the food and beer to the service and physical space, and we are so excited to bring this unique concept to the UK.”

Doppio Malto's international restaurants are located in Italian cities including Rome, Milan, Verona and France's Saint-Étienne.