A Sri Lankan restaurant that started out in a converted horsebox launches next week in its first permanent premises – the former Hanoi Bike Shop venue in Glasgow’s West End.
Kochchi, named after a Sri Lankan variety of chilli, has been one of the most popular kitchens at the Bonnie and Wild food hall in Edinburgh for the past four years. The Hanoi Bike Shop, Glasgow’s first Vietnamese canteen, closed down last summer after a 13-year run.
Bankrolled by a reported £500,000 investment, the new operation in Ruthven Lane can accommodate 80 guests over two floors and an outdoor seating area, with an expanded menu and a bar specialising in Sri Lankan-inspired cocktails and craft beers.
The founding duo, friends Shehan Fernando and Suki Jayaratne, originally launched Kockchi as a mobile outfit whose gigs included catering for the film Batgirl, which was filmed in Glasgow. They say the project reflects their respective backgrounds in Sri Lanka and their experiences in its capital, Colombo.
Suki explains: “Shehan’s childhood was spent among his family’s hotels in Nuwara Eliya before discovering Colombo’s kitchens and streets, where food was rhythm and theatre.
“I grew up in Kandy’s gardens and coastal markets but found in Colombo the energy of a city where every influence collided—from black pork curry and seafood fried rice to lunch boxes filled with dosas, sambols, and biryani.”
Shehan adds: “When you sit at our table, you taste more than Sri Lanka—you taste Colombo, the city where the island comes together. At KOCHCHI Glasgow, we want to share that rhythm and warmth—a place for rich curries, street snacks, and seafood dishes that carry the flavours of home. The space will have the same character and soul that shaped us, brought to life with a Glasgow energy of its own.”
Kochchi launches next Thursday 29 January, with reservations open now.
