One of East Kilbride’s most popular restaurants is set for a £1 million makeover – including the launch of the town’s first authentic churro bar and gelateria.
Churrissimo will form part of a new-look Di Maggio’s East Kilbride that owners DRG say will become a ‘dining destination’ for families across Lanarkshire and the west of Scotland.
The project is the first step in a refresh of the Di Maggio’s brand as it marks its 40th anniversary this year.
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It will be DRG’s first venture into a specialist gelateria, and they’ve promised an impressive array of treats including 12 core ice cream flavours and highly popular churros – the classic Spanish fried donut dessert.
Churrissimo will include specially sourced churro equipment costing more than £20,000 so the delicacy can be produced on site. Chefs have also been sent to Spain for specialist churro training to ensure an offering unlike anything else in the west of Scotland.
The impressive new Di Maggio’s interior will be modelled on Italian heritage, with nods to the brand’s Italian American roots, and will have room for more than 220 diners. The restaurant will also launch an updated menu to coincide with the refurbishment, and will continue to offer collection and delivery services.
The project is the first major refurbishment of Di Maggio’s East Kilbride since the 200-seater, purpose-built venue opened in 1994. In the time since, the Italian American-style family restaurant has been a smash hit with the EK population, serving more than a quarter of a million visitors spanning three generations. It has also provided hundreds of jobs for EK locals over the years.
Tony Conetta, co-owner of DRG and son of Di Maggio’s co-founder Joe Conetta, said: “This is a really big moment for Di Maggio’s and Di Maggio’s East Kilbride. It’s the first major overhaul in the restaurant’s history, and we’ve poured a huge amount of planning and preparation into it.
“It’s also the perfect location to launch our Churrissimo brand. As a trusted neighbourhood restaurant, it’s a safe space to drop teens to meet up for ice cream with friends. With our kids play areas, we also see families travelling for a day out of fresh pizza or pasta, and then enjoy a cone, gelato, or churro afterwards. It’s a dining destination in the making.”
He added: “We can’t wait to lift the curtain on this next exciting chapter for Di Maggio’s East Kilbride. When my dad Joe first opened the restaurant in East Kilbride almost 30 years ago, he knew the town was perfect – and it's now part of the fabric of the community. I’m so proud to see it continue to thrive.
“Family is what Di Maggio’s is all about, and the East Kilbride restaurant has been a core part of our family business for such a long time. What’s truly amazing though, is that it’s also been a part of the lives of three generations of families in East Kilbride, people whose parents brought them here are now taking their children. It’s really special.”
The new-look Stroud Road venue will officially launch in the first week in May, however, the kitchen reopens for deliveries and collection from this weekend (Friday, March 29).
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