The Glasgow-based restaurant is taking on a 3,400sq ft site in Edinburgh’s St James Quarter development with an opening date of autumn.

It will join restaurants including The Gannet, Erpingham House, Bonnie & Wild’s Scottish Marketplace, Salerno Pizza, and Sushisamba at the 1.7 million sq ft city centre development in the Scottish capital.

Ka Pao launched in Glasgow’s Botanic Gardens Garage last year and was founded by Jonathan MacDonald and Daniel Spurr, who also operate Ox and Finch restaurant in Glasgow. The restaurant’s name is a play on the Thai word for holy basil, and menu items include hispi cabbage, cashew nut butter and sriracha; pork and prawn rice noodles, samphire, brown butter and chilli jam; and grilled cauliflower, crispy potato and ajat pickle.

“We are incredibly excited to be bringing Ka Pao to Edinburgh and we know that the restaurant’s fun, relaxed, party vibe will be an excellent fit alongside lots of other fantastic leisure, retail and restaurant businesses at St James Quarter,” says MacDonald.

“It is a great development to be a part of and we are delighted with our site, overlooking St James Square and the striking new W hotel. We are looking forward to working on a new project which will create around 35 new management, kitchen and front of house roles, as well as offering opportunities for career progression to our existing team who are absolutely central to everything that we do.”

“Ka Pao joining St James Quarter is another major milestone signing for us and their Glasgow restaurant has already been a critically acclaimed sensation,” says Ed Corrigan at St James Quarter.