Ah, the joys of sumptuous Italian food! In the homeland you’ll encounter a must-eat diner or deli on practically every street corner, but luckily, its prized cuisine has travelled far beyond its shores. It’s in the cosmopolitan French capital where hospitality group Big Mamma has proudly carried the torch across a network of stylish yet laidback restaurants, bars, and even a food market. Founded four years ago by French entrepreneurs Tigrane Seydoux and Victor Lugger, the chain sets itself apart by serving Italian food made exclusively from fresh Italian ingredients, served by Italian staff in ornate, cozy settings. Outside home base Paris, Big Mamma manages a single outpost in Lille, a provincial city in the North of France, but for its latest venture, the company has wandered even further, crossing the Channel to open up shop in London. The company’s eleventh trattoria-style outpost arguably is it’s most audacious one as it’s entering a saturated and highly competitive market, and the selected Shoreditch location certainly ticks those boxes.
Called Gloria, the restaurant occupies a double ground floor unit of a former industrial building on the corner of Great Eastern Street and Charlotte Street, and features an interior design created by Big Mamma‘s in-house Studio Kiki design team that’s inspired by glamorous aura of Capri in the 1970s. Upon entering, guests encounter a welcoming watering hole, set up in true Piemonte fashion with an elongated counter in grey Carrara and pink marble. In an adjacent space the dining room can be found. Light and summery, the setting is downright classic, featuring wooden panelling, marble tile flooring, and a variety of seating arrangements. An abundance of luscious plants and homey decorations, most notably the string of porcelain plates adorning the wall, oozing a perennial Amalfi summer vibe. The Wine Room offers a special treat to the true aficionado, featuring no less than 1,300 bottles and old wine crates in a rustic setting that instantly grows on you.
Walking down a flight of stairs adorned with old music scores, Gloria‘s other dining space unfolds, and here, the aesthetic morphs into something similar 1970s, but slightly more funky, featuring an open kitchen, a mirrored ceiling and carpeting with a wild flower motif. The menu at Gloria changes monthly, and obviously is nothing short of a sumptuous affair, listing a range of freshly made Neapolitan-style pizzas, entrees and mains. As said, authenticity is key here, and ingredients have been meticulously sourced from Italian producers. And since the place is pretty much an all-night destination, it comes with a cocktail menu that’ll keep even the most jaded of party people happily occupied on more than one level. Mind you, Big Mamma is betting heavily on London, as it’s rumoured that a second trattoria is already in the making in the city’s leafy Fitzrovia neighbourhood.
Gloria
54-56 Great Eastern Street (Shoreditch)
London EC2A 3QR
Online reservations only
Mon-Fri 8-11 / 11.45-2.45 / 5.45-10.45
Sat 9-3.45 / 5.45-11
Sun 9-3.45 / 5.45-10.30
Publishers Note
Just to be clear – superfuture® is a design blog and not a political commentator. No surprise there. The scope of our content has always been global and borderless, however that can often mean covering projects in countries where we will not agree with the politics or actions of those countries. In a world that’s as screwed up as ever right now, the focus of our support is to those designers, architects and other creatives who aim to make the world a more liveable one – as opposed to people that try their hardest to destroy it. So if a project hits our desk and we like it based on its design credentials, we may choose to publish regardless of its location or creators nationality. superfuture® has always been inclusive and hopes for all current wars, aggression, violence, hate and extremism to end.
