LONDON
LA DOLCE VITA, SHOREDITCH STYLE... AN EVENING AT GLORIA
BY SAMANTHA READY
© Jérôme Galland
Finding Gloria is easy; the bright yellow facade, billowing awnings and myriad of terracotta pots lining the pavement herald your arrival and instantly transport you from East London to the Amalfi Coast. Finding the way in, however, requires a little more commitment. The near double-height doors on Great Eastern Street are practically hidden beneath an exuberant collage of stickers- somewhere between teenage bedroom and Italian motor scooter- but push through and you’ re transported entirely.
This is where Big Mamma- the group that’ s been causing queues around Parisian blocks since 2013- first landed in London back in 2019. Their ethos? That eating out should be theatrical, generous and utterly joyful. With multiple London locations now under their belt, Gloria remains the original and it still delivers on every count.
The magic here, aside from the gloriously authentic Italian menu, is how dramatically the spaces shift. Upstairs reads like a 1970’ s Capri fantasy: vintage candelabra dripping from the ceilings, pink pinstripe banquettes, terracotta planters and overflowing with greenery- the kind of retro glamour that makes you want to order an Aperol Spritz and stay all afternoon. Move to the sophisticated wine room and the mood turns altogether more grown-up; 3,000 bottles lining the walls, candlelight and intimate booths perfect for business dinners that turn slightly too liquid.
But, descend those stairs through the curtain( that also directs you to the toilets- more on those later) and you’ ll enter what can only be described as the red room: mirrored ceilings, oxblood velour banquettes surrounding a sunken kitchen, and lighting so moody it treads the line between sultry and slightly debaucherous.
We started with focaccia, warm olive and aged-balsamic slicked, and dangerously moreish, before the arancini al tartufo arrived: golden, crisp-shelled spheres filled with molten fior di latte mozzarella and caciocavallo topped with truffle honey and fresh pecorino shavings. They were glorious, indulgent, the sort of thing you convince yourself you’ ll share before eating three.
Next came pizza; we opted for Dancing Queen( San Marzano DOP tomato sauce, mozzarella di bufala, prosciutto crudo, pecorino, fresh rocket) which frankly is worth the visit alone. Proper Neopolitan dough, slow fermented and baked in a Marana oven until the crust blisters and chars in all the right places, topped with quality Italian ingredients that sing. It was the kind of pizza that makes your mouth water from the aroma before it appears, then makes you question every other pizza you have ever eaten.
120 • www. insidekent. co. uk