Georgina Campbell
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Bringing big Milano energy to Dublin city centre in a high-glam room to dress up for, Gloria Osteria from the Big Mamma chain of Italian trattorias is just the restaurant for when you want to go out out.
Gloria impresses before you even open the handsome doors of this 19th-century corner site where Westmoreland Street meets College Green, which once housed an AIB bank. As with Hawksmoor just a stone’s throw away, the former bank setting gives a sense of place and gravitas to what is an Irish outpost from a slick international restaurant group, with pockets deep enough to give the room the makeover it deserves. If Hawksmoor went for clean classic lines, however, Gloria channels more-is-more aesthetics, delivering a maximalist feast for the eyes.
Mirrors and lacquered ceilings bounce the light from side-room windows through the main dining room lit by outrageous statement chandeliers that look like giant Campari-soaked sea urchins. There are more flashes of colour everywhere you look – the checkered blue bikini framed on the wall beside the framed vinyl LPs, the central bar festooned in garlands of flouncy red peonies above backlit bottles, the trad-core handpainted plates on white linen – but against a soothing backdrop of burnished gold leather banquettes to offset all the drama. A sprawling space, it manages to be both a room to be seen in but with hideaway corners for more discreet meet ups. (Even the toilets here are not so much a vibe as a full-blown trip, bathed in scarlet lighting that begs for the spilling of secrets.)
Beaming front of house staff set the tone with their warm enthusiasm, their loosely oversized but super-sharp suits and their discreet headsets through which they coordinate your experience with the rest of the smooth-edged team.
There’s plenty of liquid refreshment on offer to settle you in while you peruse the menu: from fancy sodas, freshly squeezed juices, mocktails and low-alcohol cocktail to full-blooded house cocktails that put a twist on classics – think cinnamon and saffron-infused negroni, or their margarita with cucumber, Limoncello and green peppercorns – alongside the classics themselves.
The wine list is exclusively Italian, as you’d expect – with the exception of Champagne, of course, but alongside its traditional method Italian equivalent of Franciacorta – and caters both for those wanting easy pours (with direct imports by the restaurant group keeping prices down) alongside modern icons like Tignanello for a bottle to remember. There are lots by the glass too, and nicely pitched descriptors that manage to be informative, fun to read and inclusive in their appeal, along with helpful maps and explainers.
Foodwise, there are extravagances offered at every turn – think seafood like carpaccio of Gambero Rosso or spaghettoni with lobster, Datterini tomato sauce and caviar, or meat-lovers indulgences like dry-aged Kildare-reared T-bone or fillet all Rossini with optional black truffles. Savvy diners can eat very well too however by forgoing the premium produce and opting for flavoursome dishes that make the most of humbler ingredients.
Don’t miss the Sicilian Datterini tomato tart tatin to start, beautifully caramelised to sticky-sweet effect and served with a plump dollop of Parmigiano Reggiano whipped cream for savoury contrast. Much pride is taken here in the quality of ingredients sourced twice weekly, such as some excellent mortadella al pistacchio
and 30-month Prosciutto Crudo di Parma Gran Riserva.
For mains, fresh homemade pasta features in super-rich dishes like their ‘Sideways Lasagna’, or Agnolotti al Ragù di Agnello, punchy little pockets of toothsome pasta filled with a rich lamb ragu that is cut by the lift of a minty salsa verde.
For dessert, you may well be tempted by their signature lemon pie for the Insta-appeal of its impossibly tall Italian meringue topping or their house soufflé made with 70% cocoa Valrhona chocolate – but their marsala-soaked tiramisu is as comforting as you’d hope, is spooned straight out of the large tray it’s made in, just like nonna might. Perfect with an espresso martini with a pistachio twist.
Gloria is a lot of fun, serving with high octane glamour with warm hearts and some very decent food featuring proudly sourced produce. It arrived to Dublin with a banger of an opening party that saw a red-carpet queue snake around the corner and shenanigans continuing into the night. It’s that kind of go-large-or-go-home place: somewhere that invites you to blow the budget and have a big night, or a long lunch, to remember. Our advice? Accept that invitation.
