Right in the heart of the Eixample and its hotel street par excellence, Enric Granados, is a gigantic place that at the time was all the rage for a simple reason: it was the place chosen by Messi to install his restaurant. Bellavista del Jardín del Norte was the player’s short hotel adventure in Barcelona, and although it was not a resounding success, the magnitude of its proportions and the obvious attraction of the best player in the world were enough to fix it in the memory of many.
Bellavista closed, then came Salvaje, which did not succeed, and now a new restaurant is taking over from this place of more than 1,000 m2: it is called Gloria Osteria and seeks to be something like the maximum expression of an Italian restaurant in the city.
Raffaella Carrà’s castle
Visiting the place is worth it just for the decor: a square kilometer of kitsch excess and baroque decor, mixing marble, chandeliers, glass cutlery and posters of Raffaella Carrà. A little trip to a glamorous and extravagant Italy. The entrance does not disappoint: a sober hallway that promises little ends up leading to a lounge invaded by the light of the courtyard, which gives back that feeling of being in the main hall of an extravagant castle.
Under the direction of chef Daniele Tasso and chef Gilberto Renna, the menu pays homage to Italian tradition with obvious sections: classic starters (bruschetta, cold zucchini flowers), pizzas, pasta and meats. The site does not deceive, here you come for a luxury-like experience, so nothing is cheap and all sections have their luxury version: pasta with lobster and caviar option, artisanal burrata, caviar pizzas or meats like tomahawks over a kilo. Luxury Italy.
For the same reason, truffle everywhere: to crown a carbonara pasta topped inside a wheel of pecorino at the table or to brush a well-cooked sirloin steak rossini. Strong flavors in keeping with the power of the place. The aim is to leave an impression on the eyes and also on the palate of the diner.
To accompany, an extensive list of organic Italian wines with more than 70 references, from Chianti to Barolo, and a menu of original cocktails such as the smoked Negroni or the Espresso Martini with pistachio, and homemade desserts well executed or finished at the table as the tiramisu with pistachio that spills or the Bakes Alaska, a bizarre fantasy of sponge cake and ice cream covered with meringue and flambéed on the spot.
All this, while looking at the garden, which at the moment has no tables, but becomes a kind of giant backdrop, with absolutely the whole place open to it.
All, by the way, served by a team of almost 100 people, all Italian, because the mother company, Big Mamma, is in Milan, and exports its workers to the world. And nothing like a cheeky Italian waiter telling you which version of the pasta you are eating he prefers to round off an experience that will not be for everyone, nor for every day, but that does manage to be remarkable.