French restaurant group Big Mamma has plans to open a third London restaurant in Covent Garden.
Big Mamma is the team behind two of 2019’s biggest restaurant openings, namely Gloria in Shoreditch and Circolo Popolare in Fitzrovia. Although the group was founded by French restaurateurs Victor Lugger and Tigrane Seydoux, it’s shtick is over the top Italian food.
The new Covent Garden site will likely be in a similar mould, with plans having being submitted to open a 227-cover restaurant. The space will be formed by combining 29-30 Maiden Lane (which formerly housed Mabel’s Bar & Grill) and 15 Henrietta Street, which is home to men’s clothing store The Real McCoy’s, to create one giant restaurant.
The over the top interiors at Gloria in Shoreditch
Little else is known about the new site so far, including what its name will be. However, the planning documents do reveal that Big Mamma Covent Garden plans to be operating all day long, open from 8am to midnight on Monday through Wednesday, but staying open until 1am during the latter half of the week from Thursday to Saturday (it will shut its doors at 11pm on Sundays).
It’s very likely that the food menu will be similar to the ones found at Gloria and Circolo Popolare, which have both become known for their extravagant portions. Signature Big Mamma serves include a lemon meringue pie which looks like it could do serious damage to the Titanic, and pasta which is tossed around in a wheel of cheese at the table before being served up.
The pasta at Gloria is served in a wheel of cheese
Both Gloria and Circolo Popolare have been smash hits on London’s restaurant scene, although most people accept that they are places to visit for the electric atmosphere, more than the quality of the food. Our SquareMeal review of Gloria praised the “infectiously vivacious atmosphere”, while at Circolo, we “couldn’t escape the feeling that we were at a children’s party for adults”.
Watch this space for more news on Big Mamma Covent Garden.
If you want to get your bearings on Covent Garden before the latest Big Mamma project opens its doors, check out our pick of Covent Garden’s best restaurants.