La Bellezza

Taking refuge in a former haberdashery, La Belleza is a spectacular scene! Seating 150 in total, the walls of the initial dining room are covered in thousands of backlit bottles, while the second one has 5-meter-high ceilings filled with globe light fixtures, long drapes with exotic bird prints, and a collection of old plates hanging on the wall… This is the very first resto-drome from the Big Mamma group (La Felicità, Mamma Primi, Ober Mamma…) outside of Paris or London. On the plates, it’s the same bistrattoria cuisine as their other locations: creamy smoked stracciatella; perfect Jewish artichokes; immutable Neapolitan pizzas made with San Marzano tomatoes; and good pasta, like the fresh Roman-style tagliatelle with black grapes, pine nuts and steamed oxtail. Not to mention the incredible homemade Sicilian pistachio or Piedmont hazelnut ice creams. // M.F.

FEELING THIRSTY? Sicilian Nero-d’Avola (€5 a glass), Tuscan red Habemus (€51 a bottle), a Piedmont Sauvignon white (€38) and birra artigianale produced in collaboration with the Lille brewery Célestin (€4 for 250 ml).

PRICE: À la carte €30-40.