I have to confess to feeling rather excited when it was announced that Eataly had opened in London in May this year. A big fan of the Eataly concept, I had already visited their stores in New York and Turin and, having been unable to visit Italy over the past year due to the pandemic, being able to enjoy a taste of Italy here in London filled me with excitement and anticipation.
So what is Eataly all about? The original brains behind the Eataly concept was Oscar Farinetti, who had the idea of bringing together top quality Italian food, celebrating its biodiversity and creating an informal place to ‘eat, shop and learn’ under one roof. Founded back in 2007, the roll out of stores has been unstoppable. Eataly is now in 13 different countries – Brazil, Germany, Italy, Japan, Korea, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sweden, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, the USA and now the UK.
Eataly’s first UK store is just a stone’s throw from Liverpool Street Station and it’s enormous! Set out over two floors, it boasts a choice of restaurants including outdoor dining at La Terazza, a counter-to-table dining experience at Cucina del Mercato and Pasta e Pizza serving up… well, as the name would suggest pizza and pasta! There’s also Central Bar, serving up the perfect Aperol Spritz and a host of other classic Italian drinks. More restaurants are on the way but you’re certainly not short of choice when it comes to food since you can also opt to purchase products from the various ‘market stalls’ to take away.
These ‘stalls’ essentially divide Eataly into different sections. As you enter, you’ll find yourself in the Gran Caffè, a huge circular shaped coffee bar serving up the finest Italian coffee along with a selection of sweet pastries typically enjoyed as part of an Italian breakfast along with a choice of panini for lunch. Not only that but you’ll also find a gelato counter, serving up freshly made gelato. In other words, everything you’d find in a typical Italian cafe bar but with a lot more glitz and a lot less locals sitting at the bar chatting!
Keep moving and you’ll find yourself walking along the Via del Dolce, a bright and colourfully lit tunnel dedicated to all things chocolate and sweet treats. Not yet open during my visit but on its way is the cannoli counter where you’ll be able to enjoy freshly made cannoli filled to order. They definitely know the way to this girls heart! On you go to the fresh pasta counter, to the bread counter, the cheese and meat counter, to the fish counter… and the list goes on.
Take the escalator to the first floor and the array of Italian produce continues with fresh fruit and veg, followed by rows and rows of supermarket style shelves packed full of dried goods, sauces, oils, condiments, savoury snacks and vinegars until you reach the impressive selection of Italian wines. With over 2000 wines on offer, grouped by region, it offers the widest selection of Italian wines anywhere in the UK.
Also upstairs is La Scuola, where you can enjoy the opportunity to take part in a cookery class or demonstration, a wine tasting or exclusive dinner. Nothing was taking place when I visited but there were some interesting classes coming up which would be right up my street. I’d recommend always pre-booking these to avoid disappointment.
So, did Eataly London live up to my expectations? To be honest, I’m not sure if it did. You certainly couldn’t fault the glitz and glamour that it brings to Italian food and drink. However, I have to say that it lacked the authenticity and warmth of Italy…. Would I rather order my espresso from the Gran Caffe at the entrance to Eataly or at a small coffee shop in Italy that hasn’t changed in 50 years but will charge me a euro for my drink and where I can feel I’m part of a real community? Definitely the latter.
For me, the education part was missing and Eataly lacked the positive interaction that I was expecting to see and experience. Yes, there were lots of signs that I could read but I’d much rather have a conversation about these things. That’s what I love about Italy – listening to the passion that Italians have about food and this simply didn’t come across to me. It all felt a bit flat. Instead, I felt like I was in a rather swish supermarket much of the time. I’d have loved to see the option of ad hoc tasting in the wine section for example. Yes, the breadth of wine on offer was incredible but there was no one there to tell me about it, no option to try anything so I was at a bit of a loss. Similarly, with so many Italian foods on offer, some tastings would have been appreciated and welcomed to bring the food to life.
But maybe this is harsh. I’m sure COVID restrictions have impacted what Eataly can and can’t do. And, perhaps my feelings are more a reflection of what I’ve missed about Italy over the past year. I certainly haven’t written Eataly off just yet! Once I’ve been able to experience Italy again, I’ll certainly head back to Liverpool Street and perhaps then I’ll be able to experience Eataly with less emotion and less wistful yearning to be in the country itself. And next time, I’ll certainly be placing my order at that cannoli counter!!