First it was Gloria in Shoreditch. Then came Fitzrovia’s Circolo Popolare. Now, Covent Garden is home to one of London’s buzziest restaurants, with today’s opening of Ave Mario. The third (and largest) in the British empire of French hospitality group Big Mamma, it’s just as outrageously in-your-face as its older siblings. Spanning three areas, every inch feels like it’s been designed with Instagram in mind, from the bar’s 3,500 bottle feature wall, to the food and cocktail-themed neons, the mirrored basement-slash-pizza kitchen, the jumbo drinks and the kitschy tableware.

“Ave Mario is Fun with a capital F,” says Stylist Loves’ editor Gemma Crisp. “It was practically vibrating with hype during my visit but it’s not all style over substance – the chefs and mixologists know exactly what they’re doing, whether it’s an expertly-mixed old fashioned or a perfectly constructed vitello tonnato. The Florence-inspired menu dabbles in a little bit of everything but being adventurous pays off: I’m still thinking about the girella piccante da Catanzaro, a black pasta stuffed with ricotta, parmesan and chilli, drizzled with tarragon oil and San Marzano tomato sauce. And of course, there’s the already Insta-famous giant stracciatella gelato, a 60cm-high ice cream bollard that’s paraded around the restaurant and sliced at your table. Ave Mario knows that food is theatre and you can guarantee social media will lap it up.” 15 Henrietta St, London, WC2E