St Barth: La Gloriette (April 2016)

My spouse and I visited La Gloriette several times during our 4-night stay in late April 2016 at nearby Le Sereno Resort in Grand Cul-de-Sac. It was a quick, easy, and safe walk either on the (side) street or on the beach between our hotel and the restaurant. (Another beach shack O’Corail is located even closer between Le Sereno and La Gloriette.) La Gloriette serves lunch and dinner daily except Wednesdays; however, the restaurant closes in the late afternoon/very early evening between those meals. Even though we visited St Barth just after the busy season, La Gloriette was crowded each time we visited. We are not sure if the restaurant accepts reservations for dinner, but you might want to inquire so that you do not have to wait (because there is no formal bar at which to pass the time).

The majority of the tables at La Gloriette are completely al fresco, although a few tables are positioned under the roof adjacent to the main building (which is more of a beach shack that contains the kitchen and bar/service area). Most tables are located on the sand beneath the swaying cocoloba trees. In the morning/afternoon, the restaurant offers the use of their reclining beach chairs and small side tables if you dine there (but they do not offer beach umbrellas, so bring your own).

The lunch menu at La Gloriette is varied, from salads and sandwiches to complete main courses and desserts. The dinner menu, although extensive, consists primarily of pizzas, calzones, and burgers. Pizza is also available to carry out if you want to eat at your own hotel or villa. A tiny shop to the rear of the property (from the beachside) sells rum, but it did not ever seem to be open when we visited. A paved parking lot offers plenty of complimentary parking.

During our two afternoon visits, we tried two of their desserts: the banana bread (served warm) and the panna cotta (served with a shot glass of raspberry sauce to pour over the creamy custard). We visited after 3:00 pm, so the lunch menu was no longer offered, but fortunately we could still order dessert. The panna cotta at La Gloriette is the best we have ever tasted anywhere, and we ordered it several more times when we visited. We also ate dinner at La Gloriette one evening, when we shared a pizza (there offer 20+ different varieties, both with traditional red sauce and “white” without sauce) and a bacon cheeseburger (with fries). Although the food was not as inexpensive as we expected (for example, it was not much less than the cost of similar food at nearby resort Le Sereno), the drinks prices were noticeably less than at the hotel. Service was perfunctory but not particularly friendly or welcoming.

La Gloriette is great for what it is – a restaurant that provides a laid-back meal in casual surroundings. It is not a dining (or beach) destination, but if you are staying nearby, it is worth a visit.