Mexico City studio MYT+GLVDK has designed a fast-casual restaurant where exposed concrete walls are covered in wavy green metal mesh.
The office led by Andrés Mier y Terán and Regina Galvanduque completed both the architectural and graphic identities for Órale Milanga, located in the city’s upscale Polanco neighbourhood.
The restaurant celebrates the “comforting and beloved” dish, the Milanese – which many countries claim to have birthed – in a new concept by Venezuelan chef Jorge Udelman.
“Órale Milanga proposes a fast casual concept that invites you on a journey through Milanese, the main character of a single-item menu that honours different culinary traditions with a variety of ingredients and preparations,” said MYT+GLVDK.
For the interiors, the multidisciplinary studio overlaid the original exposed concrete walls with panels of wavy, olive-green mesh within metal frames in the same hue.
Mirrors also fill a row of the wall-mounted frames, creating the impression of more space for the narrow footprint.
Similar framework forms a tall, open shelving unit on the other side of the restaurant, partially concealing a green staircase that leads up to additional seating on a mezzanine level.
“The presence of the green tones, as well as the wood and ironwork accents, evoke the classic neighbourhood cafes and bars in Milan,” the studio said.
Pale wood shelves display Órale Milanga’s branded products that include take-out boxes, mugs, canned goods and glass water bottles.
Diners are encouraged to eat at either formica-topped tables or a pale wood bar counter, both of which keep the atmosphere in the space light and bright.
Modernist-style tubular steel chairs have seats and cylindrical backs wrapped in beige and olive leather, matching the built-in seating.
Warm LED lighting is emitted from glass diffusers, linked in pairs on curved brass rods that attach to the metal frames.
The restaurant’s laid-back spirit is reflected in its graphic identity, which features yellow and green tones “that communicate the naturalness and joy of the atmosphere… as well as the ingredients used in the kitchen” according to MYT+GLVDK.
Along with bold colours and chunky typography, the branding also features an illustrated group of characters and expressive lines.
“The branding proposal confirms Órale Milanga as a democratic, open and unpretentious space, where enjoying and sharing are the only premises,” the studio said.
Mier y Terán and Galvanduque founded their studio in the Mexican capital in 2015, offering architecture, industrial design and branding concepts and execution.
The team has previously completed a food court inside a Mexico City shopping mall with elements that take cues from Japanese and Mexican design traditions.
The photography is courtesy of MYT+GLVDK and Órale Milanga.
