TANPOPO: a new japanese restaurant in athens opens its kitchen to the street

A street-facing ramen counter in central Athens

A Japanese restaurant named TANPOPO has opened in Athens with interiors designed by TRAIL [practice]. Tucked behind Klafthmonos Square, the project presents a casual ramen canteen that opens directly to the sidewalk, aligning food preparation, dining, and street life within a single spatial sequence.

The name ‘tanpopo’ refers both to the dandelion plant and to the 1985 Japanese film centered on the pursuit of a perfect bowl of ramen. That cultural reference carries through the atmosphere of the restaurant, where service remains informal and immediate, and where the boundary between interior activity and the city outside feels intentionally thin.

images © Margarita Yoko Nikitaki

Kitchen as structure and circulation

The architects at TRAIL [practice] positions the kitchen at TANPOPO at the forefront of the plan, visible from the Athens street and central to how visitors move through the Japanese restaurant. Cooking becomes the primary spatial event, encountered before seating and experienced as an active threshold between inside and outside.

The open kitchen sits within a freestanding, double-height metal frame that operates as an independent structure. This element holds the preparation area as a self-contained system with its own tempo, while remaining visually open on all sides. Food counters form the key points of exchange, where chefs serve ramen directly, allowing preparation and consumption to meet in real time.

TANPOPO is a Japanese restaurant located behind Klafthmonos Square in Athens

tanpopo interiors designed by TRAIL [practice]

Metal defines much of the interior of the TANPOPO, and reinforces the transient, eat-and-go character of the Japanese restaurant in Athens. Stainless steel surfaces dominate the kitchen, extending visually into gray-toned plaster walls and Aliveri marble details within the seating area, creating a continuous spatial field rather than distinct zones.

Texture provides differentiation where function shifts. Smooth steel gives way to rough plaster and processed marble, producing tactile variation while maintaining tonal coherence. Wooden benches introduce warmth associated with traditional canteens, supporting ease of movement and informal gathering. Through careful control of materials and flow, TANPOPO in Athens frames a dining experience that feels direct, spatially legible, and closely tied to the act of making food.

interior design by TRAIL [practice] places the kitchen at the center