rustic mexican restaurant engulfs diners with a metallic mesh

pescaderos restaurant by territorio arquitectos

Territorio Arquitectos’ restored seafood restaurant Pescaderos in Mexico City is an organic, tranquil, and open space defined by an airy rustic interior. A key design feature of the space is the architects’ abundant use of wooden elements, the majority of which have been collected from the previous site and rescued and repurposed to create bespoke furniture pieces, flooring, and wall panels. The Mexican architectural office completed this environmentally conscious project in 2021 during the pandemic, and the team was met with the challenge of creating a space that is open and spacious where diners can avoid crowds in enclosed spaces, while socialising and enjoying the restaurant’s atmosphere. To resolve this, Territorio Arquitectos add metallic net walls and screens which create a variety of large and open spaces and some semi-private spaces for visitors to enjoy a more intimate setting.

Territorio Arquitectos’ renovates seafood restaurant Pescaderos in Mexico City | all images by Jaime Navarro

a lightweight, wooden interior

The starting point for the design of Pescaderos lay in the restoration of the existing space spanning 550 sqm. In a move of sustainability and environmental consciousness, Territorio Arquitectos’ recovered the totality of the existing materials found on the previous site and repurposed them with new textures and atmospheres for use in the new restaurant. With the use of natural tones and natural materials and textures, enlivened by an abundance of greenery weaving through the entire space, the architects achieve a lightweight aesthetic, and a tranquil and organic ambiance. Pescaderos features light, minimalist, recycled wooden furniture for the dining chairs and tables, polished wooden panels for the flooring and wall cladding, and darker rustic wood for stools and benches in circulation areas. Additional organic qualities are provided with the inclusion of roughly textured stone walls, further lending to the rustic character and charm of the space.

neutral tones, recycled natural materials and textures define the interior space

a metallic net with weaving vegetation engulfs diners

Territorio Arquitectos designs a flexible, spacious and intimate layout to allow visitors to enjoy the social aspects of the dining experience while avoiding crows in enclosed spaces in the face of the new context defined by the pandemic. The architects conceive the space as a large terrace of sea, commenting that it is ‘inspired by the models of workshops and industrial buildings with metallic aesthetics, rusty iron and apparent structures’. The sea terrace is wrapped in an atmosphere plant, generating its own footprint in time and creating a relaxed atmosphere giving rise to prolonged stays to its visitors. Here, diners are engulfed by a metallic mesh net that encompasses the entire outdoor patio. False vegetation is woven abundantly throughout the metallic ceiling and walls, and an interesting display of light and shadow is generated by the natural light that is filtered into the patio.

Inside, the gridded mesh walls are accompanied by light, translucent curtains that run the length of the space and delicately unfold from the ceilings like veils. These flexible screens can be opened or closed as required to generate more open or semi-private spaces for diners. While the interior design features minimal adornments, Territorio Arquitectos includes statement art installations by artist Marco Rountree, including a large display of circular straw mats hung beside the staircase accessing the main hall. The round organic forms contrast the delicate yet rigid geometry of the mesh grid screens, and the simplicity of the straw complements the rustic, neutral aesthetic of the interior design.

translucent curtains delicately unfold from the ceilings like veils, creating enclosed spaces

the spatial layout enables diners to socialise while avoiding crowds in enclosed spaces

the majority of the recycled wooden elements have been collected from the previous site and repurposed

the sea terrace is wrapped in an atmosphere plant, generating its own footprint in time

light is filtered in through the gaps of the mesh ceiling woven with lush vegetation

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project info:

name: Pescaderos
architects: Territorio Arquitectos

team: Jorge Mdahuar and Gabriel Martínez

builder: CM2 – Luis Cayuela

lighting: Light Workshop – Jorge Estrada

art: Marco Rountree

landscape: Hugo Sánchez Landscape

communication: Area Colectiva

photography: Jaime Navarro

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edited by: ravail khan | designboom