Located in Colonia La Cacho, an up-and-coming mixed use community which is known for its trend setting restaurants, the project consists of converting an existing hole-in-the-wall coffee shop into a modern ramen bar. Our design is inspired by the Chef’s passion for smoke cooking, in Japanese Kemuri means smoke. Thus, we used another Japanese tradition, Shou Sugi Ban Siding (charred wood) to reflect the essence of the food, while creating a moody atmosphere that highlights the food and nothing else.

When designing restaurants, we find that experience, second to the food, is critical to a successful restaurant venture. We aimed to create a space that could directly transport patrons from the middle of Tijuana, Mexico into Japan. We achieve this through the use of Materials that are authentic, full of character, and tradition such as the Shou Sugi Ban Siding, the Cypress Bench, the Cypress Butcher Block Bar, Cobble Stone Flooring, and Concrete Pendants.