esrawe studio fits out taquería in mexico city with new interiors and brand identity

esrawe studio has completed the interior design and brand identity of a taquería in mexico city. the design references the tortilla and its geometric translation to the circle, as well as in its repetition, partition, and variants. ‘the tortilla has been an important part of people’s lives in mexico since pre-hispanic times, when our ancestors used corn tortillas as a dish, food and spoon,’ says esrawe studio. ‘today everyone finds ingenious ways to use it, creating a personal touch in the way of preparing, folding and holding a taco.’

all images by camila cossio, courtesy of esrawe studio

located on avenida de los insurgentes, the el califa taqueria features an open kitchen and a traditional taco bar in close proximity to the diner. ‘the traditional mosaic in ‘taquerías’ is reinterpreted in the space to generate a contemporary expression that becomes the identifying element of el califa,’ says esrawe studio. ‘this mosaic speaks ingeniously through a game of volumes of one of the most basic elements in our mexican cuisine: the tortilla.’ meanwhile, the floor is covered by terrazzo embellished with a grid of golden circles.

el califa’s identity is inspired by rótulos, traditional adverts in mexico that evoke the spirit of urban food. ‘it was in the ‘rótulos’ that we found inspiration to create the new proportions and expression of the characters that form the iconic name of el califa,’ says the design team. ‘the graphic elements, subtly playful and translated in an abstract yet flirtatious way from the tablecloths found in taquerías, respond to the urban and popular context within which el califa and its cuisine are protagonists.’

project info:

client: grupo el califa
status/year: built / 2018
location: mexico city
size: 240 sqm / 2,583 sqf
design team: héctor esrawe, javier garcía-rivera, maría santibáñez, aloisio guerrero, alessandro sperdutti, daniela pulido, federico stefanovich
photography: camila cossio
collaborators —
builder: DIYCSA
lighting: luz en arquitectura