pop-up ‘lonely noodle' restaurant in shanghai seats diners in immersive one-person booths

j&dragon group’s pop-up restaurant in china heals loneliness

J&Dragon Group’s ‘Lonely Noodle Shop’ is a themed pop-up restaurant in Shanghai, China, which creates an immersive and soothing dining experience for the ‘lonely’ people of the city. Through a bold fusion of light, color, and a bowl of noodles, the restaurant offers a time and space to heal the urban phenomena of loneliness and social anxiety in the late hours of the night. The concept offers diners an opportunity to enjoy a meal in the comfort of their own company enclosed within a private one-person booth, while simultaneously enjoying collective live entertainment with other diners.

one-person dining booths encircle the center stage | all images by CreatAR

a minimalist and immersive dining experience defined by light

Open only late from 8pm to 2am, the pop-up restaurant ‘Lonely Noodle Shop’ iterates its slogan: ‘Give yourself a bowl of noodles to take a break from reality.’ Beginning the journey, the team at J&Dragon Group intersperse the store façade with polished metal scaffolding clad with luminous light strips, creating a small spatial constraint that evokes a psychological response and sets the stage for the oncoming journey. Stepping into the main space, a series of illuminated meandering lines gradually guide visitors into their assigned rooms, in ‘a dimly lit journey that, between light and shadow, immerses the body and mind in the anticipation of the next journey.’

A curved revolving door marks the transition from the dimly lit corridor to the eating area. As the door opens, the lights turn on, revealing a self-contained one-person booth enlivened with a healing green tone coating the surfaces. Within the booth, a fusion of light, music and color completely engulfs the space and the diner’s body and mind. Ahead of the table, a screen initially displays an emotionally evocative greeting, followed by a culminating immersive experience of the ‘Blind Box Show’ performed live nightly at the centre stage beyond. In a distinct design, the singular compartments encircle the stage, allowing diners to enjoy their meals in privacy and comfort, while collectively enjoying the entertainment.

the pop-up restaurant aims to offer a unique late night dining experience to ‘lonely people in the city’

light green surfaces immerse diners in a comfortable and relaxed atmosphere

linear light strips guide visitors from the entrance to the booths

polished metal scaffolding clad with luminous light strips define the storefront

the vibrant entrance forms the only illuminated interface on the street late at night

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project info:

name: Lonely Noodle Shop
designer: J&Dragon Group

location: TX Huaihai, Shanghai, China

area: 138 square meters

design director: Jason Chan

chief designer: Ella

interior design: Xiao Lei, A Bao

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions’ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: ravail khan | designboom