Café Mars | Format Architecture Office

To enter Café Mars, founded by co-chefs Jorge Olarte and Paul D’Avino, one must turn the pasta die door handle sourced from the local, third-generation and family-run manufacturer, D. Malardi & Sons. The detail is a charming nod to the building’s pasta factory and Italian grocery history whilst ushering in its restaurant future. The restaurant holds a poignant connection to the neighborhood, located across from the first residence of chef and co-founder Paul D’Avino’s great-grandfather who emigrated from Campania, Italy in 1901. The restaurant remains inextricably linked to this historically Italian neighborhood undergoing rapid new development and expansion of its culinary scene. 

Drawing inspiration from Memphis Milano to the Amalfi Coast, the restaurant was designed with an eccentric combination of influences, hues, and textures in mind. As a result, the completed project showcases the knowledge and love of Italian gastronomy and design, twisted and subverted at just the right moments to create something playfully rebellious and delightfully unexpected. 

“It was important to connect the intent of the culinary experience with the intent of the spatial experience. If the driving force of the menu was to showcase knowledge and love of traditional Italian cuisine, twisted and subverted at just the right moments to create something playfully rebellious and unusual, it seemed only natural to reference the character and movement in Sottsass and the Memphis style with a similar vintage in the architecture and design realm.” - Andrew McGee, principal and co-founder of Format. 

Greeting guests in asymmetrical harmony, the front dining room and bar form a welcoming juxtaposition. On the left, six booths with custom Format yellow and white bench seatings are situated between Stuff by Andrew Neyer pendants. Adjacent are matching yellow windows, illuminating the original brick walls by hidden LED lighting, providing a glimpse of the building’s past. 

On the right is the aforementioned central bar followed by an open kitchen space, both separated by white oak paneled archways. The L-shaped, light gray bar sits below, with Studio Apotroes’ custom Phobos Dining Chairs with hot pink zig-zag legs and Grand Rapids Company Chairs with white detailing placed around. The dual tiers ensure a sense of privacy and comfort while offering direct access to the cobalt blue bar, illuminated by LED outlines. 

Venturing to the rear of the restaurant is the Blue Dining Room, with bright airy windows, exposed brick, and white hexagon floor tiles. A long Format-designed and upholstered cobalt blue banquette seating, aptly nicknamed “Big Blue,'' sits across from sets of Grand Rapids Chair Company chairs. MushLume pendants made of mycelium with hot pink wiring are suspended above bespoke Todd Higuchi tables with curvy edges that fit together like puzzle pieces so they can be reconfigured as needed to accommodate different sized parties. 

Artist Massimo Mongiardo was tasked to create the restaurant's branding and typeface, which includes the neon logo signage at the window. Hand-painted pasta illustrations of all shapes and sizes adorn the entire restaurant, from the roller shutters to the bathroom walls. The bright color palette, soft curves, and textural transitions, all magically come together to create a warm and inviting culinary atmosphere. Viewed from the outside, Café Mars emerges as a portal to another world of unparalleled charm and whimsy. 

“The goal was to strike a delicate balance between fanciful and comforting, transformative and familiar. You want to stay at a place like Café Mars because the food is good and the people are friendly. In that case, the design, however loud, becomes a backdrop for a quality experience, 

and that is something we are excited about.” Matthew Hettler, principal and co-founder of Format. 

Lead Architects: Andrew McGee and Matthew Hettler (co-founders & principals)

(Associates on the project - Clare Hačko and David Hettler)

Photography: Nick Glimenakis

Website: https://www.nickglimenakis.com/

IG: https://www.instagram.com/nickglimenakis/