Bento Box Meets American Diner

The Time Warner Center Momofuku Noodle Bar design is an unlikely yet strangely cohesive mashup of western and eastern traditions, much like its cult-inspiring menu. The Noodle Bar DNA is steeped in western culinary diversity while also firmly rooted in eastern technique. INC imbued this fast-casual haven’s interior with an east meets west atmosphere befitting its epicurean ethos. Here eastern conventions meet American diner culture. Part town hall, part mess hall, this distinctly American dining tradition became the perfect metaphor for an interior that should be tightly packed, efficient, social, active, and comfortable. Arranged in an interactive, “see and be seen” manner, with two bars that face each other and dominate the planning and character of the space, the restaurant design allows the customer to both engage the preparation of the food and beverages on display in front of them and to command a view of the dining room which is comprised exclusively of intimate, diner-inspired, booths. Here, a counter [dining] culture dominates with the food and beverage at the center of the story, along with all of the social and cultural interactivity that hanging out at your favorite diner counter implies. Finally, with every inch accounted for, this restaurant is more industrial design than interior design. Every piece of the puzzle of this space plays its part like a finely wrought bento box. Highly engineered woodwork lines the interiors, edges are eased for comfort, and every detail is considered to maximize performance and manifest an elegance of efficiency.

From

2017 to 2018

Location

Columbus Cir, New York NY

Project Team

Adam Rolston, Chloe Bennett, Drew Stuart, Gabriel Benroth, Megan McGing, Neil Shah, Riley M Miller, and Tyler M Kleck

Services

Interiors, Architecture, and FF&E Design

Part of

InteriorRestaurantAll