Mezze Restaurant

The Pão a Pão association was looking for a meeting and inclusion space based on sharing bread and food from the Middle East. They found it in one of the stores in the Arroios market, which became the first space of a pioneering project for the integration of refugees in Portugal. The store’s renovation project was thought around the symbolism and use of a central table, where several groups share the moment of the meal. A honed lioz stone counter allows the passage of food between kitchen and dining room, operating the space continuity between preparation and tasting of food. The synthesis of constructive solutions resulted from the close articulation between project, material supply, labour and feasibility of its construction. The wooden furniture was also designed by the authors and the perforated metal sheet lamps were chosen for the particular light they provide to the space and the visual interconnection between the western and eastern cultures they form.