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While the photogenic quality of one’s meal was once of unparalleled importance, now, amateur foodies and self-professed influencers seem to care more about whether or not a restaurant’s interior is up to par. Next to ugly Christmas sweater parties, gourmet pizza, and decorative pineapples, Instagrammable cafes are one thing millennials live for.
With an eye for viral spaces, decorative elements such as color, light, texture, and scale are a handful of the key points a millennial will consider before deciding whether a space is worthy of their time—and a spot on their feeds. And while their covetable aesthetic can’t be paired down to a single influence, if there’s one person who continues to fuel their vibrant feeds, it’s Wes Anderson.
Loved for his fabulously color-charged sets, favor for symmetry, and attention to architectural detail, with every film the director releases comes a slew of design-savvy spaces and destinations that seemingly aim to recreate his enchanting cinematic vision. Want to step inside a real-life, Anderson-inspired wonderland? Read on for nine luxe-looking cafes and restaurants around the world that are bringing his exemplary world of whimsy to life.
Pastel Rita
Montreal, Canada
Color blocking is making a comeback—and we’re especially loving the pink, green, and gold palette at Pastel Rita, a cafe, boutique, and artisan’s workshop designed by Appareil Architecture. Here, each corridor, arch, and isolated niche bears witness to this triple-threat color combo. While some areas stick to a monochrome scheme (one room is entirely colored in the most incredible shade of pale pink), other areas bring each of the three hues together in the most visually compelling scheme.
BreadWay Bakery
Odessa, Ukraine
Backed by a magical pink palette, BreadWay—Ukraine’s hottest new bakery—is redefining what it means to be “Instagram gold.” Designed by Lera Brumina and Artem Trigubchak, the fast-casual bakery is divided by color into three coordinating zones. While a deep blue earmarks the takeaway counter, elsewhere a velvet hot pink nook indicates a luxe waiting room. Across the room, hits of gray, blush, and peachy orange designate the dine-in area. The real winner here, however, isn’t just color, but the curvaceous seating. In the same way that India Mahdavi’s famous dusty pink dining room at Sketch in London plays off soft furnishings and bulbous forms, BreadWay brings a shapely design perspective to upscale snacking.
The Budapest Cafe
Chengdu, China
By name, this ultra-modern eatery immediately signals homage to Anderson’s celebrated film, The Grand Budapest Hotel. And, we must admit, the interior does not disappoint. Inspired both by the director’s fanciful visual style and Melbourne’s design-forward cafe culture, The Budapest Cafe by Melbourne interior design studio, Biasol, offers an evocative interpretation of the director’s work. Thanks to an array of experimental materials, graphic shapes (peep the sculptural stair rails) and a mint green-meets-millennial pink palette, the cafe is not only a haven for creativity, but also exploration and interaction. In the main dining area, swing chairs and a teeny ball pit beg passerby to engage with the room, while back in the bathroom, pops of speckled stone set up the perfect backdrop for a mirror selfie.
The Pink Zebra
Kanpur, India
Anderson was also the primary muse for this whimsical restaurant in India—a space which got its name from the dreamy notion of dipping a zebra in a deep pink sea. Executed by RENESA Architecture, The Pink Zebra’s wild striped demeanor and cheeky grandeur defy the monotony of simple restaurant design. On the main level of the restaurant, guests will find a quirky concierge desk, deco-esque lighting, and a gilded bar. Upstairs, a partially covered terrace tests the boundaries of geometry’s most basic pattern.
Cafe Congreso
Malolos, Philippines
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A warm cappuccino and thick slice of cake are all you need to complete this darling, candy-colored scene. Although the retro teal bar that sits in the middle of Cafe Congreso, a picture-perfect pastry and coffee shop located in the Philippines’ Bulacan district, feels decidedly playful, glamorous gold accents and an elaborate peacock illustration introduce an added sense of elegance to the room.
Bar Luce
Milan, Italy
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Located in the art and culture complex Fondazione Prada, Bar Luce was born straight from the mind of Wes Anderson himself. Pulling from pop culture and aesthetics from the 1950s and 1960s, the space was designed with the intention to recreate the atmosphere of a typical Milanese cafe. Formica furniture, veneered wood wall paneling, and vintage pinball machines are just a few familiar tropes here that one would typically find on an Anderson set. That said, the director wanted his cafe to feel like a fully-functioning, non-fictional neighborhood hangout where people go not to feel like they’re in a movie, but rather write movies themselves.
Superbaba
Victoria, Canada
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Making yet another powerful case for a pink and green palette, this fast casual Middle Eastern hub in Victoria’s business district puts a unique spin on the Instagram-approved color pairing by taking a bold color blocked approach. Here, graphic corners and custom neon signage take the place of an all-over scheme. Perhaps the most endearing thing about Superbaba, created by Studio Roslyn, is its classic take on traditional dinner design.
FineFood
Stockholm, Sweden
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Staying true to their minimalistic heritage and eye for streamlined spaces, the creatives behind Note Design Studio relied on tried-and-true Scandinavian touches (like light ash wood, natural leather, and brass lighting) for this cafe in Stockholm. Ranging from deep green marble to salmon red, the restaurant’s poetic palette is paired down by contemporary furnishings and clutter-free surfaces.
Nanan Patisserie
Wroclaw, Poland
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Wall to wall, this blush pink wonderland in Wroclaw, Poland by Buck Studio is what monochromatic dreams are made of. Swathed in pink velvet and metallic accents, the romantic parlor at Nanan Patisserie becomes an instant feast for all the senses once filled with sugary croissants, a rainbow selection of macaroons, and other quinnessential European desserts.
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