The unexpected is the norm at RUKA Restobar, Boston’s first Nikkei and Chifa restaurant. Located in the recently opened Godfrey Hotel in a historic 1904 landmark building in Boston’s Downtown Crossing, the space was designed to complement the bright and bold flavours of the RUKA team’s artfully plated presentations. In recent decades, thriving Asian immigrant communities have put Lima on the world culinary map. After several trips to Peru, RUKA’s chef-owner team, COJE – inspired by the rich fusion cuisine and Lima’s vibrant urban environment – were eager to bring that magic combination to Boston. These journeys became the inspiration for RUKA Restobar.

#2 Cultivar

Cultivar is a horticultural term that refers to combining the best parts of several plants to create a new and improved hybrid plant and, in many ways, is an apt metaphor for the restaurant. Bergmeyer collaborated with Glen and Company to bring Dumont’s vision to life, completing a total interior renovation of the existing restaurant space and adding a new 55-seat outdoor patio. Drawing inspiration from Dumont’s family farm, Bergmeyer strategically wove personal elements into each aspect of the space. Reclaimed wood sourced directly from Dumont’s family farm makes up the 12-seat bar, a nod to the copper beech trees that both Dumont and her wife grew up around.

To match the menu’s fresh and locally-sourced fare and to emphasize Dumont’s focus on sustainability (including an on-site hydroponic garden), the restaurant team designed an elegantly lush dining room, complemented by a recurring leaf motif, metal panel, and wood accents from Dumont’s family farm and thoughtfully placed greenery throughout. Hanging above the centre of the bar is a striking iron chandelier commissioned by Dumont from a local artist in her home town. The chandelier appears to be Medusa-like but, rather than snakes, is made of iron tree limbs – adding a stylistic edge to the refined bar and dining room. In a city defined by the coexistence of old and new, Cultivar captures a fine balance of modern and historic.

EDITOR’S CHOICE

Ike Suspension Lamp | DelightFULL

#3 Lolita Cocina & Tequila Bar

Walking along Boston’s Harborwalk in the city’s historic Fort Point Channel, one is surprised to come across flickering lights beckoning from behind thick brick walls and multi-paned windows. Ensconced within the base of a historic 1900’s building, Lolita’s subtle exterior appearance belies what one encounters upon passing through a pair of large, solid mesquite doors. Bergmeyer client, COJE Management – known for their signature style of high-touch social dining – led the design for Lolita. As Project Architect, we worked closely with their team to bring their dramatic vision of an Old Spanish setting to life. The restaurant is reminiscent of a reclaimed church contrasted by leather, bold colours, bright artwork, skulls with red rose Mohawks, hanging red-glass candelabras, and a private dining room with a ceiling encrusted with skulls. Upon entry, a procession-like walkway draws patrons to the altar-themed main bar. Hand-painted “stained glass” artwork and dramatic full-wall murals reflect Lolita’s enticing and rebellious spirit. Lolita feels like a “found” space with a lengthy history. Wooden chairs wrapped in leather, exposed beams and thick granite walls, tables with polished skulls, and seductive lighting – all playing into a provocative journey of the senses. Located in the basement space of a building that dates back to 1902, our design team was tasked with converting the former storage area into the alluring restaurant that now occupies the space. The basement’s irregular earthen and cracked concrete ground was replaced with a new flooring system. In order to maximize the ceiling heights of the basement level space, areas were designed on different levels, creating a sense of intrigue for the patron. Adjacent to a public walkway, the entrance of the restaurant is marked by subtle signage and gas lanterns, discretely luring in its visitors. Catering to both introverts and extroverts, Lolita’s private areas were designed to provide more “intimate” experiences. A generously sized tequila room is hidden behind large wrought iron screening and serves as a private space for parties and group socializing. A delicious and enticing evening awaits all visitors to Lolita, where the food, drinks and ambience are designed to bring out the coquettish nature in us all.

#4 Longwood Gardens

The history of a place – the stories and artefacts that tie past to present – can give it meaning and value. Preserving the history of spaces while making modern improvements can be a challenge. This is especially true in the world of restaurant design. Bergmeyer was invited to partner with a longtime collaborator, Restaurant Associates, to redesign a full-service restaurant, named 1906, and refresh an organic quick-service concept in the heart of Pennsylvania’s Longwood Gardens, one of the premier horticultural gardens in the United States. One of the project’s primary goals was to appeal to a broader demographic. With that in mind, the restaurant was transformed into a light and airy dining environment. To complement the chef’s fresh and locally sourced fare, our team designed an elegantly minimalistic space with soft lighting and lush greenery thoughtfully placed throughout. Verdant crushed-velvet banquets sit at the centre, evoking both the richness of the surrounding Gardens and the intimacy of a private dining nook. A custom herringbone tile floor mirrors the estate’s Grand Ballroom, an anchor of the Gardens’ campus. 1906 at Longwood Gardens displays a modern take on its original program and demonstrates how the seamless blending of old and new can yield a richer restaurant experience.

#5 Table 1280 at Woodruff Arts Center

Table 1280 occupies a key location in the Renzo Piano-designed Woodruff Arts Center complex, forming one side of a primary public “piazza.” With its dramatic floor-to-ceiling glazing, light and activity inside the restaurant spill onto the piazza creating an improvisational performance that beckons passersby. Respecting the large, gallery-like spaces, Bergmeyer designed a collection of discreet “functional sculptures” that organize and define the various zones of the restaurant. While these elements share Woodruff’s larger themes of lightness and layering, they are constructed of an ethereal resin unique to the restaurant. In response to the project’s need for an affordable, durable, and luminous material, a strategic partnership was created between Bergmeyer and fabricators MB Wellington Studio, which developed a product called “Lightcast.” Critical to the project’s success, Lightcast proved to be so versatile that it became the restaurant’s signature material, finding its way from the host station to the bar to the dining tables and even to a through-wall sink basin connecting the men’s and women’s restrooms. By also establishing partnerships with furniture and wine cabinet manufacturers during the earliest stages of design, Bergmeyer was able to deliver an award-winning, high-end environment while staying within the client’s budget.

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