-
Saikindō -
Hana no Kumo -
Luzzi -
Cateto Club -
The Room -
Peridot -
Gooder -
Superchulo
The Restaurant & Bar Design Awards has revealed its winners for 2026, which include a local project by award-winning interior architect Tristan du Plessis.
COMPILED BY Gina Dionisio PHOTOS Supplied
The Restaurant & Bar Design Awards is arguably the most important and influential design competition for food and beverage spaces worldwide. Now in its 18th year, it recognises and celebrates the world’s most creative spaces and the people behind them.
Below are eight outstanding projects that took top honours at this year’s awards:
Saikindō
at Four Seasons Hotel Abu Dhabi at Al Maryah Island | Abu Dhabi, UAE | Designed by AvroKO
Saikindō, a hi-fi cocktail lounge, brings the tradition of Japan’s legendary listening bars to the UAE. Designed by award-winning design firm AvroKO, the multi-zone space pays homage to Japanese Metabolism architecture, mid-century speaker craftsmanship and Bōsōzoku biker culture.
Awards: Best Overall Bar, Best Middle East & Africa Restaurant/Bar, and Hotel – Category Winner
Hana no Kumo
at The Henderson | Hong Kong, China | Designed by HBA
Inspired by delicate sakura blooms, Hana no Kumo was designed by HBA to reflect nature’s transience. Here, organic forms intertwine with warm wood tones, embracing the imperfect beauty of wabi-sabi. The centrepiece of the space is the custom-built canopy, adorned with washi-paper-textured petals and infused with dynamic lighting that highlights the ethereal beauty of blossoming flowers.
Awards: Best Asia Restaurant/Bar and Small Space – Category Winner
Luzzi
Lisbon, Portugal | Designed by Studio Patricia Urquiola / Mörschel Arquitectos
Conceived by renowned architect and designer Patricia Urquiola and the Lisbon-based practice Mörschel Arquitectos, Luzzi draws on the city’s artistic heritage and contemporary energy. Its rich material palette, bespoke furnishings and curated artworks create a unique, vibrant setting that reflects Lisbon’s creative character.
Awards: Rooftop – Category Winner
Cateto Club
at Marbella Design & Art | Marbella, Spain | Designed by Cateto Cateto
Designed by Alejandro Cateto of Cateto Cateto as a tribute to the 1960s “Relax Style” and Costa del Sol club culture, Cateto Club blends local architectural styles and pop aesthetics with a dash of retrofuturism. The entire space is organised around a cylindrical shape as its primary structural and visual motif.
Awards: Small Space – Category Winner
The Room
Umdloti, South Africa | Designed by Tristan du Plessis Studio
Designed by award-winning South African interior architect Tristan du Plessis, The Room draws inspiration from the atmosphere, materiality and cultural excess of 1970s recording studios, creating an immersive, music-driven environment that balances intimacy, energy and a strong, contemporary sense of place.
Awards: Small Space – Category Winner
Peridot
Hong Kong, China | Designed by Studio Paolo Ferrari
The immersive, cocoon-like environment of Peridot balances retrofuturistic nostalgia with minimalism. Conceived by Toronto- and Milan-based Studio Paolo Ferrari, the plant-based cocktail bar and restaurant’s most captivating design element is the 20 000 tiny LED lights and frosted acrylic cylinders capped in steel that dot the curved walls and ceiling, creating a pixelated, glowing effect inspired by deconstructed disco balls.
Awards: Lighting – Category Winner
Gooder
Dubai, UAE | Designed by Studio Pheasant
Gooder reimagines the traditional skatepark as a multifunctional cultural hub where skateboarding, retail, food and workspaces coexist under one roof. Designed by Studio Pheasant, Gooder positions the skatepark as the central anchor, surrounded by adaptable retail and hospitality areas featuring modular fixtures and movable elements that allow the multifaceted space to evolve.
Awards: Colour – Category Winner
Superchulo
Madrid, Spain | Designed by Pablo Roig
Fluid lines, a terracotta palette and textural elements characterise the interior of Superchulo to create a sensory dining experience. Vegetation, in the form of hanging volumes and floral arrangements by Rubén Cano, brings nature into the organic space.
Awards: Colour – Category Winner
To see the full list of winners at this year’s Restaurant & Bar Design Awards visit restaurantandbardesignawards.com.
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