tel 02072529270
4 chadwick rd.
london se15 4ra

wagamama

old street

l'escale

la ripaille

wagamama

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

architect: david chipperfield architects. reenie (karin) elliott worked as a project architect.
building type+location: japanese soup restaurant, soho, london
invisible elements:

  1. clients study of restaurants in london revealed a gap in the market between formal restaurant and fast food price ranges – the first wagamama restaurant was so popular that queues of up to 100 people formed daily.
  2. planners required that all queuing should be within the interior space of the restaurant of wagamama 2
  3. the design sought to create a series of spectacles to accommodate ‘the queue’ so it became a bar overlooking the streets of soho, the restaurant below, and the kitchen
  4. the process of cooking, especially exotic food, becomes a sideshow

client: alan yau
completion date: 1995