Inside 10 stunning dining spaces from the Restaurant & Bar Design Awards 2025

Founded by Ray Wong, Republic Metropolis Architecture (RMA) treats the building as dramaturgy, using layered thresholds and carefully composed sightlines so that circulation becomes part of the experience.

Rotating panels, backlit shelving, and variable lighting rigs allow the space to read as a domestic garden by day and a theatrical nightclub by night. 

Daylight floods planted nooks and textured surfaces made of warm timbers, tactile stone, and locally sourced finishes, while concealed lighting and acoustic zoning orchestrate the after-dark shift without abrupt contrast.

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Honoured with Best Overall Restaurant, Overall Regional Winner for Best Asia Restaurant/Bar, and Regional Category Winner for Asia in the Standalone category, Suparnin was described by judge Hannah Davies from Hilton Worldwide, as “overwhelming and beautiful. A juxtaposition of memory and reality. Wildly dreamlike.”

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Designed by Verhaal–a Dubai-based AD100 interior and architecture studio led by a husband-and-wife team–LITT refines nocturnal opulence through the studio’s signature balance of craft and theatre.

Constructed to funnel circulation toward performance loci, the premier nightlife destination at Jumeirah Marsa Al Arab unfolds as a choreography of moments: from quiet, reflective banquettes to a central zone where light and sound intensify in tandem, anchored by a sculptural bar counter.

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The material palette centres on light metallics, handcrafted art walls with richly textured treatments, and engineered reflective surfaces that fragment and multiply light–giving the interior a jewel-like quality that shifts in colour temperature and intensity throughout the night, while remaining intimate even at scale.

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LITT was awarded Best Overall Bar, Overall Regional Winner for Best Middle East & Africa Restaurant/Bar, and Regional Category Winner for Middle East & Africa in the Hotel category–to which judge Kyo Lin of IHG Hotels & Resorts comments: “The design complements the club’s concept, capturing the vibrancy of Middle Eastern culture with an ultra-luxurious finish.”

Designed by international design studio Masquespacio, Amiko, located in Barcelona’s Eixample district, is a joyfully theatrical gelato café–a playful exercise in colour, curve, and material juxtaposition.

Sinuous built elements–counters, banquettes, and sculptural wall features–are rendered in pastel tones and tactile ceramics that reference Art Deco and Miami-inspired motifs, softened through contemporary geometry and volumetric soft furnishings.

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Layered materials of coloured tile, soft plaster, and wood, combined with oversized organic forms, create a sensory rhythm: colour draws the eye, curves slow circulation, and planting provides a verdant counterpoint.

Meanwhile, lighting plays an active role in shaping the mood throughout the day, allowing the café to feel lively and effusive in daylight, yet intimate and atmospheric in the evening.

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Beyond interiors, Masquespacio also designed custom packaging and small accessories for Amiko, ensuring a cohesive brand environment from cup to ceiling–a perfect reflection of its accolade as Overall Regional Winner for Europe in the Café category.

For Kilo Kitchen Jakarta, where the blend of Latin and Asian flavours meet in a bold, communal dining experience, Indonesian-based RAD+AR (Research Artistic Design + Architecture) finds coherence in this collage of atmospheres–transforming the long plan into a dynamic flow of spatial experiences.

Each sequential zone carries its own material tenor, threading contrasts between the industrial and the domestic: raw concrete and exposed structure define the bar; hand-finished timbers warm the private dining cells; while masonry and textiles enrich the central dining lanes.

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Bespoke joinery and custom furniture knit these spaces together, and careful acoustic profiling with low, warm lighting establishes a relaxed evening rhythm without erasing daytime legibility.

The spatial design encourages movement and discovery: sightlines frame key moments–the open kitchen, the artful pendant lighting, the sculptural banquette–so guests experience the venue as a series of vignettes rather than a single expansive hall.

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Founded by Antonius Richard Rusli, RAD+AR’s sensibility–rooted in experimentation and the abstraction of cultural and culinary influences–translates here into an environment that feels both convivial and sophisticated, a balance that helped secure its Regional Category Winner title for Asia’s In Another Space category.

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Designed by Tom Mark Henry, one of Australia’s leading interior design studios, Cucina Regina is configured to capture exceptional river views from its prime location within Queen’s Wharf Brisbane.

Anchoring itself in a restrained, contemporary reinterpretation of a classic trattoria, the restaurant allows fluid movement between the 18-seat private dining room and the main dining space. 

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Seating banks and the placement of the central bar define sightlines so that every table retains a sense of privacy while remaining part of the communal atmosphere.

Furthermore, fit-out privileges comfortable proportions and an approachable materiality: hand-stretched timber detailing, textured plaster, neutral linens, and curated murals lend the intimacy of a family table while supporting high service demands. 

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While natural daylight is maximised where possible to reinforce a sense of openness and connection to the river, soft, low-hung pendants are carefully layered to create pools of warmth, as concealed washes accent the food displays and open kitchen serving up elevated classic Italian comfort food of antipasto, hand-stretched pizzas and homemade pasta.

“[Cucina Regina] manages to be both serious and playful, with cool tones, thoughtful materials, and just the right amount of whimsy through murals and styling,” touts judge Grace Kelly, regarding the Regional Category Winner for Australia & Pacific in the Standalone category.

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Recognised for its farm-to-table dining that champions local and sustainable ingredients, Roganic Hong Kong by Simon Rogan–a one Michelin-starred and Michelin Green-starred restaurant–upholds a lauded zero-waste culinary philosophy.

Expanding on this sustainable ethos, Atelier E, in close collaboration with HK Timberbank, has translated Roganic’s principles into a tangible spatial experience, earning the team the Global Category Award for Sustainability.

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Reused, reclaimed, and locally salvaged materials form the foundation of the design. Typhoon-felled timbers are repurposed into elegant joinery and bespoke furnishings through advanced 3D design and build technology, while refurbished marble finds new life as part of the flooring palette–each surface crafted for repair, reuse, or reincorporation.

Moreover, artisanal touches, such as fitted timber screens and bespoke “bottle tree” installations, narrate the provenance of materials and celebrate local craftsmanship.

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Spatially, the layout supports compact service flows and intimate dining alcoves, ensuring an efficient rhythm between kitchen and floor while maintaining the theatre of visible craft.

Commissioned as the first of Hilton’s new all-day dining concepts in the EMEAA region, We Are EDN debuts at DoubleTree by Hilton Amsterdam Centraal with a design that effortlessly transitions from high-energy breakfasts to atmospheric evening service.

Independent design studio WeWantMore, together with Hilton’s in-house STiR Creative Collective, devised a layered spatial system that privileges flexibility and flow.

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Modular seating bays, woven screens, and moveable partitions enable quick reconfiguration, fostering a porous relationship between the restaurant, hotel lobby, and bar–a space that welcomes both transient travellers and neighbourhood locals alike.

The interior palette strikes a balance between the theatrical and the human-scaled: bright accent tiles and neon sculptural elements are tempered by natural timbers and woven textures, creating a sense of warmth within the vibrancy.

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Meanwhile, locally sourced artwork and durable, tactile materials root the concept in Amsterdam’s cultural language, while sustainable design choices support Hilton’s low-waste operational goals.

Praised by judge and CEO of Atelier House Hospitality Panchali Mahendra for its “fun artsy, clean lines, modernistic with simple lines,” We Are EDN is awarded Regional Category Winner for Europe in the Hotel category.

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Perched atop Populus Hotel, Stellar Jay is–both literally and figuratively–a canopy roofscape of sculptural windows, natural materiality, and layered planting, a design that draws inspiration from Colorado’s aspen groves.

Designed by award-winning Pittsburgh-based Wildman Chalmers Design, in collaboration with Fowler, a New York-based studio founded by Emma and Michelle Fowler, the aspen motif is translated into “eye-shaped” fenestrations that frame the panoramic mountain and city views, while modulating daylight and heat gain.

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The layout emphasises flexible dining configurations suited to both intimate gatherings and larger parties, complemented by an interior palette of saturated greens, warm golds, and tactile timber that evokes the changing seasons.

Landscape elements and live plantings blur the line between interior and exterior, creating an al fresco sensibility even atop the rooftop. Meanwhile, the proximity of the bar to the wood-fired kitchen informs a material vocabulary of charred and textured finishes that echo the culinary concept.

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Praised for its “thoughtfully crafted design featuring a harmonious colour palette with smooth transitions and a well-organised, cohesive arrangement of furniture,” Stellar Jay’s compositional clarity earned it the Regional Category Winner award for the Americas in the Hotel category.

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Located within Seaview Mall in Abu Hulaifah, Gravity explores tactility and spatial intimacy within a compact mall context–earning the establishment the Regional Category Award for the Middle East & Africa in the Café category.

Designed by Studio Nama, an emerging architecture and design studio based in Kuwait, the project leans into a layered material language of burled wood panels, saturated blue ceilings, exposed dark brick, and soft draping textiles.

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The layout introduces varied seating typologies–from intimate nooks to communal benches and adaptable café tables–interwoven with textural transitions that allow the space to serve solitary coffee drinkers and social groups alike with equal grace.

Here, diffused overhead fixtures combined with targeted task lighting create a subtle chiaroscuro that accentuates material grain and sculptural detail; while the juxtaposition of high-craft elements–such as bespoke joinery and layered drapery–against larger cinematic gestures, including curved ceilings and bold colour planes, generates both depth and refuge within a typical commercial node.

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Located along the historic Qinhuai River in Nanjing, Big Red Crayfish is a sophisticated heritage retrofit, reimagining four historic buildings into a cohesive dining destination that both preserves and celebrates the original structures.

Designed by Jiangsu-based Dayi Design, the serpentine red steel staircase commands attention with its vivid chroma and sculptural form–evoking the sinuous movement of a dragon.

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Set against the subdued tones of original timber doors and Taihu stones, the staircase serves as both circulation and emergency egress, connecting multiple levels without physically attaching to the heritage fabric. 

In doing so, it preserves structural integrity while introducing a contemporary connective element that establishes a theatrical landmark, piercing the historic roofline with modern boldness.

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Inside, the intervention remains careful and adaptive: original portals, stone features, and courtyards are retained and reused as spatial anchors, while new glass, metal, and minimalist detailing subtly stitch the old and the new together.

“This is a very gentle and thoughtful touch to an existing cluster that has a strong yet delicate connotation with the locale,” remarks judge Hakan Ozkasikci on the project’s recognition as Global Category Winner in the Heritage Building category.

The executive vice president for global design and technical services at Kerzner International concludes: “Exemplary conversion through a journey that is woven into the urban fabric that excites the senses.”

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