Vibrant Indian Snack Bar in Montreal Plays with Cool Color Scheme

Dynamic use of color with a modern theme, Super Quality Indian Snack Bar is a small cafe in Montreal, Canada designed by architect David Dworkind.

The restaurant owners originally owned a small food business focused on catering packaged tiffin recipes but wanted to expand their kitchen by opening a brick and mortar with a vibrant and eye-catching design to attract customers.

The owners asked the architect to create a “cool Indian restaurant,” and the architect did just that.

Inspiration for the design came directly from India both in color choice and material combined with industrial style. “The design was largely inspired by the sleeper trains of India. Textured blue wood reminiscent of old wooden doors wraps around the base of the restaurant, while the walls above contrast in light blue,” says Dworkind.

“Steel elements around the restaurant take on the yellow accent color completing the Indian train color palette. A street food cart inserted into the bar creates a lower counter, acting as the point of sale.”

In large and culturally diverse cities, competition between restaurants especially those that make similar cuisine and those that are just opening need to differentiate themselves from the others.

“Above, a shelving rack suspended by chains recalls the beds of the sleeper cars, while old fans and hand painted Indian signs adorn the walls.”

“The restaurant is lit with suspended tiffins that have been hollowed out to create lamp shades and a green neon with the restaurants logo acts as a beacon by the window.”

A large mural of a stylized cartoon-like Indian yogi is painted on the side of the building attracting potential customers passing by.

Both the interior and exterior design of the chic Indian restaurant use modern design practices with symbols and colors found in Indian culture steering away from traditional Indian restaurant design.