La Carnita Uptown

This space is a continuation of the project’s franchise which aims to celebrate urban culture through food, drink, art, and music. It’s a gringo-inspired Mexican hip-hop taco joint with three concepts within the space: the main restaurant and patio which is separated by a retractable garage door, an ice cream and coffee shop (Sweet Jesus) which serves as the restaurant’s desert component, and a basement bar which has a particular focus on cocktails.

Above all, this space is a celebration of urban culture. Wheat-pasted graffiti and neon installations, crafted by Toronto’s own local artists, fill the space and speak to the authentic influence of street and urban culture. The feature custom art installation within the main floor space is an urban relief carving of a skull in brick and concrete, the materials and subject matter both reflect the gritty street-inspired vibe of the space. All of the lighting was custom made by the design team using materials of mesh and broken concrete to speak to the urban decay of the space.