Our first restaurant for India is located in one of Mumbai’s grandest Art Deco buildings which is steps from the Gateway of India. We have designed a restaurant that acknowledges its Art Deco heritage of 1933 but is contemporary and strikingly individual. This location and restaurant marks the journey PizzaExpress will take in India, and what better place to arrive.

As you enter the restaurant the use of local materials is evident and they feature throughout the design from the black and white cement illusion floor, metal work screens and balustrade created by local crafts men and silent black and white 1960’s Bollywood films are projected onto the walls. Everything in the restaurant has been precisely considered, detailed and executed for this location.

We always take inspiration from the heritage and location of our sites and this has been a rich location for choice, the restaurant features moulded plasterwork to the walls which is taken from the exterior of the building and from our brand stripelology of course. We have added brass metal work to the ceilings, walls and windows and gloss ceramic tiles that were of the deco era. Our iconic white marble features highly throughout the restaurant on our table tops, pizzaiolo counter and back bars. Both floors have buttoned back booths and banquette seating to make dining comfortable and stylish.

A palette of off white painted walls, grey ceilings, black leather, walnut, timber floors and mirror capture the classic materials of PizzaExpress to produce a clean, stylish and welcoming interior. We also have made space for our treasured brand roundel within the interior.

We love to give our restaurants talking points not only for our staff but our customer’s as well. Steampunk was our subject as it’s is a sub-genre of science fiction that features steam-powered machinery, inspired by the industrial revolution. This subject was chosen by our designer due to the nearby location of Victoria Terminus, the port and all this happened in the time when our building was constructed.

Throughout the restaurant on the ceiling there is a myriad of brass pipework that runs from the Pizzaiolo to the first floor – this symbolises the fundamental part that the Pizzaiolo plays in our restaurants and that this great machine feeds the restaurant. The brass pipework on the ceiling runs from the pizzaiolo on the ground floor up to the first floor. Our iconic spot lights, bespoke pendants and other fixtures all form part of this considered installation.

Throughout the restaurant there are fret cut metal screens, some in the windows and some dividing up the booths for groups. They are made up of words by local author Rudyard Kipling, the poem is about old Bombay and the port; perfect choice for our location. Also on the ground floor there are some large leather canvas’ that have screen printed onto them an illustration of the Pizzaiolo – steampunk style.

Designed by The Busride

http://www.jointhebusride.com