Brutal Burrito, a friendly and courageous fast-food joint in the heart of Spain, gets a chartreuse colour makeover.
Here in Madrid, Brutal Burrito receives a transformation from the Spanish architecture studio BURR, converting the former commercial space into a burrito-serving fast food restaurant.
According to BURR, the project aims “to capture that feeling of spontaneity and reversibility in accordance with the gastronomic project itself, both for its condition close to street food and for its ambition to change and evolve”. Manifesting that into the building, Brutal Burrito takes a referential approach to recreate the image of an informal market stand, vending spots or street food trolleys.'
Seeing the project as “a body to be clothed”, there is a distinctiveness in the naked and dressed parts of Brutal Burrito, connecting the outdoor streetscape to its interiors.
As seen on the rough texture of the plastered surface and floors, the restaurant's raw, original base remained undressed, mimicking the look of sidewalks. Inspired by how street markets use plastic to separate space, repel water and shield from the sun, the restaurant uses stretches of plastic fabrics cut into arch-shaped pockets to divide the restaurant into two dining areas. Brands or diners can also easily customise these plastic sheets for special events.
The façade of Brutal Burrito displays mismatched elements, stacking a series of layers that give an almost disposable condition, evoking a sense of freedom and spontaneity that comes with a place that doesn’t fit into a box.
In the kitchen, BURR implemented a fixed position for the function, unlike the impromptu feeling created in the rest of Brutal Burrito. “They adopt a functional [and] technical aesthetic,” said the design team. With stainless steel as the primary material used for cooking appliances, the metallic textile fully covers the ceiling. It extends to the dining area, blurring the line between the two sides of the bar counter.
Inputting an adaptation of the Mexican traditional pre-Columbian cookware, ‘comal’ is one of the two distinguished elements in the kitchen area, presented by BURR. The kitchen takes central place physically and symbolically, coated in stainless steel.
Connecting through smoke and fire, the two halves opened in the middle are subbed as an exhaust hood on top and a griddle beneath. Diners get to witness the process of making freshly made tortillas. The ‘tortilladora' is rarely seen outside of Latin America, is walled by a protective glass box, allowing guests to see how the appliance works and produces.
All fitments, including tables and high stools made by using the aluminium tube bending technique, fulfil the industrial aesthetic of Brutal Burrito. The seating area takes a note out of the kitchen, with tabletops and some seats partially sealed with a green-shaded high-density cutting board, serving the material for a different purpose.
Tres Tipos Gráficos (3TG) took care of all graphic and branding design, as seen in the LED-screens that promote products and send out messages, emphasising the feeling of a temporary funfair.
Both the first and second editions of Brutal Burrito were designed by BURR Studio. The studio kept the same raw aesthetic from the first edition of Brutal Burrito, with exposed brickwork, wooden frames and bare ceilings left “undressed”. The metallic look from the stainless steel stools, green shades from the lushing plants and canary yellow from the extensive arches décor remain the same colour palette, only this time, instead of square tiles for flooring and cutting board dining tables, the second edition of Brutal Burrito has stone tiles and granite tabletops.
Photo: Maru Serrano
