Laughter and jolly banter are synonymous to the Las Letras neighbourhood of the Spanish capital as eateries and cafés are abound, serving traditional Spanish tapas, dishes and wines to a clientele from all over town. Most of the aforementioned venues feature a traditional setting as well, but Zuppa‘s newly opened second branch in Madrid breaks the mold with an understated setting that ticks all of our boxes. The restaurant may have a fast-food concept, but its soup and stew-anchored menu only lists nutritious options for a food-conscious clientele. On top of that, Zuppa excels in a magnificent minimalist setting, created by local architecture practice Plantea, which fully complies with its no-nonsense culinary approach. It’s situated on the ground floor of an Art Nouveau structure, built in 1860 by Spanish architect Joaquín de la Concha Alcalde. Apart from two steel columns, the space has been fully stripped and given a dramatic makeover in stark contrast with the building’s ornate façade.
The monochrome backdrop comprises of stuccoed walls, polished concrete flooring and a ceiling covered in slabs of wood wool cement. Furnishings are few but well-chosen, adding up to the chosen aesthetic. A large communal table with a steel top and wooden stools and benches anchors the setting, and is flanked on two sides by fixed benches paired with black steel tables and additional wooden stools. Zuppa‘s back section sees a service counter and an open kitchen, in addition to smaller communal tables with a marble top. Obviously, matching light fixtures have been sourced, and these include a large suspended lamp for the communal table, suspended light spots, pendants lamps and wall-mounted tubular lights. As said, Zuppa mainly serves a variety of both classic and contemporary soups, in addition to stew dishes, sandwiches and salads, all made with organic ingredients.
Zuppa
Calle de Atocha 47 (Las Letras)
28012 Madrid
Telephone: +34 6 87870312
Mon-Sat 12-11
Publishers Note
Just to be clear – superfuture® is a design blog and not a political commentator. No surprise there. The scope of our content has always been global and borderless, however that can often mean covering projects in countries where we will not agree with the politics or actions of those countries. In a world that’s as screwed up as ever right now, the focus of our support is to those designers, architects and other creatives who aim to make the world a more liveable one – as opposed to people that try their hardest to destroy it. So if a project hits our desk and we like it based on its design credentials, we may choose to publish regardless of its location or creators nationality. superfuture® has always been inclusive and hopes for all current wars, aggression, violence, hate and extremism to end.
