How this new London restaurant brings Mexico to Mayfair 

Photography: David Cleveland

Responsible for chef Santiago Lastra’s debut restaurant KOL, London-based design practice A-nrd Studio has unveiled FONDA, Lastra’s latest, hotly anticipated eatery with hospitality group MJMK Restaurants. Named after the informal, communal-style dining spots found throughout Mexico, with FONDA A-nrd aimed to create something of a home-away-from-home for the leading chef, pairing a menu of local-inspired cuisine with both a homely, convivial atmosphere and a contemporary twist.

Striving to bring as much authenticity to the restaurant as possible, the studio drew from their first-hand experience of the country when crafting a design concept. Delving into photographs and memories from their travels to Mexico City, Oaxaca and the Yucatan, A-nrd were inspired by everything from the vernacular architecture to local vintage shops, bringing a personal touch and an authentic charm to FONDA’s interiors. One such source of inspiration was the Casonas (or traditional farmhouses) of Mexico, which revolve around a central kitchen – an aesthetic evoked by the rustic material palette of textured Bauwerk paint, cherry stained oak and microcement.

Presented with an L-shaped, open-plan layout, A-nrd zoned the 450sqm space to create more distinctive, intimate dining areas. Entering from the bustling Heddon Street, guests enter through amber Kansa glass and are welcomed into a world of craft and colour by a custom welcome desk and abundant indoor planting. Window-side dining is provided by a custom oval shaped table – crafted from black-stained oak inlaid with grey micro cement – and bespoke accent chairs made by a local artisan, which are upholstered in a blue graphic weave by Tibor. Warm, ambient lighting emits from large, organic pendants by Lucia Ocejo at Crown Works Pottery, reflected by glossy Solus tiles in a terracotta hue (a motif that appears on both the walls and across the bespoke dining tables throughout).

Continuing through FONDA, guests will find a custom cocktail bar designed by A-nrd, which features a soft, muted pink limewashed façade, cherry-stained oak countertop and textured, cobalt blue tiles. This colourful, backlit bar sits in contrast to painted brickwork and industrial steel columns, existing features retained by the studio to reduce waste and unnecessary intervention. A long, eight-seat booth upholstered in a tactile, apricot weave by Kirkby Design, above which hangs ‘Of Bugs and Buds’, a patchwork organza installation by Mexican artist and friend of the studio, Fernando Laposse.

Laposse is also responsible for ‘Wild Beast’, the hard-to-miss, pink shaggy sloth suspended from the rear dining space’s skylight (woven with agave fibre and natural dyes achiote, annatto and pomegranate peel, all used by traditional Oaxacan weavers). The carefully selected décor throughout – displayed on shelving, or in cosy niches – celebrates these authentic, native Mexican arts and crafts, such as the wooden totem sculptures from M.A Estudio or the wicker and Monstera root pieces by Mexican artists Lørdag & Søndag.