Souk is a 24-hr Lebanese food market and restaurant in Glyfada, on the coastline of Athens, serving Lebanese street food. Opening up an extensive existing building on a prominent corner location, the designers used the structural concrete columns as a grid and occupied the space between with a series of individual food stalls inspired by the ephemeral street vendors of Beirut.
Chefs within the precisely detailed stalls use fresh ingredients to prepare various Lebanese delights such as ‘Manaoushi’, ‘Saj’ and ‘Taouk’ right in front of you. Working your way around this market by following the mosaic pathway of colorful stone tiles, you serve yourself before sitting in one of the open-plan dining areas to enjoy your meal and soak up the buzz of the atmosphere.
The design of the space is inspired by the characteristic features of Beirut – a multi-faceted city of historical and contemporary culture, religion, architecture and design. Colourful canopy fabrics as a suspended ceiling texture; a hint of Islamic architectural influence in the scattered ‘Clostra’ above; abstracted and faded mosaic floor tiles; lights that resemble heavy ceramic cooking pots and the plywood and steel you might find providing makeshift kiosks on the streets of Beirut, sharpened and streamlined into cleverly compacted food stalls.
Souk harmoniously introduces the excitement of a traditional Lebanese street market to contemporary Athens in a carefully choreographed sensory mosaic of textures and tastes.
PHOTOS@VANGELIS PATERAKIS
