Mercato Hong Kong by Neri&Hu: A Brick Market Above Lan Kwai Fong
The street as a welcoming threshold
Mercato Hong Kong brings Neri&Hu's Italian marketplace concept to the heart of Lan Kwai Fong, where the restaurant occupies the eighth floor of California Tower. Developed for chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten following the success of Mercato in Shanghai, the project translates an idea across cities rather than reproducing an identical interior. The studio kept three conceptual elements—Street, Market and Landscape—but adjusted their materials, proportions and relationship with the surrounding skyline.
The arrival is designed as a quiet street before entering the market. Light-grey terrazzo and antiqued brass establish a restrained atmosphere in the entry foyer, offering a calm counterpoint to the energy of Lan Kwai Fong outside and the lively dining area within. A steel gate bearing custom lettering marks the change in experience, encouraging guests to read the restaurant as a series of architectural destinations.
A vaulted brick market within the tower
This threshold is important in a restaurant located high above a busy nightlife district. Neri&Hu creates the sensation of passing into a smaller, independent urban world, using changes in material and enclosure to slow the pace of arrival. The foyer gives guests a moment of orientation before they encounter the main dining programme.
The central Market contains the dining areas and bar within a thick red-brick enclosure. As the masonry rises, it bends gently inward, recalling vaulted European structures and reducing the scale of an original room approximately five metres high. The curving brick walls introduce warmth and a sense of enclosure that counterbalances the tower's surrounding glazed commercial architecture.
Steel, glass and the rhythm of dining
Within this room, the principal bar is defined by dark steel shelving suspended overhead and a large pivoting mirror. Depending on its position, the mirror captures and reflects the activity of the restaurant, changing the perceived depth of the space. The bar becomes a place from which diners can watch other tables, service and movement rather than a visually isolated counter.
Steel tubes inspired by historic butcher's rails form a network above the dining room, integrated with exposed technical systems. Custom pendant lights in smoky and green glass recall the character of traditional European street lanterns. The result is a ceiling that reflects the restaurant's market narrative while remaining connected to the practical working environment.
Small alleys and hidden spaces
Openings in the brick perimeter lead into smaller nooks, including banquette seating and framed views toward the show kitchen. Raw steel outlines these openings with precision, making each one a visual threshold. Guests moving through the space encounter different degrees of privacy without leaving the larger architectural composition.
One of the passages returns to the Street concept along the edge of the restaurant, where terrazzo continues through the plan. Carved sections of the ceiling create distinctive sightlines toward the city, bringing the dense skyline into the dining experience. These glimpses make the restaurant feel linked to Hong Kong even while it constructs an internal market setting.
A terrace between city and landscape
The Landscape is an outdoor dining terrace that wraps around a corner of the building. Planting softens the transition from the brick market to the surrounding concrete towers and offers a different atmosphere for social gatherings. The terrace becomes an important counterpoint to the indoor enclosure, allowing guests to experience air, light and views high above the streets.
Mercato Hong Kong demonstrates the flexibility of a strong design concept. The three-part arrangement gives the restaurant a recognisable identity while responding to the conditions of a Hong Kong tower rather than those of the historic Shanghai Bund. The interplay of brass, brick, steel, glass and greenery creates a layered interior whose different rooms express different forms of hospitality.
Project information and photo credits
Project: Mercato Hong Kong, eighth floor, California Tower, 32 D'Aguilar Street, Lan Kwai Fong, Central, Hong Kong. Interior design, furniture and lighting: Neri&Hu Design and Research Office. Culinary brand: Jean-Georges Vongerichten. Gross area: 280 m². Completed: June 2016. Ten project photos in this draft are sourced from Neri&Hu's official gallery; individual photographer attribution remains under review and must be completed before release.
Comments