Rosa Mexicano

The well-established Mexican restaurant group, Rosa Mexicano, sought out Dutch East Design to provide an interior design rebrand for their latest venture, in TriBeCa. The brief was to create a stylish, classic and beautiful flagship. The concept is a bistro mixed with a traditional Mexican Hacienda, with many elements sourced directly from Guadalajara.

Upstairs, the intimate dining room and bar showcases Rosa Mexicano’s authentic, regionally-inspired Mexican cuisine. Downstairs, the subterranean Masa y Agavewill mezcaleria has the bustle and communal spirit of Mexico’s local cantinas, fueled by corn masa bar snacks crafted by a dedicated Masalogist, as well as an extensive agave spirits program featuring 400 bottles of tequilas, mezcals and lesser-known spirits.

Rosa Mexicano and Masa y Agave transports diners to Mexico, using décor that references the cantinas of Guadalajara. Inspired by the region’s famous hand-blown glass, the 100-seat restaurant glows with the soft light from custom glass fixtures hand-blown in Brooklyn, including glass sconces blown into steel cages over the main bar. Also, over 100 amber pendants hand-picked from the markets of Guadalajara are hung in the private dining room, where they catch the natural light filtering through them from the sky light.

The restaurant features subtle touches of Rosa Mexicano’s signature pink color scheme, from which it draws its name, while the bar below is adorned with Mexican tiles. Teal-colored booths evoke the color of agave. Other highlights include hand-carved rose-patterned wood panels lining the restaurant’s entryway, and colored tiles imported from Guadalajara to decorate the dedicated guacamole station at the rear of the restaurant.