Opa, Tel Aviv

The 35-seat restaurant is located in Tel Aviv’s bustling but decidedly ramshackle Levinsky Market. This setting,while charming in its authenticity, posed an immediate and obvious design challenge: how does one create a re-fined dining experience on a derelict street that is otherwise marked by wholesale storefronts and bodega-style corner stores? In order to create the desired look, Kadouri and Craft & Bloom closed off the entire street-facing facade by removing all the existing metal grates and transparent windows and installed a combination of glass and drywall painted in a natural finish. The outcome: an entrance resembling that of an art gallery rather than a restaurant. This decision provided an intimate, womb-like effect that dulled out street noise and separated guests from the unruly outside world. Opa became a peaceful cocoon amidst the chaos.