You’re signing up for something special when you hire someone like ATRIO to design your restaurant – the team behind Qavali, Indico and Karaage. Yet the gilded interiors of The Mayan in the Mailbox have been on another level since it opened over a year ago. Now, the fine dining Mexican has been shortlisted for the Restaurant & Bar Design Awards 2024.
You can expect a fusion of traditional Mexican dishes with a contemporary twist from The Mayan. It offers everything from elevated tacos and empanadas to Mexican stews and ceviche, plus a curated selection of mezcal and tequila-based cocktails. It’s the interiors that truly steal the show, however – taking inspiration from Mexico’s pre-Aztecs and Spanish peoples, the Mayans.
Adorned with black and gold detailing, hand-carved wall designs, beautiful artworks, shrubbery and a golden tree at its heart, The Mayan is shortlisted for ‘Surface Interiors’ at Restaurant & Bar Design Awards 2024. This category is for “how surfaces such as walls, ceilings and floors come together in creating a food and beverage space.”
While bars and restaurants from all over the world have been shortlisted for a variety of awards – including ‘Cafe’, ‘Hotel’ and ‘In Another Space’ (hospitality spaces in anything from airports to cinemas) – this is a regional award pitting the Birmingham spot against only other European countries. This includes London’s 42, Madrid’s Bestial, and Russia’s N’Kei.
There are also 13 other global categories, which are open to everyone, from ‘Ceiling’ to ‘Colour’ and ‘Murals & Graffiti’ to ‘Sustainability’. While The Mayan hasn’t been shortlisted for any of these, it could be in for another award. Category winners are automatically considered for the most important awards – with it having the chance of winning ‘Best Europe Restaurant/Bar’ and ‘Best Overall Restaurant’.
The Restaurant & Bar Design Awards 2024 – now in its 16th year – will be presented in Barcelona on October 31, 2024. An award is given to both the winning designer and the winning restaurant/bar operator. To see all shortlisted entrees and awards head here.