Austin, Texas, USA

“The driving idea for Comedor was a design that orchestrates between interior and exterior spaces. The protected inner courtyard allows the restaurant to open up completely during those great Austin nights, but also feel protected from the urban situation just outside,” explains Olson Kundig’s Design Principal, Tom Kundig.

Located in one of the busiest intersections in Austin’s central business district, Comedor Restaurant, created by Tom Kundig of Olson Kundig and his design team along with McKinney York Architects and The Garden Design Studio, is a modern Mexican eatery that is already established as an urban sanctuary taking a strong corner position and leaving space for a protected open-air inner courtyard, revitalizing a former surface parking lot.

For its structural formulation and combination of materials, Comedor Restaurant has been awarded a 2022 American Architecture Award by The Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design and The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies.

A façade of dark brick interspersed with glass brick glows at night, piquing curiosity from the street while screening interior spaces from direct view.

The interior dining space adjoins the courtyard via four retractable walls operated by hand cranks, fully opening Comedor to the courtyard.

The heart of Comedor, this outdoor space allows the activity of the restaurant to flow between indoor and outdoor spaces.

A discreet entry sequence on the south opens to a glass-wrapped, double-height dining space, where candlelight and a tonal material palette of steel, wood, and concrete continue the sense of mystery established outside.

Throughout the interior bar and formal dining space, a careful orchestration of contrasts defines this comfortably refined modern restaurant.

Warm leather upholstery, Hickory wood banquettes and tables, and multi-colored textiles soften the custom blackened steel furnishings, which include custom chairs and bar stools.

Sculptural metal light fixtures, custom-designed and fabricated for the restaurant, float in the airy volume overhead.

High windows create a linear lightbox that draws daylight into the restaurant interior and provides views out to the surrounding city while maintaining a sense of seclusion and privacy.

The interior dining space adjoins the courtyard through four retractable guillotine window walls. Operated via manual hand cranks, these kinetic features allow Comedor to open completely to the outdoors.

This allows the activity of the restaurant to flow between indoor and outdoor spaces, for a flexible, choreographed experience that responds to Austin’s climatic conditions.

Here guests can experience Austin’s warm, sunny weather while providing a protected interior refuge during the hottest days.

The heart of Comedor is the courtyard, which serves as a desert oasis and sanctuary to detach guests from the urban bustle.

Along the perimeter, custom bench seating encourages guests to enjoy their food and drink amongst cacti and succulents, Palo Verde and shoe-string Acacia trees, and a tranquil water fountain.

Inspired by the nightlife in Mexico City, the courtyard also invites impromptu dancing in the evening.

The courtyard is bordered by the historic McGarrah Jessee Building, showcasing its over one-hundred-year-old exposed brick as a textural contrast to modern architecture and linking Comedor to the history of the surrounding district.

Comedor is celebrated for both its design and menu, including numerous design publication features and a top 10 ranking on Esquire’s 22 Best New Restaurants in America list in 2019.

Moreover, Comedor provides healthy, stress-releasing outlets to their employees and local service industry workers, including a weekly running club and the Austin branch of the addiction support group Ben’s Friends.

These initiatives aim to move the service industry’s “post-shift” culture away from drug and alcohol use towards a lifestyle that supports health, wellness, and connections between individuals.

Project: Comedor Restaurant
Architects: Olson Kundig
Design Team: Tom Kundig, Bob Jakubik, Joe Fillipelli, Claire Fontaine, and Phil Turner, Gizmo Design
Architects of Record: McKinney York Architects
Landscape Architects: The Garden Design Studio
Interior Designer: Laina Navarro, and Megan Adams
General Contractor: The Burt
Group Developer: William Ball
Clients: William Ball, Connor Oman, and Philip Speer, Comedor
Photographers: Casey Dunn and Aaron Leitz