Dinner in the Jungle

Set within the natural landscape of the Punta Mita peninsula on Mexico’s Pacific Coast, Rubra – commissioned by chef Daniela Soto Innes – expresses the spirit of Mexico through its materials, craft traditions, and vernacular construction methods. Local craftspeople made the furnishings, accessories, and tableware in collaboration with designers Ana Paula de Alba and Ignacio Urquiza, who prioritize working with small local workshops.

Rubra’s architecture reads as a monolithic, monochrome mass cast in colored, textured concrete, with Pablo Kobayashi overseeing the concrete work. Reminiscent of fine grains of sand, the surface harmonizes with the coastal setting and is accented by subtle pink tones that recall sunsets and the surrounding landscape. Rigorously modulated volumes and rounded corners – drawn from traditional Mexican architecture – soften the building’s geometry and convey a welcoming, familiar presence.

Inside, the material palette is spare, with solid wood and tezontle (a red volcanic stone quarried in Puebla) creating a range of earthy tones. Wood furnishings and the lush surrounding vegetation interact with the sand colored interiors, while the site’s landscape design, by Thalia Davidoff, uses native species as if tiny pockets of the Nayarit jungle have been brought into the restaurant garden, merging the natural and built environments. The effect is full immersion in the coastal landscape between ocean and forest.

The design maintains a direct relationship with the natural environment. The main space is open beneath a pergola roof that filters daylight in a manner reminiscent of enramadas – traditional palm leaf canopies – and allows sea breezes to cool the interior through cross ventilation. Blurring the line between inside and out, sliding glass panels allow the restaurant to open to the landscape or close for weather protection.

All furnishings and accessories were handmade in a small local workshop from native solid wood. Craftsmanship functions as a defining element in the project: not ornamental but as an integral part of daily life expressed through objects rooted in place. The tableware, made for the restaurant by ceramicist Claire Lippmann, features organic forms, scorch marks, and glaze variations that preserve the memory of fire, hand, and clay, framing the food in a natural palette of color, grain, and texture.

Conceived as a stage for cultural storytelling, the open kitchen draws guests into the culinary process while contributing to the restaurant’s broader spatial narrative. Shifting light and shadow create evocative atmospheres throughout the day and a comfortable, relaxed setting for an immersive dining experience.

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Ristorante Rubra

© Rafael Gamo, courtesy of Estudio Ignacio Urquiza Ana Paula de Alba

Ristorante Rubra

The restaurant’s outdoor space establishes a direct connection with the natural setting. Sliding glass walls modulate the boundary between interior and exterior according to the weather, while maintaining continuity with the landscape. © Rafael Gamo, courtesy of Estudio Ignacio Urquiza Ana Paula de Alba

Ristorante Rubra

© Rafael Gamo, courtesy of Estudio Ignacio Urquiza Ana Paula de Alba

Ristorante Rubra

© Rafael Gamo, courtesy of Estudio Ignacio Urquiza Ana Paula de Alba

Ristorante Rubra

All furnishings and accessories were custom-made by local artisans using native solid wood. © Rafael Gamo, courtesy of Estudio Ignacio Urquiza Ana Paula de Alba

Ristorante Rubra

Rubra reinterprets Mexican traditions through a contemporary lens, producing minimalist architecture that frames a dining experience rooted in local heritage. © Rafael Gamo, courtesy of Estudio Ignacio Urquiza Ana Paula de Alba

Ristorante Rubra

© Rafael Gamo, courtesy of Estudio Ignacio Urquiza Ana Paula de Alba

Ristorante Rubra

Native plant species and wooden furnishings complement the sand toned, earthy palette that defines the spaces, evoking the jungles of Nayarit inside the restaurant. © Rafael Gamo, courtesy of Estudio Ignacio Urquiza Ana Paula de Alba

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