La Revolución Comedor, Baja California, by Red Arquitectos

Mexican firm Red Arquitectos led by Susana Lopez has turned a traditional old 19th-century house in San José del Cabo, Baja California Sur into a restaurant, where diners are treated to fine cuisine with authentic flavours and interior design that references the building's original materials with an innovative interpretation.


San José del Cabo is the southernmost municipality in the Mexican state of Baja California Sur, Los Cabos. A city of about 70,000 inhabitants that is a very popular tourist destination, together with the nearby Cabo San Lucas.
In this context, Susana Lopez and her team Francisco Cano and José Luis Sierra at Red Arquitectos were commissioned to revamp a late 19th-century house, built in the vernacular style using brick, and located in the heart of the historical centre and to turn it into a restaurant. The original building was in a very poor state, not much more than a ruin. A drastic but attentive operation was needed for the renovation, a real “revolution”, hence the eatery's name: “La Revolución”. The roof needed complete replacement, which allowed the architects to include a roof terrace. 
On the ground floor, the designers opted for solutions that on the one hand underscore the materials of the original building by cleaning the old brickwork that contrasts with the reconstructed bare concrete walls and the dark wood of the counter and shelves showcasing odds and ends and books, just like a real, lived-in house. Paintings by well-known artists hang on the walls in a succession of temporary exhibitions, in line with the creative heart and soul of this “artists'” neighbourhood.
The ambience is both cosy and airy, also assisted by the outdoor area, shaded by an old tree and separated from the street by a perforated wall in mashrabiyya style, another work by a local artist.
With “La Revolución Comedor" whose architectural concept is reflected in the menu that has strong ties with tradition, interpreted according to modern canons by the chef Benito Molina and enhanced by the “mixology” of Osvaldo Vázquez, Susana Lopez and Red Arquitectos confirm their skill in interpreting the old to craft convivial places with a very inviting atmosphere. Turning a “place that was let go” into a “place where you can let yourself go”

Christiane Bürklein

Project: Red Arquitectos Susana Lopez
Team: Francisco Cano, José Luis Sierra
Location: San José del Cabo, Baja California Sur, Mexico
Year: 2016
Images: © Bruno Calderón Diaz de León
Find out more: La Revolución Comedor