A Spanish Restaurant With an Industrial Infusion

Most restauranteurs rely on hospitality design firms to conceptualize and execute a new venture, but Barteca Restaurant Group is the rare exception.
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Sasa Mahr-Batuz explained his vision: "The idea was to create an environment that feels like it’s been in existence for a long time and is timeless—but at the same time, it’s imperative that it’s cozy, that it makes you want to come back, it feels familiar. It feels powerful."

Sasa Mahr-Batuz explained his vision: "The idea was to create an environment that feels like it’s been in existence for a long time and is timeless—but at the same time, it’s imperative that it’s cozy, that it makes you want to come back, it feels familiar. It feels powerful."

Co-founder and creative director Sasa Mahr-Batuz employs a comprehensive in-house team to ensure that each location under the group’s two concepts, Barcelona Wine Bar & Restaurant and Bartaco, complements the personality of the market while cohering to an aesthetic whole. The newest addition to the Barcelona Wine Bar & Restaurant brand in Atlanta, Georgia, strikes this balance of consistency and creativity. Located in the adaptive-reuse Westside Ironworks development, the building bears the Barteca thumbprint while paying homage to its industrial surroundings.

The Westside Ironworks site marks the restaurant's second location in Atlanta. Barcelona Wine Bar & Restaurant runs 13 establishments across the East Coast with two slated to open in Nashville, Tennessee by early 2017. 

The Westside Ironworks site marks the restaurant's second location in Atlanta. Barcelona Wine Bar & Restaurant runs 13 establishments across the East Coast with two slated to open in Nashville, Tennessee by early 2017. 

Until recently, a foundry operated in two buildings of the Ironworks complex, which has now been renovated to feature seven retailers and restaurants. The free-standing Barcelona Wine Bar & Restaurant honors the historical district through a confluence of midcentury and industrial design: large steel I-beams make up the framework, and the steel sash windows are taken from the oldest factory in Queens, New York. In contrast to views of the Midtown skyline, a flat cantilevered roof provides a strong horizontal plane.    

Vintage Northern European furniture, shelving, and pendant lights contribute to a rugged impression.

Vintage Northern European furniture, shelving, and pendant lights contribute to a rugged impression.

The bold, free-spirited city of Barcelona also colors the design. In keeping with other locations, the restaurant features work by Mahr-Batuz and his father, both working photographers and artists. The paper pulp light fixtures were made in Mahr-Batuz’s shop and lend an organic softness to the industrial setting. Through large vertical sliding doors made of steel and glass, the bar area transitions to an expansive courtyard that offers al fresco dining in a garden environment, accented by a wood-burning fireplace.

Diners who prefer to share a meal outdoors keep warm by the fireplace.

Diners who prefer to share a meal outdoors keep warm by the fireplace.

The custom steel wine wall is the seventh one to be installed at separate Barcelona Wine Bar & Restaurant locations in the last 10 years.

The custom steel wine wall is the seventh one to be installed at separate Barcelona Wine Bar & Restaurant locations in the last 10 years.

To learn more about Barcelona Wine Bar & Restaurant, visit the website.

Jenny Xie
Dwell Contributor
Jenny Xie is the author of the novel Holding Pattern, a National Book Foundation 5 Under 35 Honoree. She’s received fellowships from Bread Loaf, Yaddo, and MacDowell, among other organizations.

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