FanFood Pizza Restaurant in Moscow by MAST Architects

Football, pizza and design aren’t necessarily the most obvious trio, however, this Moscow restaurant proves that they work pretty well together. FanFood by architecture studio MAST Architects is located at the Dynamo metro station, the stop for the nearby VTB Arena. The architects include tributes to Italy, the birthplace of pizza and major football fan base, throughout the interior. Having hosted the FIFA World Cup in 2018, Russia’s dedication to the sport is also at a peak.

The budget interior is designed for high traction and low prices, with the restaurant servicing football match or concert attendees, as well as office workers from neighbouring buildings. A series of tall white arches stretch up toward the 7m high ceiling, regulating the scale of the room and delineating seating areas. Their tunnel-like procession drives home a goalkeeper theme. Tables are pushed up against the floor-to-ceiling street facing window, with park views reinforcing an association with sports.

“We made an open kitchen and constructed a bar counter, so there was no place for seating but along the walls, at the windows overlooking the Petrovsky Park,” explains Bureau Mast.

The arches frame the back wall, on which a tiled ceramic mural depicts legendary Soviet goalkeeper Lev Yashin mid-catch. The panel is made in the style of the Soviet Russian artist Alexander Deineka, whose work is regarded as exemplifying the Socialist Realist style.

Ventilation pipes, doors, shelving and the bar counter are a vivid shade of blue that echoes that of the local Dynamo football team. All other materials are prominently neutral and low cost, with a paved stone floor contrasting exposed concrete walls and a board marked kitchen island. The bar is clad with warm timber, softening the cool concrete.

“We have minimized the amount of finishing materials so that the space will be perceived as a whole. And the coldness of stone and concrete was compensated by wood,” says Bureau Mast.