Vaca Restaurant
Studio UNLTD’s Vaca Restaurant in Los Angeles reimagines dining with its intimate, cave-like atmosphere, combining sweeping curves and layered lighting to celebrate the vibrancy of Spanish cuisine.
Vaca’s new 2nd location by Studio UNLTD transforms the ground floor of downtown Los Angeles tower into an intimate, cave-like retreat. Sweeping curves and layered lighting shape the flow of the space, creating an immersive counterpoint to the urban setting.
Inspired by chef Amar Santana’s energetic approach to Spanish cuisine, the design emphasizes transparency, craft, and festivity.
An open kitchen anchors the experience, with the cook line visually connected to the dining room. Dark gray quartz pass counters and saffron-tiled walls extend the warmth of the dining area into the back of house, while cast-iron paella pans along the hood double as functional décor. A dedicated jamón counter celebrates the iconic cured ham as both culinary and design centerpiece.
Limited ceiling height led to a sculptural solution in the main dining room: stepped planes and broad curves echo the custom banquettes below. Acoustic plaster in a rusty red hue and warm soffit lighting soften transitions and guide sightlines. Textural finishes—including dusty canela lime wash, Concretta cement, and handmade Mexican Cotto tile—layer depth and material richness, further emphasized by linear lighting that grazes key surfaces.
Custom furniture mixes materials such as burl inlay, blackened steel, indigo-stained wood veneer, and gray stone. Leather seating, bold color accents, and playful prints draw from the vibrancy of Spanish cuisine.
The bar, designed as a monolithic statement, features a “Stalatiti Bronze” marble waterfall reminiscent of jamón serrano, curving in sync with the ceiling above. Its length concludes at the wine room wall, where an amber-glazed opening aligns with the bar top. A mirrored back wall reflects the restaurant’s energy, while hand-glazed turquoise tiles and deep burgundy Italian dividers add contrast and rhythm. Above, slender Santa & Cole pendants cast a warm, inviting glow.
All of these components work in harmony to create an experience that celebrates the character of Vaca and the richness of Spanish dining.
Design: Studio UNLTD
Contractor: Howard
Photography: Tanveer Badal
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