Yunju Roast Meat Restaurant
YUNJU ROAST MEAT RESTAURANT
LUKSTUDIO
ARCHITECTS
LUKSTUDIO
LEAD ARCHITECTS
Christina Luk
DESIGN TEAM
Yu Weifeng, Wang Qiantian, Anna Jia, Yan Ruizhuo
CLIENTS
Yunju Roast Meat (Guangzhou) Co., LTD.
LIGHTING CONSULTANT
Fangfang Studio
VIDEO PRODUCTION
Force Pixel Space Photography
STRUCTURE CONSULTANT
Miao Jianbo
CONTRACTOR
Guangzhou Weilin Creative Display Co., LTD.
PROP FABRICATION
Guangzhou Weilin Creative Display Co., LTD.
PHOTOGRAPHS
ten visions studio
AREA
103 m²
YEAR
2026
LOCATION
Guangzhou, China
CATEGORY
Restaurants & Bars, Restaurant & Bar Interiors
English description provided by the architects.
Roast meats or siu mei, with their lacquered red sheen and sweet–savory profile, are a classic of Cantonese cuisine and part of the everyday memory of Guangdong cities. Yet in public perception, roast meat shops are often associated with limited space, modest environments, and fast consumption, leaving little room for social interaction.
To challenge this perception, Guangzhou-based brand "Yun Ju" collaborated with Lukstudio to create its first physical store, rethinking the spatial potential of a traditional roast meat shop in a contemporary context.
The project is rooted in the idea of "authenticity," referencing the communal canteen as a social prototype, and reinterpreting it through an upgrade of modular fixtures, materiality, and equipment—retaining a visible sense of "wok heat" while introducing a contemporary spatial language.
The storefront draws inspiration from its context, referencing stainless-steel anti-theft window grilles commonly found in surrounding residential buildings. Combined with perforated corrugated aluminum panels, it forms a façade that balances order and fluidity.
By day, the silver surface reads as a light canvas reflecting shifting tree shadows; by night, light filters through the perforations, where industrial texture meets the roughness of the existing context.
Responding to the narrow frontage and peak-hour circulation, the roast meat counter is rotated 45 degrees and placed at the front, forming a transitional threshold that separates dine-in and takeaway flows.
The space remains visually open and permeable, while improving operational efficiency. An existing fire hydrant is retained and reinterpreted as a small mechanical figure, introducing a subtle moment of play.
Inside, familiar materials are recomposed: original hollow brick walls are preserved, complemented by pink terrazzo and pale green wall panels. Part of the terrazzo aggregates are replaced with roast meat spices, embedding a sensory connection to culinary culture.
The open kitchen integrates preparation, display, and curing into a visible operational system. Stainless steel frameworks establish an industrial order, while mirrored surfaces overlay cooking, dining, and street views.
Orange handmade tiles introduce a subtle warmth, balancing the coolness of the metal surfaces. Through a close reading of local food culture, Lukstudio reinterprets the traditional dining space with a restrained yet youthful design language.
The "neighborhood canteen" is redefined beyond a purely transactional consumption space, becoming a shared urban interface embedded in everyday memory.
