Gros Bao Marseille: A Celebration of Chinese Restaurant Interior Design by Neri&Hu

Introduction to Gros Bao Marseille

Gros Bao Marseille, designed by the acclaimed Neri&Hu Design and Research Office, is a masterful example of Chinese restaurant interior design set within the historic heart of Marseille, France. Completed in 2024, this 387 m² project transforms the first three floors of a beautiful stone-clad building in the Canebière district, blending the vibrant spirit of Shanghai’s alleyways with the character of Marseille’s Old Port. Gros Bao is part of the Bao Family, a collection of modern Chinese restaurants reinterpreting nostalgic Chinese flavors and spatial experiences, inviting visitors into a sensory and cultural journey.

Site Context and Historical Layers

Located between Cours Saint Louis, a symbolic public square, and rue des Récolettes, an intimate side street, the project stands at the junction of two contrasting urban conditions. Neri&Hu’s design captures this duality by carving a dramatic vertical artery through the building’s three levels, linking the bustling public square to the more private, secluded atmosphere of the perpendicular street. This intervention creates a new urban lane inside the restaurant, merging the public and private, the past and the present.

Design Concept: Translating Shanghai’s Longtang

The design draws direct inspiration from the longtang, the historic alleyways of Shanghai known for their dense, layered urban life. These alleyways not only shape the architecture of Gros Bao Marseille but also inform its social and experiential qualities. Visitors navigate through spaces that blur the lines between dining areas and kitchen scenes, public movement and private moments, evoking the dynamic street life of Shanghai within a French historical landmark.

By embedding these references into the Marseille site, Neri&Hu crafts a narrative that connects local patrons and international visitors alike to a shared cultural and architectural memory. This approach elevates the dining experience from mere consumption to an immersive exploration of space, history, and identity.

Material Palette and Spatial Atmosphere

The interiors are defined by a raw yet sophisticated material palette that reflects the authenticity of Gros Bao’s culinary offerings. Natural steel, galvanized steel panels, white square tiles, red linoleum flooring, and the building’s existing stone walls form a tactile backdrop that balances industrial toughness with historical elegance.

Custom-designed furniture, inspired by the simplicity of Shanghai’s street food stalls, features minimalist metal frames and Formica-topped tables and chairs. These elements ground the interiors in everyday materiality, reinforcing the restaurant’s accessible and welcoming character while offering a subtle nod to cultural roots.

The building’s façade, a striking combination of galvanized steel panels within the classical stone structure, introduces a modern architectural insertion that signals the restaurant’s contemporary identity while respecting its historic shell.

Creating a Narrative Dining Journey

Gros Bao Marseille is more than just a restaurant; it is a spatial narrative that guides guests through layers of cultural memory, urban texture, and sensory delight. The design’s central “alleyway” concept reimagines the building’s circulation, inviting diners to experience moments of discovery and surprise as they move through interconnected spaces.

This blurring of public and private, cooking and dining, local and global transforms Gros Bao into a stage where architecture, food, and culture come together, creating a dynamic, immersive environment that honors both its Marseille context and Shanghai inspirations.

Redefining Chinese Restaurant Interior Design

With Gros Bao Marseille, Neri&Hu demonstrate the power of thoughtful, culturally resonant Chinese restaurant interior design. By seamlessly integrating Shanghai alleyway typologies into a historic Marseille landmark, the architects have created a unique destination that celebrates cultural dialogue, material honesty, and architectural storytelling. Gros Bao stands as a testament to the transformative potential of interior architecture, where every detail contributes to a larger narrative of place, memory, and shared experience.

All Photographs are works of Pedro Pegenaute