Temple Restaurant

The original coffee shop was designed in 1956 by Armet and Davis for the Tiny Naylor’s chain. With the eye-catching kitsch modernism of the original long faded, we transformed the downtrodden Googie style eatery into a refined setting for a California take on Brazilian-Korean cuisine.

A guest approaches up a gentle ramp and under a luminous translucent canopy, arriving on-axis with the entry, crossing a bridge above a threshold of water, and arriving on a white interior surface. Dark wood furnishings and tan upholstery center the dining area. White random-mix mosaic tile, brushed aluminum, mirror, and floor-to-ceiling glass lighten the visual weight of volumes and surfaces, reflect light in different ways, and dissolve the distinction between interior and exterior space.