This compact dining spot in Lima is designed by local studio Ghezzi Novak as a snug space, decorated with natural materials that reflect the authenticity of the food.
Me?rito recently opened in the Barranco district of the Peruvian capital, an area renowned for its arts scene and nightlife.

Serving local cuisine, the restaurant is squeezed into an old building, spread across two floors that each has a compact plan.
"Me?rito is an intimate experience, where food and architecture understand each other to speak of the same idea," said a project description from Ghezzi Novak, a Lima-based studio run by Arturo and Gustavo Ghezzi Novak.
Photograph by Ivan Salinero
Tucked behind a grand wooden doorway, the small space has hosted several purposes over time, which resulted in several interventions to the layout. Ghezzi Novak stripped all of these away, revealed the original walls lined with bricks of adobe ? a traditional construction material made from mud.
Photograph by Ivan Salinero
These surfaces are left exposed in some areas, while others are covered in timber planks and wood panels with narrow vertical slats.

Downstairs, a central blackened-wood island is shared by diners and kitchen staff, who face each other across the stone countertop.
Photograph by Ivan Salinero
Food is prepared on the surface and using equipment behind, then eaten in front by those sat on tall wooden stools.
A more traditional dining area upstairs has tables for parties of various sizes, all ...