Zooba
Project Information
Client:
Zooba
Completed:
2016 - Ongoing
Location:
New York, Cairo, Riyadh, Bahrain, Kuwait
Project Area:
Varies
Project Team
Design Architect:
AE Superlab
Lighting Design:
AE Superlab
Architect of Record:
Varies
Construction:
Varies
Shaping a Vibrant Identity for an Electric Egyptian Street Food Brand in NYC and Beyond…
Zooba is a beloved Egyptian street food chain, with several highly popular branches across Cairo. For its first international outpost AE Superlab was tasked with designing a space that feels uniquely Egyptian while simultaneously being of its place in New York City’s Nolita. A large eat-in counter wraps around the central open kitchen, evoking a typical Cairene “ful cart” . Vibrant, hand painted wooden panels, adorned with vernacular egyptian calligraphy and iconography, further reinforce the connection to egyptian street food culture. The centerpiece of the space is a bespoke illuminated suspended ceiling over the counter area, referencing both the kitsch and eclecticism of Cairo street life as well as the electric vibes of its lively NYC neighborhood.
Always Zooba. Never Boring. Never the Same.
Since designing Zooba’s first international location in NYC, AE Superlab has designed over 11 more outposts across 4 countries and counting. Each location unmistakably displays the same vibrant design DNA, while adapting to its unique environment and exploring new and playful ways of advancing and refining the brands’ street-inspired identity.
A prime example of the adaptability of the design language is Zooba’s branch at the Central Atrium of the new Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza.
Read more about that design here.
