Pondicheri Restaurant, Bake Lab + Shop spans two levels of the West Ave mixed-use complex at one of Houston’s most prominent intersections. What began with a deep Pre-Design process—listening, exploring, and defining the vision—grew into a years-long collaboration with a client committed to creating something fresh, authentic, and lasting.

From that first phase, we built a shared understanding of how the restaurant should function, feel, and evolve. Our work together eventually took us to India, where we explored the country’s regional flavors, colors, and craft traditions firsthand. Those experiences shaped everything from the texture of the walls to the atmosphere of the bake lab upstairs, ensuring the space felt grounded in culture while open to reinvention.

The design layers the raw openness of an industrial shell with the richness of hand-selected Indian textiles, ceramics, and finishes. Each element was chosen to support the business’s unique rhythm—allowing the vibrant culinary offerings to take center stage while giving guests a sense of discovery at every turn.

More than a restaurant, Pondicheri is the result of a trusted creative partnership—one that began with careful research and planning, and grew into a space where food, craft, and community meet.