Sinta-Bar Restaurant

Since 2003, the Sinta Bar Restaurant has been a well-known culinary establishment in Haifa, Israel. The owners, Eli Shaharit and Ram Lasry, dreamed of expanding the restaurant and moving it into the space it deserves. When they finally found the place in downtown Haifa, they knew their dream can become a reality.

The new restaurant, a part of the Sinta Bar Group, spreads over 400 square meters and has a 130 square meter balcony overlooking the new Haifa Stadium. The space was divided into two parts: The big portion was assigned to the restaurant and the rest to a younger fast food sister restaurant.

"We started talking with Eli and Ram about the restaurant shortly after we finished designing another restaurant for the Group, back in 2015. Little did we know that working on this project will be as long and challenging as it was." Says Irit Vilenski and Avital Abecassis the interior designers from InsideOut Studio who were in charge of the project's design. "knowing the Sinta Bar Group, we knew that the process is going to be both fun and meticulous at the same time, just the way we like it."

The perfect space was found in 2015 and was on the ground floor of a building that was still in the foundation stage. The Group's headquarters are also located in that same building and was designed by InsideOut Studio as well.

It was a complicated project that required cooperation with an array of consultants, the building's architects and the local authorities. The collaboration between the designers, the clients and the rest of the factors involved was crucial in having the place come to life.

"The guidelines we got from the clients had a clear vision of the atmosphere and style they had in mind and to a great extent for them, and very much for us, it was a fulfillment of a design fantasy." Tell Irit and Avital. The chosen concept was a classic urban bistro. "The innovative kitchen from Italy, the transparent wine room and the dominant bar are the elements that we wanted to highlight and incorporate within the hospitality experience. The inspiration for the project came from a range of sources mainly from trips abroad that we got to take while working on the it."

To generate the unique vibe of the place, the designers choose to place a wide variation of sitting options that enrich the space and give an organic and less rigid feeling. The wise use of sofas, round tables, unique wood and marble partitions and a lounge corner for whisky tasting, creates a cozy and intimate atmosphere all over the restaurant. The glass and iron doors of the wine room, situated at central corner in the space, allow a view of the rich wine collection the restaurant holds. A big open window facing the kitchen gives the customer a glimpse of what is cooking in the kitchen and displays the dynamic, hectic atmosphere of the kitchen.  A brick oven situated between the kitchen and the bar area, presents the fresh raw ingredients, the cooking process and brings wonderful scents into the restaurant space.

A big emphasis was placed to the bar area; the bar counter emerges through a big arc wall into the restaurant and harmoniously combines into the sitting arrangement of the space. With the Italian marble counter, a different color scheme and dim lighting, the designers designated the experience at the bar.

With a wide range of materials and textures, and with the precise color scheme that was chosen by InsideOut Studio, the restaurant has the classic bistro feeling the and yet a serene and local atmosphere.