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Bogota’s slickest bakery setting is courtesy of soup-and-sandwich emporium Masa, with its recently-opened spot in the city’s traditionally residential neighborhood of Usaquén. The new Masa, a Bogotá establishment aptly named after the Spanish word meaning dough, opened its doors in September with an airy, 7500-square-foot open-plan restaurant featuring a café, a bakery, a dining room, a retail space, and a patio.

Award-winning design and architecture Studio Cadena of New York was tasked with designing and developing the project, which is not immediately evident as a former private residence. At the helm of Studio Cadena is Benjamin Cadena, a Bogota-born, Brooklyn-based architect whose focus is designing new and captivating spaces and experiences for the city and its people. His projects range from strategic urban planning to cultural, commercial, residential, and civic projects, like last year’s Happy installation in New York’s Flatiron Plaza.

Featuring towering, etched concrete walls, bold terrazzo floors, and massive triangular window cutouts, the space houses a series of connected volumes that allow customers to move through the space with the freedom of an open plan. 

The structure’s dramatic, triangular windows create an indoor-outdoor effect that opens the facade to the street, offering a taste of voyeurism mixed with privacy. Inside, varied ceiling heights; an assortment of lighting concepts—including oversized paper globes and metal mesh ribbons that cascade from the ceiling; an array of cylindrical bar areas in concrete and wood; and unique seating areas result in a range of fragmented, yet interconnected, spaces that provide the spot with plenty of moods and moments for its customers.

Masa’s connection with the outdoors is cemented by a cozy patio area complete with shaded seating. A pleasant surprise comes in the form of a large, circular peek-a-boo window that proudly showcases the popular restaurant’s kitchen flurry. studiocadena.com