Manchester Opens Its First-Ever 2D Restaurant, Waku Waku
Decked out with real-world furniture and fixtures, while hand-drawn picture frames and window ledges are joined by scenes from Mount Fuji to the London Bridge.
The city of Manchester has just opened its doors to the UK’s first-ever two-dimensional restaurant. Titled Waku Waku, the new Japanese food spot is located on Portland Street and is designed to look like a monochrome cartoon.
Thanks to a conceived real-world optical illusion, the cafe’s interior has been painted white, but every detail — from the walls and floor to chairs and bathroom — has been outlined in black pen to create a trippy pen-and-paper aesthetic that’s almost like looking at a page ripped from an artist’s sketchbook.
Created by Waku Waku’s owner, Chris Lui — who doesn’t have a background in art and design — he completed the drawings himself over four months, often staying in the restaurant until the early hours of the morning. Originally from Hong Kong, Lui used to work in a bank, before his family moved to Manchester.
As per Manchester Evening News, Chris Lui said: “My wife loves 2D cafes that are popular in countries like Japan, Korea, and Taiwan and she said we should bring the concept to the UK as she thought people here would like it. The concept is very unique and we only use black and white lines to create the restaurant look.”
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Additionally, the new space on Portland Street has been decked out with real-world furniture and fixtures, while hand-drawn picture frames and window ledges are joined by a collection of recognizable scenes from Mount Fuji to the London Bridge.
Meanwhile, Waku Waku also provides an aesthetic for the food to offer a complete contrast to its black-and-white surroundings. From Donburi, a rice bowl dish, spanning to signature dishes like the omurice consisting of an omelet made with fried rice and thin scrambled eggs, to deep-fried pork cutlet bowls and hefty portions of udon noodles and sides like teriyaki squid, Lui has created a menu that offers something for everyone.
You can take a closer look inside Waku Waku above and the restaurant is open to visit now on 54 Portland Street, Manchester, M1 4QU.
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