An Agave-Inspired Mexican Restaurant by Studio Munge

Just off the Las Vegas strip in the new Durango Casino and Resort, Mijo Modern Mexican Restaurant stands out from its garish neon neighbours with a subdued colour palette and quietly elegant design. Created in collaboration with Station Casinos and Clique Hospitality, the sculptural space was designed by celebrated Toronto designer Alessandro Munge.

With offices in Toronto and Miami, the designer’s eponymous firm is behind opulent hospitality projects across the globe, including Nobu Toronto, multiple Pendry hotels, Shangri-La Nanning, and an Alain Ducasse venue in the Caribbean, among countless others. “Our design philosophies are informed by decades of global exposure, driving our signature guest experiences,” Munge says. “With empathy for communities and genuine care, we define the success of a project as the creation of equally long-lasting memories and businesses.”

For the Mijo project, the Studio Munge team wanted to go beyond the typical flamboyant and casual interiors of most American Mexican restaurants. Instead, to reflect the thoughtful and elevated cuisine, the team looked to tequila and the agave plant. Central to Mexican culture for centuries, the fibrous agave plant is used not only as a material and food source but also in medicinal and ceremonial practices, representing health and abundance.

A vibrant entryway is a bold segue from the bustle of Las Vegas to the Mexican oasis that awaits in Mijo. An elaborate installation of marigold plants and flowers hangs from the ceiling and clads the walls in between twisting brick partitions. A tufted orange-velvet sofa with a skull and a towering mariachi skeleton greets visitors.

Down the entry hallway, an entirely different type of space awaits, one washed in deep cobalt and soft greys. At the centre, an illuminated floor-to-ceiling bottle display created with dark metal rods and blue beads is suspended above the bar, which has a blue quartzite top and high-gloss reeded ceramic tiles along the base. Around the perimeter, silvery-blue hand-woven wicker screens undulate in tiers like the leaves of an agave plant above semicircular velvet banquettes lit by bell-shaped pendants. On the ceiling, botanical patterns in raised painted petals radiate from the centre bar, a nod to Clase Azul’s tequila bottles.

The moody blues give way to another dining area, this one bright and inspired by the colours of traditional Mexican ceramics with sculptural beige-plaster walls and floor tiles in a radial pattern. Above a large, round, ash wood table, 13 perforated clay pendants hang in a cluster. Against one wall, an intricate arched freestanding wood carving conceals a semiprivate dining room tucked into an ash-wood-lined alcove. Here, a custom table with carved petalled legs seats 12.

Outside, the patio is more than an afterthought—it’s a verdant urban oasis. Tall, curved, wood-slatted screens make the space feel intimate, while 11-foot-tall rope chandeliers add a touch of grandeur. Clusters of semicircular banquettes with leather trim are hugged by burnt sienna slingbacks and paired with scalloped wood tables. Light-blue sofas offer more relaxed seating, and plants and trees grow in terra cotta pots. In one corner, a long table with 10 wicker chairs is topped with colourful mosaics.

Walking through Mijo, each space is different and exciting in its own way, making for an immersive dining experience that offers something for everyone.

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