Perched high above Cairo, near the Great Pyramid of Giza and its regal Sphinx, Escā Cueva, designed by Badie Architects, is a restaurant that envelops diners in a cave-like escape from reality. “The vision was to create a space that redefines the dining experience by blurring the boundaries between architecture and organic forms,” says Mohamed Badie, the acclaimed architect and principal of his Cairo-based architecture studio.

The resulting space is of a curvaceous form, an open floor plan that extends onto a terrace overlooking the Egyptian capital. The stucco walls, which stretch into sinuous columns, take inspiration from the female form, dipping and arching to create an organic effect. At times, the walls seem to flow into other shapes, forming a bench, a welcome desk, a cocktail table, an indoor or outdoor bar.

Lighting running along the recessed trim casts soft upward beams from small pot lights or emanates from oval cut-outs in the ceiling, illuminating the sandy beige of the walls, ceiling, and floors. Keeping with the earthy palette of the desert, dining chairs in a mix of silhouettes feature wood frames and terra cotta upholstery. “The spatial experience is meant to evoke a sense of exploration, where movement through the space reveals subtle variations in texture, depth, and light,” Badie explains.

While the interiors appear as if they could have been carved into a cliff face centuries ago, Escā Cueva was created with modern methods. The designers first used several computer programs to make a layered 3D model that included depressions, creases, and textures on the walls and ceilings, creating a natural weathered effect, as if they had been worn into stone over eons. They then used the digital model to design a steel infrastructure that served as the blueprint for the space, before adding layers of wire mesh, a scratch coat, and finally, stucco.

While the undulating arches of the restaurant are undeniably grotto-like—cueva is Spanish for “cave”—Badie notes that their intent was broader. “Our goal,” he says, was to “create an immersive, fluid environment that resonates on a visceral level without being tied to a singular reference.” And indeed, like a place removed from time, this grotto immerses its diners in a world where imagination runs wild.

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