Ilegal Restaurant
“A street vendor doesn’t bill, has no ATM, hates taxes, likes it when you pay with change, prefers to eat with his hands and doesn’t put up with quirks” can be read in Ilegal menu.
Opened since August 2018, Ilegal takes inspiration from street vendors’ tradition from around the world and seeks to bring the street to the plate, without any quirks or formalisms and always with the intention of sharing. The gastronomic concept and the menu, similar to the location of the street vendors, will change at any time without warning, which makes the dining experience even more exclusive and urgent.
The environment is quite informal, taking inspiration from traditional markets, where clients are invited to eat with their hands, without any fear of getting them dirty, and stealing food from each others’ plates. The current menu is a trip around the world’s several street food traditions, from vietnamese spring rolls, to the american corn dogs or even the italian mozzarella in carrozza. Even the drinks take inspiration from the streets: the wine and cocktails come in a brown bag and there’s also an Illegal Capri-Sonne, that arrives at the table with a rum syringe for the client to inject the rum into the juice.
The aim was to reflect the restaurant’s concept, but keeping in mind that it could be changed at any time. The logo ironically reflects the antithesis of the concept — the font resembles the ones used on receipts, making it look like the street vendor had no time to deal with design, opting for something already existing. This concept was extended to every brand application — the wrapping paper resembles the yellow pages, used here in Portugal to wrap most street food, and the business cards were designed to look like raffles, inviting clients to play by leaving their info for a midnight lottery.
The menu looks like it was carelessly arranged by gathering ordinary stationery the vendor had around the house, and it’s given to the clients with a notepad where they can write down their own order and do the math for their own bill.
Overall the band was designed to be easily adapted to any new concept, without ever loosing its casual street roots.
CLIENT
Ilegal Restaurant
AREA
Branding, Graphic Design
