Most bistros, where burgers are the main menu item, tend to play up the casual nature of eating the ubiquitous fast food with décor that echoes a roadside deli. Not so in Palermo, Italy. Tritalo Arte del Gusto (or Chop It) is a tiny burger joint that has the sublime elegance of a Park Avenue shoe store.

Designed by local firm DiDeA, the space is long and narrow, but one of its most impressive features is a high ceiling with a motif depicting a pair of cherubs floating around flowers and garlands. The artwork is contained by an ornate frame of gold-hued molding.

To complement the Baroque ceiling, DiDeA went minimal by inserting an all-in-one volume containing an open kitchen, a service and customer countertop, and washrooms. Built from a grid of metallic frames, the volume is designed to optimize and exploit the 38-square-metre cafe, yet not interfere with the vaulted ceilings. The lower part of the interior uses white wooden tiles clad with a French herringbone pattern, while gres tiles are on the floor.

Rose gold accents give Tritalo its warmth, with the metallic tone defining its simple geometries and bringing attention to some of the smaller details, like the tubular footsteps at the base of the counter. Spherical chandeliers, even the washrooms’ door handles, use the coppery hue.

Rose gold iron was the leitmotif of the project, says the firm. The soft palette has been trending for the past few years now, but it is still intriguing to see it applied to the most casual of diners. Says DiDeA: “Our goal was to make a place that distinguishes itself from the predominant industrial style of many bistros.”