Overlooking the Lago Mayor within Mexico City’s Chapultepec Forest is the newly renovated cultural hub LAGO. Aptly named for its picturesque lakeside location, LAGO—originally home to Leónides Guadarrama’s iconic restaurant Del Lago—is opening to the public this week, coinciding with the 18th edition of ZⓈONAMACO. The restoration of the Modernist structure once again sees its space utilized for waterfront dining, along with welcoming a new cultural venue called ALGO.
Courtesy of LAGO.
First conceived by Alfonso Ramírez Ponce in 1964, the structure features a memorable shape bearing an impressive asymmetric ceiling, which the architect fashioned after the work of names like Mies van de Rohe and his former professor Félix Candela. The recent renovation brought in local design house Naso Studio to help bring new life, providing picturesque views of the lake through its glass façade, divided into two triangular windows by a sloping concrete ceiling.
Refreshed with the intention of bringing city inhabitants closer to the locale’s gorgeous natural surroundings, visitors at LAGO will find the dining experience under the care of Micaela Miguel. The cuisine concept centers on consciously sourced produce and sustainable fish, employing a farm-to-table program for its sumptuous fare.
Installation view, “Form Follows Energy,” Lago / Algo, photo by Jacob Flood © 2022, courtesy of OMR and joségarcía, mx.
Meanwhile, the cultural space ALGO is presented in conjunction with the local Galería OMR and will see free arts programming examining the general theme of our role in the future of the earth. The inaugural exhibition “Form Follows Energy” is on view through August 16, 2022. Presented in collaboration with joségarcia, mx, the show features work by 27 artists—including names like Atelier Van Lieshout, Matti Braun, Pia Camil, Gabriel Rico, Trix & Robert, and Alicia Kwade—looking at ideas like crisis as an opportunity for change, societal conflicts, time and memory, and trauma as a pathway to healing.
LAGO Restaurant, courtesy of LAGO.
Courtesy of LAGO.
Courtesy of LAGO.
