L’Anxova Divina, SLS Barcelona

Long gone are the days when the hotel restaurant was simply a luxurious location to enjoy an over-the-top breakfast buffet. With culturally informed menus and interiors, a new generation of high-style eateries has even locals vying for a reservation. At the SLS Barcelona, AvroKO has cooked up an instant neighborhood classic in L’Anxova Divina, a 3,600-square-foot tapas bar whose sun-bleached palette evokes “Joan Miró painting on his summer holiday in Spain,” says Lexie Aliotti, director of projects at AvroKO’s New York studio, which counts Michelin-starred chefs Kyle and Katina Connaughton, Brian Kim, and Danny Meyer as clients. Drawing connections to the country’s decorative heritage are Antoni Gaudí-esque trencadís shard mosaics, a Modernisme-inspired spearmint-metal gantry over a horseshoe-shape bar, and glazed checkerboard and terra-cotta tiling, locally sourced from Maora Ceramic and Todobarro. Meanwhile, sculptural seating upholstered in pastel, jewel-tone, and geometric-print fabrics adds new age flair. Surrealism isn’t an overt design reference, but after a few glasses of vermouth and a plate of patatas bravas, it may begin to feel that way. “Like any good dream state,” Aliotti adds, “this irreverent mix of many simultaneous ideas creates an intangible, funky beauty.”