Why a restaurant hangs other people’s work
Because the walls were there and Tallahassee has artists. That is close to the whole of the reasoning, and thirty years later it is still one of the defining features of the place.
The room is painted in strong colours — oranges, yellows, blues — and the work is hung close together on top of it. Nothing is curated to match. The result is a dining room that guests consistently describe as eclectic, colourful, whimsical and slightly chaotic, and that is the intention.
The walls are a colorful backdrop for local artists to hang their work. From a guest review
Yes, you can buy it
This is the part visitors do not always realise. The paintings are not decor bought by the yard; they are pieces by local artists, priced and available. People buy them off the wall regularly. One reviewer summed up the effect neatly: the food is art on a plate, which is appropriate given there is art from local artists all over the walls that can be purchased to support the local community.
Ask your server. They will tell you who made it and what it costs.
What people notice
Reviews of this restaurant are unusual in how often they describe the art rather than just the food. Guests write about getting out of their seats mid-meal to look at something. One wrote about a painting of a dog in the hallway to the bathroom and said she was crossing her fingers it would still be there on her next visit. Another catalogued the animal paintings by name. The work does a lot of the emotional labour of the room.
The building itself is part of it
Before you get through the door there is the sign: hand-lettered, each letter a different colour, on a marigold field with a green border. And the sun mural down the side wall, and the turquoise panels along the front. It is the most photographed thing about the restaurant and the reason people who have never eaten here can still describe the building.
Showing your work
If you are a local artist and you want your work on these walls, we would like to hear from you. Call (850) 224-2466 or send us a message with a link to what you make.
Walls, inside and out
Art questions
Is the art really for sale?
Yes. If a piece catches your eye, ask your server or whoever is at the host stand and they will tell you the artist and the price.
How often does the work change?
Regularly. Guests who come back after a few months usually notice new pieces. Some favourites have hung long enough that people ask after them by description — there is a painting of a dog in the hallway that has its own following.
I’m a local artist. Can I show work here?
Get in touch. Call (850) 224-2466 or message us through Facebook with a link to your work.
Does the restaurant take a commission?
Talk to us directly about terms — the arrangement is straightforward and has worked for local artists for decades.
Come and look at the walls
Then look at the plate, which is the other half of the argument.