This AI-generated cafe exists in real life

Remember cinematic icons like The French Dispatch and The Darjeeling Limited? This cafe near New Delhi is a fantastical Wes Anderson setting designed entirely with AI

22 Mar 2025

Pratishtha Rana

What if the next restaurant you find yourself in is a surreal cinematic set created as a social experiment with AI? Yes. A confident canvas of real, unreal and the in-between interior clues made using tools of artificial intelligence. In Faridabad near Delhi, MOFA Studio calls this meticulous AI-design experiment Cafe Delhi Heights. A cafe that echoes the vivid, retro-whimsical sets of Wes Anderson movies — where storybook-like interiors are synonymous to a character sipping electric pink cocktails as vibrant-attired bellhops move around with a calculated chaos humming in the background.

The restaurant’s concept is such that multiple vantage points are carved out with backdrops that resemble Anderson’s works from The Grand Budapest Hotel and The Darjeeling Limited to The French Dispatch and Asteroid City. While the whimsy of cinema seeps into the cafe through every colour and corner, cultural and architectural references from around Delhi and Faridabad have been layered into it, too. “This juxtaposition was achieved using AI tools, intermixing a curated collection of images from both the real world and the movies. This surreal mash-up underwent several iterations as a continuous feedback loop through the AI-driven software, resulting in images that served as moodboards for translating into a cohesive design for the cafe,” says Manish Gulati of the New Delhi-based MOFA Studio.

"Intermixing a collection of images from both the real world and the movies, this surreal mash-up underwent several iterations as a continuous feedback loop through the AI-driven software, resulting in images that served as moodboards for the cafe" — Manish Gulati, MOFA Studio

Lacing together artificial intelligence with storytelling, cinema and pop-culture visuals, the studio creates a universe closer to the realities of social media. Cafe Delhi Heights lays itself out as an open script of relevance and unpredictable imagery rekindled through renders.

“For us, photorealistic renders are not just tools for presentations. We ensured that every finish and texture on site resembled the visualisations precisely. A unique material palette was defined to bring this out in the best way, from exposed brick cladding, flex stone and enamel paint to veneer and metal,” explains Manish.

Pay attention and you’ll discover fantastical Wes Anderson frames peppered all around the cafe. The first corner speaks of the influences of The French Dispatch created as the Indian Dispatch Wall, inspired by the rich cultural tapestries of Old Delhi and Faridabad. The second corner channels The Darjeeling Limited, transpiring into a train wagon booth igniting the nostalgia associated with Indian Railways that once connected these cities.

While the third corner, mirroring the playful pulses of Asteroid City, poses as a low-seating area inspired by Surajkund. “Finally, at the heart of the café lies the pink bar, designed as a striking 360-degree centerpiece reminiscent of the aesthetic of The Grand Budapest Hotel, acting as a metaphorical chandelier that ties the various spaces together while creating a vibrant atmosphere,” sums up Manish.