Ephemera Magmatic Lille: Immersive Dining in a New Volcano-Themed Restaurant

(eap) Founded in 2021 by three graduates of the Institut Paul Bocuse, the Ephemera Group this week opened its fifth themed restaurant, this time in the northern French city of Lille (other Ephemera restaurants are located in Paris and Angers). Named Magmatic, the new dining experience invites guests to enjoy a meal inside an elaborately staged immersive volcano crater.

© Photo: Lise Sauvage Using projection and special effects technology, the restaurant’s dining hall is transformed into a glowing orange-red volcanic crater. A menacing rumble, trembling rock plates, and rising heat hint at an imminent eruption... In this tense atmosphere, the senses are heightened, enhancing the enjoyment of a variety of thematically inspired culinary delights during the impressive (simulated) natural spectacle.

Once again, Ephemera Group implemented its original concept ideas in collaboration with the Paris- and New York-based creative studio Superbien. The companies Fosphor and Expert Event were also involved in the project’s technical execution. The design team of Henriette & Compagnie contributed to the project as a recurring partner.

While the group’s first themed restaurant – Under the Sea in Paris (currently closed for renovation and redesign; to know more about the location read also our special feature on “Experience Dining” in EAP 5/2022) – is temporarily not in operation, two other immersive dining venues under the Ephemera brand, Jungle Palace and Stellar, are still open in the French capital. In Angers (near Nantes), the Wonder Woods theme invites guests to a truly unique dining experience... ■