Lay's is no longer just about opening a bag of chips. The popular potato chip brand has now opened themed restaurants built completely around the potato. It started in Madrid and has now expanded to Shanghai, where PepsiCo has opened special restaurant concepts that turn the brand's most famous ingredient into a full dining experience. These restaurants are carefully designed food experiences that explore how one simple ingredient, the potato, can be turned into creative dishes, immersive interiors, and even art and fashion collaborations.
Pilla Tortilla, The Lay's Restaurant In Madrid
PepsiCo first entered the restaurant world with Pilla Tortilla, its first global restaurant concept under Lay's. The idea was to take Spain's famous tortilla, the classic potato omelette, and reinvent it using Lay's chips as part of the recipe.
Here, customers can order tortillas in different forms: as slices, sandwiches, or whole portions to share. Several toppings and flavour combinations give the traditional dish a modern twist. Some versions included spicy sausage with brie and honey, others had pulled pork, anchovies, or crispy pork belly with sauces.
Also Read: Watch: Padma Lakshmi's Jaipur Highway Pit Stop Features Spicy Chaat, Idlis And Parathas
The menu also went beyond tortilla, with dishes like fish and chips made using Lay's Salt and Vinegar chips, mussels paired with crushed chips, and desserts combining chocolate, honey, goat cheese and even Lay's for contrast.
Now Shanghai Has Taken The Idea Further
After Madrid, PepsiCo launched China's first Lay's Potato Restaurant in Shanghai's trendy Xintiandi district. This is a limited-time restaurant, but it is much more immersive. The restaurant has been designed to tell the story of the potato, from farm to finished chip.
The outside of the building features large playful potato-themed artwork created with fashion brand 8ON8. Inside, everything is designed around the potato and chip theme, with textures, colours and displays inspired by Lay's packaging and potato farming.
Guests can move through different spaces that explain how potatoes are grown, processed and turned into chips. There are private dining rooms, open seating areas and terrace spaces that make the experience feel interactive rather than just decorative.
Also Read: From Hosting Dinners To Thursday Nights, Why Delhi Gymkhana Members Call The Club 'A Second Home'
The menu combines Eastern and Western cooking styles, offering everything from snacks and main meals to desserts and drinks. One of the most unusual parts of the menu is a set of four Shanghai-exclusive mashed potato dishes. These pair mashed potatoes with ingredients like strawberry, mango, shrimp and octopus.
The Shanghai restaurant goes beyond food with a dedicated merchandise section where visitors can buy limited-edition Lay's products, accessories and fashion collaborations.
Madrid's Pilla Tortilla introduced the idea through a familiar Spanish dish, and now, Shanghai's Lay's Potato Restaurant has expanded it into a full potato-themed world.