A MEXICAN street food-inspired restaurant in Bournemouth has put the town on the map for world-class design, after being shortlisted for a prestigious award alongside stylish eateries in Los Angeles, Hong Kong, Dubai and London.

Ojo Rojo, in the heart of the Triangle, caught the eye of the global Restaurant & Bar Design Awards’ judges with its unique look and feel.

Design features include colourful murals of frogs, salvaged wood furniture and sawn-off tequila bottles for lampshades.

Winners will be announced at a lavish London awards ceremony in October, where Ojo Rojo owners Trevor Hill and John Adams will mingle with the creators of some of the world’s most eye-catching and exclusive food and drink establishments.

“Being shortlisted for these awards is really exciting,” says Trevor, 36, who studied at Bournemouth University and ran a local events company before launching Ojo Rojo.

Ojo Rojo – which means Red Eye in Spanish, signifying both a lust for life that Trevor found in Mexico and the adverse effects of too much tequila – is a blend of local brains and local materials.

Wimborne-based agency RT Brand Communications helped Trevor and his business partner John Adams, who runs nearby bar and music venue Smokin’ Aces, cook up a storm with Ojo Rojo’s branding.

The restaurant’s signature logo is a decorative skull, inspired both by Mexico’s Day of the Dead Festival, when family members host huge parties in graveyards to celebrate the lives of those who have died, and Trevor’s adventures through Latin America.

Ojo Rojo joins entries from more than 70 countries in the globally recognised awards that highlight locations ranging from airport restaurants to museums to burger vans to Michelin-starred diners. It has been shortlisted for the ‘Identity’ category alongside restaurants in London, Kingston upon Thames, Melbourne and Chadstone, Australia.