London’s back at it again with a new pop-up restaurant called The Bunyadi — however, this is no usual pop-up restaurant. The Bunyadi, which opened this past June, is London’s first nude dining restaurant.
With a 35,000 person waiting list already established prior to opening, this unique experience has taken off and gotten stellar reviews. In fact, the success of its opening has prompted The Bunyadi to now be open to the public, and reservations can be made online.
So why the hell not take off all your clothes and indulge in a tasting menu with both vegan and non-vegan options, all cooked on a wood fire and served in clay dish-ware?
How does this nude dining work, exactly?
Photo courtesy of pixabay.com
In order to experience “true liberation,” diners are encouraged to, upon arrival, change out of their clothes and into a light robe in the changing rooms.
After leaving their outside clothing, phone, and cameras in a locker, diners are led to their table, which are semiprivate thanks to the strategically placed bamboo screens. At the table, it is up to the diner whether or not they want to remove their final piece of clothing, and large napkins are provided to minimize any food-related injuries.
And, to help create this ambiance, the waiters themselves are dressed minimally, and the furnishing of the place is minimal and natural. Plus, if you really don’t feel like baring your body, there is a section for clothed patrons by the bar, and while at the dinner table, you can keep your robe on — but that seems to go against the whole point, eh?
Why dine in the nude in the first place?
Photo courtesy of pixabay.com
The goal of The Bunyadi is to “revisit the beginning where everything was fresh, free and unadulterated from the trappings of modern life.” That means no matter how Insta-worthy the experience or meal is, forget it. Just enjoy it and live in the moment, or rather, in a more refined and “pure” moment, which is the type of atmosphere The Bunyadi is trying to create.
Founder Seb Lyall explains: “We believe people should get the chance to enjoy and experience a night out without any impurities: no chemicals, no artificial colours, no electricity, no gas, no phone – and even no clothes.
“We have worked very hard to design a space where everything patrons interact with is bare and naked. The use of natural bamboo partitions and candlelight has enabled us to make the restaurant discreet, whilst adhering to the ethos behind it. No doubt, this has been the most challenging project for us yet, which makes us very excited about it.”
This pop-up restaurant was created by Lollipop, a collective who “create experiences enjoyed by thousands” and “create unique experiences because we believe people deserve nothing less.”
It costs about £70 per person, so it’s on the pricey side, but it looks like it’s worth it. More and more people are reserving their spots to dine, as this place is only open until the end of this summer.
Based just on the success of it, though, and the amount of interest generated by the public, I think we can safely say that this is only just the beginning of the nude dining scene and nude dining will, hopefully, start trending big time soon.