More than 46,000 people were on the waiting list to dine at what was billed as London’s first ever naked restaurant this summer – but only a fraction actually got to try the experience.
But those desperate to try dining out in the buff at Bunyadi may now have their chance as the restaurant’s owner has announced plans to open a permanent location in London.
The restaurant, which offered a vegan or non-vegan £69 tasting menu, claimed to offer diners ‘pure liberation’ by eating food ‘in its purest form’ while it was open for three months between June and August.
Divided into clothed and naked sections – where photography and the use of phones were strictly banned – bamboo walls divided the handful of tables to give diners privacy.
The naked theme extended into the kitchen and dining area, which ran without gas or electricity. Diners were only illuminated by candlelight.
And the staff were just as naked as the customers, with their genitals only covered by some shrubbery.
Dining at Bunyadi came with a strict set of rules – including no hanky-panky of any kind.
But Bunyadi’s owner Seb Lyall, who was also behind London’s Owl Cafe featuring live owls, told Big Hospitality magazine that the experimental experience went very smoothly earlier this year, with about 3,000 people visiting the nude restaurant.
‘We’re talking about people who have lived through the basic pyramid of life who don’t see naked bodies as sexual.
‘The quality of that community was amazing, so now it’s my job to keep it there and bring it back.’
When the restaurant was open, diners were invited to undress in a changing room, where they were given slippers and a robe to keep.
Guests were then asked to strip when they have reached their seats in a private booth, sitting on their robes.
The ‘naked’ menu, which was described as an ‘afterthought’ by some critics, had a focus on organic and vegan cuisine, featuring dishes such as sun-dried tom stuffed courgette flowers, cauliflower couscous and seaweed flakes.
FEMAIL’s Emily Hodgkin tried out the naked restaurant when it was in London this summer – and described the experience as Dionysian.
‘I could only imagine how awkward an awkward silence would be on a date as you both sit naked and dumb on tree trunks surrounded by bamboo,’ she wrote at the time.
The restaurant not only appealed to the UK’s four million naturists, according to Lyall.
He said about three-quarters of Bunyadi diners were about 30 on average, while more than two-thirds were women.
‘It’s not only about taking your clothes off, it’s a kind of social experiment,’ added Lyall.
Hmm…
