Experiencing True Liberation at Bunyadi: London’s First Nude Restaurant
Experiencing True Liberation at Bunyadi: London’s First Nude Restaurant
Yes, you read it right. This June, a new fine dining concept arrives in London—one where people can enjoy their meals in all their naked glory. London restaurateur Seb Lyall, known for his innovative dining concepts, is set to put up a restaurant inspired by his naked breakfast ritual. “It’s my home and my space, and that’s kind of the space we’re trying to create in the restaurant — our own little space. It will be fascinating what the response is,” he said.
The space he’s talking about will be called The Bunyadi, a clothing-optional, pop-up restaurant scheduled to open its doors in June. But before you book your flights to London, here’s some things you need to know about the city’s first nude restaurant.
8. It’s part of the concept, promise
The Bunyadi, according to the restaurant, comes from a Hindi term meaning “fundamental.” It’s not just a restaurant with a publicity stunt; the whole concept is an all-natural, back-to-basics dining experience sans any trappings of the modern and artificial life—technology, chemicals and apparently, clothing. Lyall calls his Luddite-inspired dream “true liberation,” where he maintains that consuming food in public naked is “an act of rebellion.”
“When you get a chance, you take your clothes off,” he said. “When you get in bed, you take your clothes off. When you go to the beach or a sauna, you take your clothes off. It’s natural. There is a whole business of victimizing people based on body image, but we are making a business out of correcting it.”
The concept comes from Lollipop, a company behind several other unconventional dining experiences, including ABQ, a Breaking Bad-themed cocktail bar that invites guests to manufacture their own drinks in an RV using raw ingredients.
7. It’s not completely nude
But don’t worry. You don’t have to be naked just to eat at The Bunyadi—it’s not like making a reservation is a promise to strip down. Two sections are planned: one for the clothed and another for the “naked & pure.” It’s up to the diner if they want to be “impure” and not experience the very essence of the concept, but should you choose the latter, you can expect to be escorted to a changing room where you’ll be given robes (that you can keep, of course, because ew!). There’s no need to worry about your nether regions touching places where others have gone—everyone is required to sit on their robes.
6. It includes the staff
The cooks are fully clothed in the kitchen for sanitary and safety reasons. But the waiters? Well, minimal parts are covered to be hygienic, and so as not to be confused with what’s on the menu and what’s not. ;)
5. It’s not for pervs
Since modern things are not allowed, give up the hopes of uploading #foodporn photos, among other ones you plan to take, on your Instagram. Photography is strictly prohibited.
If you plan to eat at The Buryandi just to do some sightseeing, be advised that each table will be fenced with bamboo walls and well-lit with candles so you can only see the silhouettes of other diners. Just keep your hands to yourself and you’ll avoid all trouble and awkwardness. The second you start acting creepy, the staff can exercise their right to escort you out.
4. It will be hard to make a reservation
(No pun intended.) Before you mull over the question of how many dates it’ll take before it’s acceptable to take your date to The Bunyadi, be advised that the waiting list is already close to 30,000. Maybe it’s the appeal of naked dining (which you could do at home for free, just FYI) or sheer curiosity, but the restaurant is already overbooked—and it’s still months before it even opens. It doesn’t hurt to put your name down on the list, though. Just for the experience.
3. It might not last long
The restaurant is now slated to only be open for three months. With its 40-person capacity and long waiting list, it actually might be too late to book reservations as of this writing. But never say never. If the concept proves to be successful, there may be talks to make it permanent. Or we can all just hope that other people on the waitlist will back out.
2. You’ll get to enjoy edible utensils
“We have worked very hard to design a space where everything patrons interact with is bare and naked,” Lyall said. In the service of creating a dining experience that is stripped of modern & industrialized impurities, the lights are only provided by candles and all the furniture are made of wood. The diners will be able to eat wood-flame grilled meals prepared without chemicals, artificial colours, electricity, and served in handmade clay pots with edible cutlery. You can literally eat your spoons.
1. The price of liberty
For a restaurant that you choose for experience and not necessarily the food, a five-course meal for about $80 to $90 counts as a splurge. But hey, who can say that they have eaten naked in public? So if you factor in the bragging rights and the robe, the amount sounds reasonable.
Would you dine in the nude? Share other interesting dining concepts with us in the comments below!
