How many times have you sat down for dinner and thought, Boy, this meal would be so much better if everyone was naked? No? Come on, just think about the benefits: You don’t have to worry about spilling food on your clothes. Or whether you’re over- or underdressed for the meal. Or, um…well, that’s the best I can come up with. I can only imagine the pain of spilling scalding soup all over my exposed lap.
Apparently, though, Londoners think it’s an awesome idea. 8,270 Londoners, to be exact. That’s the current number of people who have already signed up for the waiting list to dine at London’s first naked restaurant, The Bunyadi, opening in June.
The restaurant, which takes its name from a Hindi word for meaning “base” or “natural,” has a capacity for 42 diners. And don’t worry — it will also have a separate, non-naked section, so there’s no need to feel left out if you’re a Never Nude and just can’t part with those denim cutoffs.
That said, dining in the section the restaurant labels “Naked and Pure” (which is accessed via the Path to Purity from the restaurant’s private changing rooms) won’t be an all-out nudie XXX show. To fit founder Seb Lyall’s philosophy that “people should get the chance to enjoy and experience a night out without any impurities,” the restaurant will make use of bamboo partitions and candlelight, and diners will “recline on wood-hewn furniture.” (Which will hopefully be wiped down between seatings.)
“Guests will enjoy wood-flame grilled meals served on handmade clay crockery and edible cutlery, in a space void of the industrialized-world’s modern trappings,” a press release reads, though specifics of what sort of food will actually be served are unclear. Is it a curry house? A paleo paradise? (My money’s on the latter — wood-hewn furniture and flame-grilled meals? Totally paleo. Also, what the heck is edible cutlery?)
This isn’t Lyall’s first go at a popup. The group he founded, Lollipop, is also behind the hugely popular ABQ, a Breaking Bad-themed cocktail bar, which appears to still be going strong. The Bunyadi will offer an entirely different vibe… but only for three months. If you want to experience it, you have to put your name on the waitlist. Which you should probably do now. Or just save your money and dine in the buff in the comfort and privacy of your own home.
