What it's like to dine at Bunyadi, London's restaurant where patrons eat in the nude

I find myself in a dimly lit London eatery, seated across from a complete stranger on a weekday afternoon, both of us fully exposed.

Strangely enough, it feels perfectly fine. Well, mostly fine.

The establishment is Bunyadi, a newly opened dining spot tucked away in a serene area of central London, where guests are encouraged to strip down and embrace a truly 'natural' dining experience.

Bunyadi has been making waves recently, drawing 46,000 people to its waiting list for its three-month pop-up run during the summer.

I attended the press event, along with around 25 other journalists sent to experience the front lines of naked dining.

So, what's the experience really like?

From the outside, the restaurant doesn’t stand out much — and that's probably by design.

It's tucked away in a transformed corner pub, with windows blacked out, just a few quiet streets from London's tallest skyscraper, The Shard.

The entrance opens into a modest bar area that seems pretty typical, until guests begin emerging from the changing rooms in hotel-style bathrobes.

Once the tables are ready and guests have enjoyed a few freshly mixed drinks, they are escorted into the main dining area.

At first, it’s a bit overwhelming.

It’s hard not to steal a glance at the topless waitress guiding us through the dimly lit maze of bamboo screens, which provide just enough privacy to keep diners out of full view.

32,000 sign up for the naked dining experience

Time to undress

After a while, as the eyes adjust to the sight of the young, unclothed waitstaff, the situation starts to feel (relatively) more comfortable.

Until it’s time to get undressed.

Before the undressing began, we had the chance to speak with some of the staff about how they ended up working at a naked restaurant and what their experience is like.

“I wanted to be around people who thought like me,” says Eloise Knight, a 20-year-old student who applied for the job after reading stories about the restaurant.

Knight and her colleagues wear little more than tiny briefs, decorated with a few artificial vine leaves, as they serve food and drinks to guests.

She feels safer at Bunyadi than at most other restaurants because any customer who behaves inappropriately is immediately removed from the premises.

The restaurant enforces a strict no cameras or phones policy, partly to safeguard the privacy of those undressing, and also to maintain its natural, back-to-basics atmosphere.

“It’s about feeling at ease with nudity,” she explains. “And it’s rewarding to help people reach that comfort. It’s not a sexual experience.”

It seems to be working.

Bunyadi’s designer and manager, Ignacio Jimenez Blanco, shares that around 80% of diners have chosen to strip down during the trial runs (though it’s completely optional).

Nude bar

As the staff becomes more at ease, so do the customers, he notes. Plans are in place to open a naked bar area for those who are comfortable socializing in the buff.

“I think people are looking for freedom,” he says. “I view it as therapy, it’s incredibly liberating. People desire this, and we’re simply providing the space and service.”

Blanco has designed an interior that feels more like a spa than a restaurant. It’s a soft-lit environment filled with the fragrance of candles and accompanied by soothing music.

So, for now, it makes sense that we’re all still wearing robes.

I’m sitting across from another journalist, a man I’ve never met before, yet we’re both in the same boat — anxiously debating whether to strip down.

The meal — largely raw, natural, and seasonal to align with the restaurant's nude concept — arrives in rustic earthenware bowls and is eaten with edible utensils.

It’s absolutely delicious. A starter of English garden soup with pickled apple and salted cucumber, followed by a fresh salmon and seaweed salad.

And, surprisingly, it does feel quite liberating.

Mostly, it’s a welcome relief. The interior of Bunyadi is warm, and after a while, the thick bathrobe becomes a bit too much. The dim lighting, bamboo screens, and cleverly placed wooden furniture help preserve some modesty.

'A social experiment'

What should be an uncomfortable experience — undressing in front of a complete stranger — turns out to be surprisingly easy.

With no phones to distract us, we find ourselves chatting openly about work, family, and wondering if the female journalists at the next table have also decided to strip.

Seb Lyall, the founder of Bunyadi, calls it a 'social experiment,' and it certainly feels that way.

It’s undeniably a fresh way to enjoy some truly fantastic food.

Lyall hopes this experience will challenge body objectification and maybe even encourage other places to drop modern distractions like smartphones.

With that in mind, when the topless waitress arrives, we focus all our attention on making eye contact and discussing the meal.

It’s thrilling for a while. This is a completely new experience for me. I’m not someone who would typically consider undressing in public — I’m, after all, British.

I suddenly feel as though I’ve been given access to a secret, thrilling new world.

Then my dining companion announces he has to leave early. Sadly, I’m now just a naked guy eating dessert alone, by candlelight.

Time to put clothes back on.