London’s first naked restaurant has thousands of people waiting to get their kit off

Step 1. Announce nude restaurant. Step 2. Be amazed by stampede of interest.

Hendrik Goltzius - The Fall of Man. (Creative Commons) Source: Creative Commons

When you think of London and it’s delightful weather the first thing that comes to mind is “why isn’t there a place where I can dine on fine food but also throw all my clothes off?”, right?

Fear not au natural diners, a new eatery in London is about to open... and clothing is optional.

The Bunyadi will be London’s first-ever naked restaurant and already more than 8000 people have registered their interest online to take part in the rudey nudey dining experience.

London's first nude restaurant. (The Bunyadi) Source: The Bunyadi

Seb Lyall, the founder of Lollipop (the group behind the restaurant) says, “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 if they wish to. The idea is to experience true liberation.”

And the design elements of the restaurant will match the diners' experience. “We have worked very hard to design a space where everything patrons interact with is bare and naked,” he explains. “The use of natural bamboo partitions and candlelight has enabled to 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 isn’t the first time Londoners have been treated to bizarre restaurant concepts with ‘dining in the dark’ restaurants hitting the headlines in 2006 in the UK as well as in Australia, where they've featured in food festivals and more recently, even as fundraisers for guide dog associations. Dining in the dark was exactly what it sounded like: patrons would enter dark restaurants and eat blind-folded, or with no available light, with the aim to enhance the other senses by removing sight.

A photo from a dining in the dark experience, probably. Source: Google

While The Bunyadi might not provide the cover of darkness, they do provide change rooms and lockers for those wanting to strip down as well as a clothed area for the modest foodie - getting naked isn't mandatory. And although it seems like a pretty out-there idea, naked or 'natural' dining has been happening for years in the US with "clothing optional" dinners at locations in New York City and, of course, the nudist movement across the globe.

With The Bunyadi opening for three months from June, you’ll want to get in quick. But just remember, no photography allowed.