Starting from 2016, nudist restaurants have become more and more popular. Many cities like London, Tenerife and Paris saw this trend by opening pop-ups and restaurants for naturists. But is this new way of dining really successful? Here are some great examples across Europe.
1. The Bunyadi, London
The Bunyadi was London’s first nude restaurant. It was a pop-up restaurant that opened in June 2016 and operated for only 3 months. The idea behind this unusual restaurant was a sort of back-to-nature vibe, where waiters and customers were naked, there was no electricity and even smartphones were banned.
The light menu consisted of vegan as well as non-vegan options. There was both raw food and cooked food, including lots of vegetables, flowers, smoked meat and fish.
As there was no electricity, the light came from candles and all dishes were cooked over a fire. The food was served in clay, the wine – that was organic and preservative-free – in clay goblets, and there was only edible cutlery (spoons made out of bread or vegetables); all of these to emphasize the back-to-nature theme. The fancy dishes were decorated using flowers and sauces, with a scrupulous attention to details; they looked like art pieces!
As guests arrived at the Bunyadi, they were seated in a lit bar with tree trunk tables, candles and bamboo. After a cocktail, the guests were asked to undress and put their clothes in lockers. Then, a waiter led the guests to the restaurant hall, which had both shared and private booths. There, the meal started, sometimes interrupted by passing figures that were barely recognizable due to the dark.
The initial success of the Bunyadi was so great that at one point the waiting list for the restaurant was supposedly over 30,000!
The owners of the Bunyadi pop-up were planning to reopen again, but this time with a permanent restaurant. However, this idea seems to be fallen into oblivion as no other nude restaurant has opened in London since the pop-up closed back in 2016.
2. Innato, Tenerife
Innato, inaugurated in 2017, was the first naked restaurant to open in Tenerife, Spain. More specifically, it was located in San Isidro, in the municipality of Granadilla de Adona. The restaurant’s project came to mind to the Italian entrepreneur Tony De Leonardis, who was inspired by the Bunyadi restaurant in London.
Dinner was served in an intimate atmosphere, with no electricity, but with plenty of candles, torches and fires. Even smartphones and other electronic devices were banned. The menu included organic dishes and there was even a special “aphrodisiac menu” for anyone requesting it.
The dinner took place in a natural environment under fruit trees. To guarantee the guests’ privacy, the restaurant was equipped with bamboo panels between tables.
As for the menu, which was entirely organic, the guests could choose among meat, fish and vegetarian dishes. All of this paired with local wine.
Unfortunately, the restaurant has already been closed.
3. O’Naturel, Paris
In November 2017, also Paris opened its first naked restaurant serving classic French dinners. The restaurant was located in the 12th Arrondissement and it had a minimalist decor, with large white curtain over the windows.
Even in this case, diners had to leave their clothes and smartphones in lockers in order to live a unique natural experience. But there was a difference from the previous two restaurants in London and Tenerife: at O’Naurel only the customers were naked, while the owners and the waiters were fully clothed when serving the meals.
The menu of upmarket French bistro cuisine included foie gras, lobster, and snails with parsley cream; all these for 49 euros.
Diners were asked to comply with some rules related to a decent behavior inside the restaurant: any form of voyeurism or exhibitionism was not tolerated, and nudity was mandatory (with the exception of teenagers, who had to be accompanied by an adult).
The restaurant closed only after 15 months from its opening, due to financial reasons and the lack of customers, according to the owners Mike and Stephane Saada.
Despite the initial terrific success of nude restaurants, they all have closed after a few months. Probably because dining naked is considered by most people a once in a life time experience. Thus, it is difficult for this kind of restaurants to create loyal clients and expect them to return frequently. Apparently, there are no more nude restaurants in the pipeline; but while waiting for a new naturist restaurant to open, why not going to a nudist beach? Check out our article “The 10 best nudist beaches in the world” to find out more.
