Bunga Bunga Covent Garden | An Italian Temple to Excess
Donald Trump was first elected in 1994.
Only back then he was Italian. And named Silvio Berlusconi. And he inspired the term ‘bunga bunga’ to refer to a debauched, wild party. Which inspired a couple of Londoners to open up a restaurant in Battersea. Which inspired a lot more Londoners to go there in droves…
…hence that fact that many years on they’ve moved to a bigger, better, crazier venue in Covent Garden. Based in Drury Lane, Bunga Bunga Covent Garden is separated into two main areas. Starting with the more sedate of the two:
BungaTINI
Housed on the ground floor, this all-day pizzeria and deli serves breakfast pastries in the morning, pizza & paninis cut from foot-long homemade focaccias in the afternoon, and Negronis, bellinis, spritzes, and Vermouths in the evening. Upstairs is Nonna’s Attico (that’s Italian for Grandma’s Attic) which, as is tradition in Italy, is where you and up to 14 friends can raid the dressing up trunk and enjoy your own private karaoke party for 1.5 hours, with the aid of a Push for Prosecco button.
But down below? That’s where you’ll find the real…
Bunga Bunga
Okay, here goes.
You’ll enter via a huge industrial meat locker, complete with blast chiller, hanging carcasses, and a butcher who you’ll have to negotiate with to pass through the room. After that, you’ll be greeted by a slick gangster who’ll lead you down a magnificent marble staircase with a grand chandelier and into the venue, where you’ll find…
1) A central stage which somehow turns into one of the best karaoke bars in London after a few martinis – and plays host to an eclectic mixture of tongue-in-cheek live acts each night, including musical performers, actors, cabaret artists and dancers.
2) Risqué Roman statues, dark polished wooden tables, and staff attired in white dinner jackets & bow ties.
3) Classic Italian food (antipasti, pasta, pizza) from a wood-fired oven.
4) Cocktails served in everything from a martini glass, to a model of The Colosseum, to a four foot high statue of David.
5) Two bars, including a polished, dark-wood replica of Harry’s Bar (where the Bellini was invented), and a casino bar complete with roulette wheel.
6) The Emperor’s Box; a private dining room in which you’ll also get an entrance to the club held aloft in a sedan chair, a seat on a throne overlooking the entire room for the night, and the chance to give the gladiatorial thumbs up or down for the entertainment.
7) A table that’s also a speedboat, in prime position in front of the stage; perfect for showboating.
8) Another private dining room – The Martini Private Dining Room – with sliding doors allowing you to slip easily in and out the main room.
Looks like you’ve come up trumps.
NOTE: Bunga Bunga is open for dinner Wed, Fri & Sat (with dancing until 2.30am Fri & Sat), plus bottomless boylesque brunch on Saturdays. You can book a table, and see what’s on, right HERE.
Bunga Bunga | 167 Drury Lane, WC2B 5PG
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Carpe Diem!