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What’s better than Thursday night pizza and cocktails?
Before last night I thought the answer to this question was ‘absolutely nothing’! But now that I’ve spent an evening at Bunga Broadway I’ve realised that the answer is Thursday night pizza and cocktails, served by staff who also perform musical numbers in an immersive theatrical dining experience.
Bunga Bunga is an underground restaurant and bar on Drury Lane in the centre of London’s West End. It is hidden through a secret entrance in the ground floor family pizzeria BungaTini. After navigating your way through a meat locker and past the ‘Butcher’ you descend down a Sistine Chapel style staircase to find a world of Italian-themed food and entertainment.
VIP Treatment
I visited on a Thursday night as part of the Traverse17 conference, along with some lovely new travel blogger friends Margarita, 2foodtrippers, BestBitsWorldwide and SavouredJourneys. We were lucky enough to be given the Emperors Box – a beautiful raised area right next to the stage with a central throne, lavish decor and golden leaf crowns for all.
The other top table, on the other side of the stage, is called The Disaronno Boat (yes it is literally a speedboat in the middle of the restaurant!). This one comes fully equipped with life jackets and captains hats.
The Entertainment
Shortly after being sat at our table, the lights began to dim and a waiter stepped into a spotlight in the centre of the room. This is the point at which I truly fell in love with Bunga Bunga. The waiting staff began a rendition of ‘Be Our Guest’ from Beauty and the Beast! As a massive Disney fan, who is particularly obsessed with the new Beauty and the Beast film, the excitement of stepping into Belle’s shoes was almost overwhelming.
From this point onwards the entertainment continued throughout the night. Musical numbers from broadway shows and Disney films were tweaked slightly to fit the storyline of an Italian mob auditioning for a play. Sounds bizarre I know but it was entertaining and made for a fun evening. One of my favourites had to be the group performance of ‘Never Had a Friend Like Me’.
After the main show there were also several other performers joining the line-up. Firstly was the house band The Bunga Boys who were fantastic and had everyone up on their feet singing and dancing along to classic songs such as ‘Shuddup You Face’. Next was the weekly West End star, with future guest including Denise van Outen (Chicago), Keiran Brown (Phantom of the Opera) and Rob Wilshaw (Mumma Mia). Finally, a DJ took over the music and the main dining room was cleared so that the last guests standing could dance their way through to the end of the night. Obviously, the hardcore among us, such as myself, made it through to the end and reluctantly headed home at 2am.
The Food
Bunga Bunga offers several set menu’s which vary from night to night. We had a three course set sharing menu which is just £28pp on Thursdays. This included an antipasto board to start, metre-long pizzas with three different toppings for main, and either Tiramisu or Panna Cotta for dessert. My favourite course had to be the starters, especially the burrata and tomato. The food nicely complimented the Italian-theme of the whole evening, and the sharing element added to the fun atmosphere.
Burrata (Mozzarella and cream) and Tomato
The Salami, Parma Ham & Rocket and 4 Cheese Pizza
The Cocktails
Bunga Bunga has an extensive list of fun and aptly named cocktails. Below on the left is my favourite ‘David’s Punch’ – rum, orange, cherry, mulled-wine syrup, lime and lemonade – and on the right ‘The Godfather’ – orange vodka, sambuca, Apricot bitters, lime and San Pellegrino orange. There are also several sharing cocktails in forms such as the Leaning Tower of Piza and even a Fiat 500.
Why should you go?
Bunga Bunga is a fantastic night out, especially for large groups. The sharing food platers, fun cocktails and immersive entertainment make the venue something a little different. It’s easy to come for dinner and stay for an entire night out. Any fans of pizza, cocktails and musicals are guaranteed to love it here.
Visit Bunga Bunga Covent Garden
Check out their website and book a table here.
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Emily is a born and raised London girl, starting life in the north of the capital then moving down to Fulham in the southwest. She has a master’s degree in Social and Cultural Anthropology from University College London and now works full-time running this blog and as a freelance travel writer, splitting her life between London and travelling the world as a digital nomad.
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Loved it! With the entertainment, the delicious burrata and pizza, those hilarious cocktail mugs… it was the perfect way to spend an evening.
This place looks amazing, definitely going to check it out, if only for the Disney songs!!