Bambi, London review: come for dinner, stay for the disco

bambi london restaurant review — (Image credit: Courtesy of Bambi)

It might seem that a bar can no longer be a bar without a hi-fi system embedded into its bones. London, in particular, is awash with listening bars, and the appetite for them shows no sign of waning. When restaurateur James Dye, also behind One Club Row and The Knave of Clubs, opened ‘music-led restaurant’ Bambi in London Fields in 2023, he wanted to cut through the noise by dialling up the atmosphere by several notches.

The concept was a deliberate triple threat: a space that fuses restaurant, bar and music venue. ‘We wanted somewhere you could come for a great meal and end up dancing, fed by both the kitchen and the music,’ Dye tells Wallpaper*. A hot ticket from the outset, Bambi now enters a new chapter. Following an almost month-long refresh, the space has expanded to accommodate more guests, including walk-ins at the front bar.

While, previously, DJs were reserved for Fridays and Saturdays, the new iteration introduces a nightly programme: every evening except Mondays, when the venue is closed. On weekends, tables are cleared, and the room opens into a generous dancefloor. Dye’s advice: don’t leave without ordering a pickle martini at 11pm, when the disco ball begins to spin.

Wallpaper* dines at Bambi 2.0, London

The mood: martini on the dancefloor

‘Our ambition for the extension was to build upon what existed rather than reinvent it,’ explains Dye. A reworked spatial layout – pushing the monolithic DJ booth and record wall to the far end, introducing a wood-panelled mezzanine, and expanding the outdoor seating – allows the venue to now accommodate 70 covers, double its original capacity.

The record wall remains a defining gesture. Bambi is unusual in that all resident DJs play exclusively on vinyl, the booth is strictly two turntables and a rotary mixer, with no option for digital. Stainless steel was selected to catch and amplify the glow from the booth, reflecting light back into the room.

The palette stays warm and textural: slung felt and linen curtains drift through the space, while oiled oak furniture in tawny hues adds depth. Original artworks by London-based illustrator Alec Doherty punctuate the interiors – chosen, as Dye notes, for their bold colour, playfulness, and wry narrative quality. ‘It reflects the spirit and behaviours in Bambi so well.’

The food: a cosmopolitan mash-up

Guests first encounter the scent of the charcoal grill before fully tuning into the rhythm of the room. Whether for drinks, snacks or dinner, Bambi’s offering is, in the words of new head chef Jamie Thorneycroft, ‘bright, bold and globally inspired’. Born in Eastbourne and raised between Botswana and South Africa, his cooking draws on a wide spectrum of influences, grounded in exceptional British produce. ‘It’s rooted in Mediterranean cooking, but shaped by the citrus-forward profiles of Mexico and Peru, alongside the heat and fermented complexity of Korea and Thailand,’ Thorneycroft explains.

The smoky, zesty picanha steak with cowboy butter is fast becoming essential. The prized cut is aged in-house before grilling to accentuate its marbling and depth. For something lighter, Thorneycroft points to a sharp ceviche of hand-dived Orkney scallops in Peruvian tiger’s milk with shallots, or the butterflied sea bream, inspired by recent travels to Mexico City, layered with spice and designed to share.

At the bar, low-intervention wines sit alongside both inventive and classic cocktails served in custom glassware created in collaboration with Alec. When brought together, the glasses reveal two dancing figures cheering.

Bambi is located at 1 Westgate Street, London E8 3RL, UK

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Sofia de la Cruz is the Travel Editor at Wallpaper*. A self-declared flâneuse, she feels most inspired when taking the role of a cultural observer – chronicling the essence of cities and remote corners through their nuances, rituals, and people. Her work lives at the intersection of art, design, and culture, often shaped by conversations with the photographers who capture these worlds through their lens.