Tuna Fight Club, a London-based pop-up restaurant, initially gained exclusivity through word-of-mouth marketing among affluent clientele. The main attraction is a whole bluefin tuna, expertly carved and served as sashimi and nigiri. The event started modestly during pandemic lockdowns, receiving limited press attention aside from a 2020 Financial Times article.
However, towards the end of last year, food influencers on platforms like TikTok and YouTube showcased the event, leading to a surge in popularity and reservations booked through July.
For a while, Tuna Fight Club was not only one of the most gruesome meals in London, but one of the most exclusive. Then influencers broke the unspoken rule.
The type of food served at Fight Club can be found on high-end tasting menus throughout the city. But what’s on offer here is a show, with a side of dinner. The star is a Harley-size female bluefin tuna, killed the day before at a fish farm off the coast of Spain. Its carcass lies prone on a stainless steel slab as chefs carve it into pieces throughout the evening, then serve up the fish as sashimi and nigiri.
From the start, the spectacle was conceived as an insiders-only pop-up to be publicized by word of mouth among West London types who could afford a few hundred pounds for a Wednesday night sushi dinner. The owner, Chris D’Sylva, started the tuna cuttings at the local fishmonger he co-owns in the early days of the pandemic lockdowns. They received little press coverage, save for a 2020 article in the Financial Times that gave Tuna Fight Club its name.
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