The London Restaurant with Interactive Tables

The London Restaurant with Interactive Tables

SPOT MORE COOL STUFF:
England | London | Unusual Restaurants  |  3 Comments | All Travel Posts

What’s on the menu at London’s Inamo restaurant? Literally, your plate, your drinks and your silverware. At Inamo, patrons order their food electronically at the high-tech, interactive table at which they sit!

lightgrey The London Restaurant with Interactive Tables


white The London Restaurant with Interactive Tables
lightgrey The London Restaurant with Interactive Tables
white The London Restaurant with Interactive Tables

london inamo 10 The London Restaurant with Interactive Tables follow me on pinterest button The London Restaurant with Interactive Tables

     A close-up of Inamo's interactive table

At first glance the interactive tables at Inamo appear to be touchscreens, like the entire table is some giant oversized iPod touch. In fact, the electronics are controlled by an overhead projector that beams an image onto the top of your table (and on top of everything on the table). It is this projector that is able to sense the motion of your hands.

So, you sit down at a table at Inamo and here’s how it works:

On your table is a circular trackpad (not unlike that on an iPod classic). As you move your hand around this projected trackpad the table will display pictures of various ordering options along with a description and a price. (Did you catch that in the photo at the top of this article? That’s not a real Berkshire pork neck on the table. It is a virtual image of one you can order for £11.50.) When you see an item you’d like simply click the order button.

The restaurant’s founders thought of the idea of the Inamo when they asked themselves the rhetorical question: “Wouldn’t it be cool if you could just hit a button and a waiter brought you another beer?” As the concept evolved Inamo’s interactive tables became much more than a high-tech ordering machine:

Want to set your own table decor? Choose from dozens of (virtual) tablecloths! (We were partial to the spread of lilac chrysanthemums.)

Curious what your chef is doing? Display a live feed from the Inamo’s kitchen webcam on your table.

Unsure how to get back to your hotel? Access a London tube map. Or have your interactive table electronically order you a taxi.

Want to go for some live music after dinner? Your table can tell you what bands are playing at neighborhood venues.

inamo london 20 The London Restaurant with Interactive Tables follow me on pinterest button The London Restaurant with Interactive Tables It is all very cool, if geeky. Though those who declare Inamo the future of restaurants and/or the end of the restaurant waiter are almost certainly overstating matters. Inamo still employs waiters to bring you your orders, to tend to customers paying in cash and to answer questions. Also, at present, the cost to purchase and maintain Inamo’s overhead projectors is high.

More to the point: Inamo is not merely a gimmick restaurant. The atmosphere is fun, with lively clientel. The decor is high-design, with a black timber facade accenting modern translucent star patterns on the walls. And, while the interactive tables may attract first time customers, it is the excellent quality of Inamo’s pan-Asian cuisine that keeps diners coming back. We suggest the £9 veggie pumpkin curry.

And if you can’t decide who should pay the bill at the end of your Inamo meal we have a suggestion for that too: Settle the matter by playing a game of Battleship on your interactive table.

Where to stay: Inamo is a few minutes walk from the excellent Soho Hotel. (Get a free bottle of champagne at the hotel when you book through Spot Cool Stuff with a Mr. & Mrs. Smith membership).

LEARN MORE | READ | FIND TRAVEL AGENTS | FOLLOW US ON TWITTER |

Related posts:
Amora: London’s Academy of Sex & Relationships
A Review of the Gore Hotel – London hotel or opulent Victorian novel?
Toilet Restaurants Aim For A Crappy Experience
Three Cool & Affordable Accommodations In London
The Miller Residence: The Glorious Clutter of London’s Hidden Boutique Hotel
Pitch Black Dark Restaurants
Latvia’s Bizarre Medical RestaurantA salad and a straight jacket, please
Cool iPod Accessories

white The London Restaurant with Interactive Tables

london inamo 1 The London Restaurant with Interactive Tables follow me on pinterest button The London Restaurant with Interactive Tables

london inamo 2 The London Restaurant with Interactive Tables follow me on pinterest button The London Restaurant with Interactive Tables

lightgrey The London Restaurant with Interactive Tables


white The London Restaurant with Interactive Tables
lightgrey The London Restaurant with Interactive Tables
white The London Restaurant with Interactive Tables

inamo london 3 The London Restaurant with Interactive Tables follow me on pinterest button The London Restaurant with Interactive Tables

inamo london 4 The London Restaurant with Interactive Tables follow me on pinterest button The London Restaurant with Interactive Tables

inamo london 5 The London Restaurant with Interactive Tables follow me on pinterest button The London Restaurant with Interactive Tables

lightgrey The London Restaurant with Interactive Tables


white The London Restaurant with Interactive Tables
lightgrey The London Restaurant with Interactive Tables
white The London Restaurant with Interactive Tables

inamo london 6 The London Restaurant with Interactive Tables follow me on pinterest button The London Restaurant with Interactive Tables

inamo london 7 The London Restaurant with Interactive Tables follow me on pinterest button The London Restaurant with Interactive Tables

inamo london 8 The London Restaurant with Interactive Tables follow me on pinterest button The London Restaurant with Interactive Tables

white The London Restaurant with Interactive Tables


 The London Restaurant with Interactive Tables

white The London Restaurant with Interactive Tables

LEARN MORE | READ | FIND TRAVEL AGENTS (free!) | FOLLOW US ON TWITTER

white The London Restaurant with Interactive Tables


Responses

  1. unknown says:

    Do not bother going here.. totally overpriced for what it is.. I’ve had better curry’s elsewhere. Service was awful. Took ages to get the basics like Salt, Pepper, and chilli sauce. Seems like they charge the extra just to cover the electricity for running the electronic table service, which you’d think would have been the opposite with less heads running around.

    [Reply to this comment]

  2. Fiona Maclean says:


    Twitter:
    I find Imano just a little spooky, I’m not sure why! But, London does have a really vibrant restaurant scene!
    Fiona Maclean recently posted..Divine Bovine 2013My Profile

    [Reply to this comment]

  3. Erica says:


    Twitter:
    I read about this place in a magazine a while ago. I love this idea and will keep Inamo in mind for whenever I next travel to London. I hope they have some good veggie options as well!

    Erica’s last blog post..Karma When Traveling

    [Reply to this comment]

  4. Jet Set Life says:

    This is amazing! Maybe we can try this restaurant in one of our travels to London. Meantime, we will be passing this on to our readers. Thanks for the wonderful information.

    [Reply to this comment]

Leave a Response

CommentLuv badge

SPOTCOOLSTUFF Travel reviews unusual hotels and restaurants, great attractions, cool travel gear, places with amazing views and all manner of travel destinations with a WOW! factor. Because we live on an incredible planet! Get our latest travel posts by email . . .

    Awesome Curacao vacations — up to $530 off!
    Check out the freebies offered too, including airfare credits, breakfast and room upgrades!

Save $530 Time left:
Book Now!
Offer Closed!



PARTNER WITH US     |     BE OUR GUEST TRAVEL WRITER    |      SUGGEST COOL STUFF FOR US TO REVIEW     |     INFO FOR TOURIST BOARDS

Other SCS SectionsHot Travel CategoriesFave Travel Posts
Cool Tech & GadgetsBest hotel room viewsCaribbeanBest Sandals in Jamaica
Cool Architecture & DesignFamily travelEuropeBest Wheeled Carry-On Luggage
Cool WebsitesHoneymoon resortsFloridaWorld's Coolest Airlines
Cool EntertainmentUnusual museumsSoutheast AsiaThe Honeymoon Resorts of Bora Bora