What Vivat Bacchus does

Vivat Bacchus is a dual-location South African restaurant and wine bar operating in central London since 2003, currently employing 33 staff across sites at Farringdon and London Bridge. The business was acquired in 2022 by James Dawson, founder of the sibling Humble Grape wine-bar group, who refocused the menu on authentic South African cuisine — braai-grilled meats, biltong, sosaties, ostrich, crocodile, and frikkadels — served alongside a self-described 300+ wine selection positioned as London's largest South African wine list, featuring exclusive access to boutique estates such as Rainbow's End, Kanonkop, Meerlust, Vergelegen, Hamilton Russell, Bartinney, and Blackwater.

The core product is the dine-in restaurant experience, executed in a working-winery-inspired setting with walk-in wine cellars, cheese rooms, and theatre-style service rituals (Biltong Trolley, Braai Board with smoking beef-dripping candle, Peppermint Crisp Tart tableside preparation). The portfolio extends into a structured events programme — Club Carnivore supper club, Passport to South Africa beginner tastings, Heritage Day Braai Feast, and winemaker dinners hosted on-site — plus four private dining and meeting rooms at Farringdon (capacity up to 100 delegates) and the Cellar Room at London Bridge (up to 60 guests). The technology stack is non-differentiated: Squarespace website, SevenRooms reservations, Eventbrite ticketing, MailChimp email, GiftUp gift vouchers, and a Lightspeed loyalty layer shared with the Humble Grape sister network.

Revenue is generated across five streams: in-restaurant food and beverage, ticketed events (priced £79.50–£131 per person), private dining and day-conference hire (minimum spend £1,000 plus 12.5% service charge), online and in-restaurant wine retail (six-bottle South African cases at £165–£249.55, in-restaurant bottles at up to 40% off list price), and gift vouchers (from £20). The customer base spans individual consumers and food-and-wine enthusiasts, wine-curious oenophiles attending tastings, and corporate / SME bookers intermediated through the PA Rewards Club (executive assistants and event bookers earning £1 VB credit per cover with a dedicated corporate concierge). No public revenue is disclosed and the entity is a private limited company registered in England and Wales (no. 04100704).

Name

Vivat Bacchus

Legal name

Vivat Bacchus Ltd

Website

https://vivatbacchus.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Vivat Bacchus is a dual-location South African restaurant and wine bar in central London (Farringdon and London Bridge), offering braai cuisine, a 300+ wine list claimed as London's largest South African selection, private dining and corporate events, and ticketed wine experiences to consumers, wine enthusiasts, and corporate clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Restaurant / Wine Bar

NAICS

Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) (7224)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro primary industry

Wine Bars (THAFAEAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Special Occasion & Destination Restaurants (THAFACAK), Wineries & Vineyards (Tasting Rooms) (THAFALAE)

Keywords

• South African restaurant
• Wine bar London
• Private dining events
• Wine tasting dinners
• Braai cuisine

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Food & Beverage Sales (Dine-in): Core revenue from serving South African cuisine and wines across two London restaurant locations. Menu includes braai dishes, exotic meats (ostrich, crocodile), SA classics, and London's largest SA wine list.
2. Ticketed Events & Wine Dinners: Revenue from per-person ticket sales for hosted events including Club Carnivore (£100pp), winemaker dinners (£131pp), Heritage Day Braai Feast (£79.50pp), and Passport to South Africa tasting (£20 voucher included).
3. Online Wine Shop: Wines sold for home delivery via shop.humblegrape.co.uk, including curated cases (Classic SA Case, Premium SA Case). Customers can also purchase bottles in-restaurant to take home at up to 40% off list price.
4. Gift Vouchers: Gift vouchers sold online and redeemable at both locations. From £20 for standard vouchers. Club Carnivore voucher at £100.
5. Private Dining & Meeting Room Hire: Revenue from hiring private dining spaces and meeting rooms for corporate events, celebrations, and conferences. Full-day meeting package: minimum spend of £1,000 + 12.5% service charge.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Vivat Bacchus operates two South African restaurant and wine bar locations in central London (Farringdon and London Bridge), serving authentic South African braai cuisine alongside what it describes as London's largest South African wine list (300+ wines). The business also offers private dining and conference rooms, signature wine tasting events and winemaker dinners, gift vouchers, an online wine shop through sister brand Humble Grape, and a corporate loyalty programme (PA Rewards Club) for executive assistants and event bookers.

Product overview

Vivat Bacchus operates as a dual-location South African steak restaurant and wine bar in central London (Farringdon and London Bridge), established in 2003. The core offering is in-restaurant dining featuring authentic South African cuisine (steaks, braai dishes, biltong, crocodile, ostrich) paired with London's largest South African wine collection. The portfolio includes multiple add-on modules: Private Dining spaces and Meeting/Conference Rooms for corporate events; Wine & Cheese Experiences with cellar tours and tastings; signature events like Club Carnivore (meat & wine pairing supper club), Braai Feasting Menus, VB Moments theatrical experiences, and Passport to South Africa tastings; plus ancillary services including Gift Vouchers, the PA Rewards Club corporate loyalty programme, and an Online Wine Shop via Humble Grape partnership.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Vivat Bacchus Restaurants (Farringdon and London Bridge) Two South African restaurant and wine bar locations in central London (Farringdon and London Bridge) offering sustainable, seasonal South African braai cuisine paired with London's largest South African wine list (300+ wines) in a working-winery-inspired atmosphere. Open to walk-in and reservation diners.
• Private Dining Private dining spaces at both locations for corporate events, celebrations, and weddings. Farringdon offers four private rooms; London Bridge offers the Cellar Room plus semi-private options for larger groups.
• Meeting and Conference Rooms Day conference package with meeting rooms at both locations. Farringdon offers four rooms (Stellenbosch, Robertson, Constantia, Franschhoek) with capacity up to 100 delegates; London Bridge has the Cellar Hire for up to 60 guests. Full-Day Package (09:00–17:00) has a minimum spend of £1,000 + 12.5% service charge, including lunch, teas, coffees, and refreshments.
• Club Carnivore Red meat and red wine pairing supper club at £100 per person. Five courses of red meat (smoked ostrich, boerewors sosatie, karoo lamb roosterkoek, braised springbok, biltong) matched with five bold South African red wines served in magnums or larger.
• South African Wine Events and Wine Dinners Regular wine tasting events including winemaker dinners with South African estates (Rainbow's End, Kanonkop, Meerlust, Vergelegen) at £131 per person, themed tastings, and multi-course food pairings guided by the on-site sommelier team.
• Braai Feasting Menu South African braai-style sharing feast for groups of 8+, featuring traditional dishes such as biltong, sosaties, boerewors, bone-in ribeye, line fish, and accompaniments like chakalaka and monkey gland sauce.
• Passport to South Africa (Wine Tasting) One-hour beginner-friendly wine tasting introducing South African wines with food pairings (biltong). Includes a £20 Vivat Bacchus voucher to use in restaurants or shops after the event. Sold via Eventbrite.
• Wine and Cheese Experiences Walk-in wine cellar tours, cheese room tastings featuring award-winning British artisan cheeses from CheeseGeek, and sommelier-guided wine and cheese pairing sessions at both restaurant locations.
• Gift Vouchers Online gift vouchers redeemable at both London Bridge and Farringdon locations. Standard £20 vouchers, Club Carnivore voucher at £100, and Meet The Winemaker Dinner voucher at £125.
• Online Wine Shop Online wine store operated via sister brand Humble Grape offering South African wines for home delivery, including the Classic South African Case (6 bottles, £165) and Premium South African Case (6 bottles, £249.55). Restaurant bottle sales available at up to 40% off list price.

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Africa College FoundationminorOthers · 1 January 2025Charity partner for the annual Charity Braai Feast event. The Africa College Foundation (Charity No. 1199415) supports education for South African township youth. Vivat Bacchus hosted a January 2025 event raising over £15,000 and a June 2025 follow-up fundraiser. Partnership involves hosting a multi-course braai feast, SA wine tasting, and charity auction.
• CheeseGeekminorOthersCheeseGeek is described as an award-winning British artisan cheese supplier from whom Vivat Bacchus sources cheeses for its Cheese Room Experience. The cheese tasting experience at Vivat Bacchus features guided tastings of CheeseGeek's sustainable artisan cheeses.
• EventbriteminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPrimary ticketing platform for all Vivat Bacchus events including Club Carnivore, winemaker dinners, Heritage Day Braai Feast, Passport to South Africa, and charity events. Events discovered and booked through Eventbrite.
• Humble GrapecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSister brand and parent company umbrella. Vivat Bacchus is owned by James Dawson who also founded Humble Grape (6 wine bar locations). Shared e-commerce wine shop (shop.humblegrape.co.uk), shared loyalty platform (Lightspeed), and referred meeting room capacity at Humble Grape Fleet Street and Canary Wharf venues for conference bookings beyond Vivat Bacchus's own rooms.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Hawksmoor: Major London steakhouse group known for premium meats, extensive wine lists, and high-volume private events. Comparable as a London steak-and-wine-led operator competing for the same corporate-event and high-spend diner segments.
• Wright Brothers: Established London oyster and seafood restaurant group with strong wine programs. Comparable as a multi-site central London experiential dining operator with significant wine list depth and private-dining revenue.

Direct peers

• Humble Grape: Sister brand under James Dawson's ownership with multiple London wine bar locations and a shared e-commerce platform. Comparable as a wine-bar concept with similar private-event capability and a directly overlapping owner/customer base.
• Vinoteca: London-based wine bar and restaurant group with multiple central locations offering extensive wine lists paired with seasonal British/European menus. Most directly comparable as a wine-led, multi-site London restaurant operator competing for the same wine-curious diner and corporate private-dining audience.
• Gordon's Wine Bar: Iconic, long-established London wine bar near Embankment known for an extensive wine list and cheese-focused food offering. Comparable as a heritage central London wine bar with walk-in cellar atmosphere similar to Vivat Bacchus's wine-cellar experience.
• The Remedy: Fitzrovia wine bar focused on small-producer wines with a tight food offering. Comparable as a wine-obsessed central London venue competing for similar after-work and enthusiast trade.
• Terroirs / Soif: Chalk Farm-based natural-wine bar and bistro group with a strong wine list and seasonal French-influenced menu. Comparable as a small-group London wine bar operator with a curated, list-driven positioning.
• Noble Rot: Boutique London wine bar and restaurant in Bloomsbury/Lamb's Conduit with a strong wine list, bistro-style food, and a publishing/media angle. Comparable as a niche, wine-obsessed hospitality concept targeting enthusiast diners in central London.

Emerging players

• The Cheese Bar: London cheese-focused restaurant group (including Pick & Cheese) pairing cheese with wine. Comparable on the cheese-room / wine-pairing experiential axis and as a thematic London food-and-drink destination.

Regional players

• Copa de Cava: London sparkling wine bar concept focused on cava and Spanish sparkling wines with light food. Comparable as a thematic wine bar with an experiential tasting angle, though narrower beverage focus than Vivat Bacchus.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/vivatbacchus
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/vivat-bacchus

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Vivat Bacchus