Hyundai Inster becomes UK’s first in-car restaurant
Hyundai has turned its Inster EV into Britain’s first in-car restaurant to embrace the concept of going solo.
The compact city crossover is set to host “Backseat Bites” for one night only, serving up Korean delicacies to solo diners or couples.
Inspired by the South Korean cultural phenomenon of Honbap, meaning to dine alone, the ‘drive and dine’ concept has been launched amid an increase in appetite for personal escapes. According to Hyundai 45% of Britons say they’ve gone solo to the cinema, more than half (55%) have holidayed by themselves, and two thirds (66%) have gone out for food out alone.
As well as a striking one-off exterior paint job by illustrator Yoy Han, the Inster restaurant transforms the rear of the car with a table for two where diners can enjoy an authentic Korean menu curated by London’s Chung’Dam restaurant.
Ashley Andrew, president of Hyundai and Genesis UK, said: “Backseat Bites is more than just a restaurant. Designed for the nation’s adventurers, whether solo or with friends, it offers guests an entirely unique taste of Korea from an unexpected location – the backseat of a car.
“Hosted from the comfort of our brand-new Inster, its spacious, stylish interior and fold-flat seating makes this latest addition to our range of EVs the perfect host for this unique experience.
“From the bespoke artwork to the traditional cuisine, Backseat Bites is a celebration of Korean culture and a tribute to the joy of doing things your own way.”
Backseat Bites will be open to the public on Wednesday, October 22 October 2025 in London’s Soho and is available to book for free here.
The Inster restaurant isn’t the first unusual EV-based destination from Hyundai. In 2022 it opened the world’s first EV-powered hotel. The one-off destination in Essex was curated by food critic and TV presenter Grace Dent and featured a luxury log cabin, restaurant and cinema all powered by the vehicle-to-load system of a Hyundai Ioniq 5.
