The Westgate Street restaurant will close next week and reopen in early February.
As part of the redesign, the DJ booth and record wall will be pushed back to a new rear wall, while the expanded dining room will accommodate 70 covers, including 16 on a wood-panelled mezzanine overlooking the main space.
Bambi’s outdoor area is also being enlarged, with additional seating added to the front courtyard alongside new planting and heaters for winter.
The outdoor seating and indoor front bar area will remain walk-in only.
The kitchen is being expanded and refurbished under the direction of Bambi’s new head chef Jamie Thorneycroft, who joined the restaurant in 2025 following the departure of launch chef Henry Freestone.
Thorneycroft, who grew up between Botswana and South Africa and was previously head chef at Lagom in London, has “completely rejuvenated” Bambi’s menu since joining.
As part of the expansion, he will add a new charcoal grill and a dry ager to the kitchen, allowing for the introduction of dry-aged fish and meat in the coming months.
Highlights from the new menu are set to include crab salad with nahm jim and green papaya; Chalkstream trout tostada with miso and sesame; and butterflied whole bream with coconut saffron sauce, matchsticks and dill.
Previously hosting DJs only on Fridays and Saturdays, Bambi 2.0 will feature a DJ every night from Tuesday to Sunday (closed Mondays).
At weekends, tables will be cleared to create a significantly larger dancefloor, with the venue transforming into a “mini rave” until 1am.
Bambi was launched in 2023 by Frank’s Café and The Camberwell Arms co-owner James Dye, on the former site of Michelin-starred restaurant Bright.
Bambi is named after Dye’s great-grandmother, rather than the Disney character.