Opaque - Dining in the Dark, LA

4.1

418 Reviews

$50 and over

American

Make a reservation

2 people

Nov 23, 2024

7:00 PM

Romantic
Good for special occasions
Innovative

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Opaque - Dining In The Dark

Imagine that you are recognizing friends by their voice, sounds tell a story, aromas come alive and elegance is felt. In this era of information overload, visual stimulation has reached an all time pinnacle. But imagine, just for an hour or two that you cannot see, that you are abandoning vision in exchange for a new, more stimulating dining experience – this is “Dining in the Dark." Opaque - Dining in the Dark – will seat you in a literally pitch-black dining room where you will be guided and served by blind or visually impaired individuals that have been specially trained to serve meals in the dark, casually and comfortably offering guidance and reassurance for sighted guests.

Additional information

Dining style
Fine Dining
Price
$50 and over
Cuisines
American, Californian, Contemporary American
Hours of operation
Dinner Thu–Sat 5:00 pm–10:00 pm
Phone number
(310) 546-7619
Website
http://www.opaquedarkdining.com/
Payment options
AMEX, Mastercard, Visa
Dress code
Smart Casual
Private party facilities
We offer the dining in the dark experience for group bookings on-site, or off site on any day per individual booking

Location
2020 Wilshire Blvd, Santa Monica, CA 90403
Neighborhood
Santa Monica
Cross street
20th
Parking details
Parking is available for free behind the building. Disregard tow-away signs. Those apply to non-guests.
Additional
Banquet, Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cocktails, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Non-Smoking, Private Room, Vegan, Wine

What 418 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.1

4.1 based on all time ratings

3.7Food
4.5Service
4.2Ambience
1.4Value

Noise • Moderate

418 Reviews

MS
MelindaS
San Diego
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on March 1, 2020
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Had a very nice experience with our server Raphael. Enjoyed the atmosphere and focusing on the food and my partner-no technology to interfere with good conversation.
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BM
BrandonM
Los Angeles
1 review
2.0
1 review
Dined on February 15, 2020
1. Overall 2
2. Food 1
3. Service 3
4. Ambience 1
Parking attendant was extremely rude demanding the parking fee, went around front and was lead through a nightclub which was deafening, but duh it's always meant to be, however I wasn't expecting that for a quiet meal in a sensory deprivation environment. We arrived at 9:10 for a 9:30 reservation so I expected somewhat of a wait, was seated at around 9:50. Was lead into the back dark room, sat and waited for quite a while between courses, waiter was very nice and enthusiastic, but slow. It took over an hour and a half for 3 courses, so about half an hour each. The food itself varied wildly. The bite-sized pallet cleansers between dishes were better than the actual meal. The food itself was pretty low quality, they definitely bank on you not being able to see to disguise being cheap food. Funny is I was able to see pretty well in there, shapes and figures mostly, it was dark but not that dark. The glowing dots of the night vision goggles 1 person had on was laughably mood-breaking. For the price of the experience I know lots of people would enjoy it, it just was a miss for me~
1 person found this helpful
RE
RE1369
Los Angeles
2 reviews
1.0
2 reviews
Dined on February 15, 2020
1. Overall 1
2. Food 2
3. Service 1
4. Ambience 3
Terrible experience. The dark dining experience is the only good thing about this place. We were made to sit in the lounge for an hour and a half. We had a reservation at 7:45 and arrived early but were not seated till 9:00. Everyone in our section of the lounge that arrived at the same time as us and even after was seated 30 minutes before us. We had to check with the staff 3 times to check what was going on but their excuse was that they lost our ticket. The worst part was that they would say, “sorry about that..can I get you another drink while you wait?” These drinks weren’t comped. They forced us to stick around while they forced their amateur cocktails down our throats. We were finally led in and our server, Margarita, was great. The food service was poor though. The food was very mediocre and came out very slowly. The total experience took 2 hours. Normally I’d be fine with it because the serving staff is visually umpired and I can’t expect them to be any quicker but two couples to our right and left we’re sat beside us and were seated after us and finished their meals 30-45 minutes before we did. Final complaint is that both my order and my girlfriend’s were wrong. We both got the wrong starter and let our server know. She brought my girlfriend the correct starter but didn’t bring mine. My girlfriend had order the chicken for her main dish and was given fish. At this point we’d been sitting in the dark for an hour and a half so she just decided to eat the fish rather than wait for her order to be corrected. Overall terrible and way overpriced. If the lounge staff were more attentive and the orders correct, I’d pay $40 tops per person for this experience. You’ll get a better meal at a norms or something
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OV
OVERanHOURandNOfood
Los Angeles
8 reviews
4.0
8 reviews
Dined on February 15, 2020
1. Overall 4
2. Food 4
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 5
This was a great sensory emersion experience. My wife and I thouroughly enjoyed the opprtunity to enjoy each other with no distractions or interruption that come with holiday dinners.
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R
Ryan
San Francisco
3 reviews
4.0
3 reviews
Dined on February 14, 2020
1. Overall 4
2. Food 4
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
What a great experience. Good food, great service, and a unique way to have dinner. It was expensive, but worth the experience at least once.
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DB
DeeBon
Los Angeles
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on February 1, 2020
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 4
A wonderful experience. The food was top notch. The service was inspiring as our visually impaired servers made our night amazing with their hospitality and care. Everyone should try this!
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E
Edan
Atlanta Metro
2 reviews
5.0
2 reviews
Dined on January 18, 2020
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Nothing like I’ve ever experienced before. Hostess and waitress were phenomenal. Food was outstanding as well. Recommend going with the mystery menu.
1 person found this helpful
OT
OpenTable Diner
Los Angeles
5 reviews
5.0
5 reviews
Dined on January 10, 2020
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 4
Its my second time experiencing Opaque, i had to bring my cousin from ATL, and once again it was Awesome to let my other senses take over. Rafael, our server, was on point and the whole experience was phenomenal!
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RM
RonM
Los Angeles
1 review
2.0
1 review
Dined on January 5, 2020
1. Overall 2
2. Food 2
3. Service 3
4. Ambience 2
The concept of this restaurant is a good one. Unfortunately, the execution was below par. The food is just okay, and not very exciting. Like previous reviews mention, you really are overpaying for the experience alone. All of the tables receive the same few options of appetizer, main, and dessert. We knew what was coming next because the table next to us was discussing it. The dining area is incredibly small! Biggest issues we had with our experience was the table next to us turning on their phone, and the noise of other parties. If you’re with a large group, please go somewhere else. Larger groups tend to begin yelling in this tiny space, which takes over everything. Our waiter had to repeat what was said due to the noise pollution. It’s fun to guess what you’re eating, but this was definitely not worth the cost. I couldn’t have a conversation with the constant laughing and loud speaking coming from the drunk people of the larger party. A for the idea, D for the execution. Stay at home and eat blindfolded.
1 person found this helpful
TG
TimG
San Francisco
1 review
4.0
1 review
Dined on December 15, 2019
1. Overall 4
2. Food 4
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
This was a great experience! Loved the low level anxiety of exploring your evening in total darkness. You explore your menu and table in such a unique way. Our waitress was amazing: very open about her lack of sight and the life that comes with it, and it’s incredible how adept she was at managing without light. Your other senses become distinctly more acute, and we really enjoyed ourselves! The only downside is that price is indeed exorbitant for what you get. This isn’t fine dining, but it is an experience you won’t soon forget!
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FAQs

Opaque - Dining in the Dark, LA is rated 4.1 stars by 418 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Make a reservation

2 people

Nov 23, 2024

7:00 PM

Google Map for Opaque - Dining in the Dark, LA

2020 Wilshire Blvd, Santa Monica, CA 90403

Additional information

Cross street
20th
Neighborhood
Santa Monica
Hours of operation
Dinner Thu–Sat 5:00 pm–10:00 pm
Price
$50 and over
Cuisines
American, Californian, Contemporary American
Dining style
Fine Dining
Dress code
Smart Casual
Parking details
Parking is available for free behind the building. Disregard tow-away signs. Those apply to non-guests.
Payment options
AMEX, Mastercard, Visa
Additional
Banquet, Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cocktails, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Non-Smoking, Private Room, Vegan, Wine

Website
http://www.opaquedarkdining.com/
Phone number
(310) 546-7619
Private party facilities
We offer the dining in the dark experience for group bookings on-site, or off site on any day per individual booking

Opaque - Dining in the Dark, LA

Make a reservation

Additional information

Menu

Overview

Continental American Cuisine

Options between courses

Everything is made fresh- meals can be altered to any dietary restrictions necessary.

What 418 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

FAQs

How is Opaque - Dining in the Dark, LA restaurant rated?

Is Opaque - Dining in the Dark, LA currently accepting reservations?

Make a reservation

Additional information