Dine in the Dark in Bangkok Review: An Eye-Opening Experience
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This is how it went for us at Dine in the Dark in Bangkok…
“I stabbed my cheek with my fork!”
“Well, I just put my fingers in my wine.”
“Oh, I’ve lost a pea. Or maybe it was a piece of potato.”
“I think I buttered my plate, not my bread.”
Just as well we’re wearing the big black aprons handed to us before we entered!
At Dine in the Dark, you eat a gourmet four-course meal in total darkness. No candles. No dim lighting. Not even a glimmer from your phone.
And here’s the twist – your servers are blind or visually impaired, and they’re the ones expertly guiding you through the experience.
So what’s it really like? Is the food any good? And is dining in complete darkness worth it?
Our Dine in the Dark Bangkok review (at a glance)
- WHERE → Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit Hotel
- EXPERIENCE → A surprise 4-course dinner in complete darkness, guided by blind or visually impaired servers
- THE FUN → Guessing what you’re eating (and trying to find your fork!)
- COST → 1,855++ Thai Baht (about $55 USD) p.p
- RESERVATIONS → Call +66 (0)2 649 8888 or reserve online through DID Bangkok
It’s pitch black in here!
On one visit to Thailand, we stayed at Bangkok’s deluxe Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit hotel.
The hotel is home to DID – Dine in the Dark, a restaurant where guests enjoy a mystery meal in absolute darkness.
We knew what we’d signed up for, of course.
But we hadn’t quite grasped what it would feel like to sit in a restaurant where we couldn’t see our food, our table or even each other.
We’re so used to looking at what we put in our mouths that the experience is completely unnerving!
And kinda fun too.
We get touchy-feely dining in the dark
At this dark dining restaurant, the servers are all visually impaired.
And, here, the tables are turned. Instead of sighted people guiding the blind, sight-impaired servers are guiding the sighted throughout the four courses served in the evening.
We first sip a cocktail in the Sheraton’s stylish BarSu lounge.
Then we surrender our cell phones and watches (anything that could shine light), put on our protective aprons and are led into the dining room.
Our server-guide, DiDi, introduces herself.
“Don’t worry, I’ll take care of you,” she assures us.
And with that, we’re off.
We shuffle in a line, resting our arms on the shoulders of the person in front, through heavy black curtains and down some steps into the pitch-black restaurant.
Suddenly, we can’t see a thing.
Not our hands. Not our feet. Nothing.
We’re seated side-by-side at our own table.
DiDi suggests we get comfortable with our immediate surroundings by feeling around for the cutlery on the table in front of us. (We also reach out for each other – needing to know that our spouse is right there beside us!)
What’s on the Dine in the Dark menu?
That’s part of the fun. All we know is that our food is a “surprise.”
When booking, you have a choice of a 4-course Asian, Western, vegetarian or the “surprise” menu (mix of Asian and Western food).
If you have any allergies or food dislikes, you can specify this and adaptations will be made for you.
We opt for the surprise experience.
What’s this we’re eating?
Without the ability to see, our other senses are heightened.
The dining room seems surprisingly noisy.
We hear conversations at nearby tables, the clink of cutlery and bursts of laughter as other diners discover that eating without seeing isn’t quite as straightforward as they’d imagined.
But it’s a challenge relying on our sense of taste and texture to identify what we’re eating.
“Is this shrimp?”
“No. I think it’s chicken.”
“But isn’t chicken more rubbery and flavorful than shrimp?”
And here we think we have sophisticated palates that can make fine taste distinctions!
After poking an empty fork into our mouths too many times, it’s just easier to get touchy-feely with our food.
More often than not we use our fingers to eat. Besides, nobody can see us.
After, back in BarSu (in what seems like blaring sunlight, even though it’s dimly lit), we’re shown photos of our meal.
That gets a few laughs – especially since we’re wrong in what we guessed.
(And because we don’t want to spoil the surprise, we’re going to leave you guessing what’s on the menu.)
Where did the idea of dining in the dark come from?
The modern dining-in-the-dark concept has its roots in Switzerland.
In 1998, blind pastor Jurg (Jorge) Spielmann and visually impaired psychologist Stephan Zappa worked as guides at a Zurich exhibition called Dialogue in the Dark, where visitors experienced everyday situations without sight.
Spielmann also used to blindfold his dinner guests so they could experience what eating is like for a blind person.
Inspired, Spielmann and Zappa then opened a restaurant, Blindekuh, in Zurich in 1999.
The idea caught on, and similar restaurants eventually opened in New York, London, Paris and elsewhere around the world.
Is Dine in the Dark Bangkok worth it?
For us, it was absolutely worth it.
Not necessarily because it was the finest meal we’ve ever eaten in Bangkok. The memorable part was the experience itself.
It was our first dark dinner. And it gave us a new appreciation for the obstacles the visually impaired have to overcome in a sighted world.
We’d never realized just how much we rely on our eyes when eating – from locating a glass of wine to deciding whether something on our fork looks appetizing.
It was funny, occasionally frustrating and unexpectedly thought-provoking.
In more ways than one, it was a truly eye-opening experience!
Want to Dine in the Dark in Bangkok too?
Here’s what to know:
- Location – Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit, a Luxury Collection Hotel, 250 Sukhumvit Road, Bangkok, near Asok BTS station.
- Hours – Monday to Saturday, 6:00 to 11:00 pm (last seating at 9:30 pm). Closed Sunday.
- Food – Four-course set dinner, with Asian, Western, vegetarian and surprise options.
- Cost – 1,855++ Thai Baht (about $55 USD) p.p. Cocktails, wine and soft drink are extra.
- Reservations – Recommended in advance. Call +66 (0)2 649 8888 or see DID Bangkok’s website and online reservation form.
Have you dined in the dark? Did you chow down on more air than food? You can let us know in the Comments section below :-).
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We have a similar restaurant here in Latvia, and now I really want to travel to Thailand to compare them! My friends who went there last year said that Bangkok is an awesome place, so gotta pack my bags :D
It’s great to know about these dining-in-the-dark restaurants around the world… And, yes, you should go to Thailand for a warm-weather trip – very exotic place, and you’ll love it :-).
Would love to try this although I’m pretty sure it would end up all over me instead!
We did dining in the dark when we were in NYC. It was an awesome experience and it was interesting to find out, afterwards, what you had eaten. Darcy and I were trying to share some food – they sit you across from who you came with – and he poked me in the eye a couple times. You really can’t see in front of you, at all!
Thankfully we were seated beside each other, instead of opposite like you :-). We didn’t poke each other in the eye, but we did butter each other’s hands at one point searching for the butter dish with our fingers.
I have been wanting to try this for a long time, but I’m a bit worried as I can be pretty picky with certain foods… I think there are quite a few of those restaurants around the world, and I heard about one where they actually serve you really unusual dishes, haha!
This is at the top of my list for the next time I’m in BKK> I love the idea.
I was just going to say that there’s a really similar one in London called Dans le Noir, then realised you’ve mentioned the London one in your post anyway! I hadn’t yet been because I’d heard quite mixed reviews about the food quality at the London branch but I must admit I’ve always remained eager try it out one day despite that as it’s such a great concept! I know I’d end up eating with my hands too as I’d be far too clumsy with the cutlery in the dark!
I’m not sure if I would ever do this, you’re definitely very brave! I’d like to see what’s on my plate ;)
What an experience, Janice! You guys are very brave. It may sound very nasty, but I don’t trust Oriental restaurants even in broad daylight, leave alone in complete darkness. In fact, let me rephrase that: I don’t trust food that I can’t see and while I admire your courage to explore the unknown, I would have never done it.
You have the option of pre-selecting a Western menu if you don’t like Asian food. And since the restaurant is in the Grande Sheraton Sukhumvit (a Starwood Luxury Collection hotel), we felt pretty confident the food was safe to eat :-).
There’s something similar in London that I have been meaning to try called Dans le Noir. I’m sure that I would get the foods completely muddled up without being able to rely on sight. Sounds like a good place for a blind date, ha ha!
Let us know if you try Dans Le Noir – it would be interesting to hear your experience!
Sounds like a fabulous experience! A challenge for photographers!
I’ve heard about a dine-in-the-dark place in Brooklyn that’s very popular but I don’t think it has blind servers.
Yes, we couldn’t take any photos. We also understand that some of the other dining in the dark restaurants don’t have blind servers, but sighted servers who wear night vision goggles. Our experience felt very authentic (a couple of times we could hear servers bumping into other tables).