Now where do I start? First of all, everyone who wants to go there for the "experience" well you might just want to switch off all the lights at home and get some ready made meals from Tesco and get a someone with a blind fold to be your waiter! you'd be happy! This concept restaurant is just a big business scam and extortion! No wonder why they ask you for your credit card at first and keep it until the end of the night! The food was average and definitely not worth the £32! I go to restaurant for good food, nice setting/ decor, environment and food presentation! well guess what! it was too dark for me to even finish my meal! Thats the whole point? NO WAY! The food was just ready made meal, by the taste of it! (I didn't see the presentation!) The waiter was quite rude, as I wanted to go to the toilet and he said to me, you can't leave your table everytime! The university students next to me, were loving the "experience"!!! ....I am no kid and if I wanted to play in the dark, I'd stay at home with all the lights off, much cheaper option! Again, the food was terrible, no wonder why they don't tell you what you're gona be eating until the end! I was so tempted to leave as soon as I received my starter but my friends were willing to give the Main course a try...disapointment again! There is also a Health and safety issue and definitely, think about it guys....YOU CAN'T SEE WHAT YOU'RE EATING! = SERVE ANYTHING TO THE CUSTOMERS AND BECAUSE ITS DARK AND THEY ARE ALL AFTER THE"EXPERIENCE" OF EATING IN THE DARK, THEY WON'T REALISE ITS JUST A CHEAP READY MADE MEAL!...business concept at its best! I would rather be in a Mc Donalds! at least I get to see the damn thing! (I never eat fast food btw) You guys want EXPERIENCE? WELL go have breakfast in front of the Loch Ness and watch the sun rise! That is EXPERIENCE!!!

We have visited the restaurant this summer. I have heard a lot about it from my friend, who had visited the one in Paris, so I and my fiancé booked the table in Dans le Noir in advance. I was worrying that it would be weird and I won’t be able to manage my feelings and my senses in the dark; I was really afraid that I will be lost in the dark, though it can sound funny. My fiancé tried to calm me and to assure me that everything will be fine.
But once we entered the restaurant, and we were welcomed by the staff, all my trials were gone as if by magic. I wasn’t afraid any more. Personal was so nice to us, they asked about some special wishes in the food, or some prohibitions. I have chosen fish menu and my fiancé meat. We were introduced to the waitress, Sarah. She was nice and it really hurt me that she is blind. Once we were in the dark room, I realized that I couldn’t see a thing, and it was shocking, but really great.
We were having a wonderful conversation and laughing at each other on the way we were eating. The food was delicious, and it was difficult to identify for us what exactly we are eating. We made some assumptions, but as it appeared to be later, they were totally wrongJ Our waitress, Sarah, was very attentive, she was like a magician: once you have a thought that you need her help, she is here!
We also took a bottle of wine, and the wine was amazing! Tasting it in the pitch darkness was so unusual and it made me to love wine (earlier, I did not appreciate wine very much)! We left the dark room in about 2 hours, and it was difficult for my eyes to get used to the light.
I can say that it is the most unique experience I’ve ever had. And my fiancé agrees with me! If you are looking for something new, for something that won’t leave you indifferent, I totally recommend you to visit Dans le Noir. I can definitely say that I will look forward for visiting it one more time!

I never write reviews, but I felt the need to write a review after visiting Dans Le Noir. I took my boyfriend there last night for his birthday, he'd heard about it and I knew he really wanted to go. But being me I did some post research and was surprised to find some very critical reviews about the experience and especially about the food.

So I would like to be completely honest for anyone considering going. It is an experience like no other, you pay quite a lot for what you get, but you are not only paying for the food, you are paying for the unique experience. You have to completely immerse yourself in the experience. You are BLIND for one evening. And for the first time ever you will depend on a blind person (all the waiting staff are blind) to guide you through that experience.

Our waitress was called Nadine, she was incredible. She made us feel very comfortable. She never dropped spilled or splashed anything on us, she guided us all the way through our meal.

The food is tricky to eat but remember it's the first time you are experiencing eating like a blind person. You are given cutlery and you lose all sense of control, the cutlery becomes redundant. Personally I put the cutlery down and used my hands, no it wasn't finger food but I could discover what was on my plate and decide whether I could pick it up or whether I needed to use my cutlery.

I would like to dispute all those reviews that say the food is bad...the food admittedly isn't Michelin starred but it is not the food that is bad, it is because we eat with our eyes. And you fool yourself into thinking that your senses will be heightened when you're in there. Yes, your sense of smell is heightened but your sense of taste just becomes confused and therefore the food doesn't taste as good as normal. You become more curious and sensitive to textures rather than taste. My meal was very varied and I very much enjoyed it, the meals are a combination of 3 tasters on your plate. I had the 'white me

Myself and 4 colleagues attended Dans le Noir on 29th March 2011 and opted for the three course meal with drinks option at £62 each. In general, it was a unique dining experience leaving everyone with many interesting memories and talking points for the office the next day. The service is excellent bearing in mind the conditions, and everyone had a laugh experimenting with pouring wine and eating food in complete darkness.
The food quality is not too bad, although I think the food and wine would be considered expensive in a 'normal' restuarant. However, we had no problems with the price paid due to the unusual nature of the restuarant. As a one-off event, I would definitely recommend this to friends, but I do not expect many to return to the restaurant once the unique setting has been experienced.
RussD, London.

I can officially say this was the worst dining experience of my life! My boyfriend thought it would be nice to do something different for valentines day. The concept doesnt work in reality. Tables are very close together and if you are looking for an intimate meal, be aware there will be someone else sitting next to you practically on your seat! The problem is even if you do want to enjoy it, you simply cant because you are not given the privacy and the space to explore.

The food was also pretty terrible and the wine served with the suprise menu tasted cheap. I also requested no game meat or eccentric foods to which I was served crocodile and frogs legs. When I specified this again, they gave me the veg starter, but it seemed to be incomplete as the lady next to me who was also vegetarian had other things on her plate. I think this was because they just couldnt be bothered, and hey I couldnt tell anyway.

Our waiter, although blind, and I appreciate this, was rude, and did not help to make guests feel at ease. I, in particular was uneasy about the dining experience and the staff do not make you feel better. Desert was good, but I could have bought it in the supermarket. For £150.00, I really dont reccomend dining here.

I believe that this restaurant is supposed to make you more aware of your senses and assist you in appreciating the food in front of you. Unfortunately it fails to do this because the ambience is wrong, and the food is of a below average standard. Eccentric to the extreme.

If you are looking for an interesting dining experience, have considered going to Dans le Noir and are now in two minds having read some of the high-brow comments below, do yourself a favour and go. I booked a table for my notoriously picky Peruvian partner and a group of friends from overseas eager to be impressed, then started to bottle it after reading some reviews on the internet. Overpriced, mushy, and, shockingly, too dark, were some of the negative comments left on this and other websites. Luckily, we went with an open mind and left feeling really impressed, and, though not the point of the evening, humbled by the attentive service of our blind waiter.
We all found our food delicious. Having ordered the surprise menu, my partner was slightly concerned at the thought of being served kangaroo testicles and buffalo hide, only to be pleasantly surprised by shark steak, crocodile meat, duck and artichoke. The vegetable and meat menus were equally well met.
The atmosphere at this restaurant was an interesting one. Despite being swathed in total darkness, everyone was in high spirits , including the people around us, and the conversation and giggles flowed. Our waiter, Gowl, was very attentive, taking great care with us, helping us find our way around the tables, chairs and dishes, and was there quickly when we needed him. Yes we were told to drop the volume, like others have mentioned, when the laughter got too loud, however the waiters need to rely on their hearing to attend to customers. Most importantly, my friend's gluten-free diet was also accommodated.
Cons. The portions were not as bad as everyone has suggested, although they do need to be more generous with their desserts! It can also get quite loud at times, though this is to be expected given how dark it is. Yes it is pricey, but don't forget you are paying for the experience too.
Go with an open mind and a sense of fun and you should enjoy the experience.

We had a fantastic experience at Dans Le Noir!

Despite many bad reviews we decided to go there to experience this very special way to have dinner. We frankly don't regret coming here !

We were friendly welcomed and someone explained us precisely the concept of the restaurant....we were then entered the darkroom by our very helpful guide, Deryck.
Even if we had to eat with our fingers ( i found it to difficult to eat with knife and fork...) we had a good time and we enjoyed the food. We took the chef's surprise and had both fish and meat.

When we came out someone showed us what we had. It was very surprising. We ate some meat we've never tasted before !

This is a very interesting experience, which allow us to realize what is to be a blind ! I recommend it to all of you !

Read this if you’re considering the Dans le Noir experience…in a word: hideous. The food was repulsive and we left before the main course. Food was lukewarm and mushy - if you could even find your food. We were encouraged to eat with our hands, but not offered any sort of warm towelette to wash our hands with first. Upon leaving, they offered to show us what we ate - it was such bad food, we didn’t even want to know. Worst part about it - £160 later - we were famished and want to wipe the whole experience from memory. After some reflection on the whole experience, we’re pretty certain it was horse sphincter which would explain why the food tasted like arse.

We went there as we got a voucher as our wedding present. Eventhough we didn't pay for it we came out strongly disappointed. The experience of eating in darkness is the only interesting part of it all. We expected this restaurant to speak to all our senses but sight but it was just the opposite. The food was very basic and not intriguing in terms of taste at all. Since we were to spend 124 per two, we took the most expensive menu including wine which turned out to be ordinary, poor quality wine. The water was tap water. All other senses were just suffering as it is so loud there (a very bad accoustic and a lot of people sitting in a small room I guess) you almost have to scream to be heard by your partner, so little space it is impossible to eat comfortably and you must take good care not to break glasses, etc.
The surprise is based on the fact that you actually eat exotic food (in our surprise menu it was zebra and kangaroo) that you would probably prefer not know.
Overall, a very poor experience, and you can make much better use with your 100 or so.

Was very worried about coming here after reading all the bad reviews. However my worry was unfounded after having a fantastic evening.

It's all about the experience, you should try this at least once. The food isn't inedible as some people have said on reviews. It's fine. I don't want to give away the fun of the experience but admittedly there are limitations to what food you can have in a pitch black room - i doubt if they'd be serving you soup for example, except in a mug.

You're completely dependent on your touch and hearing (didn't really use my smell much). The lack of light also encourages interaction with those around you and everyone (myself included) could be seen coming out of the restaurant and going "oh, so YOU'RE the couple we were sitting next to" etc etc.

My only caveat is i didn't pay - my girlfriend bought this for me - so i can't comment on the price.

I have given this 4 stars purely for the EXPERIENCE. This is definitely something I would recommend you do once. I brought my boyfriend here for his birthday plus a couple of friends and it was such a fun alternative dining experience! Eating in the dark in the comfort of friends was hilarious and eye opening (pardon the irony). It really did heighten your senses and it was interesting to gain a different outlook on life. Our blind waiter was 'asha' and he was very hospitable and was readily available should we encounter any problems without our sight!

As for the food....two people went for the 'Surprise Menu' one 'meat menu' and I went for vegetarian. The food got a mixed response. I personally detested the vege menu - should have gone for seafood after i found out what they were serving, and was still quite hungry after (they dont give you much). My friend who had the meat menu said it was delicious, the surprise menu was eadible but not thoroughly appetizing.

Afterwards you leave the dining room and enter the light to be revealed what you had just eaten. Oh, and the EXTORTIONATE price. Granted I did know how expensive the menu was, however I do not see how they justify their costs considering no money is rly spent on decor/lighting and food portion was incredibly minimal. Regardless it was a one off and a gift so I reluctantly paid the price! Despite my critics, i would say try it out with a group of friends, its a night you will remember!

Overpriced! Hang on one second,they do not pay much for electric bills (no lights) or interior decoration /design so how can the support the reason for the overpriced menu? Exclusivity does not always mean good I mean a glass of cheapest house white wine 7 pound. Are you kidding me? Where is the common sense? Moreover, they said they would care about allergic food which they did not. And ended up being sick. Ok at the beginning it is seemed a good experience but then you realise wtf am paying this much for. I advise you go somewhere else and enjoy a nice bottle of wine instead. And food that you can can sense it.

d

Book a table I got straight a feeling of uncertainty while making the bookingi had good time , things that you do not experience everyday. I requested my food to be without some stuff that I was allergic to. However the food came carelessly with that and I got allergic. They ruined my night ,starting feeling sick.

They reduced the price of half the bill. But sometime money can not really settle the uncomfortable situation that arose. While my night had more than planning, I had to go go home. To summarise:initially exciting experience but in the end you realize. They have no expenses for light, for interior design, and why has it had to be so expensive?!? I advise go somewhere else

Go for the experience rather than the food. The meal was disappointing and the wine was overpriced but the novelty of eating in total darkness makes it worth going.

You really can't see a thing (until someone sparks up a lighter and ruins it). It's very surreal but lots of fun and you get the urge to do all sorts of naughty things.

Becca x

I have never written a review in my life - but when I came out of this place I felt so cheated I sweared to myself I would - just to warn you all that although it sounds like a good idea, IT IS NOT! eating in the dark is great of course - the problem is WHAT you eat!!! and how much it costs!!! menu at £35 for what I am now convinced comes from the left overs of a local newsagent - the old chicken wraps, and noodles.

No stars

The pancakes which accompanied the starter were cold and so floury I thought that I was chewing raw dough. My friend's fish-plate starter of fishcakes was still repeating on her at 2.00am in the morning. The main courses were no better. For £29 for two courses you do expect something vaguely edible. Service was awful, we were told by our Waiter that he 'had to help out in the kitchen so was unable to be around'. A complete waste of money, if you want the experience re-create it at home with a couple of blindfolds.

A nice concept and fun evening out, but let down by really average bordering unacceptable canteen food. At almost £40 per head for 3 courses, not good enough. The meat was amongst the chewiest I have ever eaten.

A great concept and an amazing experience - our guide (waiter) Shane was both helpful and funny, making the experience even more fun. The food was average but the whole experience of eating in the dark; finding your wine glass, giving up and eating with your fingers as food slides off the fork and trying to filter out the multiple conversations to focus on those actually next to you....was one that we all really enjoyed.
Sadly the organisation in the restaurant left a lot to be desired... we waited 40 minutes before being led to our table, and at a 9pm seating we were all starving! The service was speedy and when we left the dark room at 10.30, we had to wait in a queue for another 30 mins before we could pay. Considering that we had pre ordered the food and the wine before entering the dark room, surely generating the bills would have been an easy task.... at £55 a head, an interesting experience that is sadly let down by its service.

This place sounds like fun; you dine in complete darkness eating glorious French cuisine and you’re waited on by blind staff. This birthday surprise really sounded like the makings of a special night out.

Unfortunately, and in reality, the food was stupidly overpriced and ridiculously under portioned. I may have been in the dark but I can tell when someone hands me a starter sized plate of roast beef (main course). Fine ok, I *did* order the ‘meat’ menu. Wait a sec though, my girlfriend ordered the ‘any of the above’ menu and got the same thing. And hang about, speaking to everyone else on our bench (yes, it was a bench) they all got exactly the same thing too.

Just to top it all off my girlfriend was taken to the toilet only to return 15 minutes later after the waiter forgot to bring her back! I was truly expecting the lights to come on and see Jeremy Beadle dressed as a copper sporting a hidden microphone.

What makes it really bad is that because they’re using blind waiters, it makes it almost impossible for you to complain. Well, at least they couldn’t see me flicking them the V’s on the way out.

I love it! I felt like I had been transported into a different world. An excellent experience! Food was soooooo delicious and Cyril was very nice. I will come back soon and bring some more friends next time. Thank you!

Amazing experience! It makes you approach food from a whole new perspective. My birthday spent in darkness eating more than I can in the light, using my hands and forgetting all conventions...I loved it! A must do! Totally unique.

I have never felt more cheated by a meal! I've never written a review before but my experience here was so abysmal, I couldn't not write about it.



I had the vegetarian menu and the food was a joke. If you could have seen your plate, you wouldn't have paid for it. £30 for a boiled egg, cous cous and a chickpea salad. The dessert was tiny and hadn't set properly resulting in a chocolate mousse that was really runny on top with a layer of tasteless jelly on the bottom.



Had things have ended there I might have been able to accept the price for the experience, but we were then overcharged by 2 bottles of wine - £22 each and that was the house wine. Surely you just tell them and they take it off the bill right? No...can't do that. After much arguing back and forth, the manager said he would transfer the money from the bill to the waiter's tip. Except we had already left a tip. He said we hadn't left much, some people leave 25%. He basically refused to refund us and said if we wanted the money back he would take it out of the waiter's tip cash box. Nice.



A shocking attitude and awful food is served under the guise of making a difference for the disabled community. The best I can hope for is that the manager did actually transfer the money to the tip as our waiter was great, but I doubt he bothered. What a disappointment.

What is a more amazing experience that to have been to Dans Le Noir? I was a little scared about the concept but the staff were very reassuring and friendly. Plus the food was brilliant, and there are no more words to be said about Dans Le Noir.

I was a bit worried when I went to Dans Le Noir that I would end up with food all down my front. It's hard enough to balance peas on your fork in broad daylight let alone in pitch darkness! However, I was very impressed. Not only is Dans Le Noir an original restaurant it really highlights the life of blind people in a positive way which is a really worthy thing.

Ooh la la! the Dans Le Noir in Paris is sooo cool if incredibly weird, you have to dine totally in the dark which was a first for me definitely! I dont know what the London one is like but if you can get past the weird feeling of partaking in someone's strange fetish then I imagine that Dans Le Noir is a lovely venue.