Opaque - dining in the dark

(800) 710-1270

2020 Wilshire Blvd
Santa Monica, CA 90403 34.03188 -118.48258

Get Map & Directions »

Neighborhoods: Wilshire Montana, West LA

darkdining.com

Hours:

Thurs-Sat 6:30pm-11pm

Price:

$$$$

Last updated 5.03.12

Category:

Restaurants, Events, Bars & Pubs

Payment Methods:

American Express, Visa, MasterCard

Restaurant Special Features:

Romantic Dining, Fine Dining, Hidden Find, Date Spot, Prix Fixe Menu

Cuisine:

New American, Traditional American

Editor's Tips

What People Are Saying About Opaque - dining in the dark

Featured Review

Martha Burr

Contributor

Following a cult-like dining trend in Europe and a celebrated stint on the Sunset Strip, this unorthodox experience of eating in absolute darkness remains unlike any other in Los Angeles. Arrive at its location at V Lounge, order from a three-course prix fixe New American menu ($99 with choice of chicken, fish, steak or vegetarian) and then proceed to be guided by blind servers into a completely dark room to spend the next two hours hearing, feeling and tasting in an extraordinarily heightened way. Abandoning vision renews appreciation for sight, while simultaneously enhancing other senses.…

Editor's Tips

What to Drink:
Wine and beer are offered with the meal--differentiate the white wine glasses from red by feeling the shape of the glass.
Look Good:
Guests are asked to leave their cell phones in the lounge so as not to infringe on the collective sensory experience.
Know Before You Go:
It really is a pitch-black dining scene with a special dispensation by the fire department to eschew even exit signs. If you are inclined to claustrophobia be warned; it can also be a transcendent experience that opens mental boundaries.
ambiance
83.33000183105469% positive
  1. “The friendly servers do a great job of making the dinner guests feel comfortable in the dark, and the chef does a wonderful job of creating dishes full of flavor and texture that keep the taste buds alive through each course.”
  2. “The bottom line is this would be a terrific experience if it was 1/3 of the price and/or they stepped up the atmosphere.”
dessert
100.0% positive
  1. “The tiramisu was lightly sweet and scrumptous, while the cheesecake was quite flavorful, and also a bit heavy - but that's exactly what cheesecake is supposed to be afterall, right?”
  2. “The curry was a perfect balance of sweet and spicy, and the sweet, tangy, and creamy dessert wraps up the meal beautifully.”
drinks
100.0% positive
  1. “The salad was just popping in our mouth, so much going on, arugula, sweet tomatoes, amazing wine dressing, truffle cheese and topped with a bruchetta and toast, I must say the best I have ever had in the light or in the dark.”
food quality
84.25999641418457% positive
  1. “The salad was just popping in our mouth, so much going on, arugula, sweet tomatoes, amazing wine dressing, truffle cheese and topped with a bruchetta and toast, I must say the best I have ever had in the light or in the dark.”
  2. “The curry was a perfect balance of sweet and spicy, and the sweet, tangy, and creamy dessert wraps up the meal beautifully.”
  3. “And our waiter Michael was wonderful, he even serenaded us at the end of the meal.”
  4. “Great Concept - Not so great food”
  5. “The food was incredible.”
  6. “Incredible food, great servce, Got to meet the chef!”
  7. “While the first few minutes were weird, we settled in and enjoyed our meal.”
  8. “The friendly servers do a great job of making the dinner guests feel comfortable in the dark, and the chef does a wonderful job of creating dishes full of flavor and texture that keep the taste buds alive through each course.”
  9. “Fortunately, my salmon was perfect and his medium rare steak was prepared exactly medium rare - and it was probably one of the top 5 BEST steaks I have ever tasted.”
  10. “The food was really awesome, the server was great and the experience was unforgettable.”
  11. “The food was pretty decent and the portions were big, I couldn't even finish all of it.”
  12. “then we got fresh bread and butter.”
  13. “My personal favorites from my Vegetarian meal were: the Thai Curry veggies, and the lemon cloud garnished with raspberry sauce and fresh strawberries and raspberries.”
  14. “wanted to take my girlfriend out for something different, she loves good food.”
  15. “In addition, the food was awful.”
  16. “great experience, bad food.”
  17. “The food was exquisite (in particular, the White Chocolate Cheesecake) and the service was so friendly and made dining in the dark quite enjoyable!”
  18. “The food was good, the service was great.”
service
95.83000183105469% positive
  1. “The food was good, the service was great.”
  2. “The food was exquisite (in particular, the White Chocolate Cheesecake) and the service was so friendly and made dining in the dark quite enjoyable!”
  3. “The service was wonderful and overall first class.”
  4. “And our waiter Michael was wonderful, he even serenaded us at the end of the meal.”
  5. “You'll have a great time and a great awakening to what it is like for those people who don't have the gift of sight.”
  6. “The friendly servers do a great job of making the dinner guests feel comfortable in the dark, and the chef does a wonderful job of creating dishes full of flavor and texture that keep the taste buds alive through each course.”
  7. “The food was really awesome, the server was great and the experience was unforgettable.”
  8. “Our server and guide through the dark was super nice, but she was smacking gum for the first 5 minutes of our interactions.”
value
80.0% positive
  1. “The food was pretty decent and the portions were big, I couldn't even finish all of it.”
  2. “The portions at Opaque were small and the taste was horrible.”
  3. “With all of that said, it was a cool experience and something to talk about with friends, although very expensive!”
  4. “Concept was great but it was definitely not worth the money!”
  5. “The bottom line is this would be a terrific experience if it was 1/3 of the price and/or they stepped up the atmosphere.”
wait time
100.0% positive
  1. “While the first few minutes were weird, we settled in and enjoyed our meal.”
  2. “Our server and guide through the dark was super nice, but she was smacking gum for the first 5 minutes of our interactions.”
4 Star Rating: Recommended

07/25/11

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1 Star Rating: Poor

12/11/10

The Worst Experience of my life!

by Christine 2

We arrived to an empty old night club which they were still cleaning to very indifferent staff. We were very quickly ushered into a black out room and sat down with our guide which are apparently "Blind" which we found out later are not and are wearing night vision glasses so they can see. Overall "Terrible" experience. Not for the scared or claustrophobic.

2 Star Rating: Below Average

11/20/10

Tasty food, but what brushed my cheek?

by Colt Severs

A unique experience to say the least, but during the second course, something kept brushing my cheek. At first, I thought it was just a fly buzzing around, but once I tried to slap it and it felt like I hit an exposed penis. Was I being crop-dusted? I will never know for sure. Otherwise, the experience was a positive one.

5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended

06/05/10

Must try

by Nativecali

Seriously.....one of the best dinner experiences i have ever had. I surprised my husband ...and by the way it was a first time for me. I never thought eating in the dark ( pitch black to be exact ) would be so much fun! I am always up for new experiences and so is my husband. He was amazed the entire time. It was interestingly relaxing. Having one of your senses tuned down completely was truly exhilirating.

Try it and see......have fun!

  • Pros: Service,food
  • Cons: None
4 Star Rating: Recommended

06/02/10

You Got To Try This

by tristanhill75

This is an awesome experience. I wanted to take my girlfriend out for something different, she loves good food. This dining room is pitch black and you cannot see a thing. The purpose of this experience is to rely on your touch, smell and taste to guide you. You blindly select a meal and then you enjoy. The food was really awesome, the server was great and the experience was unforgettable. Really made for a great date.

The Details on Opaque - dining in the dark

Place Categories:

  • unique dining experience
  • incredible good food
  • awful food
  • great server
  • great evening
  • not dry salmon
  • most unique dining
  • just like hotel
  • wonderful insight
  • horrible taste
  • enjoyed meal
  • great service
  • great awakening
  • amazing memory jog
  • great other senses
  • comfortable dinner guests
  • big dark glasses
  • fresh butter
  • amazing wine dressing
  • fresh strawberries
  • loved game
  • great conversation
  • great incredible food
  • wonderful first class
  • quite flavorful cheesecake

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