This was a disappointing experience. A party of five with two vegans and one vegetarian. The service is slow, our waiter seemed to have forgotten about us between courses, never checked on us. The food us extremely sub-par. Vegans/vegetarians had three pieces of portabella mushrooms on two leaves of lettuce for a "surprise vegetarian starter" and a tiny portion of roasted vegetables with some grain for the main course. The total bill for 5 people was over $250, definitely not worth it. read more

Experience was interesting, our party had some laughs. However, food was sub-par, seems like they tossed whatever was available in the kitchen to serve the mystery meal. read more

Overall a cool experience but would not return. Lots of waiting time between meals, too long as no one checked on us between servings so if we needed anything we had to wait until the next serving. We arrived at 7:15 and finished at 9:00. We had the shrimp risotto, pesto chicken and steak. All were cold except the steak. Our starters were extremely small and we wished there was some kind of dip for our calamari. Our waiter was Nasir and though he was okay in himself, only coming into contact with him 4 times throughout the meal was annoying as when we left we were forced to pay a 18-20% tip on what the meal would have cost without our groupon. If we did not have a groupon there is no way we would pay over $300 for the quality of the food. read more

I loved my experience at O.Noir! I was a little nervous going in, but couldn't miss out on such an interesting experience. I also loved that this restaurant's mission is to employ blind or vision-impaired people and to allow others to experience what that is like. While I can't say I was too impressed by the food (it was just average), I can say I was so pleased with the experience. My friend and I both ordered the "surprise" options for the appetizer, entree, and dessert, and it was so interesting to try to figure out what we were eating. At the end of the night, our server (who was wonderful) quizzed us on what we had- we were surprised to find out that we only got some of it right (he did tell us what is was afterward)! It also gave us both a strong appreciation for our vision when we exited the restaurant. Great experience overall. read more

Here for the experience not the food. Food is probably sub par, washrooms sloppy, servers are friendly, inspiration awesome. Maybe it wasn't as novel for me anymore, I've been once years ago before the era of yelp. You walk down into the humid vintage basement of a hotel and walk into the sticky floors of waiting room. Someone takes your order and you meet your blind server who seats you in a pitch black dining room. Anxiety spikes but you soon calm down. Talking to other guests in the same experience helps. The experience takes about 2 hours or more and if it's a full house (it was when I went) food takes longer to arrive and it can get very difficult to hear the people beside you. Get ready to accidently (or purposely) get your hands on your food. I can handle spice but the calamari was surprisingly spicy and I didn't know when the next time I'd be able to get water was. The shrimp risotto could have used more than a dollop of risotto. The chocolate cake though, was delicious. I hear the fillet minon is good minus the burned parts and that the mousse is sweeter than probably necessary. read more

O'Noir was an awesome dining experience. I have came here twice, both times with a groupon. After making reservations, we paid for parking for two and a half hours on the streets close by. Two and a half hours were a little tight for both times, I would recommend paying for three hours. You will be able to choose your meal before hand, appetizer, main and starter. The options were: Being a little curious of what I was eating, the plating of the food, etc. I was happy to see a waiter carry two plates of food in the dark dining hall before I was seated inside. The dishes are well plated, as well as a restaurant would if you could visually see the meal. Once we stepped in, it was PITCH BLACK. HOLY MOLEY, I've never seen something as dark as this in my entire life. There was absolutely no sign of light in here. My ears felt extra sharp as I heard other people talking very close to me, my sense of touch was something that was also important, as I had to feel everything in front of me and around me. Approximation was INSANE as you literally had to approximate everything around you. The waiters slash waitresses are amazing at what they do, guiding you through the dark dining room. They carefully explained what I had in front of me based on the direction they were in as I sat down. I absolutely loved the meals. Feeling a little spontaneous, I decided to go with a surprise main. I was delighted to find out that it was one of their selected items, the shrimp... I literally scraped off my dish to every drop of sauce because I wasn't sure if there was something still inside. What I phenomenal experience, I would definitely bring some relatives here when they visit. read more

Very cool concept, and I had a fun time. It's too bad the food sucked. My appetizer was calamari and it was very meh. For my main, I had shrimp and risotto. The shrimp were a nice size and not bad tasting, but the risotto was bland and there seemed to be some sort of sauce on the side of my plate that was pretty bad. My friends had steak, which they both described as "ok". (The steak comes pre-cut by the way. No steak knives in the dark. That would make for a great CSI episode though.) The eating in the dark concept was well-executed. You order at the bar before you go in to the dining room. You're then introduced to your server (all servers are blind) and brought in to the dining room (you form a little train with your server in the lead). You will need to turn off your cell phones and any other devices before you go in. Once we were in there, our server (Diana) did a good job of taking care of us, passing us drinks one at a time, gathering all the plates from one course before bringing another, etc. All the things they have to do so that we can eat in total darkness. The menu is prix-fixe by the way. $31 for an app and main or $39 for an app, main, and dessert. Despite my 2* rating, I do believe this is worth checking out, for the experience. Don't get me wrong - the food is not "bad" and it's definitely not inedible. I don't regret my decision to go to O Noir. However, the food needs to be improved, and it definitely doesn't justify the prices they're charging. read more

Totally worth trying ONCE- and highly recommended for a date or to bring a close friend from out of town. Keep your party small though- to four people. So y'all know this is dining in the dark but here are a few facts you may not know: -There are four rooms and each room seats about 30 people. -The rooms are long, and you will be seated beside a wall- don't worry, you wil at least have ONE point of reference! -Servers are visually impaired -cleaners/bussers wear night vision -yes. it is completely dark. How dark? completely. -you preorder- the surprise menu is fun/good, but by no means get it if you know EXACTLY what you want. I ordered the Mushroom, Steak and Chocolate Cake. Mushroom was VERY flavourful- be careful of the mouthful of cheese! Steak was good (precut)- done perfectly (medium rare) Cake and ice cream were delicious had a house red wine- FULL glass My dining partner ordered the suprise menu which consisted of: Roasted veg salad Mushroom chicken chocolate mousse (he specified) had a surprise drink (rum and rye). Now, for the surprise menu I actually expect a challenge- I WANTED it to be super complex flavours and have fun figureing it out- but both of us got it right away. This is why it's only three stars. This is DEFINITELY a concept that you MUSt try but the food isn't good enough to actually come back. at 39$ for 3 courses, VERY healthy portions, good food and a great unique experience DO IT. But there really is no reason to do it more than once. read more

Is it better in the dark? Well, no, it isn't. I like to see what I am eating. Sight is part of the eating experience, and I enjoy using all my senses while eating. Regardless, was invited to come here for a dinner, so I decided to join in. Don't come for the food, at the price, you would expect some better quality food. Here is what I got. App: Was some oversized potatoes, and some salad. Very plain and unappealing. Potatoes weren't cut up either, so I was eating it like a apple basically. Main: Filet Minion. With the amount of marbling and fat in the meat, this was definitely not a filet. This was most likely a top sirloin. Meat was cut into chunks, so you wouldn't need to use a knife. Dessert: Random pieces of cheesecake. As I was reading in other posts, the manager was saying the desserts were bought and not made fresh on site. I am not a fan of that. I want to get fresh food when I am paying for it in a restaurant. Overall, I wasn't impressed. I was hoping for an experience where the food was a bit more mysterious. If I order surprise, I don't want to be able to guess it within seconds. Also, the same experience could be made by wearing a blind fold while you eat. I wouldn't pay a premium to eat at this place over a better restaurant. read more

In the Dark but Seeing Red. The concept was novel for about 15 minutes. The food was like soggy cardboard and could only have come from the freezer (Michelina was comparatively high-end!). And then they had the gall to charge chef's rates. In summary, the food was terrible, the experience was mediocre, and the prices were criminal. That said, I appreciate the fact that they hire blind service staff who obviously face greater employment obstacles than others. But this place is NOT built for repeat customers - O. Noir is a gimmick which I expect will burn out as soon as enough people have been to spread the word. read more

Novelty wise, the experience gets 5 stars. It's really interesting to experience the pitch black darkness and to interact with your dinner mates without being able to see them. Our waitress Chelsea also deserves 5 stars. She was pleasant and efficient and did a great job of ensuring everyone received their food/drinks with no spillage or mishaps. She is a real find! The food though is just what others have said, overpriced, bland, just nothing that would wow your taste buds. The food didn't even have the smell of food to excite you, certainly not fresh made or quality ingredients. But the clincher? The horrendous bar/checkout staff. I wont even go into details as any business that would employ such ignorant staff, clearly doesn't care about customer service. Nothing but a money grab. Take the advice of others and create your own dining in the dark experience with better food and ambiance. read more

This is my first review on yelp, I've had some pretty bad experiences at restaurants, but this has to be the worst. - It took over 2 hours for 2 people to get 2 courses, we were there 30 minutes before the waiter brought anything to the table at all - I had hair in my appetizer and entree (my hair was up so I know they weren't mine) - The waiter gave me the wrong drink, he asked me to taste several other drinks on his tray until I found mine - The waiter asked us several times to remind him what we ordered - The waiter said he was too busy to take our drink order or get us water - The waiter raised his voice when we asked him again for water an hour after we asked him the first time - The fillet was over cooked and very fatty/chewy, the seafood surprise appetizer was just as bad - From what we heard from surrounding tables, our experience was better than most - I have never been happier to leave a restaurant read more

Y'know the saying, "You eat with your eyes before you eat with your mouth."? Well, that doesn't apply here. At O'Noir, you are literally eating in pitch black DARKNESS. (Yes, I'll repeat it once more. Darkness.) Sounds crazy, eh? Well, it is. I been here two times and the experience just never seems to get old. Look at it this way. 6892 days was me eating in plain sight, while on the other hand, 2 days in complete darkness. Their philosophy is basically if you lose one of your senses, the others are heightened. Meaning, the taste of the food will be more distinct as well as the smell of it. Although I didn't find the food to "taste" better, what I did find was that I ate faster than I normally would. Also, utensils were only used for about 2 minutes before I resorted to caveman style (Using my hands). Oh yeah, I wore a white shirt.... and came out looking like a brown cow. The cost was on the pricey side with an appetizer or dessert + main for $32 or all three for $39, but damn, the whole crazy eating in the dark fiasco definately makes it worth while. I mean c'mon WHEN on earth are you ever going to eat in complete darkness? Not to mention, WHERE in Toronto? Answer: Just one night at O'Noir. I tried: 2 appetizers: Grilled portabello (Flavourful) + Calamari (Underseasoned) 3 mains: Filet mignon (Juicy + Tender), Chicken breast (Underseasoned and too much tomato sauce), and Veal (I've had better). read more

This review is really a 5/5. Only 4/5 for the price, but everything else was more than amazing. I'm going to be like everybody else and say that the concept is great, it's a lot of fun, and the food tasted good, just a little more on the pricey side (ended up being $90 for both me and my boyfriend (each a starter, entrée, and dessert). It's completely true though! Although I want to rave on about the food (which I will later), the concept of this place is great. I can't say the hostesses were too friendly... but the servers completely make up for it (maybe the hostesses are intentionally bad so we seem like we get a better experience with our servers...?) Our server Dave was friendly and had a nice charm to him. We had to conga-line it inside the dining area where it is literally PITCH DARK. You literally can't see ANYTHING at all and its weird at first but you get used to it. You can do anything in the dark and no one can see you, including shoving a piece of your meal accidentally into your nose because it was a bigger portion than you expected (not that I did that...). Anyhoo, the food was also splendid. Appetizers: My boyfriend got the calamari and I got the Portobello mushroom salad for our appetizers. They were flavorful and did not disappoint. Mains: For the main course it was filet mignon and the chicken. The filet mignon tasted sooooooooooooo good. The chicken as well was in a larger portion than I expected to be. Every time I thought I was done eating all the chicken, I seemed to always find another piece stabbed on my fork. Desserts: Cake & icecream and Chocolate mousse. I didn't get a chance to try the cake & icecream, BUT NO REGRETS. I WOULD EAT 10 OF MY CHOCOLATE MOUSSES. Maybe it's because I'm a girl and chocolate is my one true love, but the dark chocolate mousse is one of my favourite desserts, even after eating at Canoe. It was rich and creamy and just oh-so chocolatey. All in all it was an amazing experience. It's definitely a place to bring someone special. Or someone who loves chocolate. read more

SPOILER ALERT - I will be revealing what the Surprise dishes were... I got there at 8pm for the 8:15pm seating. I later noticed that people who got there after us, were asked what they wanted from the menu and then were seating before us. So it seemed to be random on how they brought people into the dark rooms. Strike 1. When they came around to us, my date and I both ordered the Surprise for each of the 3 courses because I heard that's part of the fun, guessing what you're eating. When they called for us they brought us to wait outside one door. About 10 min later, after seating several others before us they then tell us to go to another door for another room. Strike 2. They seemed extremely disorganized as the way they were seating people at each table in the rooms seemed to be some odd system of writing things down on scrap pieces of paper. Took a quick glance at my cell and it was 8:40pm already. We were finally seated and probably waited for may be 15 min before being offered bread when others around us were being offered it. Strike 3!!! I stopped counting from here. We then waited for maybe another 20 min (no cell or watches allowed to be used in the dark rooms) before the server brings us dishes and says "mushroom appetizers?" We said, no we ordered the surprises. Another 30 min passes while everyone else is eating it seems. Server comes and says "can I clear your dishes?" We're like "what dishes? we didn't even get our food yet." He puts in another order, and he brings 1 plate out just for me saying my date's is coming soon. Not wanting to pass the dish through darkness, I started to eat and was disappointed to find that it was just a normal salad. When my date's dish came it was also a salad but seemed to have some sort of warm sauce on it. I would say the kitchen was likely disorganized as well since they seemed to forget our appetizer and before the entrees, the server came around and asked several tables including ours, what we each ordered. Entree came fairly quickly (compared to the apps at least) and was much more fun. Had 3 different meats which we had to guess on a pile of couscous. The couscous was way over done though. Dessert was just a simple cheesecake which tasted store bought. When we went to pay I turned on my cell and it was 10:48pm. Overall, the food was not that great and apparently the MASSIVE gratuity is included in the price. Fun experience? If you like sitting in the dark, waiting lengthy periods for your food, unable to flag the server down properly to tell him you're waiting a long time, then sure, it's fun. Oh yes, and the entire time there was this weird smell in the room the entire time. No idea what it was but it wasn't all the appetizing. Would I return? No. read more

For a real different experience, the latest addition in Toronto is a 'blind' restaurant. It's called 'O Noir'. Basically, you eat in COMPLETE DARKNESS and you get served by blind ppl. It's something your friends will think is really different. It's about $38 per head for a three course meal. The food Is pretty good (though I wish the portions were a little bigger). Bascially, it's really good if you order the filet mignon for your main course (as usually filets are $30 or so in other restaurants). You can even choose to have a 'surprise' appetizer, or desert. You will have no idea what it is, nor can you actually see it. Make a reservation before hand. I had tonnes of fun as I went two days in a row. The first time, i was getting used to the experience. The second time, I was stealing food of my friends plates and pulling little pranks. Was tonnes of fun. Though i've been told by a few restauranteurs that it's become a very common place for some public necking and mischief. Not sure if i want to go back with that knowledge. But lets still face the facts here - as different as it is, it is still eating in the dark, in some random basement, on cheap furniture, with terrible service and banquetish food. It's jsut unique - thats all. read more

My grandpa's completely blind so my mom and I decided to try this place out and get a sense of what it's like. I have to start by saying that our server (Gavin I believe) was great--he was friendly, helped us adjust to the dark, and every time he came to bring our plates to our table he would ask us if we needed anything. BUT my experience here was HORRIBLE and this was mainly due to the long wait. I had a 3-course while my mom had a 2-course and it took us TWO AND A HALF HOURS. This wasn't because we took long eating or anything, it was because our server just rarely ever came to our table. He would only come when delivering food, and the wait in between each course was way too long. I'll go into more detail about why it was a terrible experience though: First, there are only 2 reservation times on their website. I couldn't make the 5:45 so it had to be 8:15, which is already pretty late. When we got there, the hostess was so unclear with the instructions. We weren't sure who would be taking our orders, when we would go in, whether we pay before or after, etc. Then, when it was time to go into the dark dining area, our server led us. The place is PITCH DARK. I can't remember ever being in such darkness so at first I felt pretty anxious and uneasy, but I got used to it after a while. While I was ordering outside, I asked the hostess what the sweetest cocktail was and she said Sweet Tart so that's what I got. It was anything but sweet--terribly blended and tasted like pure alcohol. So that was the first thing I received from the server and already pretty disappointed. Next, we got bread and the server helped us feel where the bread basket was so we thought he would leave it at our table for us to enjoy but NOPE, he was just letting us each grab a piece of bread and then he took it away. Then we waited around 30 minutes in the dark for our starters. I had the calamari and my mom had the octopus--both were so hard to eat. By that I mean they were either overcooked or they were sitting out for too long because I couldn't even stick my fork into it... that's how hard it was. Then we seriously waited for around 40 minutes for our mains. I had the chicken and she had the fish: the serving size was big and it was cut up for us. The chicken was really good, with potatoes and artichokes. But by that time, it must've already been almost 10pm and I had lost my appetite so I couldn't finish mine. Then we waited a long time for our dessert--fruit sorbet. It tasted good in the dark but I'm pretty sure if I saw it with lights on, I would say it wasn't worth the money. At the end, I felt puking. Must have been a combination of the time, the dark, and the food. On top of that, the washrooms are so dirty. Most of the stalls had no toilet paper, they ran out of paper towels, and the garbage cans were overflowing. So overall, it was a TERRIBLE experience. If you want to try eating in the dark, cook at home and turn the lights out and close the blinds. I would never ever ever go back. read more

O.Noir - Canadian (New) Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Had a wonderful evening here. In the complete darkness you reflect on what it's like to be visually impaired. It was very intimate and a great bonding experience. No cellphones. The food was delicious! We ended up using our fingers instead of the utensils. Had to do what we had to do. Time flew by! Everyone should dine and experience O.Noir. read more

Went here on 'darkness themed mystery date', so that was obviously perfect. And it was impressive how dark they got the dining room. However, the food and service were average at best, and eating in the dark is 100% less enjoyable than eating not in the dark. Bottom line: interesting idea and sort of fun to do once, but it's not a good restaurant. read more

After reading the reviews of o noir I set my expectations low. Surprisingly, I was quite content with my visit. Customer service: all the staff was friendly and informative. Our server (who was blind) did a great job at making us feel at ease in the dark and navigating us through the dining room. I think peoples expectations of customer service level are a little ridiculous in this establishment. It's one server assigned to a fairly large section. She did her best to check up on us but she was always assisting someone with something. Wether it be serving someone, clearing dishes, escorting them to the washroom or refilling drinks. So your server won't check on you as often as they would in a lot establishment because in general all the customer require more attention. She didn't a great job of spreading herself evenly amongst us all. Food: my food was delicious. I had the goat cheese and roaster peppers for a starter. And the filet mignon for my main. My starter was perfect I love goat cheese and I love vegetables so they couldn't really go wrong. Everything was seasoned well and there was a generous portion of goat cheese. It was actually creamier than usual so I wondered if they blended it. Regardless I would order it again and again. My steak and potatoes were cooked and seasoned to perfection. I liked that they cut my meal up in bite size portions which made it easier to eat in the dark. Again the serving size was more than generous and i didn't have and green beans on my plate i was served a side of asparagus. I had a surprise dessert which I didn't like very much it tasted like a cold fruit cake I didn't finish it. Atmosphere: sorry but this place in dingy and even the bathrooms look sketchy. I honestly think they need to reconsider the grungy decor and maybe they could reel in more returning customers. Reading reviews in advance prepared me for the 18% gratuity automatically added ( regardless if you are a group or a couple) and the food temperature. Had I not known that would have been a bit off putting as I like my food served hot. But I understand that it is a safety precaution. A lot of the reviewers referred to it as banquet food and I guess I agree it isn't a 5 star meal with elaborate flavour profiles but it was delicious. It's a good experience that I recommend everyone tries. Blind people are so underestimated and is amazing to see them overcome obstacles and show the world that they are just a abled. P.s I really struggled to butter my bread in the dark it was hilarious read more

I came to O.Noir for my birthday dinner. It was a surprise dinner for me and I was looking forward to coming here for ages. When you arrive it's on a corner and it looks like you're entering a haunted basement lol. It seems like you can only do two reservations, one at 545 and one at 8 or so. We did the 545 because that was all that was left on a Wednesday evening. When we arrived, they asked us to order around the bar area. I found the meal a bit pricey overall. I decided on the grilled octopus, filet mignon and chocolate cake with icecream. The food was okay to be honest. I like being able to see my food (which defeats the purpose of coming here) but it just seemed okay to me. The octopus had good flavour, so did the steak (which I thought said on the menu roasted, but end up being mashed) and green beans. The chocolate cake was a little dry but having ice cream helped a little. Ps. my friend told me that their "surprise dish" is just one of the dishes that are listed. They just choose for you. I had some malbec wine with my meal which was okay as well. Honestly it was just a very average experience. I'm giving it 3 stars since the server was super nice, the experience was interesting and I got to spend my birthday doing something different :) I'm not sure if I'll come back for awhile, maybe once every 2 years or so since I don't always like eating with my hands! read more

This was definately an interesting experience if you are looking for something different. I get the fact that it's going for something different and the whole other senses heighten when one sense is taken away... but at the at the end of the day, restaurants should still be about food. The diverse experience: you walk down the stairs to the actual restaurant, which looks like an old stable-esque steak house feel. Everything is dimly lit as you check in with the hosts and order from the menu. The menu is broke down into a prix-fixed selection: Appetizer (4 choices), Main (about 5), and Desert (about 4). You can either choose $32 two-course meal or $39 three-course meal. Once you are finished with your selection, you are guided into a separate room where your visually-impaired servers lead you to your table. Note, it's PITCH BLACK. Your eyes will not adjust to the darkness, it's black in there, can't see nothing, nada, zilch. I had the GRILLED ONOIR OCTOPUS to start, which was actually quite good, but small. My dining companion had the GRILLED CALAMARI, which was also quite good. Both appetizers tasted fresh and it was over spring mix. This was my favourite part of the meal. For the main, I tried the FILET MIGNON, which was already cut up for you and it came with veggies and potatoes. This was alright, nothing too special, nothing extrodinary. We had the 2 course due to other plans. I ended up eating with my fingers because I couldn't see a thing. It was scary, loud and really cold in the room. It was interesting but it made me feel kind of sick by the end of the meal. Maybe it was the darkness that confused my senses? Maybe it was the over air-conditioned room (made my food cold mid-meal)? I like the concept a lot, but it was not for me. If I could make one small suggestions, maybe serve a bigger portion, left feeling a touch hungry... 2 stars is harsh, I'd give it 2.5 stars. read more

I ate dinner here this past Saturday night with my fiancé and her parents. We decided to come here as I had eaten here on a previous visit to Toronto while my fiancé and her parents never had. When you walk in you enter into a common room which is dimly lit where you order your food. After your food has been ordered you are escorted into the dark dining room by one of the blind servers. It is so dark in the dining room that you cannot see you own hand in front of your face. For dinner I decided to have the arugula salad with Parmesan cheese as my appetizer, my entree was the five pepper filet mignon with potatoes and green beans and for dessert am orange sorbet on top of pineapples. The service started out on a down note for me as our server only brought out three appetizers and mine was the one missing. After only a short time it was rectified and I was soon eating. It probably wasn't the best choice to eat in the dark as the salad was tough to get on the fork and I had to help with my hands a lot. It was good though and i loved the lemon vinegarette with the Parmesan cheese. My entree was similarly good as the 5 spices on the steak were tasty and it was very tender. The potatoes and green beans that it came with were good too and it seemed like I had a never ending supply of green beans. Finally for dessert I had the orange sorbet which was decent and much to my surprise was on top of the pineapple. Whenever I had asked what the fruit sorbet was, they had said it was orange with some pineapple. So you can imagine my surprise whenever I stumbled upon chunks of pineapple in the dark at the bottom of the dish. The bottom line for me is that I would definitely come back here again in the future. While it is not a place I would frequent, it is a cool thing to try every now and again and the food was really good too! read more

Everybody should do this at least once in their life. They only do two servings a day and they are usually full, definitely reserve your spot before going. TIPS: - Make sure you go with a person you are comfortable with because you can't see them at all (no body language) - Contrary to popular belief, you eyes dont get adjusted, it is PITCH BLACK. Cant even make out a shape in the darkness. Experience(5/5): This should definitely be on everybody's bucket list. I think this is more of an empathy exercise than anything else. You arrive there and check in, the they take your order under the light. Then you are lead by your server to the room you will be eating in, you would put a hand on his/her shoulder and he will guide you through the the dark room. Your other senses become more sharp, you would be able to hear a lot more than you usually would. *Guilty Confession* we were able to listen to three different conversations from different tables at the same time, we were just checking how sharp our hearing senses had become. FOOD (4/5): Filet mignon was good, tender and juicy. However, i didn't quite like the "Vegetables" that came with it, it was just one type of veggie, i was expecting more variety. The steak was already cut which made it easier to eat, it would have been a mission cutting the steak in complete darkness. read more

It's one of those "must try" places in Toronto, but in the "must try just once" way. When we walk in, we check in the the girl at the front desk, and grab some menus. Supposedly, someone will come around the waiting area and take our orders. This was not clear to us though, so we lined up for the checkout line without knowing. Also, because my date has a common name, they missed his name for almost half an hour past our reservation time, and finally realized we were waiting. Food was mediocre. My date ordered grilled octopus, steak and fruit sorbet. I tried each dish and they were all.......mediocre! None were terrible, but none were amazing either. I ordered the surprise for each course, and my starter was a salad. From my taste identification skills, the salad had spinach, arugula, apricot, cranberries and some other things, but quite basic! The main was chicken and asparagus. Hm, very basic. Dessert was a bit better, tasted like a cheesecake parfait, or a pudding version of cheesecake. The experience itself was interesting. My date and I went full-out and ordered wine as well. It's amazing how aware I become as to where everything is based on touch and memory, but managed to drink (and enjoy!) my wine with no mishaps. Can't say the same for the table next to us, smashed glass and all. Our server was very good, and made sure we were comfortable the whole time. If this was just a restaurant, I'd give it a 3 star only, food was mediocre and service ok. But given the type of experience, I'd say definintely try it out if you have no problems with the dark. Very interesting place! read more

The food was terrible. We had the surprise 3 course meal, and honestly I was really disappointed. Our first course was the most boring, dry, salad. My date didn't even eat it. The food is comparable to crappy wedding/catering food. Our waiter left us at our table for a long time between our appetizer and dinner, it actually became pretty boring. We ran out of wine, and no one came to check on us for a while. By the time our dessert came we were ready to get out of there. I guess it was an interesting experience but I wouldn't recommend this to anyone especially since you pay so much for crappy food/wine/service. read more

I was intrigued by the experience of eating in complete darkness and was not disappointed in that regard. It was incredibly interesting to be seated and served by a blind server and I was fascinated by how well she navigated the dining room and made us all feel comfortable with our surroundings. I ordered all surprise items from the menu and loved the mystery of not knowing what was coming to me. Unfortunately, the food didn't at all live up to my expectations . . . the entree that I was given (chicken and gravy) was adequate, but reminded me of a generic Holiday dinner form any number of convenience lunch restaurants, rather than a meal fit to deserve its price tag. My appetizer was fine too, but nothing to write home about. All-in-all, I'm really glad I tried it and loved the experience, but I won't be going back. read more

I came here with my boyfriend recently for the first time after wanting to try it for years! The setup of the place is cool. It's underground and once you get inside the environment is kind of dark and gloomy. A hostess greets you and hands you the menu because you need to order before you go inside. There are few options under each category- appetizer, main and dessert. There is an option to get a 3 course meal, or just 2. We both got 2, just appetizer and main because we have been trying to eat well. There is also an option under each category to get the 'surprise.' For my appetizer I got the portobello mushroom salad and for my main I got a pesto chicken. We were then lead into the dining room by our server. It felt so weird having to be seriously assisted sitting down and finding our plates and feeling out our surroundings. The experience definitely made me empathize what the blind have to deal with everyday. The waiter brought us bread, shortly followed by the appetizer. I tried to use cutlery but found it pretty difficult and ended up saying screw it an mostly ate with my hands. Same with during the main course. The food was very good, but apparently when you can't see your other senses are heightened, so maybe had I been able to see it wouldn't have been as good, who knows! Eating in the pitch black was definitely an experience. You literally can't see a thing. I was constantly worried about knocking something over or making a mess. When we were finished eating we tried to converse but found it difficult to due to the loudness of the place as well as the fact that we were so distracted by the dark. We got out of there as soon as we could and realized we had only been in for an hour. I guess you eat faster when you can't see! Overall a cool and different experience and I definitely learned a lot from it! Would recommend it to friends. On a funny side note, my boyfriend ordered the surprise main and thought he was eating chicken and cous cous but it turns out it was pork and quinoa :P read more

This place isn't about the food, it's honestly about the experience. You pick your food items and look at the menu before you enter into the dark rooms. It's completely pitch black inside, so it does feel very claustrophobic and personally, I wouldn't recommend it for young children or seniors either, since it can be quite an adjustment. Your senses definitely heighten inside the darkened room and you pay much more attention to what you eat and who you eat with since those are the two things you know for sure. It's quite fun trying to figure out all the elements on your plate and eat it without making a mess, but otherwise, the food itself isn't that mind-blowing, and quite simple dishes to be honest. read more

Very fun experience....we are always looking for something outside the norm and this fit the bill perfectly!

I had a great experience there, I ordered the vegetarian pasta and it was amazing. The service was very good. I talk about this restaurant all the time with my friends and family telling them they must try it out! Not only do you get to experience something different but it also makes you realize how important it is to be thankful for your vision. read more

Dining at 'O'Noir Toronto' was a surreal experience. I first saw this concept on Hell's Kitchen and was excited to see we have a place like this in Toronto! The way it works is you can check your coat in for free (tips appreciated but not required), and then sit in a small lounge (with a bar) where you're given menus. A waitress/waiter will come take your order and then take you to a door where a visually impaired waiter will take you into a dark (pitch-black) dining room to your table. You hold on to him and your friends will all hold on to each other and walk to the table. You're waited on as per usual, and anytime you need him, you call out to him and he'll come (he's nearby). And yes, there are other people around at their own tables. It seems there were about three separate dining areas though, rather than one big one. When we got back to the lounge to pay after, some people came out of another door saying their area was quiet, while we complained about a large flamboyant group in our dining area. It is not scary. Personally, I was very comfortable. The food was average. There wasn't a huge selection. The calamari appetizer is NOT recommended. I had the chicken breast with scalloped potatoes, beans and grilled eggplant. The chicken breast was moist. Chocolate cake dessert was good. It's a good one time experience, and enhanced if you're trying to be romantic. Price range $32-$40.00, plus drinks. FYI - It's under an apartment building in a quiet residential area of downtown. Street parking is free after 9pm so that was great. I was able to park right infront the restaurant I would recommend this for an adventurous novelty night out. read more

Hey guys its me again - your food connoisseur from the hood. A lot of you guys might be wondering how the heck is a kid from the hood eating at all these places, well it's simple I have a job - and no I'm not you neighbourhood drug dealer. I'm your average person. Anyways enough of my rap-sheet I mean background lets get on to this review... So I came here a couple weeks ago with a couple of friends. Got this groupon which was a good price for a three course meal. I'm always looking for a deal so I had to buy it. Walked in and it looked shady it was like I was going to Dracula's house but I guess that's the ambience they're going for. I didn't mind it I had a couple stains on my shirt that day so it worked out perfectly. Walked into the dark room and it was a little cold but I guess it's to keep you from falling asleep cause it's pitch dark in there. We had a set menu and they gave us an app main and dessert. I forgot what I had for the app but for the main I had salmon and rice which was ok not dry but nothing to die over and had ice cream (prob chapmans) as a dessert. That's as much as I'm going to talk about the food cause it's not really for the food its more for the experience. I found it overall to be pretty cool, but when you really think about it it's just a dark room where you eat, and then I thought to myself I do this often. This is one of those places where you'll go once and prob won't ever go again. read more

Finally found time to go here! First of all, I was very surprised to find out there are only 2 sittings per night (for Saturday it was 5:45 and 8:30, may be different on other evenings) and they book up fast, so get your reservations in an advance. Once you see how the whole set up works, it makes sense why they don't have people coming and going throughout the night. Our food was very good, of course you're going for the experience and not the food, but based on others' reviews I was quite surprised at how much I enjoyed our meal. The appetizer came out right away, but the time between apps and mains was quite long - hard to tell how long, being in the dark! Expect to sit for 2+ hours, especially if you order a bottle of wine, as the glasses are filled for you, and you'll need to wait for the waiter to come back around to ask for the fill. Another tip - food is pre-cut! Don't be afraid to order the steak, it comes in bite sized pieces. Same with the veggie dishes. The experience - don't want to give away too much but it truly is an experience where you can't see your hand in front of your face. You have no idea how big the room is, how many people are in it, and if your waiter is standing next to you or not. It's cute to hear the people around you - everyone tends to giggle and whisper like a 10 year old's sleepover party after your parents warn you to go to bed. I'd love to go back with a group and see how that dynamic is. You use your hands A LOT. Wash them before you go in - you'll be grasping at your plate quite a bit, especially when they bring the bread rolls. You will get messy - take this opportunity to chew and speak with your mouth full, no one will be the wiser :) I'll definitely be back with unsuspecting victims, I mean, other friends. read more

Some restaurants have a unique niche and generally they should be applauded for it. However it does not matter how great that niche is, if the food is not great, then well, you are just not a great restaurant. O.Noir has a GREAT niche which boils down to: You dine in pitch darkness. So yes, by all means, come out and give it a try, once. Maybe twice. It makes for an interesting date at some point in your dating life or to invite friends who come from out of town. For those wondering, you arrive at the restaurant, and spend some time at their bar meanwhile they prepare your "room" for the dining experience as you order your meal in advance. The rooms are large and can hold a number of tables, so no, you two (or four) will not dine alone. You are ushered by the serving staff, who are blind themselves, to your table and there, you wait, you chat, and eventually as the food is served, you eat. My date and I were seated against the wall, which made the whole experience fairly easy for me as I could use the wall as a 3D point of reference to where everything else was even in total darkness. I would assume the experience would have been a bit different if we sat away from the wall. One of my friends who had recommend the place had hinted that your senses get used to the darkness and that the meal may taste different because of it. I had no such experience, the food tasted like it was meant to taste. Was it "sensual" as it described on their website? No. It was a bit fun yet still, the old saying that your other senses get enhanced due to the lack of sight may be true although not something that is going to happen in 1 hour. Unlike the blind servers who for what I could hear were able to easily maneuver the room while carrying everyone's food from sheer memory alone. How about the food you ask? I found the food, for the price, to be okay. It was just alright and really not all that memorable. I had the Filet Mignon with potatoes and vegetables and the strongest memory I have is of eating the carrots due to their shape. Even when special attention was paid due to the fact I could not see what I was eating, the whole thing was just alright. I was probably more excited about the company than the whole experience. Definitely worth doing so you can say you have tried it although I would not suggest repeated visits. I mean, why? You could probably replicate the experience at your own home and maybe, even with better food. read more

We had dinner here and it was a good experienced. Good food. I got dizzy tho, it was my first time eating in the dark..

I was quite scared to try this place as i am afraid of the dark; but nonetheless it was a unique experience. We got a groupon deal and paid approx 64 for the groupon deal without tax and tips. Tips and tax is extra. The waitress is so sweet! she came to check up on us constantly and asked us if we have any questions. The food isnt as bad as i thought. It is kind of true that the food isnt warm as my appetizer octopus came cold. The octopus was full of spice and is juicy. the steak was pretty good - It was flavourful, hot and pre-cut for you. Obviously i cant see the portion size but i felt like theres a lot of steak. We got ice cream so it was quite messy but fun to eat. Overall, it was an experience thats different - an experience without using your phone! read more

I've really contemplated whether I should give 3 or 4 stars! Alas, my mind says 4. Here's the dealio... You want to dine in the dark? Well, that's what you get here. As mentioned in previous posts, you choose your food and drinks in the lit, waiting area. Once your selection has been made, the blind servers lead you in, help you sit down and direct where you should put bags, coats and drinks. I went with my brother, who is an self-proclaimed olympic eater. So immediately, I knew the food would be smaller portioned and perhaps not the finest of qualities. How did I know this? We were told to grab bread from a basket. It was warm, but it was a general roll of bread one would get from the grocery store or Costco. Those little oval dinner rolls... If they left a few in a basket I'd be more impressed, but we got one each. We quickly got our appetizers, grilled calamari for each. It was really good. It was warm and saucy/marinated-y and decently portioned. I didn't really understand serving it with lumps of fresh cut tomato, the thought was quickly lost once I put that calamari in my mouth, I understood the benefits of dining in the dark. I could taste everything with extraordinary ability. I don't think I have the greatest palette, but man, this was just a great marinade. My brother and I joked that for people who don't really care for tomatoes, we kinda enjoyed them as well. I will say, it was hard to cut those slippery suckers in the dark! For our mains, I got the pesto chicken and he got the filet mignon. My chicken was cooked really well. It came precut, as well as the beed, which was a huge savior. However tasty my meal was, I did feel it wasn't anything I couldn't cook on my own. It was with steamed string beans (can't tell if green or yellow or mixed) and oven roasted potatoes. I will say everything was warm (added in response to the few reviews before me) and really well seasoned. I dislike too much salt and was worried I'd be able to taste it after noticing the heightened senses I experienced after the appy. So while I wasn't impressed with the level of creativity regarding our dishes, I did like and eat all of it. The few minor downsides.... We pretty much ate everything with out fingers, so our one napkin didn't last very long. Also, DON"T WEAR WHITE/LIGHT COLOURED CLOTHING! Additional upsides.... the music station was 90's/early 00's pop and hip hop. We were loving the Will Smith, Snoop Dogg, RHCP etc, mix. Another bonus, I could totally dance in my seat and not look a fool. Our server was also SUPER freaking nice. One of the greatest customer service experiences I've ever had. I don't think I'll rush to go back, mainly because for the price I paid I do expect better food quality, but I did have a really good time! read more

Let me start by saying that I was so excited for this experience and left feeling annoyed and disappointed. When you are eating in the dark all of your other senses become heightened. So I guess I was expecting something wonderful for my other senses. Maybe nice soft table linens and napkins, textures cutlery, nice music playing in the background and mouth watering food. What we got was very different. It took an hour for our appetizers to come. We got one cheap thin hotdog stand napkin, in a place where you are eating blindly!!! There was absolutely no music playing, it was like you were eating in a loud cafeteria. The plates and cutlery also felt like they were straight out of a cafeteria. The salad starter was drenched in so much dressing it was inedible, but I couldn't send it back cause the server never came to check on us...ever. We finally just had to start yelling out his name cause you can't see anything. My husband got the tuna steak. It was so dry that the only way we could choke it down was to mash it up and mix it in the mashed potatoes. For dessert I had the cheesecake and my husband had the chocolate cake and ice cream. The cheesecake wasn't bad and the cake wasn't terrible but the ice cream was almost totally melted. Also remember that you have cheap paper napkins while basically eating with your hands, luckily I alway carry wet wipes with me. And when we were finally done, we again had to yell out for our server to lead us out of the room. The servers have way to many table to wait on and were not able to give any personalized service. Never once through the meal were we asked if we needed anything like more water or how were we enjoying the meal. I feel that Onoir could be amazing but instead completely missed the mark. It was the only restaurant I've eaten at since moving to Toronto were I left feeling completely disappointed. If you are looking for an amazing unique experience with great food and service do not come here. read more

I reccently decided to try o noir because of its unique dining experience and Groupon deal which was going on. I'll get back to the Groupon deal in a second but first the dining experience. The dining experience is very unique and intersting having to rely much heavily on your other senses other than sight. It can get quite loud in the rooms because people assume they cannot be heard or something when the light is off and that the room isn't very large. Another nucence is that although the staff advise diners no phones, people still check their phones which ruin the experience and is blinding. The appetizers came out very quickly and I had the calamari while my of had the salad. The food was better than expected considering what I have heard from other reviews I've read prior to eating there. We waited I'm assuming 30 mins at least for the main entre to arrive assuming its due to the fact that we were seated first and the other partons were just starting their apps. When the main course finally arrived it didn't disappoint I had the stake and my gf had the chicken dish. Both were on point and the portion size was good. Finally the deserts came out a lot quicker than the wait for the main entree. I had the surprise desert and my gf had the sorbet. Nothing special but I did enjoy the surprise which I believe is a fruit based cake. Finally when paying for the dinner with my Groupon I was shocked that it didn't not have taxes paid on the vouch which I was expecting. The gratitude were auto charged to my balance which ended up being $13 based off of 15%, which I did expect. Overall savings of the Groupon deal was nil due to this fact and I was a little disappointed that this was not more explicitly stated on the voucher I purchased. Never again. read more