I brought 2 friends from out of town this past weekend to the show. They wanted to do something fun and original. Let me tell you, this show is definitely both of those! Fun and Very Original. None of us had ever been to a show like this before. It was really funny, and interactive with the audience too. The food was good, I had chicken and my friends had the vegetarian option. We were all very pleased with our meals. And we loved the other people at our table. You get to make up an alias for the show and we all had a really good time with that. At our table, there was Dr. Evil, Cameron Diaz, Barack Obama, and Hulk Hogan. I mean seriously... how often can you say that you sat at the same table as those four people? :) The actors were hilarious and very talented. They must do a lot of of improv because they were on their toes all night. I would definitely recommend this show to anyone out there who is looking for something fun and different to do than just go see a movie. We had a memorable night, and the perfect thing to do with out of town guests! read more

Wow - these reviews are awful! I really loved it. I was expecting cheesy dinner theater - but what happened is very cerebral entertainment experience. The actors are mixed in with the audience members, so the killers and victims are at your table (maybe) - eating and chatting. (It's a very social experience and you meet new people - so it's not for people who want to sit back and be alone on their date). Anyway, these actors have told these lies so many times - they have it down pat. I won't give spoilers, but one guy was pretending to work at the same place I do - and I went up to him - and he totally pulled it off. I saw him after the show and said, "you got me!" I should have asked you X and Y. He said, "I would have had an answer, no matter what you asked." So it's a whole exercise in looking around the room, trying to figure out who's an actor, being somewhat suspicious of the people around you, etc. It was actually somewhat fascinating. That said, I see why people don't like it. It's an actual mystery interactive show and not one-direction entertainment. At one point you're supposed to mingle, work the room and ask people questions, and I was like, "Ugh. Really?"- but once I got over the fact that the lights weren't going to be dimmed - I had a good time. And got fooled! I thought the food was fine. read more

Me and my wife attended the dinner mystery and we had a ball. The cast was great the show was entertaining the people there were nice only thing that could tell I would have to say is that the chicken could have used salt. But besides that it's definitely worth doing to try something different in Chicago never would have expected but is definitely A must attend. Taking place in the historic Chicago hotel such as a Knickerbocker was a great setting for the evening me and my wife really enjoyed ourself. read more

Fun show... But not what I was expecting. I took my dad to tommy guns last yr and he had a blast. This yr not so much. He didn't get much of the dirty or modern puns that the actors would say. And I was expecting a lot more for the expensive price. The meals were way too gapped in between. Be prepared to have one simple appetizer, a measly salad, and not have your full course until 8:15pm. So definitely do not go hungry! They force you to mingle for a half hour which is ridiculous. We paid to watch a show not talk to strangers. Tommy Guns was a show the entire time and worth the price. Sadly cannot say the same about this. read more

The food was great and the atmosphere was fun. My only complaint was the killer was someone completely out of left field, as in it was very unlikely you'd encounter him/her to talk so you couldn't connect the clues to them. Also, the guy I suspected was another attendee who read the clues and lied to make himself fit the information. That took out a lot of the fun for me. read more

Don't let the negative reviews dissuade you! The show was absolutely hilarious, the cast was energizing, and the other attendees are so fun. The food was nothing special, but still tasty. I had 2 actors at my table, and wouldn't have guessed it. The more you get into it, the more fun you will have. Enjoy!! read more

It was a pretty good time. The food was delicious - we had the tilapia. The performers were high-energy and engaging and confident, really funny with great comedic timing. You'll get the most out of the experience if you use your imagination and let yourself get into it. Our only gripe was the storytelling of the mystery itself - we felt that the resolution was cheap and dissatisfying. My boyfriend and I spent the whole 3 hours notating and brainstorming, making logical connections to come up with the answer, but the actual solution was more pun-based than anything, and that was frustrating. It left us with a sour taste, but overall it was a fun and unique experience. read more

I absolutely NEVER write reviews but....I brought a party of 8 to the Dinner Detective and every single one of my group had a ball! The dinner itself was nothing to rave about but it certainly was not bad by any means. I was pleased as punch that everyone had such a good time. It is a great entertainment alternative and I would definately recommend checking it out. A fun night was had by all!!! read more

food wasn't very good. acting was decent...a few surprises. went with my husband and would be better to go with a group. also was pregnant and not drinking...probably would've been better had I been drinking. :) read more

We recently went to the show with some out of town guests. It is a little pricey, but you get a complete dinner and a 3 hour show. Considering the cost, that's a pretty good deal! The Hilton Garden Inn was a good location too. If I have 1 complaint about the show it would be that sometimes it was hard to hear. The actors work without mics. I would definitely go again. read more

A great deal for a great show! The storyline is very well laid out and the hosts do a great job keeping the crowd engaged. It is super fun. The "detectives" engage with the audience but the show doesn't rely too much on audience participation. You are given clues at your table so you can sit back a bit if you don't want to get too involved. We had two actors at our table and they were fabulous -- we were shocked when they were revealed to be a part of the show. The mystery was tricky to solve and kept us interested the entire time. I just went with one person which actually made it more fun because we ended up being placed with two actors. If you go as a group you all sit together so it is less of a mystery who is involved and who isn't. Would highly recommend for birthdays groups of friends or a night out! If you're taking someone as a surprise the prime suspect package is super fun and guarantees the hosts will involve them. read more

I would like to give this company a good review but that is not the case. My wife and I were suppose to go this past Saturday. Saturday morning my 92 year old grandmother called and said that she had chest pains so we took her to the doctor and she was admitted to the hospital. Needless to say we were not able to make it to the dinner. My wife made contact with the company and they said they would reschedule us for a different day as long as we paid an additional $84. So we will never know how good it is read more

I just saw this show with my family visiting from out of town, and we were thoroughly engaged and entertained throughout the entire evening. The actors have tremendous energy and display some extremely quick-witted improv skills that kept me laughing continuously. I enjoyed the appetizers and dessert quite a bit, and I must say that you get a legitimate four-course meal for your buck. The serving staff was very good and very professional, and it is fun to be on the top floor of a landmark hotel on the Magnificent Mile. Most of all, the comedic skills of all the actors involved - particularly the detectives and the greeter checking us in - would definitely make me recommend this show to anyone looking for an interactive dinner theater experience in Chicago. read more

I decided to go here for my birthday thinking this would be fun...wrong. It was a large group of us 13 to be exact on the website it says if you have someone under 15 it's their discretion to allow entry so I email asking if my niece would be able to tag along and they say no the show is too mature and violent. The show had no blood, no guns, and two stabbing motions....I must've blinked and missed the violence. They also had to sit my party at two separate tables saying we wouldn't fit at one but we would be adjacent, they weren't close enough for us to throw a football to. Long story short the food was not good, (I had the chicken and it was dry and flavorless) the service was rushed (they try to take your plate every two minutes) the plot was messy and it definitely wasn't worth the price of admission ($75 a ticket) the only good thing was the two main characters were funny and great at improv and we did enjoy the other couples seated at our table. If you have money to blow and nothing better to do, try it out. read more

My girlfriend loves mysteries so I surprised her on her birthday with a ticket to the show. She loved it and I had a lot of fun too! The detectives just took over the room and had everyone laughing. I thought it was just going to be a show that happened in front of us while we ate but everyone became part of the story. The "killer" was among us so we had to go around and interview the other people at the dinner to figure out the mystery and It was nice to interact with everyone and make it that much more of a fun evening. I want to go again! read more

Such a good time! We went with a group of 4 (young and old) and had a great night of fun. It's set up in an interactive manner, a nice balance of figuring our the mystery while being well entertained. We mostly wanted to be entertained and boy! were the detectives hilarious! The show gave every table a good dose of special treatment and focus, which was nice to really feel involved. Felt very organized. We didn't drink, but it's true, drink prices are high. The food is ok. We couldn't figure out "who done it," but it really didn't matter; the show was lighthearted, funny and 'cray-cray in a good way.' If you're looking for a unique&interactive show experience, go. I have no problem recommending this! read more

The Dinner Detective was such a great show! I went with a group of out-of-town friends and they had such a good time. After seeing all the major Chicago tourist attractions (Art Institute, Hancock, Willis Tower...) I didn't know what else to show them. I came across The Dinner Detective and decided it would be something fun that we could all participate in. My friends really enjoyed themselves and were impressed with the local Chicago talent. The actors were hilarious!! And they really involve the audience which is really different and far more interesting than other dinner theater/mystery shows I've seen. I highly recommend this show to anyone. There were older couples and bachelorette parties: good time for all! read more

I went last Saturday and I had a blast! This was my time with the Dinner Detective murder mystery show and I made an account on yelp just to write a review. At first, my boyfriend and I told ourselves that we would take it easy and just enjoy the show -- easier said than done. Almost immediately, we found ourselves looking through all the clues and whispering our observations of suspicious people. ("Oh, you were a private investigator? How SUSPICIOUS.") . Here's how it works -- there are hors d'oeuvres whilst mingling and meeting others, then the murder happens (random person shouted "You didn't land in the body outline!"), the detectives do their hilarious clue-finding show, we look over the clues during our salad, get entertained by the incompetent detectives again (so many jokes about the CPD), look over more evidence during your entree (I recommend the fish option - the salmon was pretty good; a few complaints on the chicken on yelp), the detectives show reaches a climax and New! Events! Occur!, and you try to solve it by the time dessert is through. I liked that the times set for meals were long enough to look back at the clues several times (you have to share with the table) as well as finish your food. Honestly, I had so much fun connecting the dots that I hardly remember tasting my food. It was definitely very entertaining. My tips for you are to make sure you comprehend the story among most, or all, of the clues; meet as many people as you can and remember their aliases (who has a motive?); and enjoy making up your persona. Everyone has a nametag and chooses an alias (lots of celebrity names, pun names, and infamous names) -- a couple people told us they had suspected my boyfriend was the killer because he was acting so... suspicious. During this show, the actors were interspersed with all the other guests, so the paranoia was definitely justified. I would say the cons were related to money. The cash bar prices are WAYYY overpriced, like $11 for a glass of gin. The show is moderately pricey... but when you think of it as the price of a show + a 4-course dinner, then it's not that bad. If you only go to watch the show and not interact, you're going to have a bad time and think it's overpriced. But if you go with the mindset of being open to interacting with everyone, driving up people's suspicions of your character, and using your critical thinking for solving the crime, then the price is worth it -- the meal is almost an afterthought, like a bonus. And I love bonus food. Finally, I wish the pictures taken at the beginning were a part of the price of the show; they take pictures of you with a normal pose and a pose with weapons, then approach you with hard copies for $30 ($35?) -- the system of printing out all the photos seems kind of mind-boggling to me as a waste of money and left a bad taste in my mouth as a cash grab. Why not show what the photos would look like on an electronic tablet (to save printing money) or send the photos online as a courtesy (as part of the basic tickets package, so people feel like they got the most bang for their buck)? For constructive criticisms, I wish there were more of the "This is a clue!!!" clues to find, and/or maybe a microphone at each table to make sure everyone in the room can hear each other during the detectives' interactive bit (then remove the microphone during meals). Overall, I enjoyed myself and would love to bring my friends in a few months, when the company cycles to a new crime story. I definitely want to come back, maybe at their next location. The one I went to was located at the Millennium Knickerbocker Hotel -- it's freaking gorgeous and definitely a fitting backdrop to a murder mystery. I would recommend this show to everyone who has a sense of humor and a hidden fantasy of being Sherlock Holmes/Nancy Drew/Encyclopedia Brown/Miss Marple/Shawn Spencer/Adrian Monk/Columbo. read more

My wife and I had such a great and fun time! Good food, fun to meet some new people. Actors were amazing! We had a couple at our table and we never even suspected them! Highly recommend this for an evening of great fun! read more

I went to see the dinner detective show in Chicago (it is in several cities) a few Saturdays ago and was very pleased. The actors are energetic and quick on their feet, and they were friendly even in character. My girlfriend and I had a great time meeting some new people and laughing about the evening after. The drinks are a little pricey and the food could be better, but it was worth it overall, and definitely a good time! read more

11/15/14 - after reading the other reviews I was real nervous about going but I thought the show was funny and the food was good. I would definitely recommend going and seeing it, read more