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    The Dinner Detective

    4.3 (76 reviews)
    Ultra High-EndDinner Theater
    Closed 10:00 am - 5:00 pm

    The Dinner Detective Photos

    THE DINNER DETECTIVE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Loud
    Dogs allowed
    Good for groups
    Dressy

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    Check in table.
    Darran J.

    What a great fun time to have, especially for a special occasion dinner experience. Was given this as a birthday gift and was scheduled for the show on 11/2/24. To really get the most out of this experience, it helps to be a bit extroverted as you should try to immerse yourself in the storyline. First, this particular show is held at The Hotel Lulu near Disneyland and The Garden Walk. Nice hotel, standard banquet rooms, hotel was clean, and the hotel staff was friendly. Maybe I should do a separate review for them alone. On to the show... It was really fun. It may not be the right cup of tea for everyone, but we all thought that it was a wonderful time and a great way to be together. I must also add that we are a family who loves to do Escape Rooms and other adventure/thinking/mystery type events together. So, this was right on point for us. This is mainly adults; no young kids so be aware. There were a couple of 15-16-year-olds there for a birthday but no younger ones. Please check the website. BTW, you will be asked to use a fake name for the performance that is written on your nametag. It's OK to be a bit colorful... The jokes could be kind of corny, there is a little slap-stick kind of humor in the performance, and it is not a deep-thinking or serious kind of performance. You are there to have fun and you will. Having known people that have been performers, I can tell you that doing dinner theater is hard, really hard sometimes. Get a bad individual in a group or worse, a crowd that doesn't seem to care at all, and it makes it so much harder on the performers. Everyone in the show was really trying hard, putting forth a good effort, interacting with the guests and working on making it a good time for everyone. Overall, we had a pretty good group at this seating, so it made it easier for the performers to want to be good at what they were doing. The basics, someone is "murdered" and dies in the room. Gotta figure out who did it. And it's someone in the room with you right now. Everyone with a name tag is a suspect. There are several clues, written papers, voice recording transcripts, etc... Some of these are made available to you where you scan a QR code with your phone. Each of the 3 "acts" have a passcode needed to unlock the clues as the night went along. But also, since I just complained about this in another review, they have a paper backup that they put on the wall so you can go look at the clues. So, in case your phone doesn't open the QR clues, you don't have a smartphone, you are older and not tech savvy, you can still access everything that you need. Also, some people, myself included, sometimes like to see everything laid out in front of me. Plus, you can talk to and mix with the others also looking at the clues. Another great way to interact and question others at the murder mystery. I don't want to give away anything about the performers, but we ended up picking 3 of the undercover performers as "suspicious" early on. But as the storyline goes along, that they (the cast) pick 3 suspects from the audience and have you write them down as clues/possible killer. In our case, none of the 3 suspects that they gave us as clues was involved. It was someone else! This may change depending on the version of the story that they are telling that night. So, remember, everyone who has a nametag is a viable suspect at the end. My only real complaint for the night was about the food. The appetizers were good, but the entrees (chicken or Tilapia) were both mediocre at best. Fish was overcooked/cold, chicken was bland/cold, mashed potatoes were very dry/cold. The vegetables were not bad though. The dessert was good but really small, literally one bite. I know that it is hard to blame the dinner theater itself for the food as that is provided by the hotel. But ultimately, if there are complaints about the food, such as mine, it's up to the dinner theater group to hold the hotel accountable since they are paying for it from our fees. Sorry about that. I really want to give a shout out to the performers. Dinner theater can really be a grind, and these guys really worked hard at making it fun. The pacing of the show was really good, they came around to talk to everyone during the "breaks". They kept it light-hearted and kept us moving along on the journey. I highly recommend that if you are looking for something different to go do as a date night, work event, birthday party or guys/girls' night out, that you give this a try. Extra bonus points if you go by yourself and dress/act suspiciously to throw others off of the scent of the real actors...lol Hope you enjoy it!

    Disneyland fireworks after the show
    Caroline N.

    What a fun evening. I loved it! The cast did an excellent job. The food was great! I had chicken with mashed potatoes and gravy, excellent veggies, salad and bread. Everyone seemed to have a great time solving the murder. This event was in the LuLu Hotel, a very nice beautiful clean hotel across from Disneyland. After the show we stepped outside and watched the fireworks

    Nana K.

    Ok, this was a fun night! My daughter loves Murder mysteries, so I thought it would be fun for our family to come for our wedding anniversary. The crew is very funny! They know how to engage the crowd, and it was easy to be entertained all night. One star off because I thought the food was mediocre, and the venue as well. It is definitely not the 5 star 5 course meal at a fancy hotel, but we already kind of expected that. Plus part is that their drinks are very affordable! Around $5 for beer and wine, we had more than 10 drinks and paid about $70 total including tip (that's even after we bought some for our new friends at the table lol!) Tip: their pasta (for us) that night was bland. I enjoyed the fish plate much more

    Angela C.

    I've been to a murder mystery dinner over 20 years ago and remember it being super cheesy and kind of lame. I thought maybe it would be a little better now and surprisingly it was really entertaining and my group loved it and was laughing so much. I'm terrible at puzzles, mysteries, trivia type stuff so I didn't really bother with the clues but you can tell they went through a lot of trouble creating the storyline and keeping the show organized and progressing well. The actors were amazing, they were soooo good at improvising and engaging audience members and making relevant jokes. I can see how the evening could've been less fun if the actors weren't good or if the audience refused to participate but we weren't unlucky. I'm not rating the food as I would normally not go out of my way to eat at a hotel or at an event where the establishment has to serve a hundred people all at once, it's rarely ever going to be great (I'm a picky foodie) plus these events are held at different venues so it'll be different food that's not within their control. I will say though the hotel Lulu did a really good job serving everyone timely, I was surprised to see that. I would definitely return and recommend this experience for anyone looking for a good time.

    Salad appetizer ready when you get there

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    3 years ago

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    Brandon J.

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    3 years ago

    It was a lot of fun. The actors did a good job of including the audience in a casual and fun way. Would recommend!

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    5 years ago

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    3 years ago

    Love the show, the actors were fantastic and would indeed have friends come and see the show.

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    3 years ago

    Great storyline and ambitious. Food and service was ok. Will come back. It was a lot of fun with the family.

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    4 years ago

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    3 years ago

    The show was absolutely wonderful. Funny funny funny! Food was good,small portions. Definitely would do again and again!

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    3 years ago

    Great energy. Show and actors are fun and very professional. Well worth the money and had a great time

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    4 years ago

    Was such a blast! The actors were so funny and put on a great show! Definitely recommend :)

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    5 years ago

    great show but the food wasnt good

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    Page 2 of 2

    Ask the Community - The Dinner Detective

    Is there adult language on this show?

    The show is geared toward adults, but our actors do not use curse words or bad language. We do have an Age Requirement of 15 and older for all of our events.

    I'm looking for a place to celebrate my son's 18th birthday on September 2nd. Would u be able to accommodate 20 ish people?

    Thanks for thinking of us and inquiring about our shows. Unfortunately your group is not large enough to host a private show, but we would still love to see you and your group at one of our public shows. In order to have a private show, we require… Read more

    Is there a dress code?

    Business Casual

    I did this back in 2015, is the show the same or have they changed it up?

    Hi Josh! We have multiple scripts, so you would have to call our Box Office at 866-496-0535 and let them know which script you originally saw. They can then tell you which script is currently playing! Thanks!

    If you know most of the people st the dinner will it still be a mystery?

    Absolutely! It actually just makes the show more fun, because you have no idea who is a Suspect, and who isn't! But it will not be obvious who the participants are, and everyone will still be going through the clues to try and figure out who the… Read more

    View All 6 Questions

    Review Highlights - The Dinner Detective

    Our company attented this dinner and a show and i had a blast, thank you for the humorous and entertaining show.

    Mentioned in 7 reviews

    Read more highlights

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    4.0
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    I love this show and the food is very good, and original, the show is amazing, they have all o…read morebeautiful horses.

    Amazing show with a built in meal. While many people complain about the meal, the main highlight is…read morethe immersive show, so if you expect good food this isn't the place for you. If you want to see real jousting inside an arena where you cheer for your own (assigned) knight, then come enjoy this immersive experience where you even eat with your hands like they did in the medieval times! We did not expect long lines where you check in to receive your seat assignment, which determines your section/knight you cheer on. I think we were seated higher up because we came 15mins before the show started, so if you want front row seats, definitely come early (at least an hour early). People in line were very enthusiastic, and there were people dressed up too! They have a bar where you can get drinks inside cool souvenir cups, and there is a really neat gift shop outside the arena, too! If you come early enough, you can even see the horses in their stables. The show and the horses was spectacular! They do amazing tricks leading up to the jostling and there was a falconer act, too! The crowd work was great and contributed to an amazing energy. TLDR: Come for a memorable and entertaining evening. If food is your thing, then nab some Porto's next door while waiting in line so you can truly enjoy an amazing show

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    Vegetarian Meal Option
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    The Dinner Detective

    The Dinner Detective

    4.6
    (159 reviews)
    23.6 mi

    My spouse & I had a nice evening with the Dinner Detective in Claremont, CA at the DoubleTree by…read moreHilton hotel. We arrived 15 min early as recommended and waited outside with the others. You are placed in a line and photos are taken and offered as a souvenir for $40. Upon entering the banquet space, you create your "alias" on a name tag to wear throughout your dinner & show. There are audience actor plants & obvious actors who play out the scenes during the dinner service. Each clue is guided by a host and clues are posted on the "wall" (this is virtual clues that you'll scan with your QR code that they place at your tables.) you eventually receive all the clues you need to form your guess on "who done it." It was silly, fun & a nice evening. The actors did a good job & dinner was perfectly fine given the preset menu provided upon your ticket purchase. With my allergy, I was provided a ticket to place at my table so that I would not be served plates with nuts. We were served coffee, tea & water, bread, salad, entree & a dessert (walnut chocolate chip cookies but I was served fruit d/t my allergy). Our table had a nice time investigating bc we were pretty sure someone at our table was the murderer. Would recommend if you're looking for a unique & fun thing to do that doesn't require a lot of physical effort & is entertaining.

    What a fun and unique experience! We arrived on time, and dinner didn't start until around 6:30, so…read moreyou have some flexibility if you don't arrive exactly at 6. The show itself was well done and interesting. It doesn't require you to actively participate, as there are actors around the room, but it's great if you do want to get involved. The food was surprisingly good, both the fish and the chicken were tasty. I'd say this is an experience worth checking out, especially since they often run deals online. Parking - It's at the DoubleTree, and there's plenty of parking around.

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    The Dinner Detective
    Brownie dessert
    Brownie dessert
    Salad to start.

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    IPIC Pasadena

    IPIC Pasadena

    4.0
    (2k reviews)
    28.6 mi
    $$

    Felt like a VIP movie night (with one tiny wrap flaw!)…read more Let me start with a quick parking tip because it's definitely in the fine print: there's "One Garage" literally right next door that offers complimentary 3-hour parking once you get validation from iPic, the only garage to get validated! Sounds amazing... until you show up and it's already full... which was what happened. Our movie started at 6:00 PM, we arrived around 5:20 PM, and the garage was completely closed off -- they weren't letting anyone else in. Luckily, we found parking about 3 minutes away and paid around $5, which honestly wasn't too bad. We came here for the second part of our Valentine's date night and watched Wuthering Heights because hello... Margot Robbie is my favorite girl. I haven't been here in over 15 years and WOW -- I forgot how absolutely beautiful this theater is inside. The lobby is spacious, classy, and honestly feels kind of luxurious. There are pool tables, a full bar area downstairs, and spaces where you can hang out with drinks and good company before your movie. We headed straight into our theater and ordered food from our seats (also... water is complimentary, love that). We were seated in our own little pod -- super intimate with two seats, cozy setup, and yes... a blanket. It truly felt like rich people movie night. Shoutout to our server Jake, who was outstanding from start to finish. Great service, super attentive, and made the experience even better. Food-wise: The Boss Burger ($20.5) was a solid 8.5/10 -- hubby really enjoyed it. Although, there were no pickles or tomatoes in there even though it was in their menu. I ordered the Chicken Caesar Wrap ($17), and I'll be honest... it was the only downside of the night. It was a bit cold and tough, and the tortilla-to-filling ratio was a little off for me. I'd give it a 6/10. If the tortilla was a bit warmer I'd think it'll be able to hold onto the filling a bit better, but that was meh, for me. BUT the fries? Piping hot, crispy, and delicious. And Jake even brought us ranch, BBQ sauce, and extra ketchup without us having to ask twice. Overall, this was my husband's first time here, and it definitely won't be our last. We had such a great experience -- the ambience, service, and overall vibe were top-tier. Can't wait for our next cozy movie night here!

    Very disappointed with the customer service at iPic Pasadena. We purchased the front luxury seats…read moreexpecting a premium experience, but the seating arrangement was extremely cramped and uncomfortable. The seats were way too close together, and the person next to us had belongings spread into the shared space, making it very difficult to get in and out of our seats comfortably. Because of how uncomfortable the situation was, we decided to leave during the previews before the movie even started. We politely explained the issue to the manager and asked if we could either move to different seats -- even less expensive ones -- or receive some type of accommodation such as passes for another movie. Unfortunately, the manager refused to help in any way and would not issue a refund, exchange, or even offer courtesy tickets. For a theater that markets itself as a luxury experience and charges premium prices, I expected much better customer service. Other theaters like AMC are usually much more understanding and willing to work with customers when issues arise. Instead, we left feeling frustrated after paying for a movie we never got to watch. Sadly, this experience completely turned us off from coming back.

    Photos
    IPIC Pasadena
    IPIC Pasadena
    IPIC Pasadena

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    Elementa at The Gallery

    Elementa at The Gallery

    4.3
    (3 reviews)
    27.2 mi

    Dinner, show and theater combined? Yes please. Everyone was…read moreover the moon and excited! The theme that we experienced was earth, water, air and fire! Every element had a theme that changes with each course. The menus included: Roots and dirts, hamachi, kabocha, eggplant and Paducah, tenderloin and mushroom, ube for desert! A neat experience but somewhat pricy considering all the extra fees/add ons and also tips and drinks were not included- the $200 food package does come with drinks (not even soft drinks). In addition, there was a service fee for each package that you purchase as well. Parking is a block away and no valet - plan ahead. We thought the food was just OK. Every dish was cold which we thought was odd. We had a birthday in our party and I even emailed them asking to see if they could put a candle on the dessert - they said no but they will be doing something special. I also noticed others who celebrated birthdays had happy birthday written next to their name - that was not the case in our party. On top of that, at the end of the night they gave us a bill for a meal that we prepaid in full. Overall, I was disappointed in the food - it felt like a dry/ practice run on opening day except the price did not reflect that. The staff was very nice and friendly.

    This is an interactive dinner and show the food was great with a great presentation. Lots of…read moreflavor. The host of the show was also great service is on point. If you want a dinner and show this is the place to go.

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    Elementa at The Gallery
    Elementa at The Gallery
    Elementa at The Gallery

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    Alamo Drafthouse Cinema

    Alamo Drafthouse Cinema

    3.7
    (698 reviews)
    27.5 mi
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    This is still my favorite movie theater, and I'm keeping my rating at five stars for now, but I'm…read moreconcerned about some of the recent changes. One of the things that made this theater special was the full-service experience. The 80s movie-themed atmosphere, extensive food and drink menu, and attentive servers made it feel like much more than a typical theater. Recently, they've switched to online ordering, and it has really changed the experience. Instead of quickly looking through a menu and placing an order with a server, you can end up spending much of the 30-minute pre-show period staring at your phone. That defeats part of the reason I come here in the first place. I've also noticed that the menu has been scaled back significantly. Some of my favorite items, including the breakfast sandwiches and other offerings, have disappeared. I used to recommend this theater not only because of its movie-loving atmosphere but also because of the quality and variety of the food. I don't come here for standard movie-theater snacks. I come for the great food, good beer and cocktails, nostalgic atmosphere, and overall experience. If the new ownership continues cutting back on what made this place unique, they risk losing loyal regulars. At that point, I might as well go to AMC if I'm just looking for typical movie-theater food. I hope management listens to customer feedback and preserves the qualities that made this theater stand out.

    I've always loved Alamo Drafthouse because it offered something different from other movie…read moretheaters. The no-phone policy and retro, old-school movie experience made it feel like you were truly there to enjoy the film and be present in the moment. The paper menus and traditional ordering system added to that experience and helped make every visit feel special. Unfortunately, my most recent visit was disappointing. Alamo has switched to QR code ordering on your phone, which completely takes away from the phone-free atmosphere that made this theater stand out in the first place. My boyfriend and I don't get to go to the movies often, so we were really looking forward to that classic Alamo experience. Instead, it felt like just another theater asking guests to be on their phones. The service also felt very impersonal. The servers seemed robotic, simply dropping off items and walking away. We were given drinks without straws, and there was very little interaction or attention to detail. The drinks themselves were honestly not good at all. I also ordered chicken tenders and fries and was surprised to learn that dipping sauces cost extra. While 50 cents isn't a huge amount, it feels odd that sauce isn't included with a meal like that. The movie itself was great, but what made Alamo special wasn't just the movie... it was the overall experience. Sadly, that unique feeling seems to be fading. I hope they reconsider some of these changes because they're starting to lose the magic that made so many people choose Alamo over other theaters.

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    Chicken Tenders entree meal
    Chicken Tenders entree meal
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    The Dinner Detective - dinnertheater - Updated July 2026

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