If you are looking for something fun to do in Pittsburgh that is interactive and exciting, I seriously hope you consider going to the Dinner Detective at the Omni William Penn. I went for my 40th birthday & the actors made the show so much fun! I've been to a few mystery dinner theaters in the past and this was one of my favorites! The food was great quality banquet food. When you get in the room, your salad is already served and you have a choice of balsamic or ranch dressing. They also serve warm rolls and butter with your salad. You get a small charcuterie board for the table, which is pictured in my post. We had a choice of roasted chicken, roasted salmon, or grilled vegetable Napoleon. My boyfriend and our friends had the grilled chicken, which they liked. I had the grilled salmon which was cooked perfectly and served with a sweet sauce & rice pilaf. They come around with coffee & dessert at the end of the dinner. read more

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VERY unique dinner show experience! Be prepared to socialize!! Very interactive with you and the other guests. Great for groups or a date night. Go into it with a good attitude and you will definitely get a kick out of it. I'd recommend arriving early so you are ready right when they start. read more

The Dinner Detective - a plate of salad and a don't - do sign - Dinner Theater Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Just finish "Dirty Money" downtown Pittsburgh. We had an absolute blast. This was first time. I am not into the theater, but am into a good time. $69 per person with a descent meal. The 3 hour performance was enjoyable. We laughed all night. If you want something different, this is it! Drinks were pricey, but hey that was my choice. read more

What a great time! My best friend from high school, myself, and our wives had a mini reunion and went to see the Dinner Detective show on 7/16/22 at the Wm. Penn hotel. The 2 detectives, a burly bald guy and a red-headed lady, were terrific, great chemistry, you could tell they were having so much fun! Their interaction with regular audience members was hilarious, they really thought fast on their feet! Yes, it's a funny, goofy play, but somehow they managed to not overplay it, they really hit the mark. The food was as expected... for something like this, you ain't there for the cuisine. Although I must say, I got the salmon and it was cooked perfectly, a pleasant surprise. The location was downstairs in a side ballroom, a little bit tucked away, A sign or 2 up in the hotel lobby would have been helpful. read more

Reservations were easy to make and I enjoyed the whole experience but definitely felt like it was more amateur-level for the high price. There are no discounts or specials so it's $60 a person for a simple 3-course meal and a mildly amusing show. The main actors needed some more practice with their lines. The one detective was really good though. The story and evidence pieces were not very good. There needs to be better writing. The food was just okay. I got the fish with Asian glaze and the chocolate cake dessert was amazing but none of it felt very fancy or worth the $60. You'll be full but not impressed. I thought soft drinks would at least be covered but they weren't. You either get water or coffee. I didn't mind the hotel venue but it would have been more atmospheric to rent out an old mansion or Victorian house or something. The single conference room felt cramped and small. I still had a good time but would not really recommend it for a second time. Perhaps in another city with more reviews? read more

I picked the Dinner Detective as my birthday 'event' which was held at the OMNI in Pittsburgh. I invited 4 friends along. The short version is that their mystery storyline is thin, acting is bad (I expected campy community theater level acting--I wasn't foolish enough to think it would be Tony-Award Winner quality performances), the venue was cramped, food was poor, overall execution was clumsy, the entire thing went on about 30 minutes longer than necessary and the overall value is questionable. If you want more details, read on: It starts with a reception at 6pm. This is a cash bar and a tired waitstaff "passing" mediocre hors d'oeurves (one per guest--napkins only on request). The reception area was a very small foyer where the entire purpose is to 'drop clues' to the guests. Of course, unless you've attended one before, you don't realize that the show starts then--and you must be in the right place at the right time to catch the clues. You are asked to create a fictitious name and employment story line as you may be participating with other guests during the 'show'. We were then ushered into a very small dining room. The room could comfortably accommodate a party of 40. Instead, they crammed 7 tables of 12 into this room. I felt sorry for the wait-staff. The production was disorganized in their communication with the guests during the reception and as a result, there was confusion as people understandably sat where they wished and promptly began eating the salads that had already been sitting on the tables for at least an hour. Another group had sat down at our assigned seats and the Master of Ceremonies of the show wouldn't let us sit at a different table. He made a big production of seating our group at our specified table--even after we graciously offered to sit at a different table. So, after this poor group got re-seated, we finally sat down to salads that already had dressing poured or were picked over. It was chaotic. The food was standard hotel-fare. Not great, not terrible. Edible. The waitstaff were stressed out and confused. The story line of the mystery was thin. I'm being generous. The Master of Ceremonies claimed that by the end of the evening, 'Everyone will be able to figure out who dun-it'. They made a big deal about a $100 prize given to the winning guest who solved the murder and who gave the most detail about who did it and what clues led them to their assertion. Clues were provided for us to read through and we were encouraged to interview other guests to see which one of them might be the murderer. One guest wore an eye patch and had scars on his face. Sadly, many guests assumed he was an actor and grilled/interrogated him endlessly. It turned out that he was a real guest, not an actor. After almost three hours of clues and carefully watching the thin story line, the clues didn't point to anyone we had been introduced to during the show. In the final minute of the evening, they pulled out a 'character' who was never produced during the show, no reference to him, no wrap up or summary given to us about who he was or how we would've known it was him. The prize winner of the evening was crowned, but her rationale/deduction for her winning answer was never shared with the group. So, after clues that led nowhere, we got a quick, 'That's All Folks' with a bum's rush to the door. Probably trying to get everyone out before they realized this was a waste of their time and money. The final insult is that in addition to the $70/per person fee for this three hour 'event', Gratuity Envelopes were on the table. We do excursions and cruises, so we're familiar with this practice and typically tip generously. However, in this situation, it felt insulting. The real issue ultimately is about value. I'd have rather paid an additional $20/per person for a larger event room, better food, and better story line. If you are going to this to be entertained (like an actual play), or have a decent meal, I recommend you do something else. read more

Garbage company. My wife and I purchased tickets for an event. Unfortunately about an hour before the start time we got a call from home and had a family emergency. We had to rush home to our children. They absolutely refused to issue a refund. We spoke to multiple people and they refused. We filed a charge back with our credit card company, and they pursued that and ensured the charge stuck. Garbage greedy company read more

We took my parents when they were in town visiting and we all had a good time. Go in expecting it to be silly and enjoy yourself! The food was good but get a drink (or two) in the bar on the first floor of the hotel before the show. You won't have to wait in line and there is more of a selection. They will also let you bring it into the show. read more

I went to a show last night at the Omni William Penn and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. I really had a great time, the actors were really great and different in a way that was both fun and entertaining. Yes there were some cheesy elements but they were done in a way that was more funny than anything else which helped progress the show and keep people involved and engrossed in the story. My husband lacks the imagination needed for this but while he did not participate he still enjoyed the show, which is saying something. The dessert was also fantastic! read more

I just wanted to personally thank you for everything you and your group did for our group Saturday. The actors and Jamie went above and beyond and were nothing short of amazing! Everyone had an absolute blast! Your actors were awesome and you can tell they love what they do! They explained everything before the show to us, insiders and really helped with the story line. We had so many in the group tricked. The looks on everyone's faces through out the show were just incredible. Everything from smiles, confused, shocked etc. After the show, your actors even stuck around to talk to my group. They were so personable and a lot of fun to be around!! We cannot thank you all enough! I would recommend this to family and friends hands down! I'm still getting compliments from my coworkers! Please pass along my gratitude! read more

I appreciated the effort in this show. I overall had a great time. Just a few constructive tips... upon arriving, I was completely overwhelmed with how many people were tucked into a tiny room. The check-in and process, name tags and getting drink tickets was totally disorganized and hard to handle. There should be either lines set up or some way to make it better. The drinks were severely over priced. $9.75 for one drink?! We paid $58 to get in! I know that the hotel is nice and everything and the downtown Pittsburgh atmosphere has higher priced drinks but... when you pay $58 to get in, there should be some value in pricing on drinks. $7 is a lot easier to swallow. Dinner good. Chicken was tasty and I liked the desert. Overall, I did have a nice time! read more

I experienced this dinner for the first time a few days ago and I thought it was amazing! It was a birthday gift and I thought they did great with the entire show, from the actors, to the clues, and even involving many of the people there in their show! I gave 4 stars only because for the price of the event, I feel soft drinks should be included, but you have to pay each time 3 dollars for a glass that could be compared to a child's cup! Other than that everything was great,even the food! I ordered the chicken meal it was amazing! read more