Dinner Detective is a fun show but there are some problems with execution (pun intended).
We made reservations through the website, and that was no problem. The show books up several weeks in advance, so plan ahead.
The show is held in the Library room on street level of the Emily Morgan Hotel in downtown San Antonio, right next to Alamo Plaza. Valet parking is $20, but there are cheaper surface lots and garages nearby.
The check in process was slow, but it gave us time to size up the other guests--more on that later. Also, you can order drinks from the bar in the lobby and bring them with you into the library . . . that's actually the only way to have a drink with your dinner.
When you check in, you choose an alias. There were a lot of "Sherlock," "Holmes," etc. in our audience, as well as some quality puns. The aliases obscure the suspects (actors) among the audience.
The cheerful hosts passed out sheets with instructions, investigation questions, and room to take notes. We started talking to our neighbors and got suspicious about the person sitting next to me. Then she jumped out of her chair and the game was on! The fact that she had been mingling with us in the lobby just minutes earlier . . . wow!
The actors who played the detectives kept a stream of improv banter going as they called members of the audience up to participate. Improv is often messy, but it seemed as if those two cast members had not been paired up before -- a few dropped cues, etc. Nevertheless, they kept the action moving fast and made the jokes topical. The humor included sexual innuendo -- one of many reasons why the show is not suitable for children.
Our table enjoyed ruminating over the clues -- laminated copies of documents that the detectives found in their investigation. After dessert, guests turned in their guesses, and then the detectives did the big reveal. We were intrigued and laughing all the way through.
During breaks in the action, the waiters bring courses of dinner: salad, entree, dessert. The default drink is iced tea; I requested water, but didn't get enough refills. The salad was adequate. The fish was billed as "blackened"; rather, it was lightly seasoned, but still palatable. The red velvet cake had good presentation but the cake was dry. Events like this where dozens of people are served at once are a challenge for kitchen. The "dinner" part of "dinner detective" was OK but could have been better.
It was an enjoyable experience, but one visit is probably enough. I would recommend it to friends, especially if they enjoy challenges like escape rooms -- the live cast makes Dinner Detective San Antonio even more fun. read more