I went The Dinner Detective with a group of 6 on a Saturday night. We were seated at large tables with others that we did not know. We were encouraged to mingle with everyone around the room including the others at our table. The people were nice and the food was fine. The "Detective" show portion of the evening was three acts and it was incredibly cheesy. I was not very entertained but I'm sure others were as it just was not really my thing. I really wanted to socialize with the group I was with instead of watch was seemed to be a drawn out 3 hour program. I went because I was invited by a group and would potentially go again if someone asked but I wouldn't ask others to go for any special occasion on my behalf. read more

See all

Attended the Ann Arbor Michigan production last weekend. I have been to better plays/shows by high schoolers. Food - mediocre. Salads and dessert placed on the table ahead, sitting there warming for hours. Ew. Chicken picatta had zero sauce, had "funky" chicken parts, dry. Mashed potatoes were ok. Drinks were expensive and only water, ice tea and coffee included in price. Murder mystery - cheesy at best, hard to follow, long, room was unattractive, no music to provide ambiance. Save your money, go to the Dio nearby for the same price!!! read more

Got this experience as a gift from my son for my husband and I and I wish I had the power to get his money back. They advertise this as a fun interactive evening? Far from it! Host was not entertaining, she could care less if QR did not work on the phone, she was not funny or entertaining. Table of 8 behind me left -- mostly kids - which even advertised for kids it is not! They were so lost and bored. The food was horrible, my table neighbor had a hair in his salad so needless to say many salads were untouched on our table. Now for the "mystery", sound system needs some help, actors were cheesy and only had one volume - screaming. Will not recommend nor will I go back read more

Food was good. Did not know the bar is a cash only. But it was a great night and a lot of twist and turns. Good laughs

Debated the star count-- 2.5 or 3. This is an amateur show (for approx 80 guests) whose murder plot changes every July. It's not an Orlando Sleuth's Mystery Dinner Theater production. It's held in a long, brightly-lit rectangular conference room (which does not set the mood & makes for difficult access to the audio & visual aspects of the show-- a BIG DOWNER). The four-course meal (appetizer, salad, entree, & cheesecake) was HIT (almost) & MISS. The two small, frozen, fried appetizers were quite bad-- like BAD. The garden salad was flavorful & fresh, but drowning in dressing. The entree choices included salmon (see pic); chicken w/ potatoes; & Pasta Primavera. The salmon and chicken dinners were bland, although the accompanying green beans & potatoes were better. The cheesecake slice was fine, but no different than a slice of Sara Lee frozen cheesecake. Beverages from the lobby bar were expensive, such as the $4 sodas-- see menu pic. Water is brought to each table, but the complementary iced tea must be requested. (The bartender told me to ask my waiter. The waiter told me to ask the bartender:) The wait staff cleared plates quickly. The meal was served in parts over the course of the 2.5-hr show experience, so consider eating a late lunch. No issues w/ the free parking @ Hilton Garden Inn Tampa, but do arrive 30 min or more early; if you're late, you'll walk in & interrupt the show. (Beware if you buy tickets thru Vacations Made Easy-- the provided hotel name & address are incorrect.) Everyone is seated in the lobby area until staff is ready. You'll select an alias & write it on your name tag. There are 8 guests per table; you & your guests will be assigned a table. (Quickly grab a seat that places your back to the wall.) BRING A PENCIL OR PEN, as well as your PHONE; you'll need them. The show has three Acts. Prior to Act 1, you'll receive vague information on the show. The known actors & the ones planted in the audience wear NO MICS, so be prepared to miss a lot of what's said; THIS NEEDS TO BE RECTIFIED. One of the actors ("Bruce Wayne") was very funny w/ a charm that accompanies genuine acting ability. The actor who played the victim was also very good, but he had a tiny part (& due to visibility issues, half the room could not see him fall onto the floor as he went thru the dying process-- THIS ALSO NEEDS TO BE RECTIFIED.) The other actors reminded me of a high school theatrical group, & a main female lead was unremarkable throughout the show. If there's a taped clue under your chair, you become part of the show. (My prayers to have a clue-free chair went unanswered:) Approx 8 unsuspecting guests became part of the show. After Act 3, guests used their phones to submit answers to Who the killer was & Why s/he killed. One guest w/ the correct answer received $100 worth of something-- not one of us @ the table could hear what the prize entailed. Unfortunately, the explanation for who the killer was & his/her reasons for killing were said quickly & w/o a mic; none of us could hear the reason! Additionally, everyone @ our table selected the correct killer, so why didn't one of us win? Whether winner selection was via blind lottery (which is our guess) or by some other process, it would have been nice for staff to explain the process better. (And we would have liked to have heard the winner's full response.) At the close of the show, an envelope was left on each table for guests to leave gratuities in cash. Our BIGGEST CONCERNS: (1) the inability to hear or see much of the show even though @ Table #2 we had better seating than many (2) the bright lights & poor setting that did not enhance mood or complement the show (3) the quality of some of the acting (4) the food flavors, specifically the two subpar appetizers (5) high drink prices, especially the cost of soda & (6) not being provided an explanation of how the winner was selected (when multiple guests may have submitted the same answer). Will I return @ $65 or more? NO. WON'T HAPPEN. Will I return if the ticket cost is $30? Doubtful. But if this show were held @ an appropriate venue w/ staff & actors wearing mics, I'd consider it. I wish this review was more generous because the very friendly actors made a genuine effort to entertain guests, but the facts of our experience are what they are. read more

See all

This show is completely over priced. They have you interact with fellow guests but with no organization or guidance. The food was pretty awful and the salad was at the table before the guests were. The "appetizer", which appeared microwaved, was placed not on a plate, but directly on the table. Soda was not even included. For a 4 ounce wine it was $10. There was supposed to be tea which was also not served. The actors were decent and the show was somewhat entertaining, but there needs to be more forethought put into it. Three people at our table got the correct suspect, but only one person out of the whole event is acknowledged for getting it correct. I was there celebrating, which was asked and noted, and nothing was done to celebrate the occasion. If this show was cheaper but half I would say to check it out, but as it is, I would skip it. read more

I looked forward to a fun night at the Tampa show but was disappointed. The room was stark, the food was bland. There was no table service for more water or for included beverages. The actors were fair with only a few clever moments. I don't understand how anyone can give this event 5 stars. read more

Fantastic experience! Dinner was great, the show was better. Highly recommend this immersive experience!

Went to see the show at the Hilton Garden Hotel.... BUT there were no signs in the waiting room of the lobby, and there was a long line of guests standing way too close, almost NONE wore masks. We had to ask if this was the line for the show, it was so confusing and slow. THen, the hotel staff who were around were not wearing facemasks. There was a small bar just to the right of the long check in line, with two bartenders, no masks, no gloves, no hand sanitizers. There was a woman at a table checking people in across from the bar, again without masks. Once checked in, people were brought into a small ballroom with standard round 10 people seating, and there were NO EMPTY seats at the tables; no social distancing. The wait staff and the guests were not wearing masks. So.. since Covid is still with us, my wife is immunosuppressed, and we cannot find out about other peoples vaccination status (we both are vaccinated), we did not feel comfortable in a close dinner theater with patrons who choose not to wear facemasks, stay socially distanced from strangers, and have the staff of the theater and the hotel not wear masks. We left without seeing the show, but were not offered a refund, only a chance to reschedule. We will not go back to claim our raincheck for a long time, only when Covid is over, and the hotel and show decided to take minimal precautions even if they are not legally required. read more

SUCH A FUN NIGHT! Encourages you to connect with others, but with out boundaries lol. You can ask whatever you want and people just go with it!! So fun! 10/10 will do again! read more

The Dinner Detective - Detective Notes! - Dinner Theater Near Me - Tampa, Florida

My husband and I enjoy numerous restaurants and theater across the country. We both agree this was the worst. Besides stretching your food over a time period of 3 hours, the food was sub par to put it mildly. Think TV dinners. Hardly worth $69 a pop. Alcohol was downtown Chicago and New York prices. The worst part was that we endured hours of nonsensical screaming actors whose attempt at humor was embarrassing. We didn't stay for dessert. It was so bad we couldn't wait to get out of the Hilton. Do yourself a favor and order out your pizza and watch Homicide Hunter. Also, no Covid protocols were in place. The man next to me went home sick. I just hope I don't come down with Covid this week. read more

For $71 I would expect great food and an awesome show. The food was plated at least 2 hours prior to being served. My God was not even warm. My chicken was so overdone and had no sauce. The servers are horrible. You would ask for coffee and they would not show up with it for over 45 mins. Tea was supposed to be included when I asked the server for tea he said hey it au the bar. The servers were totally non attentive and the food was atrocious for the price! This hotel should be ashamed of themselves serving this. The show was ok nothing to brag about. The cost should have been $35 and that's being generous. I definitely would not recommend this. They're are several venues and for $71 I can do way better! read more

I honestly wish I could be more generous with the review but I can't... There is many reasons why it just was not worth almost $70 per person and here is some: - The alcohol is overpriced, I mean completely overpriced. It was almost $10 for 4oz of wine and it was definitely cheap wine. The bar isn't even in the room that the actual "show" is going on. It's extremely expensive and just inconvenient. - The flyer said that you would get to choose between two appetizers a salad and chicken skewers. There was no choice and you automatically got a salad waiting for you as you walked in the room. You can tell the salads have been sitting there for over a hour. - This has to be the worst part. Before the show had even started, the whole room encountered 3 ROACHES and when one of the workers came in and heard what was happening, all they did was walk away. It's hard to focus and want to eat anything when you have roaches running on tables. - Now the show itself. It was honestly one of the worst things I have ever seen. I would understand if these were middle school students or high school students doing a fundraiser but I honestly think a toddler could've performed better. The show made no sense and was more of a comedy show but nothing was funny. It almost seemed they threw it together at the last minute. There was a man and a woman performing, the man left for 2 minutes and the woman just stood there saying "I don't know where he is and when he's coming back". There was no mystery AT ALL. It was honestly just terrible and I am not a person to complain but if you're going to spend $70 on something. Order takeout and buy some wine, and watch law and order at home. That would have been a MUCH better night. - They have 3 acts, and the actual "show" didn't start till 6:45 when you are supposed to be there at 6. Then when the show finally starts... it didn't even last 20 minutes. Then they left so you could eat you dinner. - A lot of the positive reviews I have seen were over 3 years old. Please listen to the newer ones. It was a complete waste of money, it was definitely just a cash grab. read more

We did not feel it was worth the money at $65 per person. Reasons below: -Food was bad. Tasted like airplane-quality food. The appetizers were a joke, just a tray of egg rolls being passed around. The salad was extremely small and dry lettuce, it did not taste fresh. Entree vegetables were frozen and not quality. Dessert was the best part, but still average. Alcohol was pricey for quality (nine dollars a glass for twist off wine). -This is more of an attempt at a comedy show than a murder mystery. My boyfriend and I expected a more intriguing, story-based show but all the detectives did was yell and crack jokes. They "interrogated" some guests but it had nothing to do with solving the actual case. -The actual case itself didn't make sense. The clues were printed out articles, obituaries, and emails that felt disjointed and unconnected. It just was not a thoughtful presentation, the clues were not exciting to look through, it was just a bunch of reading that made everything seem more confusing. When the detectives revealed who the murderer was and explained the case, we were waiting for an "aha" moment but it still made no sense and felt like they were reaching. Only two people out of 70 attendees got the killer right, and one of them just took a blind guess. -Everyone with a name tag was a suspect and there were about 75 people with name tags. It made us feel like we were taking a shot in the dark. It would have been helpful to have maybe 7 or 10 suspects and we have to figure out who is guilty from a pre-identified group (just one of the many ideas to improve the show and experience). -Overall, this show just needs a vision and more structure built on intrigue and story. So, for now, don't waste your time and money. ---We do want to tip our hats to the actors for giving a lot of energy and seeming to really care about the performance/audience. I think with the right direction they can deliver a great experience. read more

It was our first time going to a dinner theater and this one was amazing. Had us laughing and guessing the whole time! Definitely recommend this for a night out! read more

These Guys are Good! I have attended more than one Dinner Detective show by now and they're really professional and funny. Most of all, they care. Sometimes, for instance, one of the actors is embedded in the wait staff and isn't really a waiter. But since they're playing the role, they accommodate a guest's request like extra bread, butter or decaf. The host gets the show started and whips up the energy and enthusiasm in the audience. Suddenly, someone comes in stabbed complete with knife and blood, staggers all over the place and flops down on the ground. They then scootch over to the "chalk mark" outline of a body on the floor to fit within it. That gag tells you they're not really hurt and just having fun with you. Two dysfunctional, funny detectives suddenly burst in and attempt to gather clues to solve the murder. They interview audience members and produce "clues" that are shared with each table to help you solve the crime. There are actors posing as guests at the tables and you don't know who's who because everyone wears a gag name tag that they write. Eventually, the actors are outed because they either end up dead or fight with each other. A multi-course meal is served between acts including appetizers, salad, entree and dessert. Drinks are available at a private cash bar. There is a $100 value prize to the person who not only guesses the murderer but best describes the steps leading up to it. It's not easy but my wife got close once. I will bring more friends to Dinner Detective for 3 hilarious hours next time I visit. read more

I don't even know where to start! From the moment we walked into the seating room it was terrible. The salads were sitting on the tables, warm at this point, with very crowded seating like they tried to fit as many in as possible. There were 2 roaches crawling around on tables that the GUEST had to kill because the staff did not bother to help after the whole table told them there were roaches around! After the roaches were killed the "actors" continued with their terrible improv show which no one was interested in. Both of them were probing and aggravating members of the audience when they made it clear they didn't want to participate, it was hard to watch. Then once the appetizers started coming, they were cold and not listed on the original menu. After the first "act" we decided to leave because of the disappointment and discomfort we were in at this point. After paying $120 for two tickets for something this bad I am very upset and honestly don't want the money back, I just want to prevent other people from wasting so much money and getting their hopes up like we did. I hope this helps! read more

This was good for a different night out. The actors were entertaining and full of energy. A little pricey but overall fun. Dinner was decent, not five star but good. I heard the drinks were expensive but it is a hotel. We got the fish and the cheesecake for dessert was served first which was fine by us. Eat dessert first and you won't be too full after dinner, LOL-overall worth it, we had a good laugh, some dinner and finally a night out after a long quarantine. read more

Extremely entertaining night! Great way to step out of your comfort zone and become immersed in a murder mystery crime scene for the evening while enjoying great food. Bar is cash only and pretty overpriced, but still a great time. read more

What a fun time! My wife bought tickets for my birthday and we had a blast. The actors are funny, energetic and entertaining. The case is just complicated enough to keep you guessing until all the clues are presented. The food was good and there's time between courses to walk around, meet the other guests, and try to pick out the suspects who are mixed in with the crowd. In all we had a lot of laughs and enjoyed ourselves. We would definitely recommend this to anyone looking for something to do in Tampa on a Saturday night. read more

So the show was really fun. The actors were great and it's very interactive. The food was good I would say the only downside was the appetizer they give you two small samples of it. Everything else was excellent. read more

So not worth the money. Even paid extra for a suspect package what a joke. 15 min left in the show before they even get him involved. They don't use the photo that your "required" to bring . The food was mediocre at best. Drinks crazy priced. 7 bucks for a tiny glass if wine.. the twist off top.. Not even cork screw bottles. Lol. Was supposed to have free tea.. nothing was offered. Way to long in between food. And when food was served it was rushed away quickly Show was hard to follow. The suspects they talked to didn't try to link them to the murdered person.. very confusing. Good BUT not worth 65 bucks a person read more

Lots of fun! Great date night it family event! Thanks fir a fun evening! Go early and have cocktails at the Indigo hotel. Great atmosphere. read more

What a great night!!! Attended the Tamp show as a birthday gift from family. The Actors were funny, entertaining and did a great job in providing clues and kept us on our toes. If you haven't attended this show and are a true crime aficionado then the Dinner Detective is for you! read more

I love murder mysteries, and this was the best experience I've had with a murder mystery theatre in Florida. The interactive nature of the show makes for great fun. Loved that the actors were planted, and we had to figure out who was in on it! Overall, such a blast read more

This was the first murder mystery dinner my husband and I have been to and we overall enjoyed ourselves! We had nice people at our table, the actors were entertaining, and the mystery kept me and my husband's attention. I'd recommend it to anyone who likes to solve puzzles or try something different. BUT...the actual dinner was disappointing. The meal made the $65 per person fee seem even more pricey for what you get. Water and coffee were free beverages. All soft drinks and alcohol had to be purchased at the extremely pricey cash bar. All of the food seemed like it was frozen and microwaved. Get the beef dish over the chicken for sure! Beef was still mediocre, but not as bad as the chicken. My chicken parm looked like a frozen patty with canned tomato sauce and melted cheese that was probably melted in the microwave. The food was also room temperature. Everyone at my table was unhappy with their food and joked about being in a cafeteria. Also, my husband solved the case, but didn't put down who he thought was the suspect because he technically didn't meet him or her. It would have been nice to interrogate people yourself in the middle of the show too instead of just at the beginning so you could meet more people and get more names. All in all we still had a good time and want to try out more mystery dinners to see how they compare to this one. read more

Great show!! Had a lot of fun, actors were awesome.I love that it was interactive, everyone in the room is a suspect. Good date night event, thought this would be good for my friend's upcoming birthday too. High energy show in an easy to find location. No costumes or themes or anything like that, just a funny dinner show! read more

Such a fun way to spend an evening! This show is funny and interactive. I've been to other murder mystery dinner shows and this one really is the best around. read more

Lots of laughs and good acting. Food wasn't bad either. My first "dinner detective," but it won't be my last! Talk about something different; a neat change of pace! read more

Great actors! Very enthusiastic and fun! I enjoyed the show and the comedy. I am definitely interested in what other events they will be hosting. read more

It was a wonderful experience all around. I have Autism and the host and coordinator we're so accommodating to me. My husband and I don't get to go out much due to my sensitivities and this was such a special experience for us. The actors were great and did such a good job getting people involved. We had tons of fun and a lot of laughs, I highly recommend! read more

For starters they rush the appetizers like now you see them then you don't. Let me put it to you this way the servers went back to the kitchen with full trays smh. The food tasted like it was cooked in a microwave well at least the chicken did and was not served hot but at room temperature. I was highly insulted by the photographer who was trying to sell me the pictures we took prior to entry. They go around trying to sell the pictures for a whopping $35 by saying how great you look in the photo and how they can crop a famous person or anything or anyone in the pic for you. So this clown is dropping male actors names I'm saying no to all he then has the nerve suggest maybe I had a different lifestyle and would want a female cropped into my photos. The look I gave him was epic then I blatantly told him I was strictly dickly something I did not need to share because it was none of his business of course. I declined to purchase that high priced photo and sent him on his way jerk. The show was interactive a bit corny but a good time due to the audience participation. The clues were just plain ridiculous and the murderer was someone you would never suspect of course but the only way you would guess who he/she is if you were a plant in the audience in my opinion. The prize was worth $100 I say BS! I paid $110 with Groupon for two people plus an extra mandatory $15 per person gratuity. The best part of the meal was the salad trust me. Your drink of choice is water no soda no ice tea nothing but the bar has whatever you like for a fee of course. In closing I would not attend this performance again maybe another one some place else. Overall the staff were friendly and attentive. Do your homework before buying this package your money is non refundable. read more

This was a TERRIBLE experience. My fiancé bought us tickets for my birthday, since I've wanted to go for a long time. He purchased the tickets months ago (in October). We decided to get 2 more tickets so our best friends could come with us, they've wanted to try it too. When I purchased their tickets, I specifically requested to for both of our parties to be seated together. We've been looking forward to this show for MONTHS. Last night we were so excited for the event, however, when we showed up, the two women running the check-in table did not take note that we wanted to be seated together. I asked to make sure we wouldn't just get plopped in the back somewhere and the ladies reassured me that wouldn't happen, since this was THEIR mistake. We were some of the first to check-in but the last to get seated. We were, in fact, seated at a table in the far back of the room, too far to even see the show, which mostly took place in the front of the room. The table was setup at the last minute and the room was so crowded, we could barely pull our chairs out. I confronted the ladies about the problems with our table and she called the owner of the company so I could tell him over the phone. He did not seem to care about the mistakes on their part, would not change our seats, and said he would only refund our money if we left and did not stay for the show. I explained that we had been looking forward to this for months and the tickets were birthday and Christmas gifts. We didn't want to leave at the last minute, but weren't getting the experience we paid for. He said he would refund half of our money, which, at $60/ticket ($240 total spent), isn't much. The bar in the room was cash bar only... not told to us in advance or mentioned on their website. We didn't have cash, so we had to go out to the hotel bar to get drinks, missing parts of the show. We did stay for the show, which was awful (so I actually didn't mind leaving too much to go get our drinks). The directions for crowd interaction were unclear and confusing, the actors were horrible and actually couldn't remember which people in the crowd were supposed to be suspects, and the food was definitely not worth the money. Also, when my fiancé bought our tickets, he ordered one beef and one chicken. When I ordered the two other tickets, I selected 2 chicken parmesans, since it said beef wouldn't be available for that show. I was wondering how we were going to get the one beef entree previously ordered, which we ended up not getting at all. They didn't call us in advance to see if chicken would be okay, they didn't even ask when we got to the dinner... they just brought us all chicken, which wasn't even chicken Parmesan, as it said on the website. It was some sort of chicken smothered in a honey(?) sauce? Not good. The side was beans, which we only got about 5 beans. We left still hungry and EXTREMELY DISAPPOINTED. From the moment we arrived, to the moment we left, everything was absolutely AWFUL. The staff was horrible as well with the lack of communication, constant mistakes, and horrible actors. We were embarrassed we invited our friends to this event and will definitely NOT recommend anyone else to this company. If it were possible, I would give this zero stars, not even one. *** I have been to other murder mystery dinners in other states and they were nothing like this. *** read more

This show was a lot of fun. High energy, lots of humor, and a mystery to solve, plus a good meal in a nice location. Definitely worth doing.

Lots of fun. Great night out for date, family or group of friends! Fun, interactive and high energy. Sit back and enjoy, but watch out, the person sitting next to you could be the killer! Well worth the cost for an entire night out. Very professional. ...Enjoy! read more

The show was entertaining enough, but the meal was so disappointing that it really brought down the experience. For the price the food should definitely have been much better. The consensus at my table was that the chicken was acceptable, the beef was fine, and the veggie lasagna, although not discernible as a typical lasagna because it was white (not red), was edible, but I noticed most people did not finish it. I was the problem child, having pre-ordered the vegan option. First, the server came to the table calling out, "vegan?", and she brought me the veggie lasagna. I waited until another person served at the table got their lasagna and noticed ours were identical. I told the server I had the vegan entree, and she took mine away. She came out later to tell me my dinner was still being made?!?! Finally after everyone at the table was finished with their entrees, I got mine. I'm not exaggerating, it was a bed of white rice with Chinese-style stir fry veggies on top, and unappetizing too! It was insulting that the cook (definitely NOT a chef) thought that was an acceptable vegan option for a dinner theater experience that costs $65 a ticket. Of course I complained, and the Detective staff explained the food from the hotel kitchen is separate from them. The hotel did not want to acknowledge the poor quality of food and did not agree to refund my ticket. Fortunately I had taken a picture of my entree, and when I sent the Detective staff the picture and they could see what the kitchen served, they took pity on me and refunded half of my ticket. If I can attach a picture of my entree to Yelp, I will. read more

I think that the people that has reviewed this Murder Mistery Dinner here so far work for them otherwise I cannot understand how someone can give 5 stars and such a good review to this HIGH PRICED LOW END "activity". First off the murder mistery part. Boring, the script is so stupid, just a bunch of people doing their best to make it look good, to not avail. Also, there are a lot of seat fillers that work for them (in our table there were 4 of them) for not good reason (probably to create the impression of sold out shows). Second of all the food. Very mediocre and ordinary food that you can get at any art festival or farmers market for 8 to 12 dollars a plate. I am giving one star because is the only way to activate this review thing. By the way the announce a prize of over $100 that someone wins by discovering a killer based on elementary school pieces of notes as clues. At the end in a very cheesy way they read some of the answers and all of them with the name of the seat fillers and the a winner that is it hard to believe that he or she does not work for them too. Sorry I usually do not do reviews but this one is so ridiculously bad tat i needed to do it. If you guys don't believe me just go and see it on your own read more

Absolutely fabulous! A really good time and totally worth it! If you have a free evening, definitely check it out. Very inclusive and very enjoyable. read more

Very entertaining. The audience is engaged from the moment they are seated. A laugh a minute. Lot's of intrigue and misdirection. A must for all looking for a different type of theatre experiece. read more

I don't want to ruin any of the surprises, but I will say it's a lot of fun and interactive. Kept me guessing (and laughing) until the end.