Dine In A Pitch Black Dark Room At What Must Be Europe's Most Unique Restaurant

Paris is a foodie's mecca. It is a place where you can find quality international and French cuisine at small, unassuming bistros or gourmet establishments, like Le Dôme, the best restaurant in Paris, according to Anthony Bourdain. However, the City of Lights eatery Dans le Noir ? provides a truly unique gastronomic experience. This restaurant is part of a trend known as "dining in the dark," where visitors enjoy a meal in pitch-black darkness. This trend kicked off in France in the late 1990s with an event organized in partnership with the Paul Guinot Foundation, which provides workplace training for blind and visually impaired people.

The first Dans le Noir ? restaurant opened in Paris in 2004 to a positive reception, and there are now additional locations in 15 cities around the globe, including London, Madrid, and Auckland. The unique eatery aims to awaken sensations by taking diners out of their comfort zone, erase preconceptions so guests can build authentic relationships, and support diversity and inclusion. Almost half of the company's global team is visually impaired, including the Deputy Director and many waiter-guides that lead guests through the experience.

Dans le Noir ? is located in the 4th arrondissement, across from the Centre Pompidou. It can be accessed easily by metro, the RER train, or bus. You need to reserve your lunch or dinner in advance for a specific time. There is no à la carte menu; instead, you'll have a set "surprise" menu. For example, the four-course option includes a starter, main dish, cheese plate, and dessert, but you can request more of any dish that you enjoy. Roughly 80% of the fruits and vegetables used in meals come from the restaurant's organic farm, and the ingredients are seasonal and sourced locally.

Upon arrival, you'll be taken into an illuminated reception area, where you can choose your meal and share any dietary restrictions or food allergies. The restaurant can accommodate most diets. Before entering the dining area, you'll need to leave coats, bags, and anything that has a light in the cloakroom or in a locker. This is both for your safety, as a bag on the floor can be a dangerous obstacle, and to keep the room pitch-black for everyone. Then you'll be led, hand-on-shoulder, to your designated table by your waiter-guide. You'll be taught various tricks for eating and drinking in the dark. However, accidents can still happen, so it's recommended that you don't wear clothing that needs to be dry-cleaned or anything white. Finally, make sure to come with a curious palate and an open mind for the best possible experience.

The sensory aspect of dining in the dark is key to this unique experience. Supposedly, if you lose one of your senses, the others are enhanced, but visual cues, particularly of food we recognize and like, contribute to the pleasure of eating. Even though the chefs at Dans le Noir ? certainly put effort into creating beautiful plates of food, if you take the visual cues away, the overwhelming unfamiliarity of new tastes and smells could lead to an unenjoyable experience.

However, without the use of sight, guests can focus more on the aromas and tastes of each dish. When you're at Dans le Noir ?, you may notice that you sense a wide range of smells and flavors. Eliminating sight can also lead you to some surprising discoveries. While you may assume that you dislike a particular food, dining in the dark removes any negative preconceptions, and you may realize that your revulsion for a certain food was in your head (or eyes) this whole time. If you can't stand one ingredient, you can always ask for your meal without it before beginning the experience.

To find out if dining in the dark really improves the culinary experience, book a table at Dans le Noir ? during your stay in France. If you're looking to sample more local specialties, try one of these top-rated food tours in Paris or go on an award-winning Viator experience to taste the city's most delicious food.