An underground restaurant, sometimes known as a

supper club A supper club is a traditional dining establishment that also functions as a social club. The term may describe different establishments depending on the region, but in general, supper clubs tend to present themselves as having a high-class image ...

or closed door restaurant, is a

social dining Social dining (by a group of people) is meeting either at someone's place or at restaurant to enjoy a meal together. It is a philosophy of using meals specifically as a means to connect with others: eat to socialize. A brunch, dinner or supper par ...

restaurant operated out of someone's home, generally bypassing local

zoning Zoning is a method of urban planning in which a municipality or other tier of government divides land into areas called zones, each of which has a set of regulations for new development that differs from other zones. Zones may be defined for a si ...

and health-code regulations. They are usually advertised by word of mouth or unwanted advertising. Websites such as BonAppetour have been created to help people find and book these restaurants. Depending on the area's law, the establishments may be illegal, even though they have been around for decades.Perlman, Dan
Mi casa, su cuenta
''The Guardian'', April 17, 2008. They are becoming increasingly popular in the U.S.Smillie, Susan
Going underground
''The Guardian'', May 29, 2009. and internationally, including

Cape Town Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...

and

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, where they are known as 'huiskamer restaurants' ('living room restaurants').

Appeal

The attraction of the underground restaurant for the customer varies. In some cases, it is the opportunity to sample new food, often at low cost outside the traditional restaurant experience; other times, customers are paying a premium price for direct access to some of the top chefs and young talent in a region. Guests of the underground restaurant also cite one of the biggest reasons for enjoying the experience is the social interaction with strangers over food, something which would generally be frowned upon in a traditional restaurant setting. “Every dinner you go to is completely different,” one avid supporter of pop-up restaurants told ''Cape Town'' magazine. Underground restaurants have been described as "anti-restaurants;" though an increasing number of restaurant chefs are stepping out of their kitchens to re-ignite their passion for cooking in non-traditional spaces. For the host, the benefit is to make money and experiment with cooking without being required to invest in restaurant property. "It's literally like playing restaurant," one host told the ''San Francisco Chronicle'', "You can create the event, and then it's over."DeFao, Janine
Guerrilla Gourmet
''San Francisco Chronicle'', Jan 22, 2006.

History

In 2001 the Pemberton family returned from a vacation in Cuba where they discovered a dining phenomenon. “Casa Particulares”, were where tourists could go to sample ethnic cooking at reasonable prices. Arguably the very first underground restaurant in the UK and based on the Cuban model, Brovey Lair is situated at the back of the Pemberton's home in Ovington, Norfolk. In 2010 Brovey Lair won The Good Food Guide's Best Fish Restaurant in Britain award and still holds top place as their top rated restaurant in Norfolk. In 2013 a new kind of underground dining restaurant emerged in Cape Town, South Africa called SecretEATS. Unlike social dining restaurants of the past, the concept brings together top South African chefs, international guest chefs, or young, rising stars with adventurous food and wine lovers in secret, undisclosed locations. Guests request a private invitation to join the members-only dining movement through the web site; invitations are sent based on factors such as interests, geography and special dietary requirements like vegetarians. Past dinners have taken place inside of an ancient castle, underground wine cellars, private gardens at the foot of

Table Mountain Table Mountain ( naq, Huriǂoaxa, lit= sea-emerging; af, Tafelberg) is a flat-topped mountain forming a prominent landmark overlooking the city of Cape Town in South Africa. It is a significant tourist attraction, with many visitors using the ...

, urban, industrial warehouses and stunning, immaculate art galleries. Chefs have included MasterChef SA runner-up Sue-Ann Allen, celebrity chefs Pete Goffe-Wood, Bertus Basson, Neill Anthony and Matt Manning, and some of the country's most beloved restaurant chefs like Brad Ball, Craig Cormack and more. Founded by former American Express senior manager, Gregory Zeleny, the 'moving restaurant' was started with the goal of bringing people together around the table over food. From there, it evolved with a key focus on the chef and his or her story behind this menu that has just been created for one night only. The focus is on working with chefs committed to using fresh, organic and seasonal ingredients.

Notable places

Argentina

Casa SaltShaker
-

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...

Australia

Black Ox Dining
-

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Queensland, and the third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of approximately 2.6 million. Brisbane lies at the centre of the South ...

- Style Magazines "Black Ox Dining: The Must-Try Brisbane Degustation Experience"
Just Sit ~ Secret Supper Club
-

Canada

* Charlie's Burgers -

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

- ranked by Food and Wine Magazine as one of the top three "word of mouth" supper clubs on its list of “100 Best New Food and Drink Experiences in the World”. * No Fixed Address -

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

Hong Kong

PlateCulture
is a new rising trend where you can book dinners at local chefs' private venues

France

* Jim Haynes' Supper Club -

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

- considered the original supper club * New Friends Table -

Russia

PopOver Supper Club
- St.Petersburg

South Africa

* SecretEATS -

Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a megacity, and is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. According to Dem ...

Durban Durban ( ) ( zu, eThekwini, from meaning 'the port' also called zu, eZibubulungwini for the mountain range that terminates in the area), nicknamed ''Durbs'',Ishani ChettyCity nicknames in SA and across the worldArticle on ''news24.com'' from ...

Pretoria Pretoria () is South Africa's administrative capital, serving as the seat of the executive branch of government, and as the host to all foreign embassies to South Africa. Pretoria straddles the Apies River and extends eastward into the foot ...

* Slippery Spoon - Cape Town * Supper Lounge - Cape Town * pasieunderground - Cape Town

United States

* Hush -

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

* Midnight Brunch -

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

* Savor Charleston - Charleston, South Carolina * The FourCoursemen -

Athens, Georgia Athens, officially Athens–Clarke County, is a consolidated city-county and college town in the U.S. state of Georgia. Athens lies about northeast of downtown Atlanta, and is a satellite city of the capital. The University of Georgia, the sta ...

Ghetto Gourmet The Ghetto Gourmet was an underground dining experience in Oakland, California that ran from 2003 to 2008. Diners paid between $40 and $100 and were served a table d'hôte meal prepared by a professional chef at a non-restaurant location. Local res ...

- New York City
SubCulture Dining
-