photo by Matt Novak Photography
Gatherings
Top 20 Supper Clubs & Pop-Up Dining Experiences
You get used to your favorite things. You just do. Even if they excite you, they become commonplace, whether it’s a favorite clothing item or a favorite vacation spot. You can even come to have “the usual” at your...
photo by Matt Novak Photography
You get used to your favorite things. You just do. Even if they excite you, they become commonplace, whether it’s a favorite clothing item or a favorite vacation spot. You can even come to have “the usual” at your favorite restaurant, and that’s why it’s time for you to venture out into the world and find yourself at a dinner party with strangers (that will become friends shortly). The dinner party might not even be in an eatery. It could be an elegant affair in a forest or a chic gathering in an abandoned music venue. Regardless, it’s time for you to step out of your comfort zone and regain some youthful energy by trying on these supper clubs and pop-ups for size.
Written by Jake Kilroy
Written by Jake Kilroy
It's pop-up restaurant meets art class at this crafty experience. Set in an art school and run by sisters, this combination of life drawing and dinner gives you a chance for the semi-tamed outrageous. I mean, you probably won’t ever have another chance to drink wine, bond with strangers, and sketch a nude model.
Knowing all too well that dinner parties can become predictable, these members-only gatherings blitz to vibrant life in the form of cabaret, variety shows, and immersive theatre. Sure, there are coursed dinners as well, but this team hones in on the creative cultures of the cities they bounce through across the country.
Outstanding in the Field
Based in Santa Cruz, California; Hosts Anywhere
Photo by Outstanding in the Field
With a crew that’s hosted dinners in all 50 United States and 10 countries to boot, you know they’re thrilled by the challenge of adaptation. To them, nearly anywhere, natural or man-made, can be a venue, from ranches and vineyards to rooftops and sea caves. Next up for your dining pleasure is a farm north of New Orleans and the Sayulita Secret Sea Cove in Mexico.
Multi-course meals, bouncing and bopping with local ingredients, delight supper club guests, present for the tasty and delighted by the company. Served family style, these dishes come from the help of local farmers, ranchers, and culinary traditions.
Inviting Italy’s culinary culture and London’s explorative flair like a pair of old friends, this supper club pairs fresh and seasonal dishes with delicious fine wine, produced by small family-run vineyards. Then with candlelight and nowhere to be, the evening blossoms into a grand memory of conversation.
This monthly series of pop-up dinner parties invites only the interesting and the interested. Prepare yourself for an entirely unique group of attendees, with no one knowing each other previously. All, however, will enjoy the mysterious flair and celebrity chef culinary offerings.
In the dining room of a clock tower, 12 guests at one table make for a super cool experience in this "culinary project,” aimed at promoting the cultural diversity of Latin American cuisine. Journey through the region by way of different flavorful dishes and leave with new knowledge and new friends.
Cool concepts match up with fresh food with these pop-up experiences that treat all five senses. Past pop-ups include "Gone Camping” (fun, experimental charcoaled cuisine in a hall turned indoor campsite) and "The Servants Supper” (five courses of fine dining inspired by "peasant food" inside a marvelous estate). They go all out in style.
Supper club and cocktails are the best way to celebrate the grand as well as the mundane. Treat yourself to a wildly beloved Wednesday night special and see how bright you shine come Thursday morning.
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Have you ever attended a dinner party in a lighthouse? What about an antique shop? Or a salvage yard? Your answer is likely “no” to all these, just as it’d be for department store, laundromat, car park, or church. But this culinary team is all about serving tasty, simple, unfussy food in private, unusual spaces. More importantly, they use their pop-ups to raise money for Teenage Cancer Trust.
Dive into the classic supper club experience with one of the most unexpected settings: a decommissioned 1967 London Underground carriage of the Victoria Line. The Underground Supper Club comes with four courses and its hybrid menu of French brasserie and Scandinavian flavour changes monthly. If you dig that (and their really cool vibe), they host whiskey dinners too.
Brilliantly shining like a colorful neon bird, this hybrid of restaurant, gallery, bar, and club brings you a night full of spectacle. Reserve a table (or a bed) and feast your senses on exotic eats, liberating libations, and provocative performances, all while considering the staff’s wildest advice: "Pay no mind to etiquette and good table manners.”
Let loose, be yourself, and explore the fine dining underground experience that promises no white table cloth, no elevator music, and no stuffy service. Here, a thoughtful, sophisticated 15-course dinner sneak attacks you with flooring flavor in a cozy condo.
Go private or go pop-up with Naked Kitchen. Yup, you can book the delightful space to yourself or join fellow chefs, artists and foodies for "a creative underground dining experience in an intimate and private space!" With upcoming events like the 'Ante Meridian Spring Brunch' you can choose to sit at the Chefs Counter in the kitchen or at one of the communal tables!
I Forgot It's Wednesday is a s a "new supperclub concept designed to make the dinner conversation as interesting as the meal itself." You will feast on a a 7 course dinner paired with a 4 course cocktail flight, so come with an empty stomach and prepare to uber yourself home. Tickets sell out fast, so you may need to sign up for the newsletter to be notified when they go on sale.
This dinner party celebrates the America’s art of conversation and cuisine. Swap stories and laughs over modern takes on familiar flavors, as you trade in strangers for new friends. Be social, be merry, be warm, and be stuffed with good memories and great food.
Take your tastebuds for a ride by making your way into this intimate cocktail pop-up. A stellar three-drink tasting menu offers signature cocktails and adapted classics to put a breeze in your strut and a smile on your chin. You’ll be toasting the whole night.
Bursting to life out of an old strip mall pizza parlor, this highly touted, changing five-course tasting menu started as an unpretentious fine-dining experience. Operating on a special ticketing system, this delicious French secret will make you go all out for a reservation.
An entrancing blend of supper and storytelling, this charming tour of India, by way of an education in religious and culinary tradition, is a family-style social dining excursion, thanks to its chef-storyteller. It’s unique in concept and a blast in execution.
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A moveable feast from a southerner conquering the big city, this legendary Big Apple gathering has grown over the years into a key culinary experience for American foodies. Celebrated and up-and-coming chefs make this a feasting adventure that spreads its wings through the artisan food scene.
Promising playful guest participation without any pretentiousness, this chef-driven underground dining experience takes loose inspiration from “good whiskey and rock ‘n roll.” With a wild spirit, these chefs make sure seasonal and local organic ingredients shine grand in these pop-up dinner parties that celebrate a succulent twist on New American cuisine.
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