SaltShaker

I add places as I hear about them – let me know if you know of another spot not on the list…. One note, please don’t ask to be listed if you’re not really an underground supperclub – this isn’t a place for listing your hot, trendy nightclub, restaurant or what-have-you. This is a network for people who offer dinners in their homes, galleries, offices, or other private spaces. More and more, a good number of these links are on Facebook, as quite a few spots seem to use that as their only publicity.

General News or Musings: Underground Restaurant Movement 101

Adrogué, Argentina – Almacén Santa Rita

Amsterdam – Kilaen (in Dutch – 2 seat in-home restaurant)

Ann Arbor, Michigan – Bona Sera Supper Club – a community group that throws benefit dinners at various secret locations

Athens (Greece) – The Secret Supper

Atlanta – Rogue Apron

Austin – Supper Underground

Ayacucho, Peru – Hilda Maurina Mamani Cáceres

Barcelona – Kokun

Beijing – Gourmet Underground

Berlin – Loteria Supper Club
Berlin – Palisaden Supper Club
Berlin – The Shy Chef

Bethesda, Gwynedd, Wales – Moel Faban Secret Supper Club

Bognor Regis, West Sussex, UK – Hery’ Supper Club

Bologna, Italy – Home Food Italy

Boston (Sommerville) – Casa Bobonis
Boston – love + butter (which I believe is run by the folks at Off the Bone – and I gather they’ve gone to invitation-only events)
Boston – O.N.C.E.
Boston – Washburn Underground Kitchen

Brighton, UK – Loco Dining
Brighton, UK – Love Poppy
Brighton, UK – Purple Sprouting

Bristol, UK – The Secret Service Supper Club

Buenos Aires (Villa Crespo) – Almacen Secreto – a little less underground than it used to be
Buenos Aires – Behind Closed Doors
Buenos Aires (Caballito/Parque Centenario) – Caracoles Para Da Vinci
Buenos Aires (Palermo) – Casa Coupage
Buenos Aires (Retiro) – Casa Roca
Buenos Aires (Recoleta) – Casa SaltShaker – our own place
Buenos Aires (Colegiales) – Cocina Sunae
Buenos Aires (Villa Devoto) – Comer con Amigos
Buenos Aires (Colegiales) – Diego Felix
Buenos Aires (Villa del Parque) – El Poney Pisador
Buenos Aires (Colegiales) – Kensho
Buenos Aires (Villa Crespo) – La Cocina Discreta
Buenos Aires (Almagro) – Little Saigon
Buenos Aires (Belgrano) – Mis Raices (for more than 30 years!)
Buenos Aires – Noches Grimod
Buenos Aires (Almagro) – Paladar or their facebook page
Buenos Aires (Almagro) – Paladar Doña Fela
Buenos Aires – Psst! Want a Discreet Dinner?
Buenos Aires (Villa Crespo) – Sammy’s
Buenos Aires (Palermo) – Tipo Casa
Buenos Aires (Colegiales) – Treinta Sillas Ghetto Gourmet

Chicago – City Provisions Supper Club – catering company that hosts wandering events
Chicago – Clandestino
Chicago – Sinhá
Chicago – Wandering Goat
Chicago – X-marx Chicago
Chicago – Yo Soy
Chicago also has some similar ventures like Sunday Dinners (catering company that holds invitation only dinners for “members” when they don’t have bookings) and Wellfleet (fish purveyor who runs a once a week “occasional” restaurant) – not precisely the in-home/underground scene, but on the fringe and both come highly recommended

Colchester, Essex, UK – Colchester Secret Supper Club

Copenhagen – First on the Right

Dallas – Light-bulb Oven (until recently operating in NYC, opening in early 2010)

Denver – Hush Denver

Des Moines – Top Secret Dining
Des Moines – Underground, Inc.

Dundee, Oregon – Sub Rosa (virtually underground…)

Durham, North Carolina – Too Cool for School

Düsseldorf – Sundays Dinner Party

Earlton, New York – Basement Bistro

“East Bay”, California – Joe’s Bustaurant

Estero, Florida – Blue Windows

Exeter (South Devon), UK – Little Lillie’s

Greensboro, N. Carolina – The Next Supper

Havana – Cuba Restaurants
Havana – Cuisine only tourists can afford
Havana – Havana Journal
Havana – La Guarida
Havana – Paladares Havana

Hong Kong – A new sort of speakeasy – in Hong Kong
Hong Kong – Private Kitchens add color to H.K. food culture
Hong Kong – Secret Diners’ Business

Houston – Tenacity Supper Club

Illulissat, Greenland – H8

Italy – HomeFood

Kingston-Upon-Thames, Surrey, UK – Jay Kay’s Supper Club

La Paz, Baja Sur, Mexico – Casa Cóctel

Lima – Huariques – Spanish language blog that covers both puertas cerradas (closed door) restaurants and “hole-in-the-wall” spots
Lima – Secrets of the Sea
Lima – Fusion dining in Lima – Machu Picchu can wait
Lima – A Puerta Cerrada
Lima – Inexpensive Restaurant Choices (Sankuay, Sonia, Tio Mario, El Encuentro de Otani)

[Nov. 2009 - I'm not sure I can keep up with the rate at which supper clubs in London are popping up and closing just as fast - there seem to be quite a few that manage one or two dinners and then fade away. I'll try to keep tabs, particularly on those that continue to exist.]
London – 10 of London’s best secret supper clubs
London – Dave Clasen’s First Weekend
London – Fernandez & Leluu
London (Hackney) – Green Onions
London – Hidden Tea Room
London (East/Brick Lane) – Humble Kitchen
London (Tufnell Park) – Joginder’s Supperclub
London (Islington) – Lex Eat
London (Northwest) – Mama Lan’s
London (East End) – Midnight Steakout
London (Twickenham) – Ndudu
London (Camden) – Rambling Restaurant
London (Brixton) – Salad Club
London (Hendon) – Superb Suppers
London (Hackney Downs) – The Bruncheon Club
London (Brixton) – The Last Supper Club/Kitchen Jezebel
London (Dalston) – The Loft
London – The Moveable Restaurant
London (Hackney) – The Pale Blue Door
London (Brixton) – The Saltoun Supper Club and a review
London (Blackheath) – The Savoy Truffle Supperclub
London (East Sheen) – Sheen Suppers
London (Newington Green) – The Secret Ingredient
London (Newington Green) – The Shed
London (Kilburn) – The Underground Restaurant

Los Angeles – Gourmet dining goes underground
Los Angeles – Miguel Nelson
Los Angeles – Secret Suppers
Los Angeles – Sent by Joe
Los Angeles – The Hidden Agenda (caterer who offers bi-monthly underground dinners)
Los Angeles/Studio City – Underground Kitchen

Louisville, KY – Supper Speakeasy and an article about them

Melbourne – Zingara Cucina

Mendoza, Argentina – 743 Bistro

Milwaukee – Sub Rosa (I’ve only seen this place referenced in a couple of articles, a vegan dining club for up to 80 people, if anyone has more info, let me know.)

Minneapolis – Notes from an Underground Restaurant

Montreal – Hidden Market and a YouTube video (where we almost get mentioned here at Casa S)

Multi-City – Anti-Restaurants
Multi-City – Dine With Locals (a service to pair you up with a local while you travel and dine in their home)
Multi-City – Kitchen not so confidential
Multi-City – Like-a-Local (forum to offer and accept dining with, playing with, living with locals as you travel)
Multi-City – One Pot
Multi-City – Open for Dinner – online UK guide to “pop-up” restaurants
Multi-City – Outstanding in the Field
Multi-City – Psst … Alice Waters Sent Me
Multi-City – Restaurants on the Fringe, And Thriving
Multi-City – Supper Club
Multi-City – The Anti-Restaurants
Multi-City – Ghetto Gourmet (Although based from Oakland, CA, they put on events nationwide)
Multi-City – Supper Club Fan Group – ning.com group for fans of hidden restaurants
Multi-City – 2 Guys Investigate
Multi-City – Underground Dining – Restaurant Alternative?
Multi-City – Underground Restaurants
Multi-City – World’s Best Secret Dining Clubs

Nevada City – In the Kitchen with Wendy Van Wagner

New York City – Adventures in Secret Dining
New York City – A Razor, A Shiny Knife
New York City – Brooklyn Edible Social Club
New York City – Brooklyn Food Group
New York City – Chinatown Cake Club
New York City – Corsair Club (proving this isn’t a new phenomenon…)
New York City – Entree New
New York City – EVEsupperclub
New York City – FlavorTable
New York City – Foodie NYC
New York City – 4 Course Vegan
New York City – Home Slice West
New York City – NY Bite Club
New York City – One Ass Kitchen
New York City – Peerless Platters
New York City – Secret Restaurants
New York City – Studio Feast
New York City – Supper Funk
New York City – The Chowdown Takes New York
New York City – The Supper Club
New York City – The Ted Allen and Amy Sedaris Supper Club and a review
New York City – Under Belly
New York City – Undergrounds Unite (a group of 5 NYC supperclubs that get together and co-sponsor occasional events)
New York City – Whisk & Ladle Supper Club

Norwich, UK – Unthank Supper Club

Oakland, California – Canvas Underground
Oakland, California – Paladar Temescal

Oslo – Club de Mardi

Paris – Aux Chiens Lunatiques
Paris – In a secret Paris cavern…
Paris – Paris Soirees Dinners (mix of dinners and other types of events)
Paris – Rachel Khoo (also at times in London)
Paris – The Hidden Kitchen
Paris – The Sunday Dinners (for more than 30 years!)

Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, UK – The Outlawed Epicurean

Philadelphia – L’Atelier (catered dinners in offbeat venues)

Port Antonio, Jamaica – Dickie’s Best Kept Secret

Portland, Oregon – Back Room
Portland, Oregon – D’Merde (more of an art gathering, but with food and drink)
Portland, Oregon – Plate and Pitchfork Farm Dinners
Portland, Oregon – Simpatica

Prague – U Jednoho pokoje (At the One Room), a.k.a. Chez Julien

Pretoria, South Africa – Red Tomato Bistro @ Home

Rome – Cook Here and Now

Sacramento – The Hidden Kitchen
Sacramento – Pajo’s Fine Dining
Sacramento – The Wine

San Francisco – Cook Here and Now
San Francisco – Cook with James
San Francisco – graffEats Guerilla Dining
San Francisco – Guerilla Gourmet
San Francisco – Introducing the Utterly Random Dinner Party
San Francisco – Radio Africa & Kitchen
San Francisco – Secret Dining in San Francisco
San Francisco – Secret Parties of the Hippest Hip
San Francisco – Shaw’s Supper Club
San Francisco – Speakeasy Cuisine
San Francisco – Sub-Culture Dining
San Francisco – Tip Top Supper Club

San Jose, CA – Urban Food Secrets… Revealed!

Santiago, Chile – Oty’s Family Dinners

Scottish Borders, Scotland – Dine at my House

Seattle – Cache
Seattle – Cloak-and-Dagger Dining
Seattle – Gypsy
Seattle – Home
Seattle – One Pot
Seattle – Rebel, Disgraced, Tries to Pull Off Rebound
Seattle – Underground dining is poised to claim the spotlight

Shenzhen, China – Secret Restaurant

Singhampton, Ontario – Eigensinn Farm

Sonoma – Bistro Incognito

Sydney – 4 Foodies
Sydney – Bite Club
Sydney – Secret Supper Society
Sydney – Table for 20
Sydney – The company of strangers
Sydney – Transient Diner – to contact: transientdiner (at) gmail (dot) com

Tagaytay City, Philippines – Sanctuario

Tokyo – Aronia de Takazawa

Toronto – Charlies Burgers
Toronto – Hidden Lounge

Tortola, British Virgin Islands – Senior Travel

Turlock, California, US – Relish Rogue

Vacone, Italy – Solo Per Due

Vancouver – Chef Todd’s Apartment 12B (more of a privately catered dinner, as you need to put together the whole group yourself)
Vancouver – The Garden Party (more of a privately catered event, as you need to put together the whole group yourself)
Vancouver – Vegan Secret Supper

Vienna, Austria – The Dining Room
Vienna, Austria – Dining That’s Not Set To Strauss Waltzes

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An interesting extension of the idea for the Eat Newcastle Gateshead food festival.

I found this blog that’s a fascinating reversal on the experience that in-home restaurants provide, a young woman in the Netherlands who gets herself invited to people’s homes for a traditional dinner of their culture (she focuses on finding someone from a different ethnic background for each meal), along with conversation about the food culture, recipes, and backgrounds of those cuisines.

A similar concept is the “pop-up restaurant” – often open just for a single or short-term event, perhaps held at an art space or warehouse or exhibition hall, though sometimes in a private home; or a visiting chef (or local chef without his or her own restaurant) taking over the kitchen and dining room of another existing restaurant on their closed night(s). Plenty of hits on internet searches for the term.