SaltShaker

I add places as I hear about them – let me know if you know of another spot not on the list….

General News or Musings: Underground Restaurant Movement 101

Adrogué, Argentina – Almacén Santa Rita

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

Atlanta – Rogue Apron

Austin – Supper Underground

Ayacucho, Peru – Hilda Maurina Mamani Cáceres

Barcelona – Kokun

Berlin – The Shy Chef

Bologna, Italy – Home Food Italy

Boston – love + butter (which I believe is run by the folks at Off the Bone)

Buenos Aires – Behind Closed Doors
Buenos Aires – Caracoles Para Da Vinci
Buenos Aires – Casa Coupage
Buenos Aires – Casa Roca
Buenos Aires – Cocina Sunae
Buenos Aires – Diego Felix
Buenos Aires – El Poney Pisador (a catering company that’s jumped on the bandwagon and offers occasional in-house closed door style dinners)
Buenos Aires – Kensho
Buenos Aires – La Cocina Discreta
Buenos Aires – Little Saigon
Buenos Aires – Mis Raices (for more than 30 years!)
Buenos Aires – Paladar Doña Fela
Buenos Aires – Psst! Want a Discreet Dinner?
Buenos Aires – Secret Suppers
Buenos Aires – Tipo Casa
Buenos Aires – Treinta Sillas Ghetto Gourmet

Chicago – Clandestino
Chicago – Sinhá
Chicago – X-marx Chicago
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

Copenhagen – First on the Right

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

Estero, Florida – Blue Windows

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’ Businesss

Illulissat, Greenland – H8

Italy – HomeFood

Lima – Secrets of the Sea
Lima – Fusion dining in Lima – Machu Picchu can wait
Lima – A Puerta Cerrada

London – Dave Clasen’s First Weekend
London (Hackney) – Green Onions
London (Camden) – Rambling Restaurant
London – Salad Club
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 (Newington Green) – The Secret Ingredient
London (Kilburn) – The Underground Restaurant

Los Angeles – Gourmet dining goes underground
Los Angeles – Miguel Nelson
Los Angeles – Secret Suppers
Los Angeles – The Hidden Agenda (caterer who offers bi-monthly underground dinners)

Louisville, KY – Supper Speakeasy and an article about them

Melbourne – Zingara Cucina

Mendoza, Argentina – 743 Bistro

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 – 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 – 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 – Bite Club
New York City – Brooklyn Food Group
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 – Jack Restaurant
New York City – Light-bulb Oven
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 – 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)
New York City – Undergrounds Unite
New York City – Whisk & Ladle Supper Club

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

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!)

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

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

San Francisco – Cook Here and Now
San Francisco – Cook with James
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 – 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

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 – 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

Vacone, Italy – Solo Per Due

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

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.