The restaurant

A UNIQUE SENSORY AND
HUMAN EXPERIENCE IN MELBOURNE

UNUSUAL RESTAURANT IN PARIS

DANS LE NOIR ? AN UNUSUAL RESTAURANT

Dans le Noir ? invites you to dine in complete darkness, accompanied and served by unexpected guides. Enjoying dinner or lunch in pitch darkness is an original experience that allows us to re-evaluate our perception of taste by reawakening senses overwhelmed by the omnipresence of sight, to reinvigorate our relationship with the world and others and to experience a surprising encounter with something different.

BOOK NOW
SHARE THE DINING IN THE DARK EXPERIENCE IN MELBOURNE

Close to the busy Lygon Street in Carlton, come and share a unique experience with family, friends or colleagues. Our team of eight guides is waiting for you to make your evening an unforgettable and meaningful moment.

Thanks to its refined and tasty European-Australian cuisine, Chef Christian Oblak and his brigade offer you a unique sensory journey with fresh and seasonal products.

THE DANS LE NOIR ? CONCEPT

A SENSORY JOURNEY

Flavours, aromas, textures, temperatures,... you are carried away by an original, essential and celebratory culinary experience where your uncertain senses are fully awakened. Focusing our attention on taste, losing the colour of a wine and instead smelling, touching, tasting... a range of sensations that stimulate your emotions.

OPEN MINDED CONVIVIALITY

Freed from the weight of people’s gazes, preconceptions and social conventions, communication becomes simpler, authentic and spontaneous. Completely reassess your relationship with others and the world. Your neighbour can become a curiosity to be explored. Discussions intermingle and then deepen, bonds are forged, the spirit opens... An opportunity to meet and reflect on the way we consume or on our relationship with others.

AN ENCOUNTER WITH DIVERSITY

Guided and served by a blind or partially sighted person, this unusual dining experience is a moment of positive empathy that breaks our preconceived ideas of disability. Driven by this reversal of roles, the experience allows us to perceive the richness of diversity. A good experience is often better than a long speech! All our guides and sensory experts have found strength in their differences.
Any questions? View our FAQ
Des menus surprises

SURPRISE MENUS

You don't choose what you're going to enjoy in the dark, you just tell us what you can't eat and we adapt the menu so that your experience is complete and safe. Then it's up to you to play and rediscover flavours, ingredients, grape varieties, wine regions, etc.

TASTY, REFINED CUISINE

Our gourmet cuisine is based on a rigorous selection of quality ingredients and the talent of the chef Christian Oblak and his team, who develop menus suitable for an unconventional experience. What we consider important is the harmony of flavours in a menu and the authenticity of the tastes in a pitch dark environment.

ALLERGIES AND DIETARY RESTRICTIONS ARE RESPECTED

Our teams do everything they can to meet your dietary restrictions and allergies. When making your booking, simply tell us, and remind us on the day of your visit when placing your order. We will also ask you to tell your server when they bring your meal. Dans le Noir ? offers vegetarian or vegan options.

BACK INTO THE LIGHT FOR A DEBRIEFING

After experiencing your meal in the dark, our teams will use photos so that you can discover the dishes and drinks that you have been served. This is a memorable moment where people are often caught by surprise. Many of our visitors realise that they need to visit again in order to improve their sensory acuity and culinary culture!
an original dinner DANS LE NOIR ?

AMONG THE 10 MOST ORIGINAL RESTAURANTS IN THE WORLD

Regularly ranked among the 10 most original restaurants in the world, Dans le Noir? is celebrated by many gastronomic and tourist guides and has won dozens of awards around the world for its commitment to social inclusion and innovation.

VIEW OUR AWARDS

FLAVORS AND INGREDIENTS, A TEACHING APPROACH

Learn how to "eat in the dark" is a pedagogical approach that Dans le Noir ? offers to its guests. Through fresh, seasonal products, cooked in different forms, our cuisine challenges our customers by leaving their comfort zone. No Parma or Chicken Pop-Corn but equally gourmet and a cuisine full of creativity.

Dans le Noir ? Melbourne also offers an original drinks menu with cocktails created to highlight the flavors of your dishes, and wines sharing the same values both in their development and on the theme of inclusion ... (M.Chapoutier)

an unforgettable dinner DANS LE NOIR?

PRACTICAL INFORMATION

ADDRESS

Dans le Noir ?
at Rydges on Swanston

701 Swanston Street, Carlton, 3053 VIC

TELEPHONE

+61 3 9347 7811

FOLLOW US

  • Thursday to Saturday
    Dinner: from 6:45pm

OPENING TIMES

BOOK THE RESTAURANT

Access

TRAM

Stop Lincoln Square/
Swanston Street
1 / 3 / 3a / 5 / 6 / 16 / 64 / 67 / 72

BUS

Stop Lincoln Square
LINE 402

Parking

Access to the Car Parking
through North Lincoln Square

faqs

IS THE DINING ROOM REALLY COMPLETELY DARK?

Absolutely! Not a glimmer of light, and no candles! To keep the room completely dark, you will be asked to place all potential light sources such as lighters, mobile phones or cameras in the cloakroom provided free of charge. We will also ask you to leave your jacket and/or handbag and other bags or objects, to free yourself of any clutter, avoid losing something or creating a dangerous obstacle in the dark. Remember to put your watch in your pocket or in your locker if it’s valuable. Almost all watches are luminous.

HOW DO I ATTRACT MY GUIDE'S ATTENTION?
Simply by calling their first name. You will be introduced to your guide before entering the dark room. Don't just raise your hand because you might wait for a very long time!
HOW CAN YOU EAT IN COMPLETE DARKNESS? ISN'T IT MESSY? WON’T WE STAIN OUR CLOTHES?

When we are deprived of our main sense, sight, we tend to use our other senses more: hearing, touch and smell. Using them, we manage to eat in the dark, to find our cutlery, and so on... Even if at first the experience is intimidating, it becomes more and more enjoyable when you start to relax. Our blind guides are trained to ensure visitor well-being, they will give you all the assistance you need. We recommend that you don’t wear valuable clothes to avoid any stress or accidents. The restaurant is not responsible for stains or accidents to your clothes. However, rest assured that we are much more cautious in the dark and instinctively move more slowly. As a result, incidents or stains are infrequent.

HOW DO YOU DECIDE WHERE PEOPLE SIT IN THE RESTAURANT?

In our opinion, Dans le Noir ? is not just a sensory experience but also a convivial and human one. For more than 15 years, we have chosen to welcome our guests to large tables. Meeting people in pitch darkness is an interesting part of the experience. The context means that people can have discussions without prejudice and communication becomes more fluid, easy and authentic. If you come in a group, with your partner or a friend, you will be seated alongside your guests. Other people you don't know will be seated next to you. The darkness will help you if you wish to overcome your shyness and enjoy this unique experience in a friendly atmosphere. It often happens that groups who first meet in the dark stay to chat over a cocktail or coffee after the experience. And who knows, maybe you’ll end up seating next to a celebrity!

WHY BLIND OR VISUALLY IMPAIRED WAITERS?
Even if we do not discriminate, blind or partially sighted people are naturally more effective in the dark. When the blind person guides the sighted person, this inversion is an astonishing exercise of empathy that forces us to make an unusual transfer of trust. It is an amazing approach to raising positive awareness of blindness and disability. Dans le Noir ? has an amazing ability to bring out capabilities and kindness beyond appearances and preconceptions.
HOW DO YOU MOVE IN COMPLETE DARKNESS?
Visitors are not allowed to move around the dark room alone, to go to the toilet or to leave by themselves. They could put other clients and waiters in danger. Guides need clear walkways to work around tables. If you want to move, make sure that your guide is told and is able to direct you and assist you.
HOW DO YOU PLACE YOUR ORDER? HOW CAN YOU SEE THE MENU?

The reception is responsible for taking orders in the well lit guest lobby. But you can of course order additional drinks or dishes from your guide in the dark room whenever you want. Remember to tell us about any allergies and remind the guide when they bring your meal. All our menus are surprise.So you won't know what’s on your plate. You must mention any allergies and dietary restrictions when ordering so that the surprise menu will be adapted accordingly, as well as reminding your guide when they bring your meal.

ARE MANY OF YOUR VISITORS VISUALLY IMPAIRED?
Not particularly. It’s something they experience daily and concerns tens of thousands of people in the country. But those who have visited generally enjoy the experience because it’s a unique way to make their friends and family aware of their daily lives.
ARE THE CHEFS BLIND? IS THE KITCHEN ALSO IN THE DARK?
The chefs are not particularly visually impaired, even though we do not discriminate in the recruitment process. The kitchen is lit for obvious safety reasons and so that our chef and his team can work on flavours and dishes made with fresh and delicious ingredients. Everything is designed and organised to offer customers a delicious and unique culinary experience.
ARE THE TOILETS IN THE DARK?
That would probably be fun, but no! The toilets are lit! We strongly advise our guests to use them before the experience so that it isn’t interrupted. But it is of course possible to use them at any time. Simply call your guide by their first name and ask them to escort you to the illuminated area. Then you can go to the toilet and come back to continue your experience by asking the reception to call your guide to take you back to your place.
DO YOU OFTEN HAVE CUSTOMERS WHO CAN'T STAND THE DARKNESS?
Despite a surprising first impression, the vast majority of our visitors adapt almost instantly to the context of a dining room in complete darkness. Our guides know how to put you at ease and reassure you. It is an incredible experience, most people are fascinated by this very unusual and exciting moment that allows us to re-evaluate our senses and our relationship with others.
HOW DO YOU ENSURE OUR SAFETY?
Safety is our primary concern. Safety equipment is adapted to the premises. Lights are switched on automatically or at the request of any member of staff in the event of safety-related incidents. Emergency exits and safety equipment have been designed by us in conjunction with the authorities and are checked very regularly to ensure that they are still operational.
WHAT TYPE OF CUISINE DO YOU SERVE?
Our restaurant offers an innovative and eclectic gastronomic cuisine. Our chefs work particularly on the intensity of flavours and aromas, playing with textures and temperatures. The surprise menus are specially designed for this unconventional tasting context in order to offer our guests a real sensory journey. Naturally, all dishes are first tested in pitch darkness by our chefs and sensory experts.
WHAT DO YOU DO IF SOMEBODY HAS A SPECIAL DIET?
When you order, our reception staff will ask you if you have any special dietary requirements or allergies. If so, the chef will modify your menu accordingly. Please remind your guide of these allergies or restrictions when they bring your meal to the dark room to avoid any problems.
HOW LONG DO PEOPLE SPEND IN THE DARK ROOM?
Visitors spend about an hour and a half in the dark room. But this can vary from one group to another or from one sitting to the next.
WHAT ABOUT THE PRICES?

We have made every effort to keep our prices affordable, to make this experience accessible to all. The current price takes into account safety requirements, the fact that we employ more staff than other restaurants and a cuisine based on fresh products of organic quality. 

HOW MANY PEOPLE WITH VISUAL IMPAIRMENTS DO YOU EMPLOY?

We employ 10 visually impaired or blind guides at the Melbourne restaurant. More than 30 people among our teams worldwide are vision impaired which is almost half of our staff.  
Other blind experts are also available to run our sensory space and its wine tasting sessions, for special events such as organising recruitment sessions, company events, official receptions, product launches, press events, sensory workshops, brainstorming or team building sessions, etc
People with visual impairments don’t just work in the company as waiters. For example, the Deputy Director of our Group is blind. We also often employ consultants, experts or blind trainers on an ad hoc basis in France, the UK and Europe.

HOW MANY PEOPLE CAN YOU ACCOMMODATE?

 We can accommodate up to 84 people in our dark dining room at the same time. We can also accommodate more people in shifted services. The Rydges on Swanston Hotel also offers numerous conference rooms and cocktail areas for up to 300 people.

DO YOU HAVE ANY FUNNY ANECDOTES?
Some customers have admitted to licking their plates in order not to waste a single drop of melted chocolate! They were absolutely right! People who had met on an Internet dating site decided to have their first blind date in the dark room. It was only after their meal and over a drink in our brightly lit bar that they first saw each other's faces. We also hold various events in the dark such as concerts, reading sessions or debates. These events are always incredible, sometimes moving, leaving very good memories! In complete darkness, we are all equal. Whether you are unknown or a celebrity (princes in London, a Prime Minister in France, actors, musicians, athletes, etc.), you never know who is sitting next to you in the darkness!
CAN WE BRING OUR CHILDREN?
We welcome children over the age of 6 (they are often much more enthusiastic than adults!). We ask, of course, that they be accompanied and under the responsibility of an adult.
DO YOU NEED TO BOOK IN ADVANCE?

To dine at the restaurant in Melbourne at Rydges on Swanston, the easiest way is to book online using our booking service where availability is updated in real-time.

You can also book by phone at +613 9347 7811.

For any question, do not hesitate to contact us via the form.

HOW CAN I GET INFORMATION ABOUT EVENTS?

All information about our news and special events are available on our blog and on our social networks.

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For all corporate group requests, contact +613 9347 7811 or via the following form.

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