Underground restaurant

An underground restaurant, sometimes known as a supper club or closed door restaurant, is an eating establishment operated out of someone's home, generally (though not invariably) bypassing local zoning and health-code regulations. They are, in effect, paying dinner parties. They are usually advertised by word of mouth or guerilla advertising, often on Facebook, and may require references to make a reservation. An underground restaurant is also known as a guestaurant, which is a hybrid between being a guest in a dinner party and a restaurant.

Underground restaurants are popular in Latin America, where they're known as either a paladar or a restaurante de puertas cerradas (closed door restaurant). Depending on local licensing laws, they may or may not be illegal; either way, they've been built into the culture for decades, and often have higher standards than many licensed establishments. They are becoming increasingly popular in the U.S.

The attraction of the underground restaurant for the customer is to sample new food, often at low cost outside the traditional restaurant experience, which can be expensive and disappointing—underground restaurants have been described as "anti-restaurants." They also generally provide a more intimate, dinner party style experience. For the host, the benefit is to make some money and experiment with cooking without being required to invest in a restaurant proper. "It's literally like playing restaurant," one host told the San Francisco Chronicle, "You can create the event, and then it's over."

In the UK Underground Restaurants and Supper Clubs have started to blossom, with reviews in leading newspapers such as The Times and The Guardian. They range across the UK but are mainly concentrated in London. These are advertised by word of mouth and on social media networks such as Facebook and MySpace and often have their own blog. They have grown so much in popularity that you can now find social networks dedicated solely to underground dining, as well as listings of events around the world. There are also some etiquette guidelines worth observing. The first UK charity supperclub, Parkholme Supper Club, was set up in September 2010, with all profits going to charity, and has proved to be a new fundraising source for charities, in this case Medecins Sans Frontieres.

Canadian supper clubs

• Secret Pickle
• Charlie's Burgers

UK supper clubs

• Supperclub Fan Group - Created by Kerstin Rodgers, pioneer of the supperclub movement in the UK. The Original Supperclub directory of UK and Worldwide Supperclubs
• Guestaurant.com ( lists supper clubs, underground restaurants, pop-up restaurants through UK and Ireland)
• Parkholme Supper Club the first UK charity supperclub, raising money for Medecins Sans Frontieres
• MsMarmitelover
• Leluu
• Hidden Tea Room
• The Secret Supper Society (Oxfordshire)
• the Basement Galley
• The Bournemouth Supper Club

Supper clubs in Hong Kong

Locally known as a "private kitchen", or a "speakeasy", underground restaurants in Hong Kong seek to circumvent the perceived practice of landlords charging restauranteurs at rates linked to profits.

See also

• Speakeasy
• Smokeasy
• Guerilla dining
• Guerrilla Gourmet

External links

• Supperclub Fan Group - The original Supperclub directory of Fans and Supperclubs both UK and Worldwide.
• Guestaurant- Where Social Meets Food
• Independent reviews of Parkholme Supper Club from Guestaurant and others
• The Secret Supper Society, Oxfordshire
• The Secret Ingredient
• MsMarmitelover
• Supper Club : A book on underground restaurants with recipes, by Kerstin Rodgers
• Leluu
• supperclub fan group
• Saltshaker
• Diners Guide
• Hidden Tea Room closed down
• the Basement Galley, Brixton
• Huiskamerrestaurant Prins' Bovenkamer Dutch Underground Restaurant
• Independent Reviews of Fernandez and Leluu.
• "Rise in underground supper clubs" BBC News, 3 October 2009
• Mount, Ian. Buenos Aires: Psst! Want a Discreet Dinner?, The New York Times, December 17, 2006.
• Williams, Zoe. The secret feast, The Guardian, February 10, 2009.
• Zingara Cucina Famous Australian Underground Restaurant
• Casa SaltShaker
• Sydney Morning Herald article on Zingara Cucina
• Fairfax The Age article on Underground Restaurants
• Executive Style article on Zingara Cucina
• Black Book Magazine Article on Zingara Cucina
• Heso magazine Article on Guerilla Dining Scandinavian Style.
• Bournemouth Supper Club - Dorset's Underground Restaurant