The Dinner Detective

The Dinner Detective is playing at the Embassy Suites by Hilton Portland Downtown on Saturday, October 10, and it's a bit different from your usual dinner theater. Instead of a stage and a separate audience, the entire room becomes the crime scene. The professional actors don't wear costumes; they're secretly planted among the guests as fellow diners, so the killer is hidden in plain sight right next to you. It's a present-day, real-time murder mystery where you're part of the action rather than just watching it from a seat.

The night works around a three-course plated dinner, with the meal woven into the show's breaks. Between courses, you'll be interrogating suspects and following clues to crack the case, and a fully stocked bar stays open throughout. It's built for couples, friend groups, corporate teams, and birthday celebrations, and first-timers compete on equal footing with returning guests. The best sleuth of the evening walks away with the Top Sleuth Prize Package. Beyond the public shows, they also host hundreds of private and corporate events every year, from business gatherings to marriage proposals.

This is one of several select Saturdays running through 2026, so if you can't make this one, there are more coming up: October 24, October 30—which is a Halloween Costume Show—November 14, and November 21. Each runs from 6 to 8:30 PM at the Embassy Suites by Hilton Portland Downtown, 319 SW Pine St, Portland, OR 97204. General admission tickets start at $74.95 per person, with local taxes and fees added; performer gratuity is optional and not included.