The Dark Room at Saint Kate

We had a private dinner for Marcus hotels and resorts training in the dark room. It was a special experience I would never trade for anything. The service was outstanding. The menu was 20/10, lots of options to choose from even with a large party and customized smaller menu you would find in a normal sit down restaurant. You enter The Dark Room from a bookcase next to the yellow neon GIGGLY sign on the second floor of the Saint Kate Hotel.

We made a reservation weeks in advance for my 40th birthday which was accepted only to show up and be told the dark room only is set for large groups....we agregiously accepted to dine at the Aria I believe it's called assuming food would be the same as the rave reviews of the darkroom. Wow were we disappointed, service was slow and food terrible. Steaks were all cooked to incorrect temp and could barely cut with a knife. My wife's hedge/wedge salad so bitter/rancid it was inedible...I tried it myself and couldn't swallow it...dessets were on par with the whole meal. I was excited for weeks to celebrate a big day only to be left desperately disappointed.

There's a lot to like at The Dark Room. It's a perfect spot for a special occasion or romantic date. It's hidden, a bit like a speakeasy, but unlike speakeasies, you don't need to find your way into TDR by yourself--just check at the host stand in front of Giggly and Aria. The host will escort you behind the swing-out bookcase and to your table. The restaurant is cozy with only nine or ten tables. Be sure to make a reservation on OpenTable. As you'd expect with a restaurant called The Dark Room, the room is quite dimly lit. A good portion of the lighting comes from candles burning in the center of the room. To make it easier to order, the menus light up when opened (almost a bit too brightly--they were a bit like spotlights in the shadowy room.) The soft soundtrack is jazz, giving the place a very intimate, upscale feel. The service is outstanding. Our server, Mario, and the rest of the waitstaff was very professional, informed about the menu, and helpful. Cocktails and wine were also uniformly great for our meal. The food was very good but not what I'd consider exceptional. My wife's Tender Green salad had a very bitter taste. And she found her salmon good but not remarkable. I enjoyed my meal a bit more than my spouse--the wedge salad was tasty and my steak was well prepared. But, if I'm honest, the steak as good as I've had in other nicer restaurants and not particularly outstanding. I don't mean to cast aspersions--our meal was quite good, but it didn't quite live up to the mystique of the place, the excellence of the service, or the price. I'd absolutely return for the interesting and romantic experience, but on its own, the food wouldn't be the primary draw for me.

I was brought to this steakhouse by a friend going back a few months. I don't spend a lot of time in Milwaukee, so I'd never heard of it. The day we came, I didn't have a taste for steak, which unusual for me! I ordered a wedge salad to start and a crab dish instead of steak and both were delicious. Everything was Fresh with great flavor. The atmosphere in this restaurant is very warm and dark but not too dark and cozy but spacious.Our server was very nice. Very attentive. Fabulous restaurant that I recommend when in Milwaukee.

What a great dining experience! This restaurant is hidden away at Saint Kate, but it's worth finding. We went before a show at the Marcus Center. The food was excellent and the service was impeccable.

Phenomenal ambience. Literally a hidden gem. Simple but well-executed cocktails. The highlights of the menu are the steaks. The special dry-aged ribeye was the best steak I've had in the 4+ years we've lived here. Grilled crab was solid though not spectacular. The soup special and wedge salad were excellent as starters. The pommes Anne side was ok. But I'd come back here over and over for special occasions, for the ambience and the steak.

Perfect spot for an intimate meal before a show at the Marcus Center next door or any special night out downtown. TDR is a unique and very personalized experience. The food and drinks are delicious and the service is VIP. What you'd expect from a high-end steakhouse but with a very different vibe than big places. Instead, this "speakeasy" is just a single, small, dimly-lit room you have to know about with a handful of staff buzzing around and just a dozen or so tables filled with other couples enjoying themselves. It's a once-in-while kind of place that will be hard to forget!

Everything was perfect. Food, service, drinks atmosphere, ambience...all of it was simply Fantastic

The Dark Room was such an incredible experience. From walking into the dining room, to the menus, to the decor, you can tell everything was carefully curated to make this a really unique experience. Not only was everything beautiful, but the food was amazing. I was with a larger group and everyone raved about their dinner choices. We shared appetizers and desserts. My personal favorites was the baked goat cheese, the salmon and the banana cream pie. The servers were attentive and offered great suggestions. Overall, it was a lovely evening. I am excited to bring back friends to see their reactions to this beautiful, unique and delicious experience.

A lovely little spot with a great speakeasy vibe. The oysters were East Coast, but not too briney, quite sweet. And the scallops were SPOT ON! Seared perfectly with a crisp carmelized exterior and not overcooked. I didn't care for the accompanying pepper sauce, but I chose to have it on the side anyway. The root vegetable gratin was oh so decadent and delicious!The wait staff was AMAZING, attentive, but never hovering, and truly treated me like the queen!!