Singles dinner: how a dinner edition works

What is a singles dinner?

A singles dinner is an organised meal where many guests arrive alone and the seating is set by the organiser, so you do not have to start a conversation yourself. At Adam & Eve that part is called Flirt & Mingle: dinner first, then the same group moves on to the party. The difference from a normal table in a restaurant is not the menu, it is the arrangement around it: who sits where, when you switch, and what happens if you do not click with anyone.

How the evening runs

Arrival and the first drink

Doors open, you get a drink and you immediately see who is there. You do not have to do anything at that point. The hosts watch who walks in alone and make sure you end up in a group where a conversation is already going. The first twenty minutes are the easiest to join, because everyone is still landing and nobody has claimed a spot yet.

At the table: a different neighbour per course

Around half past six you sit down. Tables are arranged so you are not next to the same person as last time, and when the courses change the conversation moves with them. That is not a game, it is a simple structure: you have half an hour to get to know someone, then someone else sits beside you and you never have to end the conversation yourself. If you feel a click, you find that person again after dinner.

After dinner

After dinner there is no end point. The group moves on to the party and whoever wants to stays. There is no moment where you must decide whether you like someone; that sorts itself out, at the table or later in the evening. Anyone who wants to leave earlier does so without explaining.

Menka Worae, founder of Adam & Eve, puts it this way: people talk differently at a table than in the queue at the bar. That is why the evening starts with food.

Who it is for

For singles aged 23 and up who prefer a half-hour conversation to ten seconds of eye contact on a dance floor. You do not need conversation technique and you do not need to fill in a profile to sit at the table; your ticket is enough. There is no upper limit.

It works best if you are open to an evening where half the people do not become a match and you still had a good night. That is true of any dinner, including this one. People who come to eat, talk and dance afterwards almost always go home feeling better than they expected.

If you come alone

Many guests arrive on their own, and the seating is built from the guest list. You are never the only person at a table where everyone else already knows each other. If you come with a friend, the seating splits you up at arrival, otherwise you spend the evening talking to the person you came with.

What it costs and what you get

A party ticket starts at €17.50. Dinner is an upgrade on that ticket and is charged per course, drinks excluded. If you come more often there is a membership with one party ticket per month and a discount on the dinner upgrade, or a season ticket for five editions. Rates and what is included per edition are listed with the edition itself; the current overview is on the pricing page.

The dinner upgrade is a three-course dinner with set seating, before the party. You choose when you book whether you come for the party only or join the table as well, and you do not have to decide again on the night.

Why the format matters more than the venue

Every edition gets its own venue, but the structure never changes: welcome, dinner with changing tables, then the party. That is how we ran editions on the rooftop of CIMA in the Renaissance Hotel, at Jimmy Woo, at The Harbour Club Oost, at Belly of The Beast and on the water with the SUPPER Cruise, with trips to BAMBOOZ in Rotterdam, Ohana Beachclub in Zandvoort and BY AMI in The Hague. Utrecht is in preparation.

What stays fixed is the guest list: singles aged 23 and over, a host who runs the evening, and a room arranged for conversation rather than for tables as far apart as possible. What the evening looks like is set out on the Adam & Eve site.

Frequently asked questions

Will I sit alone if I come by myself?

No, that is the point. Many guests arrive alone and the seating is built from the guest list, so you are never the only one at a table of strangers.

Can I pass on a dietary requirement?

Yes, mention it when you book and we take it into account. If you mention it on the night itself there may not be an alternative available.

Do I have to join the party after dinner?

No. The evening is one flow, but you decide how long you stay. Leaving after dinner needs no explanation, and staying means the same group slowly moves towards the music.

What time does dinner start and how long does it take?

You can come in from the opening time, with a drink available. Around half past six you sit down, and after dinner the evening turns into the party. There is no time at which you have to leave.

Can I bring someone with me?

You can, but the seating splits couples and friends at arrival. Otherwise you spend the evening across from the person you already came with and speak to nobody new.

Adam & Eve singles events

Adam & Eve runs singles events in Amsterdam, where we host editions most often, and elsewhere in the Netherlands: from a drink to a dinner and from a beach edition to a gallery night. Upcoming editions are in the calendar.

Singles only dinner & party

See the upcoming editions

Every edition follows the same shape. A welcome drink, a dinner where you switch tables between courses, then the party. In Amsterdam, The Hague and Utrecht, all year round.

See all events