Review: Texas Star Dinner Theater in Grapevine, Texas

See our Advertiser Disclosure and Editorial Note here.

Earlier this year, I mentioned on here that I want to splurge more on local experiences and entertainment. The Texas Star Dinner Theater has been on my radar for several years, but we never carved out the time or budget to go. At Christmas, we received a gift certificate to the Texas Star Dinner Theater from family members. I excitedly booked our reservation during spring break.

About Texas Star Dinner Theater

Texas Star Dinner Theater is located in downtown Grapevine, Texas, very close to DFW airport. It’s easy to find, and there is free parking offered in several lots within walking distance.

The experience includes dinner and a live, interactive murder mystery show. Doors open at 7:00, when you can get seated and start on drinks and salad. Dinner is served at 7:30, and the show starts at 8:00. Our entire experience ended around 10:00 p.m., so three hours from start to finish. For this reason, I don’t recommend Texas Star Dinner Theater for kids under 10 years old (the website recommends ages 5+ but I think older is better).

Tickets are $62.95 plus tax per person. That price includes a full dinner with dessert plus the live show.

The FAQs recommend business casual dress. We had to fight with our teens a bit to get them out of athletic pants and at least into nice jeans before we left. But, I’m glad we did. Nobody was wearing shorts or sweat pants that we could see.

Arrival

The theater was easy to find. We waited in a short line outside as the hosts seated each party. The hosts are actually the actors from the show, already in character.

The room isn’t too big, as it holds a maximum of 95 people. This small size kept the performance interesting and interactive.

The Food

After we were escorted to our table, we started on our salads and ordered drinks. We had to pre-order our dinners when we purchased tickets. Our options were grilled fish, grilled chicken, chicken fried steak or eggplant piccata.

Our table tried all but the eggplant piccata. The food reminded me of food that is served at a large convention. It was edible, but not outstanding. My kids didn’t care for the grilled chicken because it was covered in a pesto sauce.

But, the chocolate cake was delicious!

I wish there was a checkbox on the order form to put the sauce on the side, or just have it on the side for everyone. But, due to the timing of the dinner, all the dinners have to be the same.

The Show

The show was by far the best part of the experience. I knew that I would enjoy it, but I was a bit worried about my grumpy teens playing along. Much to my shock, they were laughing through the entire show and fully vested in guessing who the murderer was.

Some jokes and innuendos went over my daughter’s (age 11) head. But, the format of the show kept us all engaged with the outcome.

I won’t get into details of the show because I don’t want to spoil it for anyone. It’s very much an old-west Texas-themed experience. There are two intermissions. Dessert is served during the first intermission. Guests can ask the characters questions during the second intermission as they try to solve the mystery.

My 14-year-old son liked it so much that he’s already asking when we can go back. The same show is playing through November, but there are 4 different endings, so you never know which one you will get.

I would like to return for the special Christmas show that happens during December. I tried to get tickets last year, but it sells out well in advance.

Overall Thoughts

Texas Star Dinner Theater is a fun night for families with older kids and teens. It would be fun with a large group of friends, and I also recommend taking out-of-town guests here. We hope to take my in-laws the next time they come visit us.

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