I went on a mystery dinner date with five other people. It was one of the best conversations I’ve ever had with strangers

Instagram has gotten to know me all too well…. as if it has overheard my extensive conversations with friends about being completely over the churn of the dating app, I’ve been getting served ads for in-person events that aim to facilitate more natural, in-person connections. And because I enjoy new experiences and I’m also happy to chat with strangers, I’ve started giving them a try. 

My most recent adventure was with Timeleft, which operates in 45 major cities in around the world. Every Wednesday night, the app organizes group dinners for sets of six algorithm-paired strangers at a mystery restaurant in your city, kind-of a blind dinner date for meeting new friends. While it doesn’t bill itself as a dating app, it hints that it’s a great way to stumble upon your next crush (which sounded great to me). But there’s also another reason to give it a try, especially if you’ve aged out of budget hostels: It’s a phenomenal way to meet people while traveling, who you may be able to hang out with during your visit or tap for local recommendations.

The way the app works is simple: You start by filling out a survey about your hobbies, interests, astrological chart (really), and what you look for when you dine out with friends. The app asks how much you’re willing to pay for a good meal, what your dietary restrictions are, where you’re from, and what you do for a living. You can sign up for a subscription, which grants you access to every dinner for a set monthly fee, or you can buy tickets one at a time. The cost of the dinner isn’t included—you’ll have to do some good, old-fashioned bill-splitting with the rest of your table. The app comes with a built-in list of questions to keep conversations going, and, at the end of the evening, Timeleft hosts a drinks event so diners can mingle with other groups.

I’m not alone in wanting more avenues to meet new people. I feel like nearly anyone with a pulse will tell you they are exhausted by online dating. Officially, The New York Times reported last year that 80 percent of 18-to-54-year-olds said they had experienced emotional fatigue or burnout from online dating. I have felt similarly about dating-like apps intended to build platonic friendships.

While I generally find it comfortable to talk to strangers, it’s not always easy to turn those conversations into real friendships. It takes time, but more than that it takes an openness and willingness from both parties to pursue a relationship that requires effort. So, it appeals to meet people at an event where the whole aim is to expand your circle of friends. 

I’ve been to two Timeleft dinners now—one in London, where I live, and one in Lisbon, a city I had never visited before. Originally, I was just curious how an event like this would go. I wondered whether I’d be paired with people my age, or if I might show up and meet people much older or younger than me. I wondered whether conversation would be easy, or if I’d be walking into a situation where everyone was desperate for friends but hard to talk to. Either way, I figured, it would probably turn into a good story. But I didn’t need to worry.

At both dinners, chat flowed easily even without the help of the app’s conversation starters. I’ve only seen one of the London diners a second time so far, but the whole table swapped Instagram handles in Lisbon, and I’ve been in touch with a couple of them since our dinner.

While I don’t know of any other apps doing exactly the same thing as Timeleft, supper clubs have been on the rise lately worldwide and interest in communal living has spiked as people seek deeper connections. Some dating companies have also shifted to hosting in-person events rather than pushing customers to buy roses and super-likes to engage with gamified apps (two of which, Hinge and Tinder, are now being sued for their addictive qualities). Thursday, for example, hosts singles-only events at bars, climbing gyms, parks, and other venues, and will soon be hosting its second annual singles ski trip in France. 

“For me, [Timeleft] is a tangible way to meet and establish new friendships,” one of my fellow Lisbon diners, Fédi Regaieg, told me while I was writing this article. “And to grow my circles and grow personally, instead of always being with my comfortable circle of friends.” 

For me, it was the same. I didn’t know anyone in Lisbon but I knew I’d be there for a few days and would likely want to visit the city again. So, it seemed like a good investment to meet others who might know the city better than me, and who likewise might want to visit London someday. 

But even if we never see each other again, we had a fascinating conversation that was well worth the time. All six of us were from different countries—Tunisia, Iran, France, Portugal, UK, and US—and we spoke at length about the challenges of trying to learn how to communicate in a new language or culture. I learned so much from each of them, and I could have kept talking for many more hours.

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