Behind the blackout curtains of a Hollywood steakhouse, 10 men and women recently met for a candlelit evening of French onion soup, Thai-fried shrimp and lobster tails.
But before the first course even arrived, they had stripped off their clothes and sat bare shoulder to shoulder, at a long table.
Welcome to the Nude Dining Experience at C.L.A.S.S. Soiree Steakhouse, a first-Monday-of-the-month private affair where the food is high-end, the clothing is optional and the folks are uninhibited.
Chef-owner Maurad Ali says he created the event, launched in July, as a “respectful, judgment-free” way for strangers to eat together unclad “and try something fun and new.”
The next event on Aug. 3, which has expanded to 20 diners, is nearly sold out, Ali says. The menu includes veggie spring rolls, strawberry salads and tomato bisque soup to start, followed by a surf-and-turf course of grass-fed filet mignon and Florida lobster tail, with sides of truffle mac ’n’ cheese and French-style mashed potatoes. For dessert, there are beignets and ice cream. (Vegan options are available.)
“You’d think [with] a concept as risque as this that the main attraction is nakedness, but for us it’s the food,” Ali says. “We want people to feel fancy and have themselves an upscale meal.”
For $150 for women and $250 for men, guests can come together to clink glasses and enjoy the five-course meal. Ali argues the naked ambitions of these intimate parties are less a gimmick and more an excuse for his steakhouse “to stay remarkable.”
“People want to know why I’m doing it, and 99% of them are like, ‘Is this real?’ and ‘Hell no, I’m not doing that,’ but they’re talking about it. They see I’m highly rated on Google and my place is remarkable,” says Ali, who’s operated C.L.A.S.S. since 2018. “So my other goal is to get people talking.”
And boy, are they talking. The au naturel prix-fixes ignited controversy the moment the restaurant’s flyer started circulating on social media in late June, with most chatter ranging from joking to serious, bawdy to scandalized.
“Ummm that’s disgusting!” commenter Maryanne Tooch posted on “Let’s Eat, South Florida,” the Sun Sentinel’s foodie Facebook group. “Who will go there the rest of the week?”
“The world has definitely gone bonkers!!!” wrote Olga Ospina McDonough, adding a barf emoji.
Mike Stocker/South Florida Sun Sentinel
The C.L.A.S.S. Soiree Steakhouse in Hollywood is shown on Thursday, July 30, 2026. (Mike Stocker/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
For the record, dining in the buff at a restaurant is legal in Hollywood if that dinner stays private and only the guests (as opposed to employees) are undressed, says city spokesperson Joann Hussey, who consulted with city attorneys this week about C.L.A.S.S.’s minimalist soiree.
“This restaurant with its blackout curtains isn’t in the public view, so it’s allowed,” Hussey says. “We’re just trying to keep the public safe.”
Hollywood Mayor Josh Levy, for one, is a fan of Ali’s cuisine and does not begrudge the restaurant’s new revenue stream.
“He’s a great chef, the food is delicious, and we’ve enjoyed our dinners there for years,” he says. “If there’s a market and the shades are drawn, hey, different strokes for different folks.
“But you probably won’t find me there on the first Monday of the month,” he adds.
C.L.A.S.S. isn’t Hollywood’s only establishment to feature nude parties: There’s also the Rooftop Resort, a so-called “swinger’s nudist hotel,” which organizes rooftop events overlooking the beach near the Margaritaville Hollywood Beach Resort. And a few sociable dinners around the United States even make nudity a requirement, including the Füde Dinner Experiences that have popped up in New York and Los Angeles.
‘Some people will be too timid and scared to bare it all’
Ali has carefully monitored online criticism about his Nude Dining Experiences, particularly questions asking whether it’s sanitary, and says protections are in place to make the event “welcome for everybody.”
Upon arrival, a security guard posted outside checks prepaid tickets at the door before allowing entry. Guests can doff their drawers the moment the door shuts behind them. At 500 square feet, C.L.A.S.S. has no dressing room, just a coat rack and a corner bench for folded clothes.
The windows have blackout curtains and shutters to prevent “peeping Toms,” Ali says. And everyone is provided with a silk bathrobe, a lap towel and custom leather seat cushions that are cleaned after service.
From there, diners squeeze around a warmly lit communal table draped with cream-colored linens, gold-rimmed dinnerware and wine glasses. For those worried that hot courses like steaks or bowlfuls of soup can harm their unprotected unmentionables, Ali says all guests should exercise common sense and use their lap towel.
“Everybody should know that when you sit down and eat soup, you bend over the table – that’s why God gave you a neck,” he says. “If you go from table to mouth, you’ll burn your friggin’ self.”
The evening kicks off with a celebratory Champagne toast to “being free,” says Tosheba Hart, a hostess and nudist who greets arrivals already undressed.
Patrons unwilling to feel quite so liberated can leave their bathrobes on all evening long, Hart says.
“Some people will be too timid and scared to bare it all compared to those in the nudist lifestyle, so there’s definitely going to be a learning curve,” says Hart, who’s also in charge of the steakhouse’s social media. “I’m already nude, so when they see me, they’ll feel comfortable to follow my lead, maybe after a drink or two.”
Ali, however, remains fully clothed, as do his back-of-house cooking/serving staffers. While he’s bemused about the whole business of dining naked, the $150-plus dinners have been profitable, going beyond the average customer check.
He charges men more than women to “have a balance of the sexes,” adding “this isn’t a dating event or a place to gawk. It’s a fine-dining event …
“And if you’re not cool,” he adds, “you’re [kicked] out.”
Ali is a Johnson & Wales graduate who worked at Shula’s Steak House and the Fontainebleau Miami Beach before turning private chef for celebrities (including Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Lil Wayne) and eventually opening his own spot.
He says he knew the nude dining idea, which came together with input from Hart, would be risky.
“At first, we talked about doing a marijuana dinner, but I said, ‘No, that’s illegal.’ So instead we did a nude dining experience,” he recalls.
When he brought it up to family earlier this summer, “my mom didn’t like the idea because she’s a Jehovah’s Witness and she thinks it’s ungodly,” Ali adds. “But I’m unmarried, and business is business, and it’s legal. The price of goods are up about 30% and every market is demanding top dollar for their stuff. I have five longtime employees and six new workers, and they depend on me and we depend on each other. This will make us last.”
The next Nude Dining Experience at C.L.A.S.S. Soiree Steakhouse, 121 N. 20th Ave., Hollywood, is set to take place from 7 to 10 p.m. Monday, Aug. 3. Tickets cost $150 for women, $250 for men, and $300 for couples via Eventbrite.com. Call 786-290-7295 or go to ClassSoireeSteakhouse.com.
Sun Sentinel senior features writer Phillip Valys can be reached at pvalys@sunsentinel.com or Twitter/X @philvalys.