Amazing food. Nice ambience. Friendly service. The chef came to our table to say hello.

Wow we are walking distance from Darna but it took us five years to finally try it. We've been missing out! Well-lit, slightly modern looking decor, comfy atmosphere that's pretty casual. Lots of different people helped us out, took our order, brought food etc. but it felt like the service while good, was just slightly below great. We got the veggie clay pot and the mixed grill to share between two people, and my son got a fattoush salad and the kebbeh. The mixed grill was great, all the meats were flavourful, and tender/juicy. It came with a lamb/beef kebab, some beef tenderloin, and some chicken. I think there were roast potatoes too, but my memory is a bit fuzzy on that part. The veggie stew was poured onto a plate of bulgur and was really really good. Lots of flavour, all the veggies (carrots, cauliflower, onions, etc.) were tender. the juices ran through the bulgur which made for a great side dish to go with the meat. The kebbeh was tasty but still a bit disappointing -- there were only three, and didn't feel like quite enough to make a meal. Luckily the fattoush salad was huge otherwise my son would have left the restaurant hungry. Compared to some of the dishes we saw on other tables, this dish seems to be an outlier in terms of quantity of food, and it's certainly not worth the $28 price; I wouldn't recommend it. Despite the disappointment with the one meal, all the food was delicious and I still felt like the meal on the whole was good value, and I wouldn't mind going back to try some of their other dishes. read more

Their outside street patio is nice. The waitresses are nice as well. The food is good. The fried vegetable appetizer was very good. The dish quantities were maybe a little small but good enough. read more

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Be careful with adding salad as a side It's not specified and it replaced the fries Now the meals we picked up are not fish and chips, as had been expected read more

This review is based upon the takeout food courtesy of Ubereats. This spot has had decent feedback so I was looking forward to the meal. Here is a play by play Mix Grill. The main item on my order. Hmm it did disappoint. The Chicken was under seasoned, the beef was OK, the kebab had an odd aftertaste that lingered well after the meal. The potato side was undercooked as well IMO. This pretty much derailed the entire meal. The mezes fared a bit better with Lebneh being the star of this meal. Seasoned well and good texture (a lot of places get it wrong and it feels like one is having seasoned sour cream). The chicken livers were OK (I just ordered them usually when I see them as other than nandos its hard to find them in the city). The bread was decent. The rice was oily as expected. Hmm there are better options for takeout IMO so I can't recommend them. read more

Darna - Mix grill, labneh and kibdeh - Middle Eastern Near Me - East York, Ontario

Best Middle East food dishes that we ever had, excellent service and nice setting. We consider to take our sons and family to come again. read more

Darna - Fattoush salad, olives & pickles mixes - Middle Eastern Near Me - East York, Ontario

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Darna recently opened in December 2019, and it has quickly garnered the reputation as being one of the best Middle Eastern restaurants in Toronto. The interior decor is modern, simple, and clean. The food is truly outstanding - both in quality and taste. Review of what we ordered: 1) Baba Ghanouj (tower of eggplant, bell pepper, green onion, coriander, parsley, chopped walnuts, and pomegranate molasses) - It's literally an eggplant tower that is presented like a work of art... not your typical baba ghanouj in the form of a dip. It's pleasant and pretty to look at, and its taste does not disappoint. The eggplant is grilled to a very soft consistency, while the eggplant skin, bell pepper, pomegranates, and chopped walnuts complement the softness with a nice blend of different tastes and crunch. The pomegranate molasses add a bit of sweetness, without being too much. It comes with a warm pita bread. This is a must-order. (If you're looking for an actual eggplant dip with tahini, order the mutabal.) 2) Falafels - Comes in 4-5 pieces, hot and crunchy in the outside while soft and green in the inside (from the mix of herbs and chickpeas). 3) Arnabeet (fried cauliflower, zucchini, bell pepper, tahini, zucchini labneh dressing) - I like that the cauliflower isn't deep-fried and has a nice char. The zucchini labneh dressing goes really great with the vegetables. 4) Salatet Darna (endives, cherry tomatoes, pickled red onion, beetroots, orange slices, red apple, Nabulsi cheese, sumac, orange date vinaigrette) - Unique salad with a nice blend of various colours, textures, and tastes. The citrus from the orange slices and orange date vinaigrette makes the salad taste fresh and different than most other salads. The Nabulsi cheese adds a bit of saltiness and has a nice, firm texture. No one ingredient is too overpowering - everything is nicely balanced. 5) Vegetarian Fukhara (braised vegetables stew in a clay pot, served with bulgur) - You can choose between bulgur or rice. We picked bulgur. The bulgur comes served on a plate, then the waitress pours the piping hot braised vegetables stew from the clay pot onto the plate of bulgur. This dish is hearty, warm, filling, and very satisfying - perfect dish for a winter day. 6) Siadiyeh (pan-seared Mediterranean seabass, caramelized & crispy onions, tomatoes, Darna specialty rice, slivered almonds) - This is surprisingly SO good and tasty. The fish portion is quite generous - 2 pieces of fillet (one soft at the bottom, and one crispy at the top), topped with caramelized and crispy onions. Again, the mix of different textures (soft and crispy from the fish, onions, rice, almonds) just makes the dish a delight in your mouth. It goes great when mixed with the Vegetarian Fukhara (get your protein and veggies at the same time). read more

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Fresh delicious would 100% recommend. The presentation was very thoughtful and I loved the made with love message on.my take out bag.

Came here on a weeknight and it wasn't too busy to dine in. We tried a few dishes to share: dip sampler, shish barak (dumplings), jarjeer salad and mixed grill. Everything was delicious and flavourful. Our server was very knowledgeable and passionate about the cuisine. I would absolutely return. I am interested in the fukhara (braised stew) next ! read more

Darna opened at the end of 2019, and they serve middle eastern food. We ordered the baba ganoush, the chicken skewers, hummus and beef. The standouts were the chicken with the sauce, the rice and the fattoush. Food was very good and flavourful. Support your local businesses! Darna does delivery though UberEats, or dine-in. read more

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An amazing spot for authentic middle eastern- every dish is prepared perfectly. My personal favourite were the labneh and the falafel. The beef skewers were cooked to perfection. Loved the potatoes and the cauliflower. The chicken fukhara was just delicious!!! Lovely customer service and menu recommendations! Highly recommend. read more

Darna - Dips, falafel and cauliflower! - Middle Eastern Near Me - East York, Ontario

Big restaurant with spacious seating, good traditional music and ambience. The Baba Ghanouj starter is served cold and is an excellent combination of sweet, nutty and savoury. I also enjoyed the Beef Shakshuka with naan. The date pudding is made in house and topped with the yogurt, it is an excellent finish to the meal. Definitely lives up to the overall rating. Tableside coat rack and semi-wheelchair accessible. Restrooms on basement level. read more

We came here for dinner with my wife and kids, my parents and extended family, we were a group of 9 and pretty much ordered every item on the menu from the appetizers and mains. The hummus, baba ghanoush , mutabbal, liver, tabouleh, fatoush were just fabulous ... the mixed grill was super tasty. My wife tried a unique "Arak" based cocktail which I have never seen anywhere before and she loved it. The flavours were the most authentic flavours that I tried outside of the Middle East. The waitresses were super nice, friendly, and the service was really fast. This is truly a hidden gem! And I can't wait to go back. read more

I've never eaten Middle Eastern food as good as this. The quality was amazing, the service great. I think this is the best you can get in Toronto!! Fantastic read more

I really enjoyed the food here. We had the felafels and the hummus with beef and they were delicious. The mixed meats platter was great but I feel the portions were really small. Minus one point for the bread. I feel like the oven is great but the whole wheat does not taste great at all. Actually it is one of the worst breads I had in a. Middle eastern place. read more

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we had dinner - a group of 8 - tonight at Darna and everything was fantastic. great food and environment. the place was crowded and alive. All of our meals were delicious and the staff was truly great. everyone was very attentive and we were a table of mostly seniors w a lot of demands/requests and they handled every request w a smile. a really excellent dining experience. I would highly recommend a night out here. read more

Thought we'd support this close-by local place during covid, paid $30 for a small and skinny chicken and kebab wrap that had absolutely no flavour, meat was bland, and dry, the vegetables in the wrap were not fresh and were discoloured. Would highly recommend not ordering food from here. read more

Darna - Kebab wrap - bland, no flavour, vegetables were not fresh, over priced - Middle Eastern Near Me - East York, Ontario

We wanted humus, labneh, Taboule, Kafta and fish so we thought of trying out this new restaurant and were so pleasantly surprised! A hidden gem indeed! We had beef tenderloin foukhara, sayadiah, kafta tahini and broiled sea bass all tasted amazing. Even the rice and the burgul were delicious. The atmosphere was warm and welcoming. read more

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Top notch food and service... staff were extremely attentive and courteous , glad to have found nice Mediterranean food, Darna we enjoyed every minute of it see you soon ladies read more

Darna has proven to be a wonderful location for delicious Palestinian cuisine. Every time I visit, I am greeted with friendliness by the family. They remember me even after a few months!! The chicken fukhara is a must. Their sampler platter is absolutely worth every dollar, because they will give you big portions of dips plus extra complimentary pita if needed. Kofta tahini is absolutely wonderful. I will never forget when my friend and I got takeout, and they had forgotten to give us bulgur with our meal. We called to ask about it, and they cooked it fresh and drove to bring it to our location!!! What excellent customer service. Darna also has a wonderful atmosphere. It's also great that we get a view of the kitchen. Can't wait to come back to Darna! read more

this is the best middle eastern restaurant in toronto! delicious food and amazing service! the owner and all the waitresses are very friendly and welcoming! def going back! highly recommended! read more

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Great addition to the area. Good food great service. Hopefully it will keep going through all this.

Just had an awesome lunch at Darna. The food was so delicious! The Zeit & Za'Atar, Baba Ghanouj and soup were great!!!

Went there with the family, and had a very enjoyable authentic middle eastern experience, beautiful ambiance, delicious food, and tremendous deserts. read more

Amazing experience at the restaurant last night! I was there with my family and they were blown away! The food was incredibly delicious and the service was excellent. I especially liked their baba ganouj and their chicken fukhara. Highly recommend! This is the best middle eastern food I have had in Toronto. Will definitely be back for more! read more

Been here twice this summer and both times food was excellent. Loved the Darna signature dish Siadyeh. Their Tabouleh salad was the best one that I had so far in Toronto. The place was very clean and service was excellent. Highly recommend. read more

Simply the best all around. Authentic tasty Middle Eastern food and great service. An experience not to be missed.

I absolutely loved this place ! The food was amazing. I had the lamb chops and it was delicious. It is a bit on the pricey side , but it's definitely worth it for a special occasion read more

New restaurant in Leaside! Unbelievably good food and service! Opened this month and I have been 3 times!

Best middle eastern restaurant in Toronto hands down. Space is beautiful. Service was great. Food was outstanding. Do yourself a favor and go! read more

What a wonderful meal. We went for a birthday celebration. We are all big fans of middle eastern food, but even in the Middle East, I've never had better, more exciting dishes. The staff was amazing and were definitely wanting us to have a good time. The drinks are amazing, try anything with the Zatar syrup in it, makes a cocktail an adventure. I think we had most of the messe on the menu and everyone kept saying wow. My favourites were the stuffed grape leaves and the chicken livers (truly so good the liver haters loved them) and the falafels were tender and crispy and didn't need a dip in the tahini sauce, but no dips of any kind remained as they were all so tasty especially the labna. We ordered a bunch of mains and they served them family style, with a big bowl of rice and bulgar. All great. The beef tenderloin kabob was better than anything we had a steak restaurant last week. Everything was so good I should have asked the chef for an autograph! Tip: get the staff to order for you, you won't go wrong. read more