cafe dario

birthday lunch !. took my dad for lunch the other day on his birthday and i was happy to see they have a new lunch waitress who despite being inexperienced was an absolute pleasure over the rude one they used to have here. i was also pleased to see they now had a hands on lunch menu instead of the menu board.
i had the cornmeal crusted salmon and my dad had the lamb chops with kahlua reduction. both meals came with the soup of the day which was creamy chipotle potato (excellent) ! my salmon was nicely cooked and topped with a great sauce. my dad's lamb chops were also cooked to perfection med/ rare. veggies included the usual smashed garlicky potatoes, pureed beets & grilled zucchini. flavours and presentation were perfect and such great prices too for the quality of food you receive.


-----05 dec, 2010-----

fun night !!. after my 1st lunch experience here with a rude waitress i was wondering whether or not to go back for dinner but i am glad we did !! the fixed menu was varied enough for everyone to find something they liked and the price was great ! our dinnerservicewas fantastic thanks to lola and all the food was well prepared and tasty (though they could have been served warmer). will definitely be back .
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ps have returned and this time our meals were served hot. the elk osso bucco was divine, hearty and rich, so tender it fell off the bone. yum !

superb. we went there for mothers day. my mom had gone for lunch before and love it, so we made reservations for 5pm. (she's brought it up many times.) every portion of every dish was perfection. i have many food allergies and the chef came out and talked with me about my allergies and tolerances and made sure whatever i ordered was safe for me to eat. he even said if i called in advance they could make sure to have particular items for me. each portion came out with perfect timing, with just a bit of space between courses. the whole thing took about 2 hours which was ideal for spending time together and enjoying each course without rush or waiting. delicious and theservicewas excellent, checked on and had our glasses filled whenever starting to go down. our waiter was lovely and made the perfect wine suggestion. we will be back. new favorite.

presentation was very nice, but unfortunately that's where my compliments end. the food was just ok. though it was cooked well, it lacked flavor. i had the breaded cod fillet. maybe there are better options.servicewas adequate and the place is clean, but the decor is very grandma's-house, and so is the smell. their food would taste better if the room didn't smell so old. there are certainly better options in the same price bracket.

this is a different place than the regular chain restaurant and is very reasonable for what you get. if your celebrating something this is a great option. food,serviceand ambiance are very good.

was good for first time there. food was excellent,servicecould have been better. other tables got served coffee/tea after dessert, but that was never offered to us... just got given the bill right away. not sure if it’s because my boyfriend and i are younger... kinda seemed snobby.

food, pricing and presentation is exceptional.  the escargot is highly recommended.  my girl friend and i made a reservation to try their $28 ciao dine about 3 course meal and a few other menu items.  this was our second time here, and unfortunately ourservicewas not at an exceptional level. i made a reservation a week in advance, but we had to wait over 30 minutes to get our seats.  i could tell the man who was taking care of us was stressed out. i think it was the owner.  the other servers seemed really great.  it was a rough start, we finally sat down, and the waiter was annoyed that we sat in the chairs that didn't have the plates and glass, and he made it clear that " he cannot reach the glass".  my girl friend told him that she was highly allergic to raw onions, so we thought he would advise us if any of the dishes we ordered had raw onions. i ordered the seafood ceviche which was filled with a lot of raw onion. i ended up asking another server to switch to the chicken tostada instead.  the owner came by our table with the bill and explained that he charged us for the seafood ceviche because we didn't tell him she was trying a piece of it.  at the end of the day, people will go where the customerserviceis supreme. i love the food here, its top quality and the presentation is beautiful. i hope they work on the customerservicepart. its easy to give greatservicewhen its slower, its when you have a full house that shows how capable your business is at providing a supreme level of experience in regards to both product and service.

this place looks a bit odd given its location but my mother always said "never judge a book by its cover" i'm glad i didn't. the food was excellent, i had the duck breast and a lobster tail for my main, i started with the escargot, next was a very delish salmon chowder, desert was a blueberry/ banana mouse so good. theservicewas warm and inviting reminded me of being at a family members home for dinner without the screaming kids and drunk uncles. i loved this place, flat rate for 5 courses with a good selection of local and imported beers. i will most defiantly be back.

one of my west end favs . never have had a bad meal here . the portions are just right and everything is cooked to perfection. theserviceis prompt and friendly

absolutely amazing experience all around! quaint atmosphere, friendlyserviceand then the food was to die for. the creamy potato and beef tenderloin soup was honestly the best soup i have tasted in my life so rich and creamy and full of flavour. then onto my beef tenderloin it was cooked to perfection and melted in my mouth. my dates meal was divine he had the chicken. food quality was extraordinary we both left feeling full and we were shocked when the bill came around we have spent more on drive thru food. highly recommend and can not wait to return.

our second new years eve with dario and once again they delivered an exceptional meal. it was packed as expected and noisy as a result but it's nye after all.
i had the lobster corn dog appy which was great. shitake mushroom chocolate soup which blew us away. entrée was pastry wrapped bison filet with liver pate and it was just phenomenal. chocolate mousse for dessert capped off a perfect meal.servicewas the usual high standard. cafe dario is our favorite special spot.

awesome place for lunch. very accommodating to dietary needs and the quality of food was amazing. i had the chicken breast which was very good. the cream sauce underneath the chicken was the best part, especially mixed in with the mashed potatoes. mmmm!! i'm not sure how they cook their beets, but everyone agreed they were very good. probably the best cooked beet i've ever had. the split pea soup served before my meal was comforting and delicious. gourmet food served perfectly and light on your wallet. oh, and theservicewas great too.  i'll be back, thank you chef dario!

i went here for my birthday last month and had a great experience. the food was wonderful, the portions were perfect, theservicewas wonderful.
i would highly recommend going to cafe dario for a delicious dinner, great atmosphere and all around excellent dining experience.

excellent place to get a great dinner. i was at café dario last night and was seated in the back room. if you go, ask for that room. it is decorated with many tribal masks from all around the world (see photo of one of the masks). they have a special on sunday, monday, and tuesday where you get two, five course dinners plus a bottle of one of their house wines for $95.

my cousin ordered the "surprise" appetizer which consisted of rabbit, bison, and garlic. all were wonderful. i had the bean and shredded chicken chili which was excellent but very filling for an appetizer. we then had the clam chowder soup. i have never had clam chowder because i thought i would not like it, but boy was i wrong. it is now one of my favourite soups (at least at café dario).

for the main course i selected the 6oz beef tenderloin steak cooked to your liking and drizzled with caper chimichurri sauce. i highly recommend this as a main course. it was bursting with flavor and had some very unique flavours thanks to the chimichuri sauce which i loved. my cousin had the elk and he said he would definitely order it again.

presentation was so interesting and theservicewas top notch. all in all we thoroughly enjoyed the experience and would highly recommend this restaurant. it does not look like much from the outside, but never judge a book by its cover, the same goes for restaurants. you will not regret going here.

go here!. was in for lunch last friday. food was superb and theservicewas excellent. there were two excellent servers who made sure we didn't wait for anything. prices more than reasonable. do yourself a favor and check it out.


-----05 jan, 2015-----

delicious!!!. i visited cafe dario on new year's eve, we were a party of 2. we were seated fairly promptly given how busy the place was and we're greeted right away. our server, lauren introduced herself and was very friendly, kind and seemed genuinely happy to be serving us. when we asked her recommendations she was quick to offer a couple options for both appetizers and entrees. we went with what she said to, the souffle and the lamb chop pop. wow!! the mushroom souffle was rich and tasty , the lamb chop juicy and so good. we had steak and lobster instead of the wild boar our server hinted at. the presentation was immaculate, the taste, unbelievable! steak was cooked to perfection and the lobster was served with the right amount of butter. everything paired nicely with the wine the server recommended, we were extremely happy with everything. coffee and dessert was good as well. we will return and will tell our friends to as well. the service, food and atmosphere is an a+.

last time i went to cafe dario i had a terrible experience: it took 3 hours and a half to go through dinner! theservicewas really slow and we had issues woth extra drinks changed on the bill.