I had the pleasure of trying out Darna Mediterranean and Moroccan cuisine recently. Ever since I visited Marrakesh Morocco, I have wholly hopped on board the Moroccan food train. The spices are eclectic, the flavors are enticing, and the colors are beautiful. We’ve made a decent amount of Moroccan food at home in our clay tagines, but I wasn’t able to find any restaurants in Austin that served the caliber of authentic food we experienced while in Morocco. Then I went to Darna. I finally found my authentic Mediterranean and Moroccan restaurant! Seriously!
I’m so excited to share Darna with you. Whenever people ask me for recommendations on where to eat, Darna is one of the first places I recommend. I’ve been there several times already, and I’m sure we will go many more! So, what’s the deal with Darna? Why do we love it so much?
Darna Food
Oh my goodness. Where do I even begin? I would argue that their hummus is the best time is in town. The regular hummus is delicious, but I especially loved the red pepper hummus. The falafel oh my goodness this is one of the first places I’ve had falafel that wasn’t dry! So tasty! We both loved our tagine dishes. Hubby ordered the chicken one and mine was with veggies. Also, we had so much tea, which brought us back to sitting out on our patio in Marrakesh sipping on tea. I recommend it unsweetened. Let me tell you that we had so much food and we had many leftovers and every day that we had leftovers was a fantastic day. Seriously. Darna leftovers last well and you should order to your heart’s content when you’re here.
Darna Location
Located in the center of downtown, Darna has tons of pay to park parking around it, and there is also street parking nearby.
Darna Decor
Besides this food, this décor truly blew me away. She hand-picked and designed every single thing in that restaurant. The tile, the metal lampshades, the design, everything! She was the interior designer of that place and worked with Moroccan artisans to bring to life her stunning vision. It took me back to walking through the souks in Marrakech and seeing all this custom, gorgeous tile work! There isn’t enough time to honestly take in everything that is in that restaurant! It’s not cluttered, it’s just very well-designed and you want to know the story behind every nook and cranny.
Darna Pricing
For the authenticity and beauty of this place, I expected the prices to be higher. So it is well priced, and that is why my husband and I have gotten so many times already!
Darna Service
Fantastic. They don’t fill your water every four seconds which I appreciate so you can have conversations, but at the same time they are attentive and looking to you to make eye contact with them if you need something.
Darna Authenticity
This food is one hundred percent authentic. The owner is an absolute gem, and she truly cares about every dish. She was telling me about how she had to have chef after chef try out her authentic recipes to make sure they could make it well. Her staff is mostly from the Mediterranean or Morocco, so you know the food is good.
My Conclusion:
You have to go to Darna y’all. Austin has a great food scene, but a lot of it is the same. A lot of it is trendy and quick and tacos LOL. Darna is a place that I hope will stay for a very long time because it is indeed one of a kind. Check them our on Instagram and Facebook, and let me know how your experience is!