Dara's Mediterranean — Attraction in Philadelphia

A friend from Facebook recommended this restaurant, I am 100% vegan, it’s not easy being green all the time, I contacted a friend who is interested in going she is vegetarian and great company, she is on the opposite side of the city, so it took me a half an hour hour to pick her up and then another 40 minutes during rush-hour to get down to Dara’s so I was on a mission despite the long travel for dinner, this restaurant is located in Manayunk, Pennsylvania just off the main strip under the elevated train, it was a little hard to find. I did have GPS on file the GPS and passed right by it so I had my constituent step out and check a couple of doors and there it was in big bright rainbow colors. I missed it. That’s another story and GPS, we walked in, and found it to be a takeout only we were looking for a nice place to relax and have a good meal and good conversation. I was kicking myself in the butt because I normally read everything about a restaurant. We are greeted by a gentleman named Mark, who is absolutely, fantastic a seasoned chef for many years explained every bit of the menu to us and the intricacies of the prep of some of the dishes I was 100% in. So I figured why we here we might as well make it two days worth of food. We ordered the vegan combo dip platter which consisted of hummus, Moroccan eggplant salad, tahini, and four falafel balls. We also ordered a vegan super greens and sun choke hand pie, this consists of lacinato kale, Swiss chard, spinach, arugula sunchokes, mildly spicy, and lemon wrapped in layers of Filo dough. In addition to that, I ordered the vegan eggplant, chard, red pepper wrap, which consisted of roasted eggplant, celery, diced red peppers, chard, red peppers, chopped fresh spinach, three bean, hummus and hot, pickled pepper spread in the pita. Probably the best hummus I’ve had in years. I believe it’s a three bean the taste and texture are fantastic, makes you wanna throw away the store-bought stuff and rethink your hummus. Falafel was perfect. The pita was fresh grilled. I have to say each individual dish stood out first thing with flavor, the hummus will be a regular thing for myself at least once a month and I’ll try a new option each time I go. Mark was very accommodating. He split or takeout to where we could each have a little bit of each and two separate bags. they are a sustainable business with recyclable bags, takeout containers, and flatware, kudos to them, they have plans in the future hopefully to have seating which would be a big plus. I highly recommend this is go to anyone that’s looking for a healthy vegan option with a flavor spectrum hard to be matched, this is a no-brainer and a go to as it is very price friendly thank you Mark! The photos that I have do not do it any justice when I got home the smell was overwhelming for the 40 minute ride home. I didn’t touch anything but when I got home, I started in on it not really realizing I need to take a picture so I apologize for lack of refinement picture wise of the goodies. We also split a large, garbanzo, bean and kale soup, which was fantastic. Sidenote, they have a nice selection of drinks that are clean...

I’m torn writing this because I’m not a fan of reviews. In my opinion, most people write them either to vent frustration or to praise something they truly love. Meanwhile, average places rarely get the recognition they deserve. That’s why this might be my first and last review.

That said, there’s a hidden gem just below the Manayunk regional train station where service and food artistry come together beautifully.

Even before stepping inside, the wall art always caught my eye, it gave me that “we need to try this” feeling. The interior is just as striking: simple, colourful, and calming.

The husband-and-wife chef team have turned their life experiences into a welcoming space that feels like home. Their food reflects that same spirit, each bite is a masterclass in flavour. Nothing is missing, and nothing could be taken away. It’s culinary perfection. I honestly lost sleep thinking about how well they seasoned their meat.

If you haven’t tried Dara’s food, you’re truly missing out.

It also helps that the owners are genuinely kind people, active in the community and always up for a warm conversation.

Wishing them all the best, and hoping more people discover this special place in Manayunk,...

After hearing many good things we had them for dinner tonight. We each got a wrap: the “favalafel”, chicken schnitzel, and beef brisket, plus we got the spicy lamb hand pie and “bff” crispy potatoes to share. The favalafel was tasty although the person ordering it suggested they’ll add hummus next time for some extra binder. The schnitzel was also tasty although a bite or two was more on the spicy side than the rest due to a concentration of the spread there. The beef brisket was a real stand-out although a bit messy to eat because of the sauce. The spicy lamb had a nice crisp wrapper and was spicy as advertised. The crispy potatoes were fried to perfection and the zhoug-black garlic ketchup was a nice accompaniment. We will definitely be ordering...