Dario — Restaurant in Minneapolis

Delightful food and lovely service were overpowered by an atmosphere severely lacking in warmth.

The worst offense on the ambiance was the music, which was of the pounding metal variety. It was so distracting and off putting, we could barely focus on our conversation. We asked our server if this was the experience every evening—to confirm whether this was somehow an off night—and she said this was always the music choice, insisted upon by someone at the restaurant.

Another issue was the lighting in the back section of the restaurant. My seat was bathed in the cold glow of fluorescent lighting (no different than you’d see above an office cubicle) from the open kitchen; the harsh overhead lighting was directly in my line of sight. I understand proper lighting is needed to prepare food, but if a kitchen is open to the dining area (particularly in a fine dining restaurant), the lighting should be designed to flow with the dining experience rather than detract from it. By the end of the meal, as the room darkened and the fluorescent spotlight intensified, I started to get a headache and moved to the opposite side of the table to avoid it.

As far as I could tell, the experience in this back section was an afterthought in terms of design and layout. There are no plush, intimate booths here and the cold, fluorescent lighting from the kitchen spills into the area. There are paper seating charts taped up and unorganized open shelving that seems to serve as loose storage, with an array of water bottles and other odds and ends. The ambiance, in terms of decor and lighting, seems to be much more thoughtfully executed on the front side of the restaurant.

All of this would be perfectly fine at a dive bar or casual lunch spot—not an elevated dining establishment in the North Loop.

Other little things that by no means ruined the experience but were confusing for the caliber (and price) of the restaurant:

-- I found the lightweight wooden chairs very uncomfortable from the second I sat down. The angled backrest dug into my back whenever I sat up straight.

-- Per the listed ingredients, it was not clear which dishes were vegetarian and which were not, although our server was helpful in providing clarity on this front. It was a little strange to learn many of the vegetable-focused starters (under a header ironically labeled “Vegetables”) were not vegetarian.

-- Our server encouraged us to order two or three starters and three pastas for our party of two. It seemed to be the general recommendation of the establishment—to share a variety of plates rather than ordering your own entree. We opted for two starters and each ordered our own pasta. We didn't finish either pasta dish (the Doppio and Paccheri) because they were so filling and generously portioned. The advice to order three pasta dishes was a little confusing, as most of the third dish would have gone to waste.

-- Both starters were brought out without serving utensils. We awkwardly used our forks to dish up beets and salad. Thankfully, our server (who hadn’t been the one to deliver the dishes) noticed after a little while and brought serving utensils.

My boyfriend and I had heard great things and were so excited to try Dario. We were even talking about bringing his family back in the fall, assuming it would—as a restaurant with so much positive hype—be an A+ experience. By the time we finished our food, we rushed to get the check and get out of there. I would have ordered another drink and dessert had the atmosphere been better, but I couldn’t wait to leave. I’ve never been so put off by the ambiance of a restaurant, especially one selling itself as a fine...

The skinny version - lackluster and unimpressive food. Wine delicious. Subpar service. Beautiful space but way too loud. Fairly expensive for amount of food Better restaurants around like porzana, red rabbit, bar la grassa, spoon and stable.

After many reviews and suggestions, we came here to celebrate my birthday. But left feeling unimpressed.

Upon arrival, the hostess was friendly and kind at check in. The space is beautiful and ambiance is appealing to the eye. After being sat, it was quickly apparent that is is LOUD!!!! So loud we couldn’t even hold a conversation and the rock music was as SO odd for an Italian restaurant.

Our waiter was quiet and when asked what he recommends, he named one dish and didn’t explain why. We had to fish for more, but didn’t give much. 2 other recommendations but didn’t say why. He also hardly checked in. I could actually see him peaking around the corner but not checking in.

We started with the cucumber salad which was delightful but a bit odd. The flavors were almost too much BUT the green goddess dressing was so good.

We also ordered the Doppio and braised beef and polenta dish. Now, they are plated BEAUTIFULLY and sauces were amazing!!! But within one bite of each dish we were disappointed. Especially after all the hype.

Doppio - way too rich!! The flavors are very nice, but doing way too much together. Sauce was my favorite part!! And it needed the nuts to balance it out. But the pasta was stuffed too full and the cheese texture is so rich, I had to take incredibly small bites.

Braised beef - again, sauce 10/10!!! But texture of the beef/polenta filling was not good. So so so mushy!! The beef flavor definitely comes more from sauce - rather than the filling. And way over stuffed so I had to take extra small bites to get it down.

In an area filled with excellent food - this fell completely short. Our favorites near by are porzana, red rabbit and bar la grassa. I’d much rather go there.

The money was NOT worth it. Both pasta dishes $30 but small portions and poor textures. The cucumbers were $17. And glass of wine $16-22. Good wine, but not worth that price.

This is a small thing but it was my birthday and I didn’t even get a treat or anything. Dessert menu wasn’t even offered to us.

Honestly, disappointing. They make freshly made pasta and have good intention with the flavor profile but the texture is too offsetting to make up for it. Especially considering all the other delightful Italian options around - I don’t need it. I Am trying to find some bright spots, but I don’t have much…the decor was pretty!!! And wine was tasty! But that’s about it. Won’t...

I rarely leave reviews, but I felt compelled to share our disappointing experience at Dario in Minneapolis on Valentine’s Day. From the moment we arrived, it was clear that the restaurant prioritizes squeezing in as many people as possible over providing a comfortable dining experience.

We had been looking forward to eating at Dario for a long time now, and when we saw a reservation opened up, we immediately booked, expecting to have a nice meal on Valentine's Day. When we arrived, they told us we were being seated at the "communal dining table". We were walked to the waaaay back of the restaurant, to the “pasta room”, which turned out to be an awkward, cramped area IN the spare kitchen with a sink, bags of flour, and a refrigerator—basically, a storage space. While disappointed, we tried to make the most of it but were directly next to and across from other couples, making it impossible to have any semblance of privacy. It felt more like being placed in the middle of a kitchen than at a restaurant for a romantic evening.

To make matters worse, staff started coming in to grab items from the refrigerator I was seated next to. My final straw was when I asked asked to stand up mid-bite, in the middle of our meal so that they could grab trays of pasta out of the fridge. I was standing for a good two minutes. This completely disrupted the flow of our evening and left us feeling like we were in the way. This truly made me question whether they were more focused on making money than actually creating a pleasant dining environment. Given the price point of the food and drinks, we definitely were expecting so much more and left feeling frustrated and disappointed.

Afterward, I called the manager to express my concerns. They blamed it on us not booking far enough in advance, saying that because of a large waitlist on Valentine’s Day, they were trying to fit as many people as possible. Apparently, this meant they couldn’t notify us about the communal seating setup in advance. While I understand that reservations can get tight on such a busy night, it doesn’t excuse the lack of communication or the uncomfortable experience we had. The manager offered no solution or compensation for the incredibly poor experience we had, saying "Sorry you feel that way but there is nothing I can do now".

To sum it up: Dario clearly didn’t prioritize the quality of our evening. They packed us into uncomfortable seats, made us feel like an afterthought, and ignored the importance of providing a relaxing, enjoyable atmosphere. This will definitely be the last time we visit. Would not recommend for any...