Restaurant

Darna Middle Eastern Kitchen

Darna Middle Eastern Kitchen is one of the best middle eastern restaurants in Toronto for brunch, especially if you want a strong option in Leaside.

Darna is not performing Middle Eastern food for a Toronto audience that considers shawarma adventurous.

Taste ID

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Rating (Google) 9.6
1,272 reviews
Toronto
At a glance
The fastest read on whether this place fits tonight.
9.6
Rating
Based on 1272 reviews
Best used for
brunch and Neighborhood dinner
Price and pace
Good value
Neighborhood
Leaside · 1613 Bayview Ave, East York, ON M4G 3B5, Canada
Price
Good value
Google rating
9.6 from 1,272 reviews
Phone
(416) 482-1234
Watch

Darna Middle Eastern Kitchen on video

Video: Ehsan Majd (third-party feature) · plays on YouTube

What to order

Signature dishes at Darna Middle Eastern Kitchen

and that warmth isn't metaphor. This is Palestinian home cooking made public, and in Leaside — a neighbourhood that skews comfortable and conventional — that specificity is genuinely radical. The Sayadieh ($27) is the dish that earns Darna its reputation: crispy-skinned Mediterranean sea bass over rice loaded with nuts, raisins, and caramelized onions, finished with a rustic tomato sauce. The contrast between the crackling fish skin and the sweet-savory depth of that rice is the kind of thing you want to reconstruct at home and can't quite. Order it alongside the Fattet Batenjan ($16) — a vegetarian stunner that plays temperature and texture against each other, the hot base of tomato-braised eggplant meeting a cold layer of tahini-yogurt sauce, then crowned with pomegranate seeds, slivered almonds, and crispy fried pita. It's architectural in the best way. The open kitchen, anchored by a Malagutti wood-burning oven they use to make taboon — a whole wheat Levantine flatbread baked over hot stones — means the room smells like bread and char from the moment you walk in. The move: start with the Jarjeer Salata and the Fukhara, work toward the Sayadieh, and do not skip the sticky date pudding no matter how full you are. At these price points, this is one of the most compelling-value dinners in the city's middle tier. Book ahead for weekend evenings; the room isn't enormous and the neighbourhood has caught on.
whatToOrder":null}
whatToOrder":null}
whatToOrder":[
Sayadieh
Why go

What makes Darna Middle Eastern Kitchen worth the move

Darna Middle Eastern Kitchen is a clean first click in Leaside in Toronto when you want a middle eastern option you can trust. and that warmth isn't metaphor. This is Palestinian home cooking made public, and in Leaside — a neighbourhood that skews comfortable and conventional — that specificity is genuinely radical. The Sayadieh ($27) is the dish that earns Darna its reputation: crispy-skinned Mediterranean sea bass over rice loaded with nuts, raisins, and caramelized onions, finished with a rustic tomato sauce. The contrast between the crackling fish skin and the sweet-savory depth of that rice is the kind of thing you want to reconstruct at home and can't quite. Order it alongside the Fattet Batenjan ($16) — a vegetarian stunner that plays temperature and texture against each other, the hot base of tomato-braised eggplant meeting a cold layer of tahini-yogurt sauce, then crowned with pomegranate seeds, slivered almonds, and crispy fried pita. It's architectural in the best way. The open kitchen, anchored by a Malagutti wood-burning oven they use to make taboon — a whole wheat Levantine flatbread baked over hot stones — means the room smells like bread and char from the moment you walk in. The move: start with the Jarjeer Salata and the Fukhara, work toward the Sayadieh, and do not skip the sticky date pudding no matter how full you are. At these price points, this is one of the most compelling-value dinners in the city's middle tier. Book ahead for weekend evenings; the room isn't enormous and the neighbourhood has caught on. and whatToOrder":null} also give you a decent sense of the menu. It also holds a 9.6 rating across 1,272 Google reviews.

What to know fast

Public rating
9.6 from 1,272 Google reviews
Best used for
brunch and Neighborhood dinner
Style
Middle Eastern in Leaside
Spend
Good value

Best for

Know before you go

Google rating: 9.6 from 1,272 reviews
Price point: value
Popular dishes: and that warmth isn't metaphor. This is Palestinian home cooking made public, and in Leaside — a neighbourhood that skews comfortable and conventional — that specificity is genuinely radical. The Sayadieh ($27) is the dish that earns Darna its reputation: crispy-skinned Mediterranean sea bass over rice loaded with nuts, raisins, and caramelized onions, finished with a rustic tomato sauce. The contrast between the crackling fish skin and the sweet-savory depth of that rice is the kind of thing you want to reconstruct at home and can't quite. Order it alongside the Fattet Batenjan ($16) — a vegetarian stunner that plays temperature and texture against each other, the hot base of tomato-braised eggplant meeting a cold layer of tahini-yogurt sauce, then crowned with pomegranate seeds, slivered almonds, and crispy fried pita. It's architectural in the best way. The open kitchen, anchored by a Malagutti wood-burning oven they use to make taboon — a whole wheat Levantine flatbread baked over hot stones — means the room smells like bread and char from the moment you walk in. The move: start with the Jarjeer Salata and the Fukhara, work toward the Sayadieh, and do not skip the sticky date pudding no matter how full you are. At these price points, this is one of the most compelling-value dinners in the city's middle tier. Book ahead for weekend evenings; the room isn't enormous and the neighbourhood has caught on., whatToOrder":null}, whatToOrder":null}
Website linked on this page
TastyPals Reviews

What diners are saying

0 diner reviews · reviewed by Priya Sharma for Darna Middle Eastern Kitchen

Google snapshot
9.6 from 1,272 reviews
TastyPals notes
Editorial review by Priya Sharma
No diner notes for Darna Middle Eastern Kitchen yet.

Every note in this section is written by a diner who actually ate here, so we leave it empty until there's a genuine one to share.

For now, Darna Middle Eastern Kitchen holds a 9.6 rating across 1,272 Google reviews.

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Plan the visit

Quick details

Address
1613 Bayview Ave, East York, ON M4G 3B5, Canada
Phone
(416) 482-1234
Price
value
TastyPals score
Coming soon
Google rating
9.6 (1,272 reviews)
Neighborhood
Leaside

Frequently asked questions

What cuisine does Darna Middle Eastern Kitchen serve?

Darna Middle Eastern Kitchen is a Middle Eastern restaurant located in Leaside, Toronto. Darna is not performing Middle Eastern food for a Toronto audience that considers shawarma adventurous.

What is Darna Middle Eastern Kitchen best for?

Darna Middle Eastern Kitchen is best for neighborhood dinner, dinner, brunch, family friendly. Darna Middle Eastern Kitchen is a clean first click in Leaside in Toronto when you want a middle eastern option you can trust. and that warmth isn't metaphor. This is Palestinian home cooking made public, and in Leaside — a neighbourhood that skews comfortable and conventional — that specificity is genuinely radical. The Sayadieh ($27) is the dish that earns Darna its reputation: crispy-skinned Mediterranean sea bass over rice loaded with nuts, raisins, and caramelized onions, finished with a rustic tomato sauce. The contrast between the crackling fish skin and the sweet-savory depth of that rice is the kind of thing you want to reconstruct at home and can't quite. Order it alongside the Fattet Batenjan ($16) — a vegetarian stunner that plays temperature and texture against each other, the hot base of tomato-braised eggplant meeting a cold layer of tahini-yogurt sauce, then crowned with pomegranate seeds, slivered almonds, and crispy fried pita. It's architectural in the best way. The open kitchen, anchored by a Malagutti wood-burning oven they use to make taboon — a whole wheat Levantine flatbread baked over hot stones — means the room smells like bread and char from the moment you walk in. The move: start with the Jarjeer Salata and the Fukhara, work toward the Sayadieh, and do not skip the sticky date pudding no matter how full you are. At these price points, this is one of the most compelling-value dinners in the city's middle tier. Book ahead for weekend evenings; the room isn't enormous and the neighbourhood has caught on. and whatToOrder":null} also give you a decent sense of the menu. It also holds a 9.6 rating across 1,272 Google reviews.

How much does it cost to eat at Darna Middle Eastern Kitchen?

Darna Middle Eastern Kitchen is in the Good value price range (value). Google rating: 9.6 from 1,272 reviews

What should I order at Darna Middle Eastern Kitchen?

Start with and that warmth isn't metaphor. This is Palestinian home cooking made public, and in Leaside — a neighbourhood that skews comfortable and conventional — that specificity is genuinely radical. The Sayadieh ($27) is the dish that earns Darna its reputation: crispy-skinned Mediterranean sea bass over rice loaded with nuts, raisins, and caramelized onions, finished with a rustic tomato sauce. The contrast between the crackling fish skin and the sweet-savory depth of that rice is the kind of thing you want to reconstruct at home and can't quite. Order it alongside the Fattet Batenjan ($16) — a vegetarian stunner that plays temperature and texture against each other, the hot base of tomato-braised eggplant meeting a cold layer of tahini-yogurt sauce, then crowned with pomegranate seeds, slivered almonds, and crispy fried pita. It's architectural in the best way. The open kitchen, anchored by a Malagutti wood-burning oven they use to make taboon — a whole wheat Levantine flatbread baked over hot stones — means the room smells like bread and char from the moment you walk in. The move: start with the Jarjeer Salata and the Fukhara, work toward the Sayadieh, and do not skip the sticky date pudding no matter how full you are. At these price points, this is one of the most compelling-value dinners in the city's middle tier. Book ahead for weekend evenings; the room isn't enormous and the neighbourhood has caught on., whatToOrder":null}, whatToOrder":[ and Sayadieh. These dishes are shown from TastyPals notes or restaurant data on this page.

Is Darna Middle Eastern Kitchen worth visiting?

Darna Middle Eastern Kitchen holds a 9.6 Google rating from 1,272 reviews. Darna Middle Eastern Kitchen is a clean first click in Leaside in Toronto when you want a middle eastern option you can trust. and that warmth isn't metaphor. This is Palestinian home cooking made public, and in Leaside — a neighbourhood that skews comfortable and conventional — that specificity is genuinely radical. The Sayadieh ($27) is the dish that earns Darna its reputation: crispy-skinned Mediterranean sea bass over rice loaded with nuts, raisins, and caramelized onions, finished with a rustic tomato sauce. The contrast between the crackling fish skin and the sweet-savory depth of that rice is the kind of thing you want to reconstruct at home and can't quite. Order it alongside the Fattet Batenjan ($16) — a vegetarian stunner that plays temperature and texture against each other, the hot base of tomato-braised eggplant meeting a cold layer of tahini-yogurt sauce, then crowned with pomegranate seeds, slivered almonds, and crispy fried pita. It's architectural in the best way. The open kitchen, anchored by a Malagutti wood-burning oven they use to make taboon — a whole wheat Levantine flatbread baked over hot stones — means the room smells like bread and char from the moment you walk in. The move: start with the Jarjeer Salata and the Fukhara, work toward the Sayadieh, and do not skip the sticky date pudding no matter how full you are. At these price points, this is one of the most compelling-value dinners in the city's middle tier. Book ahead for weekend evenings; the room isn't enormous and the neighbourhood has caught on. and whatToOrder":null} also give you a decent sense of the menu. It also holds a 9.6 rating across 1,272 Google reviews.

Where is Darna Middle Eastern Kitchen located?

Darna Middle Eastern Kitchen is located at 1613 Bayview Ave, East York, ON M4G 3B5, Canada. Directions are available via Google Maps.

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