Dara

Dined here in June 2025, very cute interior design. Service was exceptional, food came out fast. All the dishes were delicious 😋 and good sized portions. Ordered, Thai tea, and lemon Thai tea. Their Tom yum soup is one of the best I’ve had so far in Philly! Obviously had to taste calamari, drunken noodles, pad Thai and mango sticky rice.

This place is so good, I might say this is the best Thai restaurant I had in Philly👀 I love going for their lunch special for 16$, including an entree and a small app. Their pad see ew is the best I had EVER, the noodles are chewy yet thin and flavorful. I also had their curry and pad Thai, it’s also very good. My co worker tried this place and said their fish and pineapple rice is also very good. A bit expensive but worth it. This is only my second visit but I will definitely become a frequent customer :)

We tried Tom Yum Goong soup (decent) along with several other dishes. We ordered the Duck green curry which was served with big chunks of duck rather than smaller slices. The other dishes were all acceptable, but unfortunately none stood out. The Mango sticky rice was decent. Not a place I would go back.

I had the pleasure of dining at this gem last night, and the experience was beyond amazing. The food? Absolutely unforgettable! Flavorful, fresh, and clearly made with love. Every bite exceeded our expectations. The hospitality and customer service were just as impressive, warm, welcoming, and attentive without being overbearing. You could feel that they genuinely care about their guests. If I had one wish, it would be for a slightly larger space. While it’s cozy and intimate now, expansion could allow even more people to enjoy what they offer. Still, the current setup is thoughtfully arranged to make sure everyone enjoys their experience comfortably. Highly recommend. We’ll definitely be back!

Dara in Philly absolutely blew me away. This place is a whole vibe from the jump. The ambiance is modern, classy, and still feels warm and inviting. Every plate and glass that hit our table looked like it came out of a magazine. The yellow cocktail I ordered (you can see it in the pics) was crazy refreshing, and I still don’t know how they got the foam that perfect. Smooth, citrusy, and just the right balance of sweet and strong. Whoever’s behind the bar knows what they’re doing. Now let’s talk about the food. Flavors were bold and thoughtful—every bite made you slow down and appreciate it. Presentation was elite. You can tell the chef cooks with pride and purpose. If you’re looking for a spot in Philly that checks every box—vibe, food, drinks, and service—Dara is that spot. I’ll definitely be back, and next time I’m bringing the whole crew.

Had such a good meal here and amazing service. My server helped me pick out my meal and I got the Bamee Dara, I prefer curry but I wanted to try something new and this was really fun to try. Despite thinking I would have preferred my other option of Beef Panang, I could tell that this was a high quality dish that was exactly what they wanted it to be. My partner got the pad Thai with tofu and that was also really good. We shared a Gui Chai and it might have stolen the show, it was solid. One recommendation, since Dara is happy to make dishes how you want them, I’d recommend they make a little section for things like the pad Thai where you can get it as a base and add what protein you want. My partner got the the non vegan Pad Thai, but got it with Tofu, but on the menu they just have a shrimp Pad Thai and then a vegan Pad Thai with tofu. They handled gluten free very well!

We went here after a pinning ceremony. We were seated right away. Service was great and their food was delicious!! We ordered a bunch of dishes and shared everything. My fav was the flavorful seafood cooked in the coconut!! Seafood was cooked perfectly. Be sure to save some room for dessert!! Highly recommend this cute thai restaurant!!

Was crowded and loud cute little place. Service was kinda hectic because it was so busy. The beef dish was good but the beef was overcooked. The fish was lacking oomf but not bad. Pad Thai was ok. The papaya salad was the best dish I would say along with the coconut curry. The Thai tea and Thai lemon tea were good. The chive pancakes were great too. Overall if you like Thai food I would come again during a less busier time.

New small Thai spot in center city, right amongst many other Thai places, but it won for the taste and quality so far. The place looks simple and small, a bit dark, nothing fancy. Good menu options and helpful staff. The star dish for us was the tom yum soup, which only comes in a pot for share, a bit richer than the regular tom yum we've had before, with big tiger shrimps inside and full of fresh Thai herbs. Very flavorful. Highly recommended and hope they keep up with this quality! The crab fried rice is also a favorite, not greasy at all, very light and fresh, with good chunks of crab meat. We had this dish at other southeast Asian restaurants and another executed slightly better on flavor, however this is still very good quality and worth trying. The next highlight for me is surprisingly the homemade hot sauces (especially the ginger herb based one), adding a bit to the fried noodles or rice will take it to the next level. The crispy duck curry and pad kee maw were pretty good too, but not too different from other spots. The duck is a bit fatty, could've been a bit more crispy. Noodles were pan fried well, good texture, not too greasy or mushy, the chicken was slightly dry and very small pieces. The side of sticky rice came in a cute bamboo case to keep warm, but for the small side portion costing $5 is a bit much.

Not sure why the owners looked at Walnut Street where there are THREE OTHER THAI RESTAURANTS within like a block of one another and thought..."hmm...you know what this area of the city is missing?" And decided to open yet another Thai restaurant... ...but Dara has got a chance. A really strong first impression. This star of a restaurant might end up shining brighter than Grandmas Thai, the consensus Midtown champion of Thai.

A new Thai restaurant! And Ofcourse I had to visit. We visited for dinner and it was so delicious, authentic and the service is amazing. The pineapple seafood friedrice was amazing and I usually stick to the basics but thankfully they made us try so many classics! The khaki soi is delicious, could have used some more soup. But desserts were top tier! Ambience is inviting and full of stars. Don't wait too long to check out Dara

You'd think there's a risk Dara's just any old Center City Thai restaurant. By now, there are several similar restaurants in the adea. Yet, In fact, Dara's it's quite unique amongst the competitiors: Grandma's, Xiandu and Chatayee Thai (which is in palpable proximity, down just one storefront). Dara excelled in the domains of customer service and attention to detail. I had the pad Thai merely to judge how they pulled off a staple item -- it was well-presented and deliciously presented with huge shrimp on top. To further sweeten the experience, they decorated for the holidays and were also having a 30% off coupon for recent opening!

Pretty good Thai food, though I wish it was less oily/greasy. Even the steamed chive dumplings were very oily. Prices are average to high, it was about $30 for everything. I ordered pickup on DoorDash and it was ready in like 10 minutes, hard to beat that!

I saw this place on IG this morning and this afternoon I placed a pickup order for the crab fried rice and chai tea. The 20 minute walk was worth it. The rice was good and there was a good amount of crab in the plate. The chai tea was sweetened perfectly and the servers were very pleasant and quick. I would like to come back to sit down and try the pineapple bowl. The front desk area is a little cramped with the sit down couch too close to the desk. Hopefully they can rearrange that part.

I recently visited a new Thai restaurant in Center City called Dara. I ordered the basil fried rice with chicken (medium spicy) along with the chive pancake. The portions were good for the lunch menu, and the taste was spot on. The service was quick and friendly, with my food arriving in less than 8 minutes. Overall, it was a pleasant experience, and I plan to return.

Dara is a new Thai restaurant with an intimate dining room. The design is open and good for a date night or small group. It is a bit difficult to do family style sharing plates, but it is worth it to get multiple dishes to try more. The food is so flavorful and just the right spice levels. The service was very quick and attentive. The other three people that came with me each had different top favorites between the curry, noodle and rice dishes. I will say that the amount of meat added to the dishes was well worth the price and not overly done.

Tried something new and this is probably the best most real tasting Thai food in the area. Most issues that plague other delivery places ppl say nice things about - too sweet, bland toned down flavors, and the worst of all: bottled and not fresh lime juice - are not present here. The pad see ew was a little sweet still but at least that dish is supposed to have sweetness. The curries were flavorful and aromatic, the papaya salad had a fresh dressing. The jaew with the pork jowl was salty and fishy. The fried chicken was super super crunchy but quite dry. The only thing their food is missing is some char where there should be. The jowl, the pad see ew, the mama Kee Mao. All begging for some wok or grill flavor. Regardless I would definitely order here again! It's aal bit pricey for the portion even in today's economy but it tastes good. And I'd want to try more of the interesting specialty dishes that aren't on every default Thai menu.

Coworkers and I made the trip to try this place today for lunch after hearing a buzz about it. I was not disappointed at all. I will admit I'm not an experienced Thai food guy so I don't have a great point of reference but I will tell you this everything that was recommended to me was on point. They offer lunch specials which includes spring rolls or the chive pancakes (American palettes like mine wrongly think of pancakes differently) and a drink. Btw I didn't order the Thai iced tea but I saw one at the table next to me and wish I did. What I did order was the Pad Kee Mao which for American foods guy is shrimp with noodles and vegetables. DID NOT DISAPPOINT. The flavor was sweet not spicy although I love a little spice in the right situations. We also had the apps: more chive pancakes (recommended), chicken puffs and a crabby pork thing that I don't remember the name but remember the flavor! Ohhh how could I forget we shared a seafood pineapple fried rice with all kinds of shrimp and squid which was awesome. It's just exotic looking. I'm including a pic. Place is on the smaller side and that meant plenty of attention from the staff. Food was brought out very quickly and every request quickly dealt with. Friendly people to say the least. I love when they bring the food to your table with so much pride. It's BYOB which I love because that means no overpriced wine or cocktails. Bring your own hooch is my style. Unfortunately I had to return to the office so no partaking but I could definitely see spending an extended time there with a couple bottles and getting fuzzy. I'm going to come back to try other things on the menu but for now it's 5 stars. A gem of a place that just opened and will get very popular. Recommend going now before they blow up and have a waiting list.

Stumbled upon Dara while on the hunt for a different place, and so glad we tried it! Food was delicious, staff was friendly and efficient, and prices were good. Cute little place

I read the great reviews and ordered thru uber eats. I had the papaya salad/duck green curry/pad Thai. All three were average and not great. The curry lacked flavor and the duck was dry. The pad Thai needed more sauce/flavor. The papaya salad was fresh but also lacked flavor. I love Thai food but this place is not great. I think everything needed FLAVOR

This might be the best Thai restaurant in Philly. Only complaint is that the portions were a little small for the price but other than that, everything else was amazing.

Shrimp tomyum so yummy , very recommended to try. All the dessert also very good. I'll be back soon to try the special menu.

Has potential. Service was great and the food looked really good. Unfortunately, only one vegetarian entree on the menu which I found odd for a Thai restaurant. There maybe three other items, mostly appetizers on the menu. I was offered no customization. So I had an appetizer and went across the street to Chipotle. At the time they were running 30% discount because they had just opened so maybe they had a limited menu. They are open until 10:30pm which for Philly is amazing. Design aesthetic was nice too. If I were being picky I would paint the inside of your vents the same color as your ceiling.

I hadn't realized this restaurant was new - I stopped by on a Sunday for lunch with a friend while in town for a conference. The space is impeccable and beautifully decorated and the service was great. They had a very limited number of vegetarian dishes, however; unlike most places that have you pick your main meat, tofu, or veggie, this place had mostly dishes with a sole meat or fish option. The waitress told me that they would soon have more vegetarian options, however, and they also were helpful in making my somtum salad without shrimp (though I realize now the fish sauce probably should have been a no-go, too), so I was very happy with my experience, and hope to visit again soon.

Very cute new thai restaurant in center city! Food was delicious, service was fast, and decor is beautiful. I'll definitely be back. Only downside is that you can't customize the protein like at a lot of thai restaurants. I love drunken noodles with shrimp but they only offer it with chicken.

The food had some very authentic flavors that I remembered from my time in Thailand ! Fried chicken , Pong Garee and their hospitality were lovely. The ambiance is "dreamy" as is their theme haha and Minnie I wish you very well in joining the Thai restaurant scene in center city!!