Darda Seafood Restaurant

Fun place to dine with friends. Portions are large and the food is tasty but very salty. The service wasn’t the warmest, but the food arrived fast and hot. Lots of options make it a great spot for a crowd. Many meat-free items. Our favorites were the Chow mein and green beans

The food was a bit of a mixed bag. The chicken chow mein and chestnut chicken with garlic sauce were both good, but they were missing something to really make the flavors pop. While the service was quick, it wasn't particularly friendly. The portion sizes, however, were perfect for two people.

Don't let the atmosphere fool you and you won't feel any warmth from the servers but you're here for the food. Everything came fast and tasty. The dishes look the same but they all taste very different from one another. The bread with sesame seeds is wow

Darda Seafood has always been one of my go-to spots for flavorful Chinese Islamic cuisine. The Cumin Lamb is absolutely incredible — tender, aromatic, and packed with bold spices. The Chili Chicken hits the perfect balance of heat and flavor, and the Three-Flavored Fried Rice is always a satisfying choice, loaded with a good mix of proteins and great texture. That said, I’ve noticed the menu prices have gone up quite a bit recently. While the food is still delicious, the cost increase makes it harder to visit as often. I hope the owners will consider revisiting the pricing it would go a long way in keeping loyal customers coming back regularly. Still a great spot overall, especially if you're craving something Halal Chinese food and well-spiced!

This place was recommended as the best place for hot noodle soup, the kind we Koreans crave after a drunken evening. I chose the seafood hot noodle soup (they have the same without the “hot”), and my friend chose a Three-Flavor Noodle Soup—no red soup base. They also provide two choices of noodles: long or cut. I opted for the cut noodle. I enjoyed the menu and will return to try the main dishes and dim sum soon. I highly recommend it.

The highlight for me was definitely the thick scallion pancake with extra scallions — this is a must-order! The outer layer is super crispy, and the inside is packed with rich scallion flavor, but without that doughy, undercooked texture some pancakes have. It’s perfectly balanced and easily my favorite of the meal. The Three Delicacies Knife-Cut Noodles were also really good — full of wok hei, with a flavorful broth, and the noodles had a great chewy texture. Very satisfying bowl overall. The rest were more on the average side: • Steamed dumplings: The wrapper was a bit thick for my taste. The filling was fine, nothing amazing but nothing terrible either. • Rice ball (fan tuan): A bit too rice-heavy and light on fillings. Not really my thing — I prefer more filling in every bite. • Fried dough with sesame flatbread (shaobing youtiao): Standard and cleanly made, but I personally like my shaobing crispier.

1Star (once a 4Star) Darda Seafood Restaurant For decades, this restaurant was renowned for serving some of the best northern Chinese noodle soup in the area. Unfortunately, things have taken a dramatic turn for the worse. We ordered the beef noodle soup, a dish we’ve loved for years. To our dismay, it tasted like nothing more than soy sauce diluted with water—overly salty and utterly lacking in depth. There were no vegetables except a few green onions, and the beef, once tender and flavorful, was reduced to tiny, flavorless pieces measuring no more than ¾” x ½”. We also tried the once-famous Lamb with Green Onions, a dish that used to boast rich texture and flavor. Sadly, it had been shredded into dry, tasteless meat floss that bore no resemblance to the original dish. The Tea-Smoked Duck was another disappointment. It was extremely dry, difficult to chew, and filled with shards of bones, making it almost inedible. When we politely raised our concerns with the servers and hostess, we were met with dismissive attitudes and defensive rebuttals. They insisted that “no other customers complained,” leaving us feeling unwelcome and shocked by their arrogance. The overall service was unprofessional, careless, and riddled with bad attitudes. Combined with food that lacked freshness, flavor, and attention to detail, this experience was profoundly disappointing. We do not recommend this restaurant, and it’s heartbreaking to see a place with such a strong legacy fall so far from grace.

Massive portions! Food is also pretty well done, maybe not the highest quality ever, but definitely the biggest portions I’ve ever had. I really liked the Green Onion and Beef Stir Fry, while the Fish fillet in the spicy sczheuan sauce was too watery, but there was so much leftover to take home, I’ll just fix it up for myself then and add corn starch. The sesame green onion bread was also a bit dry and could have used more green onion. Anyways, it’s a solid, affordable restaurant for large groups when you are looking for traditional Chinese food!

Always hits the spot. Must get sesame green onion bread (the thick version). The kung pao scallop was honestly not that great as the scallops are the small bay scallops with too much batter. Chicken and jellyfish is another favorite of mine as well as the lamb with green onion. The combination chow mein with the thick noodles also is good but they made theirs too oily the last time I went.

I have coming here since the 90s Ambience was better But the food was stale Hot sour soup - ok 3.5/5 Chicken w/ chilli sauce - good 4/5 Sweet sour chicken - bad. Used stale meat. Had to send the dish back - 1/5 Kung pao beef - bad. - beef was rubbery 2/5 Sauted green beans - good 4/5 Cashew chicken - ok. 3/5

Tables, menus, OK basically everything is super sticky and dirty. I only feasted on 1.5 green onion pancakes, 1 cup of tea and the provided corn egg drop soup because I lost my appetite. Came around the lunch rush. No more line and no more waiting. Still quite a bit of folks. Serves halal. Been around for a very long time. Often see customers ordering noodle dishes. Ordered the 1) green onion pancake thick which was dry and lacked flavor but somehow hit the spot, 2) seafood combo noodle soup... noodles are good but seafood is overcooked with ants in the soup, 3) lunch lamb with pickled cabbage... lamb is the portion you get at hotpot's so it's overcooked but goes well with the green onion pancake, 4) lunch hot spicy garlic beef... beef is sliced chunks of beef so it's more held together and less overcooked They provide corn egg drop soup with lunch which was thick and part of the highlight of the meal. Service inattentive and could care less. You have to hail them down for anything and everything. Plentiful parking. Located within a rather large Asian plaza with 99 Ranch.

We ordered the Shrimp & Walnut, Seafood Knife-Cut Noodles, and Sliced Fish with Black Mushrooms & Bamboo Shoots. I probably wouldn't get the shrimp and walnut again--it was over-battered--but the noodles and fish dish were both very good! This place is great for family-style dining, with generous portions and a home-cooked meal vibe. The staff was kind and welcoming. Next time, I'm planning to try one of their fried fish dishes. I also noticed a lot of tables ordering the Onion Sesame Bread with Green Onion--it looked popular, so we'll be trying that too.

I'll be up front and say that my family and I have been coming here since this place opened over 20 years ago, so I may be a little biased when it comes to this restaurant. While many things have stayed the same (the decor, most of the menu, and actually most of the wait staff!), there have definitely been some changes thru the years. They've had changes in ownership as well as changes in head chefs, though for the most part the recipes have always stayed intact, albeit with a learning curve for the new chefs as they get dialed in. Great Halal Chinese food all around, with fantastic sesame flatbread and my favorite, their seafood soup noodle with shaved noodles. We are big fans of their shrimp chow mein as well and their beef noodle soup. There's still the occasional hiccup where sometimes the seasoning of the food is a little under salted, but it still tastes good. As an aside, it's interesting to see the patrons thru the years. Many of the customers these days were kids that grew up eating at this restaurant with their parents, and now many are bringing their own children here as well. With how long this place has stayed in business the last 20 years, even thru the covid pandemic, you know this place is solid.

We came here to celebrate my niece and my son's high school graduation. We had ordered a set meal for 12 people. Everything was delicious. Service is great and atmosphere is great too. The place was packed for dinner. We were here from 6 to 7:30pm in a private room. By the time we were out, there were a line of people waiting for a table. Overall, we enjoyed all the dishes.

Pretty good, would come back! Service was efficient and polite. Food was served fast and fresh. Prices started at around $13 with big servings. Restaurant setting was comfortable with hot tea included. My individual dish ratings: * Lamb with cumin 3.5/5 - good, a little bit spicy, but I wouldn't order it again, just not memorable to me. * Sesame bread onion (thick version) 5/5 - amazing, moist and crispy. Enough to stuff 4 people. Great for sopping up saucy dishes. * Twice cooked tofu 4/5 - crispy tofu instead of pork, tasty cabbage * Sweet and sour chicken 3.5/5 - mostly sweet but chicken was crispy and tasted good, just one note

This review is for a DoorDash order, so I can't comment on the ambience or service. However, this restaurant has been around for years and stands out as one of the few Chinese Halal and seafood spots in the Bay Area. They've also opened Darda Express in Sunnyvale, focusing on quicker delivery with a limited menu. Today, we had the Hot and Sour Soup, Noodles with Gravy, Black Bean Chicken, and Vegetarian Chow Mein. Everything arrived hot, fresh, and flavorful. The Hot and Sour Soup leaned more sour than hot but was still solid. The Noodles with Gravy were the highlight - soft, thin noodles in a tangy, sweet-and-sour black bean gravy, topped with thinly sliced cucumbers. It reminded us of Korean Jajangmyeon, and we absolutely loved it! Definitely adding this to my go-to list for Chinese takeout. If you haven't tried it yet, give it a shot!

Dropped by for a quick lunch. The plaza that it's located in has a lot of food options. There are also lunch specials on the weekdays. We ended up ordering beef noodle soup with knife cut noodles, lamb with pickled cabbage lunch special, and sesame scallion bread. The beef noodle soup had a good amount of noodles and meat/tendon. I like getting knife cut noodles since they have a good chew and have texture. The beef was pretty tender and broke apart easily. The soup I thought had decent flavor but was super salty. Not sure what happened there. The lamb with pickled cabbage could have been more sour in my opinion but tasted good overall and came with rice and corn soup. I thought the sesame scallion bread was pretty average. It came out a little darker than normal and it could have had a stronger green onion flavor but hit the spot. Overall, the food was decent. Wasn't the worst but not the best. I've found the quality can be hit or miss. We went on a weekday towards the end of lunch so the place was quite empty.

Love the food.. everything is halal is where they had me. Plenty of space to sit and they have prayer mats and privacy to pray so you won't miss your salah.. service is quick..

Darda was pretty yum. I wanted a quick lunch and did a take out for some Beef with Black mushrooms. I think they have lunch specials but I just got a regular order. I think the food tastes better if you eat it there though It's Halal, if thats what you're looking for. Also very quick service over here. Inside is fairly clean. Might try sit down if Im in the area

First time trying Chinese halal food, not my favorite. The famous sesame pancakes were too thick (even we ordered it "thin") and lack of flavor, it's just a big sheet of flour made pancakes. The sour veggie beef soup was bad too. The only good thing was the crispy fried fish.

We eat are often we purchase lamb fried rice garlic short rib and hand pulled noodles We sat once but it's not a Cozy sit and eat place once you get your food you next get your bill ... so we get it to go and head home put on a movie and enjoy our dinner

Darda Seafood is hands down one of the best spots for flavorful Chinese and hala cuisine in the Bay Area. Every time I come here, I know I'm getting bold flavors, generous portions, and consistently good food. Some of my go-to dishes are the cumin lamb, which is perfectly seasoned and packed with spice, the walnut shrimp that's crispy, creamy, and just the right amount of sweet, and the hot & sour soup that's always on point--tangy, spicy, and comforting. The sautéed green beans are a simple but solid side, and the salt & pepper fish is light, crispy, and full of flavor. Beyond my favorites, I've seen a lot of love for the orange chicken, and even the complimentary Chinese tea gets a mention in reviews. The food is always solid, but the service can be hit or miss--it's fast and efficient, but don't expect a ton of warmth. The place gets busy, so timing your visit can make a difference. If you're looking for a great halal-friendly Chinese restaurant that delivers on taste, Darda is the spot. Definitely worth it.

Came here again tonight since we are in town! It was super busy because it was Christmas Day, but service was good. Ambiance was fine, as well. Beef dumplings - 4/5. Needed sauce. Hot and sour soup - 5/5 Mongolian beef - 5/5 Shrimp fried rice - 3/5 Kung pao chicken - 5/5

Very good service, courteous staff, large portions. Didn't have to wait long, though it was Father's Day. Perhaps because we reached pretty early. We will go there anytime, we we want good service,

I'm not terribly familiar with Halal-Chinese, but Darda is a solid spot for an absurdly fast home-style meal, and it's not too heavily seasoned in a way that still brings out the flavors of the ingredients but is something you could more readily eat on even a daily basis. Not mindblowing, but very homey meal to be had. Though you have your typical Chinese bluntness for service staff, I've never quite had the food come out so quickly while maintaining a good quality for a big group (I swear it was less than 10 minutes tops for 4 dishes and a pancake). In general everything tasted pretty fresh and clean in a nicely consistent way. It's not going to overwhelm your taste buds (or blow your socks off), but you'll get an immensely comfy meal with solidly large portions. ==Lamb warm pot - 4.5/5 Notably sour notes with plenty of cabbage and lamb. Like seriously dense amounts of solids. The lamb, while overcooked, wasn't as tough as I'd expected it to be so I was pretty happy with how this was. ==Chicken with jellyfish - 5/5 Surprisingly solid dish, despite being a bit unusual for my tastes; essentially comes down to a nice mixed stirfry of veggies + meat and jellyfish. Crunchy and fresh jellyfish with moist chicken slices is a good way to have it though. ==Beef with green onion - 5/5 Solid stirfry with tender beef and fresh aromatic greens. == Sesame pancake - 4/5 Very lovely crisp exterior of the pancake with seriously copious amount of sesame seeds. The interior was a tad on the dry side though so chewing through the whole midsection felt like more of a chore than optimal. ==Three flavor handmade noodle - 4/5 Mashup of the three meats (chicken, beef, shrimp) which one could guess based on the menu offerings even though they weren't explicit. Generally pretty good though the noodles felt a bit too soft for a stirfry.

Habibi this place is halal! I totally had no idea this was considered a seafood restaurant until I just looked up their yelp to leave them a review lol Don't think I've ever ordered seafood here but I'll let ya know what's good: fried short ribs with dried garlic. Green beans Hot and sour soup Chow mein Although they are halal, I've noticed that my family and I gravitate to a lot of their vegetarian dishes! I especially enjoy the green beans and chow mein as sides but the hot and sour soup is also vegetarian as it comes with tofu! Our main dish is usually two orders of the fried short ribs with dried garlic. They have fried garlic on top and great aromatics. I would not come here if you're really into exceptional service as it's usually rushed and you have no interaction with your staff other than them taking your order. It's hard to even ask for condiments if you need them. They're usually really busy and it's chaotic inside. There is a 18% mandatory service charge for all dine in orders regardless of party size.

I came here for a family gathering and ordered chicken fried rice, lamb and napa cabbage soup, stir fried lamb with green onion, fried walnut honey shrimp, stir fried green beans with pickled mustard green, stir fried knife sliced noodles and thick green onion bread with sesame seeds. My favorite is the soup, the bread and the stir fried lamb with green onion. Better yet, use the bread and add the lamb in between as a sandwich. The bread came out warm with a thick crust, fluffy interior with green onion oil. It is thick, fluffy but yet and chewy which is why i love it. It almost reminds me of an Italian loaf bread. They also know how to cook lamb very well. The lamb and napa cabbage soup was delicious without the gamey taste. So was the stir fry lamb with green onions. Everything else was good too! The chicken fried was very good, and i usually dont like chicken fried rice. I also love that their stir fried knife slice noodle is homemade as well as the bread. This place is great for families, big or small and theyre hallah. Good food for a good price too.

Darda Seafood sells halal Chinese food. Has been here for decades. lst time eating halal Chinese. Unfamiliar with food. Big dining area with several private rooms. No outside seating. Sign advising mandatory 18% gratuity posted. Hostess/cashier greets patrons upon entry. Takes orders. Kitchen staff brought out food in minutes+. Offerings: lunch menu, poultry, mu shu dishes, warm pot, fried rice, chow mein, knife cut noodles, dim sum, vegetables, bean curd, fried noodles, seafood, beef & lamb, noodle soup. Eats: lunch special-lamb with sour cabbage (13.75) -tender juicy thin slices of lamb mixed with slightly sour cabbage. No sauce/gravy present. Not familiar with dish. Probably has none. -Saw chili pods. Didn't taste any heat. Off day for taste buds? Had gas Later.. Tea bag tea, big bowl of warm, fluffy, firm white rice -didn't finish rice. Ate enough to pair with lamb. Bowl of egg flower corn soup -sweet, starchy broth with egg flower whisks, corn niblets. Temperature between warm & hot. *amigo associate on floor to bus tables, refill tea, render assistance. 4.5 stars food good value. Unfamiliar with food, too early for 5 stars. Very good service. Note: parking lot is jammed at lunch, peak hours.

Food was pretty good, service was great, the restaurant was spacious. Definitely will be coming back.

Service was amazing, the food was great, the space was so large. The menus have a lot of things you can order. Overall I recommend it.

This place has the best hand shaven noodles!! They are so chewy, and the meat, vegetables, and sauce that goes inside these dishes taste amazing! The service is quick: but the only bad thing about this place is their ambiance. It's very cold in there, and doesn't look too clean. However, the food is great, and I recommend maybe getting takeout sometime!!

This was always my Mom's local fave- I havent been in years but came by recently & I think they've still got it! It was very busy at dinner but we didn't wait long to be seated. Service & Food were really fast- but everything was fresh & satisfying- excellent value for the cost in terms of portions & taste. We devoured EVERY thing.

I went here last week to see if they're still as good as I remembered. The last time I went was about 20 years ago. Of course it has changed some along with its menu. The food was good and you definitely get your money's worth. I got the combination hand pulled noodle soup. I had left overs for the next couple days. I would recommend going, but get there before noon since it gets really busy at this shopping center. Parking and people's patience are in short supply.

Darda is, without a doubt, the best Chinese restaurant in the South Bay. The food is always fresh, flavorful, and served hot--every dish is packed with authentic flavor and perfectly balanced seasoning. Whether you're ordering classics or trying something new, you can't go wrong here. The menu is extensive, the portions are generous, and the consistency is unmatched. Every visit feels like a guaranteed great meal. If you're in the South Bay and craving top-tier Chinese food, Darda is the place to go. It's a local gem that never disappoints.

Firstly it's Hala!! Always good food! Each dish! Always busy which is good and the staff is always the best! Portions are big, at least for us. Have been there twice. I think at least once a month.

I've visited this place several times with my colleagues for their lunch specials during office hours, and it never disappoints. The service is fast, and the food is consistently great. I've also brought my family here and ordered takeout multiple times--the service remains efficient, and the ambiance is pleasant. Sweet Corn Soup - 5/5 Noodles - 5/5 Kung Pao Chicken - 5/5 Sesame Bread (Thick) - 2/5 Thin Bread - 5/5 We didn't enjoy the thick sesame bread as much--it was quite dry and dense, though we ordered it after seeing others try it. However, everything else was fantastic. This has become my go-to spot whenever I'm craving Chinese food!

It's Halal! Location: 99 ranch plaza, lots of parking spots but the plaza gets busy. Tons of food options. Service: prompt service. Food comes outs very quickly, but if you need anything else (napkins, water,etc) you'll need to flag someone down. Note that gratuity is already included in your bill. Grab a fortune cookie on your way out. Ambiance: clean, and spacious. Definitely more of a family place. Food: I never leave here hungry. The portions are generous and the food is delicious. Most people are eating family style, and you'll probably see every table with some sesame bread. It's dense and nutty and a great way to scoop up any leftover sauce. Beef noodle soup: nice portion, flavorful and tender meat Crispy pan fried noodles (lamb or seafood): my go-to order. The noodles come extremely crispy and sit on top of a thick broth. It stays crunchy for a while even if you mix it all up. Fried rice: great portion and tastes. Might be too bland for some people, but they have condiments if you need it.

Darda has a special place in my heart, as this is a restaurant that I've been to while growing up in San Jose. While I haven't been recently and so am not sure how the quality exactly is currently, all I know is that I've had great meals with friends here throughout the years. While the inside is quite spacious, it does get pretty crowded so usually we have to wait a bit before we can get in (especially for larger groups). For the food, you can't go wrong with classics like mongolian beef, sesame bread, lamb with green onions, and the chow mein. I would also highly recommend the bean curd with brown sauce, as the texture is similar to tofu and it has a great flavor that goes well with rice. The portions here are pretty sizable, so make sure you come with a group as the food here is meant to be eaten family-style. This is a great restaurant to visit with groups, and I hope that it stays open for the years to come.

Solid halal Chinese spot! The food was tasty and the portions were big. The prices were rather high and also add on a 15% service charge for dining in, so the price can quickly add up. Also no free white rice with your order. The food service is fast and many can speak English which helps. The menu has a wide variety of items so great for all types of eaters. Would come back and try other items.

Wow, Darda was unexpected! I moved to the South Bay a few years ago but am still discovering new restaurants. Darda came recommended from a friend and I'm glad I tried it. Came here with my boyfriend but quickly realized, this place is better with a larger party so that you can try everything. I've only ever been to one other Halal Chinese restaurant and it was in SF so I was excited to try this place. They have a ton of menu items and I really didn't know where to start but I ended up getting the following: Tendons with leek - MY FAVORITE, could eat this everyday but I know I shouldn't haha Thick sesame pancake with green onion - also yummy but could only eat 2 pieces since it was super thick and filling Lamb and pickled cabbage soup - if you like sour, you should try this! String beans - surprisingly my least favorite but still good to have a vegetable One thing I wanted to mention was that the service is FAST. We ordered and got our food within 10 minutes. We were pretty much in and out within 50 min. Will be back but next time, hopefully with more people. They also do banquet style :)

麻辣牛肚 bad and be served I am so disappointed. I went there once a while and order 麻辣牛肚. Today is differently I talked to the waitress and they did not do anything How they can serve bad food and did not do anything after customer complain The noodle soup is also not very good

The food here was so good! I'm so happy I tried this place out. It was my first time trying this type of food. I had the spicy lamb for $19.25 and the chicken fried rice for $14.95, and they automatically add 18% gratuity to your bill. The service was decent considering how busy this place was. The place is pretty big and clean. It did have a different scent than what I'm used to...

Uniqueness: Halal Chinese Food? Wait Time: [x][x][x][ ][ ] Food Quality: [x][x][x][x][x] Service: [x][x][x][x][ ] Setting: [x][x][x][x][ ] Cost: [x][x][x][x][ ] Recommendation? Definitely get any variation of their homemade chowmein noodles and the sesame bread (thick version) for starters! For a place that serves seafood, not once have I tried their seafood dishes (yet) but wow does Darda serve excellent Halal-Chinese food! Located in the main Barber Lane plaza on the left corner of Ranch 99, Darda Seafood Restaurant is a bustling place that typically gets packed on lunch--more for sure on weekends--that serves seafood and any other meat aside from pork because they're Halal. My work would once in a while cater their restaurant for corporate meals and I've gotten to try a various assortment of their dishes, but my go to here are the homemade chow mein noodles, the pork short ribs, and the thick sesame bread on the side. Their version of chowmein noodles is so deliciously chewy and flavorful that I would have no problem with just getting these noodles only as a meal. The pork short ribs are slightly spicy and perfectly made and also the sweet and sour chicken is slightly spicy as well with dashes of jalapeño peppers and garlic tossed in. There is so many other choices to choose from I'm certain I won't be able to try them all but so far all that I have tried were always well worth it. Service on the other hand is a bit hit or miss. They can be pretty rushed on getting the order and not too friendly but I guess that's the perk of having the order quickly sent out. Time to come out is slightly slow too but be patient, the wait will be well worth it in the end. Darda Seafood Restaurant, probably the only Halal Chinese restaurant that I know of, is definitely one of my favorite go to Chinese restaurants to take family and family friends to. I know for sure I'll be back for more and definitely recommend anyone new to give this place a try!

I went here for a dinner my company was hosting. The food and service was amazing! I loved that they had so many options on their menu, and the staff were very kind and accommodating. Thank you so much!

BEST Chinese food in the Milpitas/San Jose area hands down. The variety and diversity of the menu is astonishing! So many great options whether you would like seafood, chicken, beef, soups, appetizers? They have it all! I was originally introduced to Darda by a friend who eats halal only meats (sensibly and kindly put down animals) and this is now my go-to spot for authentic Chinese food. My review is specifically for the food here. The food is always absolutely DELICIOUS and comes out in very large quantities. Our favorites here are the Honey Walnut Shrimp, the Beef and Broccoli, and the Fried rice with meat trio. These dishes taste amazing, and the food is always served fairly quickly (within 10 minutes or faster!). We always leave here very happy and very FULL with lots of food to take home to enjoy later. lol. The place itself is situated in the far corner of a large shopping center, it's a little hard to spot but Google maps helps a lot! This shopping center is super busy but sometimes we are lucky enough to get the coveted close up parking! lol. As stated by previous Yelpers the place is very basic and a little dated but we don't mind at all since the food quality more than makes up for it! Also never experienced the unclean comments people mentioned and we've been here 8-10+ times! The service is sometimes slow at check time but we are usually happily resting in our food coma so we don't mind that either. lol. Overall highly recommend their food and we will always come back for the BEST authentic Chinese food in the area.

Stepping into Darda Seafood Restaurant in Milpitas, a fusion of Chinese and Islamic cuisines offers a unique dining experience. This spot may not hold the warmest service experience (as expected), but it compensates with efficiency and speed. The menu is a broad spectrum of flavors highlighting a myriad of lamb dishes uncommon in many other Chinese establishments. The freshly baked sesame bread with green onion offers a comforting start, its fluffy and nutty essences perfectly offsetting the satisfying transitioning tastes of subtly sweet and mildly spiced Hunan beef and lamb dishes. Though their tea leaves a bit to be desired it's fairly par for the course of similar restaurants. Generous portions and large tables designed for sharing make Darda an ideal choice for group meals or get-togethers-indeed, during several visits, 10+ sized tables were common, complete with birthday festivities generating an air of joviality. The ambiance remains simple and unassuming, allowing the food to be the genuine center of attention. It seems authenticity here is not ostentatious or flashy, but simply, and deliciously, real. So, whether you're gathering for a celebration or a casual meal, Darda Seafood Restaurant stands as a worthy destination for those looking to enjoy a culinary adventure that satisfies a variety of tastebuds.

Very solid family-style Chinese restaurant! I came with a group of 4 around 7 PM on a Monday night (July 4th weekend) and we were quickly seated with no wait. We ordered the lamb with stew (红烧羊肉), 3 flavor sizzling rice soup (三鲜锅巴锅), 3 flavor chow mein (三鲜茶面), sliced fish with spicy sauce (鱼香鱼片), and dry sauteed string bean (干扁四季豆). Everything was excellent; I particularly liked the dry sauteed string bean and sliced fish with spicy sauce. My friend said the chow mein was a must-try, corroborated by the fact that pretty much every table around us got the chow mein. We felt that 5 dishes for 4 people was the perfect amount. Tip: Some of the English translations on the menu seemed a little off, so it definitely helps to have someone who can read Chinese in your group.

I have not been here for a while; Darda's reputation of delicious and good value was impressed upon me many years ago. Out of the blue, we decided to revisit this place. Weekday lunch wasn't busy, 2/3 of the room was full. We ordered the following: - hand-pulled noodles with 3 kinds of protein: Tasty. Noodle was chewy and had a good mix of flavors. I think they put it a tad too much soy sauce. Chicken fried rice: There is a bit too much soy sauce, in my opinion. The chicken was too finely chopped; it could have used bigger pieces. - Lamb with spring onion and dry tofu: The lamb pieces were too thin, but it did have the lamb flavor. A bit salty for me. - Beef with green onion: very much the same sauce as the lamb dish, soy sauce! So also salty...lol - Tofu with egg: it's pan-fried egg wrapped around soft tofu. It's my favorite dish from this restaurant and I felt that the tofu was thinner. The taste was the same though, which is good. Thick sesame cake with green onion: It was not as good as before, I felt. It somehow lacked the puffy texture. The size though was equally impressive. 6 people for $119 before tips.

Amazing food, good service and a nice ambiance. Ordered Jelly fish with cucumber for appetizer, chicken fried rice, Kung pao fish and Beef with green onions for main dish. Jelly fish with cucumber was more like a salad and flavorless. It was the only dish we didn't eat much. The main dishes all came in large quantity and we ended up taking home everything. Everything tasted yummy!

Apparently this place is a local favorite among Chinese families who live in Bay Area, so I decided to finally come here with fellow Chinese friends to relive their childhoods. The staff here speak mainly Mandarin so it'll be helpful if you can bring a Mandarin-speaker here but not required. Upon entry, there is a sign in front of the door that states "mandatory 15% tip," which was fine though it makes me wonder if they had to enforce that due to people not tipping in the past? Sad. Regardless, the staff was nice and quickly seated us. There's plenty of seating inside. We ordered the sour cabbage lamb soup, thick sesame bread with green onions, hand-pulled dry noodles with 3 types of protein, yu xiang eggplant, and stir fried beef with small bamboo. Everything was delicious and tasted very homey. My favorite was the hand-pulled noodles though - it was flavorful, well balanced, and the noodles had a great chewiness. I would definitely come back just for the noodles. Overall, it was a great experience and I would come back again with more people to try more things on the menu.

Returned after several years looking for the taste we remember. Service is fast as usual. Three flavored chowmien had smokey flavor on first bite but the rest was just OK. Perhaps the house noodle is a misfit for this dish, but the noodle was still hard and bit dry. The noodle had fair amount of white part in the middle. Steam dumplings were dry and thick skin. The sesami bread was not as flavorful as we remember. Wondering if the food or taste bud have changed...

We visited here for the Chinese New Year family gathering! We really enjoyed it here! Got a small room, a little bit crowded because we have 14 people in total, more than we expected. There are so many dishes we want to try here so we ordered a lot, mostly carbs tho I love the pancake with scallions a lot, the thick kind is so good that I had two pieces, and I feel like I can eat more, the inside bread is extremely soft. Yau tiu, the fried donut is good, soy milk is good, not too sweet but tasteful. We ordered popcorn chicken with bones too, it's spicy to most of the ppl, but for those who eat spicy all love it. We also had lamb with cabbage , surprisingly everyone thinks it's quite good, cabbage is lightly pickled but not strong at all. Overall it's quite a nice place to visit if you want some Chinese food.

It's been years since I've been to this Chinese halal restaurant. The interior has become renovated and modernized with new flooring, chairs/tables, and paint. We were seated immediately around 12:30 pm on a Sunday, and the place was almost full by 1 pm with lots of takeout orders. My family's go-to dishes, then and now, we're just as good as I remember. The thick sesame bread with green onion had a great crispy exterior that contrasted the soft bread within. Some of their yummy popular dishes are the three flavor homemade noodle, cumin lamb, and lamb with green onions. Tip: open up the sesame bread and pack some lamb into it! The lamb also goes well mixed with the noodles. The following were only okay: red bean pancake (needs more red bean filling) and mu shu vegetable wraps (the wraps themselves absorb the liquid, disintegrate, and leak almost instantly). I'm glad this spot survived the worst of the pandemic, and I'll be integrating it back into my restaurant rotation!

Overall, a great experience for a large group. Lots of variety and something for everyone! Food (5/5): Variety of food is great and everything we got was delicious and well seasoned. I didn't feel any of the dishes were too salty or oily and a group of 6 hungry adults finished 5 dishes completely with leaving us all full! I'd highly recommend their pan fried dumplings and chicken with rice cakes. Service (3/5): The staff never really checked on us and we had to get up from our table to get them to take our order or ask any other questions. Eh I don't really mind that but it was a little annoying. Ambiance (4/5): Huge interior with lots of huge tables that can seat up to I want to say 12 people. We didn't need a reservation for a 5pm on a Sunday and were served fairly quickly. The lazy susans in the middle of the tables were a little janky - they were screwed into the middle of the table so theyd shift around as you moved them. Weird and should probably be fixed.

This is a very traditional Chinese restaurant nestled within a larger Chinese shopping plaza in Milpitas! I stopped by here on a Thursday around 1:30 PM with my dad for lunch, and ordered a beef noodle soup and beef broccoli. The portions are very large/meant to be shared family style. The beef noodle soup broth was very rich, and they didn't skimp on the beef which I loved. The beef broccoli was pretty solid, how can you go wrong with a staple dish? There was an older white man who had finished eating near our table and was just watching videos on his phone with the volume on full blast for everyone to hear. The staff didn't really say much, so that was a little bit disorienting to have to experience while having lunch. He stayed there for around 20 minutes just doing that, which was pretty annoying. Otherwise, I'd say that I'd come here again.

Darda has been here for decades in the McCarthy Ranch near 99 Ranch Supermarket. There is plenty of parking available, but it can be challenging during lunchtime or holidays. It's a fairly large restaurant that has been used for wedding banquets, large parties, etc. Lamb with Chinese Pickled Cabbage Soup. Rich, flavorful, slightly tart broth. The lamb pieces fall off the bone tender and not gamey at all. It is a great soup to warm up the soul. Beef with Green Onions. The beef is very tender sautéed with green onions mostly, maybe a few slivers of yellow yellows included. Chicken with Sliced Rice Cake. Pan-fried rice cakes that are chewy and soft. It comes with napa cabbage and chicken, usually in a light brown gravy. Thick Sesame Bread with Green Onions. This is one of their signature dishes. The bread is loaded with sesame seeds, so it's nutty and crunchy on the outside, but the inside is soft and filled with green onions. So delicious! 3 Flavor Home Made Chow Mein. Beef, chicken, and shrimp Wok-Fired with their housemade knife cut noodles. The noodles are another signature dish.

The quality of the food has gone down significantly over the years and just be aware, like many others in these reviews, they will over charge you!