Darren's Restaurant + Bar

This restaurant was absolutely amazing! It was my all-time favorite dining experience while visiting California. The restaurant is located right near the beach so my fiance and I walked along the pier, and took in the beautiful scenery, before our reservation time. Once we arrived at the restaurant, a few minutes before opening, we stayed outside reading the menu. The hostess was generous enough to open the door early for us, and allow us inside to be seated. Everything that we ate was absolutely delicious. As an appetizer we had the pretzel bread with a spicy mustard glaze, which had the right amount of "kick" to not overwhelm the taste. We also shared a rock shrimp ravioli that was to die for! It was rich and creamy, and the crispy onion topping added the perfect amount of crunch. For an entree, I ordered the crab which was beautifully plated with a spicy sauce and sweet sauce -- yum! My fiance ordered the black Alaskan cod, which melted in his mouth. We both loved our food, and the service was on point. Everything was perfect about our evening! We also had the pleasure of meeting the Head Chef and Owner, Darren Weiss, which was an absolute joy! He helped us with our meal choices, and prepared our food beautifully. I highly recommend this restaurant, and hope to return in the future!!!

This place is great. My wife and I just ventured out one evening and wondered into Darren's. This will be my date night spot when visiting L.A. The food is very fresh and full of flavor. Great presentation and atmosphere. The staff was very attentive and warm. The only complaint is your almost touching elbows with your neighbor but just makes for an adventurous evening.

Owner is extremely friendly, always walking around to see how everyone is doing. Portions for small plate menu items are indeed SMALL, I didn't order a large plate item but for nearly $40 for some of the items, this place is pricey which is typical in Manhattan Beach. The menu is somewhat sporadic. They don't seem to specialize in one particular dish. Instead, the menu is sort of jack of all trades. Darren's is a nice place to go on rare occasion, but I wouldn't recommend it as a place to frequently visit.

The small plates (mac & cheeese + potatoes) were excellent, but the entrees were way too salty. My wife took a few bites of her seafood pasta, but couldn't continue to eat it. I finished my braised short ribs because I love salt, but it was close to being too salty even for me. The brownie dessert was somewhat unique in flavor, not too sweet, and tasty... but nothing special. The restaurant was kind enough to take the seafood pasta off the bill. Service was friendly and above average.

My Pork Chop was, and is always, moist and full of flavor...never had a bad serving. Our waitress always suggests a wonderful wine to go with the meal. Get there early as it fills up fast and the waiting area is small. In the Summer the covered street-side patio is a good place to dine to get away from a moderately loud interior.

We were excited to find a restaurant in that area that actually had several seats available. Well, we quickly understood why. Tasteless food, slow service. We got a salad that had no dressing, returned for them to fix it but they brought it back exactly the same, as dry as before. Everything else was very boring and about twice the price that it should be. Now, it's a bar too, so all people yell in an attempt to have a conversation.We just couldn't wait to pay and go. As we walked up Manhattan Avenue we found many more, good quality restaurants. So, keep that in mind, make yourself a favor and just pass on that Darren's place.

Steak was overly seasoned. I asked for medium and got medium rare (which was their original suggestion, so they may have trouble cooking it otherwise). Prices are high, even for the area. Salad was ok albeit a bit soggy. Beers are ballpark pricey. The place also smelled weird. Overall would have been good for about half the price.

I took my husband to Darren's for his bday when we were still dating. I did think the food was good but it was quite pricey. It's so hard because MB has SO many good restaurants. Darren's just didn't blow me away. Prehaps I'll give it another try and update my review. For now, I'd say it's worth another try but probably won't become a regular spot for us.