This place is so unique! A cocktail bar with dim sum is the perfect combo. The drinks are so amazing, highly recommend the “sweep the leg”. The food is just as tasty, fun, and satisfying. I am gluten free and there were so many amazing gluten free options! The lo bak go was phenomenal. The atmosphere makes me feel like a cool city girl ngl. Worth it worth it worth it
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Leo Lee
Food and drink was mediocre for the price. The atmosphere was not inviting and service was lacking.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Fritz Lekschas
We went here for cocktails and overall we had a nice time. The cocktails were good but surprisingly average for their inventive-sounding descriptions. I had a cocktail that was supposed to have umami flavors with rich and interesting notes but ended up being just a regular Negroni with bourbon instead of gin where 90% of what you’d taste is the Campari. Again, not a bad cocktail but certainly nothing special. This was true for all four cocktails we got. They sounded super interesting on paper but turned out to be regular classics. I was hoping for something more interesting like what you get at backbar but this is not the spot for it.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Walter Alan Stiehl
Delightful. Imaginative. You wouldn't know from the inane names of the dishes, but we made repeat orders.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Jingo Mante
Darling is delish! Ambiance is mellow, low lighting, and intimate with lots of privacy. Every dish I had was yummy and I rank them in the following order. Ribs were insane, falling off the bone scrumptious. Bang bang chicken is a close second with flavor and crunch. Broccoli was smoky. Cucumber? also had great flavor and spice. Dumpling was fun with the chili sauce. The noodles were fine and unexpectedly crunchy. I wouldn’t order again, but still good. Same with the fish bao - good - and everyone should experience it once. Cocktails were strong and creative. I’ll definitely be back!! 😋
Tina Taylor
The restaurant served amazing food. It was very loud. But every dish was delicious.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 5
Kika Davis
The food at Darling was nothing short of exceptional, and the sake list was a perfect match. Every dish felt thoughtful and balanced, but the real standout was the service—warm, intuitive, and genuinely personal. Sailer, you changed my life.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Andy Palmer
Truly exceptional dining experience. LOVE that they have retained the suan la chow show from Mary Chung's - they taste very similar but not exactly the same - really fantastic. The food is exceptional, the service friendly/prompt and the cocktails are excellent! A fantastic evolution of a space that is so familiar to many of us in Cambridge that loved Mary Chung's.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Spicy Dumplings with Chili Oil
Dani I.
Loved this place! We got the cucumbers, Chinese broccoli, enoki bao, wontons, pork ribs, and two drinks. We loved the baos and the wontons but my favorite were the ribs - they fell right the bone. For drinks we had the gorgeous and arrogant and the common trope. Both delicious and the bartender was super nice and attentive. It was a little loud as to be expected at a bar but the music definitely added to the ambiance in a good way. The waiters were great and timed the dishes perfectly. I definitely plan on coming back in the future to try more of the menu!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Annie Scuzzarella
This place is a must try! Cocktails were absolutely delicious. We had the fish bao, sesame noodles, pork ribs, and wontons. We were surprised at how amazing all of them were, specifically the fish bao it was out of this world. We will absolutely be back.
Cambridge has always needed more cocktail bars outside of Harvard Square, so my friends and I had been waiting for this one to open for a long time. We finally made it in on a Sunday evening without a reservation. No fuss, just walked in and got a table right away.
The concept hit all my favorite notes: Asian-fusion snacks and Asian-inspired cocktails. Drinks were fantastic overall, but the food was a bit underwhelming.
The cocktail menu came printed like a small pamphlet, complete with the date stamped on top. Maybe a hint that the lineup changes regularly(?). We went for three cocktails, and their popular sweet cocktails were excellent. Hope I packed a parachute and HK French Toast were two of our favs.
Hope I Packed a Parachute – Maybe it’s my matcha/red bean bias talking, but this was phenomenal. Smooth, lightly sweet, and clean on the finish, with that gentle red bean note lingering just enough to remind you it’s there.
HK French Toast – More nutty than other French toast cocktails I’ve had. Less dessert-y, more like biting into a thick toast slabbed with peanut butter.
Food-wise, only dish I really liked was the Dashi-braised daikon (Lo Bak Go). Expected the usual melt-away daikon, but they served it meatball-style—minced, compact, with spicy and buttery layers. Denser than traditional braised daikon, but the kick of dashi plus browned butter was sublime. Honestly could make a full meal out of these alone.
Other dishes we ordered were fine overall, and we enjoyed the pork wontons. Soft, juicy, with just enough heat to match nicely against the sweeter drinks.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Christina Hardway
The food and cocktails at Darling are OUTSTANDING! We ate there on a Saturday, and everything was perfect. Everyone was really helpful and, Samantha, the bartender answered all of questions about the drinks menu. All of the beverages were well-crafted and perfect, and the food was incredible. We loved it and high recommend it to anyone.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Fish Bao, Cheesecake
Adam Felix
Amazing all around. Every dish is well crafted
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Jayson Yao
I was initially drawn to Darling for its charming atmosphere, which seemed perfect for a dinner date. Unfortunately, the service and food quality fell short of expectations.
Our experience began with unusual service rules from our waiter. She refused to bring out our rice until we had finished the pork ribs, only serving it after we specifically asked. While taking our order, she repeated it back correctly, yet still managed to forget one of our dishes entirely when it came time to serve. She repeatedly told us that she could not bring out the next dish unless we finished the current one because the tables were “too small.” This reasoning made little sense, as none of our selections required large plates, nor were they served on them. Throughout the meal, she rarely checked in on us, even when our frustration was clearly visible. Toward the end of the evening, she gave us the wrong check. While occasional mistakes are understandable, the combination of these multiple errors left a particularly sour impression. Unfortunately, the food did not redeem the experience. Several proteins were noticeably dry despite being paired with sauces, which should have enhanced their flavor. Overall, Darling’s atmosphere might be inviting, but the service missteps and disappointing food quality make it hard to recommend. I will not be returning anytime soon unless significant improvements are made to both staffing and kitchen execution.
This place is so unique! A cocktail bar with dim sum is the perfect combo. The drinks are so amazing, highly recommend the “sweep the leg”. The food is just as tasty, fun, and satisfying. I am gluten free and there were so many amazing gluten free options! The lo bak go was phenomenal. The atmosphere makes me feel like a cool city girl ngl. Worth it worth it worth it
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Food and drink was mediocre for the price. The atmosphere was not inviting and service was lacking.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
We went here for cocktails and overall we had a nice time. The cocktails were good but surprisingly average for their inventive-sounding descriptions. I had a cocktail that was supposed to have umami flavors with rich and interesting notes but ended up being just a regular Negroni with bourbon instead of gin where 90% of what you’d taste is the Campari. Again, not a bad cocktail but certainly nothing special. This was true for all four cocktails we got. They sounded super interesting on paper but turned out to be regular classics. I was hoping for something more interesting like what you get at backbar but this is not the spot for it.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Delightful. Imaginative. You wouldn't know from the inane names of the dishes, but we made repeat orders.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Darling is delish! Ambiance is mellow, low lighting, and intimate with lots of privacy. Every dish I had was yummy and I rank them in the following order. Ribs were insane, falling off the bone scrumptious. Bang bang chicken is a close second with flavor and crunch. Broccoli was smoky. Cucumber? also had great flavor and spice. Dumpling was fun with the chili sauce. The noodles were fine and unexpectedly crunchy. I wouldn’t order again, but still good. Same with the fish bao - good - and everyone should experience it once. Cocktails were strong and creative. I’ll definitely be back!! 😋
The restaurant served amazing food. It was very loud. But every dish was delicious.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 5
The food at Darling was nothing short of exceptional, and the sake list was a perfect match. Every dish felt thoughtful and balanced, but the real standout was the service—warm, intuitive, and genuinely personal. Sailer, you changed my life.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Truly exceptional dining experience. LOVE that they have retained the suan la chow show from Mary Chung's - they taste very similar but not exactly the same - really fantastic. The food is exceptional, the service friendly/prompt and the cocktails are excellent! A fantastic evolution of a space that is so familiar to many of us in Cambridge that loved Mary Chung's.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Spicy Dumplings with Chili Oil
Loved this place! We got the cucumbers, Chinese broccoli, enoki bao, wontons, pork ribs, and two drinks. We loved the baos and the wontons but my favorite were the ribs - they fell right the bone. For drinks we had the gorgeous and arrogant and the common trope. Both delicious and the bartender was super nice and attentive. It was a little loud as to be expected at a bar but the music definitely added to the ambiance in a good way. The waiters were great and timed the dishes perfectly. I definitely plan on coming back in the future to try more of the menu!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
This place is a must try! Cocktails were absolutely delicious. We had the fish bao, sesame noodles, pork ribs, and wontons. We were surprised at how amazing all of them were, specifically the fish bao it was out of this world. We will absolutely be back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
Exquisite cocktails (and decent food).
Cambridge has always needed more cocktail bars outside of Harvard Square, so my friends and I had been waiting for this one to open for a long time. We finally made it in on a Sunday evening without a reservation. No fuss, just walked in and got a table right away.
The concept hit all my favorite notes: Asian-fusion snacks and Asian-inspired cocktails. Drinks were fantastic overall, but the food was a bit underwhelming.
The cocktail menu came printed like a small pamphlet, complete with the date stamped on top. Maybe a hint that the lineup changes regularly(?). We went for three cocktails, and their popular sweet cocktails were excellent. Hope I packed a parachute and HK French Toast were two of our favs.
Hope I Packed a Parachute – Maybe it’s my matcha/red bean bias talking, but this was phenomenal. Smooth, lightly sweet, and clean on the finish, with that gentle red bean note lingering just enough to remind you it’s there.
HK French Toast – More nutty than other French toast cocktails I’ve had. Less dessert-y, more like biting into a thick toast slabbed with peanut butter.
Food-wise, only dish I really liked was the Dashi-braised daikon (Lo Bak Go). Expected the usual melt-away daikon, but they served it meatball-style—minced, compact, with spicy and buttery layers. Denser than traditional braised daikon, but the kick of dashi plus browned butter was sublime. Honestly could make a full meal out of these alone.
Other dishes we ordered were fine overall, and we enjoyed the pork wontons. Soft, juicy, with just enough heat to match nicely against the sweeter drinks.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
The food and cocktails at Darling are OUTSTANDING! We ate there on a Saturday, and everything was perfect. Everyone was really helpful and, Samantha, the bartender answered all of questions about the drinks menu. All of the beverages were well-crafted and perfect, and the food was incredible. We loved it and high recommend it to anyone.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Fish Bao, Cheesecake
Amazing all around. Every dish is well crafted
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I was initially drawn to Darling for its charming atmosphere, which seemed perfect for a dinner date. Unfortunately, the service and food quality fell short of expectations.
Our experience began with unusual service rules from our waiter. She refused to bring out our rice until we had finished the pork ribs, only serving it after we specifically asked. While taking our order, she repeated it back correctly, yet still managed to forget one of our dishes entirely when it came time to serve. She repeatedly told us that she could not bring out the next dish unless we finished the current one because the tables were “too small.” This reasoning made little sense, as none of our selections required large plates, nor were they served on them.
Throughout the meal, she rarely checked in on us, even when our frustration was clearly visible. Toward the end of the evening, she gave us the wrong check. While occasional mistakes are understandable, the combination of these multiple errors left a particularly sour impression. Unfortunately, the food did not redeem the experience. Several proteins were noticeably dry despite being paired with sauces, which should have enhanced their flavor. Overall, Darling’s atmosphere might be inviting, but the service missteps and disappointing food quality make it hard to recommend. I will not be returning anytime soon unless significant improvements are made to both staffing and kitchen execution.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 2
Service: 2
Amazing!owner is so welcoming and caring!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
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