Darbster Bistro

Inaccurate hours and I found out by driving all the way over here. Says open till 10 pm, I’m here at 7:42 and lights are out. Will never try this place now. Blah.

HEADS UP – This location is closed for the Summer (remodeling), but excellent meals and awesome service – couldn’t be more pleased.
They make an environmentally-​friendly lifestyle a real treat!
Can’t wait for them to reopen…

Worth the drive from Fort Lauderdale! Nothing fancy. Small venue. Food is tasty, even if you aren’t vegan! They have a lovely area in the back, near a canal where we took pictures! Go try it! You won’t be disappointed.

Went there today but it is closed down. It says closed for remodeling but there is a sign in the window that says «For Lease.» If they are closing for remodeling or closed for good its a 2 minute job to go online and inform the public. Unilocal please note.

My party of 7 was very pleased w our first experience here at Darbster. I ordered a cucumber cocktail which was weak and overpriced and way too sweet. The rum punch was good according to my bff. We had a variety of items including wedge, and other salad for apps. Both good. We ordered tacos (delish) falafel (too bready and bland), cauliflower entrée a bit bland, Philly cheesesteak which was reportedly good. For 7 peeps 2 cocktails a few teas it was $ 198 (tip was added on). Service was stingy w things like straws for water, lemon and salad dressings but otherwise acceptable. We will go back, as it is the best vegan/​veg option in town.

Absolutely great restaurant for vegetarians and vegans! Some of my favorites are the nachos, meatloaf, tacos and palm cakes! YOU HAVE TO GO HERE!

Finally Vegan gourmet done right! Beautiful restaurant and super sweet staff. This place is not to be missed! Delish!

I like this Boca Raton restaurant, so far, and have been there several times. Great service. And the food is quite good, particularly the palm cakes and the oyster mushrooms.
If you’re vegan, this place is a must. There is unfortunately one exception when it comes to their dishes, the cauliflower entrée… it is one of the blandest, most boring dishes ever. I cannot understand how such a «cardboard» dish could ever exist in a restaurant capable of making those palm cakes and oyster mushrooms which are so savory. If it weren’t for such a major fail of a dish, I’d give you the 5 stars in a heartbeat.
Anyway, it is indeed an awesome breath of fresh air to come across a vegan restaurant that offers hearty, rich, fried, tasty, savory dishes in general, and alcoholic drinks for a change! Please do not fall prey to that awful trend where food is devoid of flavor, spices, sodium, and good oils/​fats!

I really want to give them a better rating. In fact I keep coming back to this place, hoping to have a better experience, but every time I go back there, I get disappointing by something…
One time, we were served by multiple servers — the first server left so the second server helped us, but then no body followed up with us so the third server pitched in. On another occasion, we were served burned fries. It really shows that this restaurants’ staff does not care about what they serve to the customers (as you may know, the food goes through the chef, the manager and the server before it is served). One of staff there (owner or probably manager) is not so friendly and he did not even say anything as we were exiting the restaurant and passed right by him, not only once but a few times. Generally, the servers were very friendly and welcoming.
Food is very good — creative and tasty. I enjoy the raw burger there. They have really good desserts too. My non-​vegan husband really enjoys food there.
There are not many vegetarian options in South FL so probably I will give them another chance, but I hope to see some improvement in consistency of food quality and service.

Very good selection of Vegan food. While the restaurant doesn’t look like much from the outside, after walking through the interior there is a very pleasant outdoor seating area. The food is tasty (though some of the dishes are a little on the heavy side). The deserts are absolutely delicious and have some very unique flavors. And best of all, dogs are welcomed.
I highly recommend!

Another fabulous meal at Darbsters. This time I had the falafel salad. It was almost double what I can eat! The sprouts on top had such a crisp and clear flavor I would’ve been satisfied with just that! The falafel’s themselves had the best texture I’ve ever experienced in a falafel, which can be kind of gooey sometimes. The salad dressing created for this was spring fresh and light — A perfect complement to the complex flavors of the various salad components.
My companion had the burrito, which I have had previously. I don’t know how they get the tofu to taste just like scrambled eggs, but they do and even better. This burrito simply shouts: MEXICO! MEXICO! With every exploding flavorful bite.

Many people will justifiably enjoy Darbster — there is a broad menu, reasonable price points, full bar. I did not care for it. We had several different items, all of which were either not warm enough or deceptively cold — I did not expect the burger I ordered to be served raw. Soup was luke warm — all dishes, including sauces were bland, boring and cold. I was not excited by Darbster and would not go again. Please note, I have heard terrific reviews from others who were very pleased with their experiences — this just isn’t for me.

I was a little concerned returning to Darbster Boca during our most recent FL trip because last year when we visited the food was to die for and I had read an article stating that they had a new chef. I had trouble imagining that the food could have been better than last time since it was that great the year before when we went to visit. Little did we realize going in that their new chef was also their original chef at West Palm/​previously served as Exec chef at Sublime and is a tremendously talented /​amazing cook (with his team in the kitchen). We had the pleasure of saying hi to Chef Seth during our recent visit, he is a super nice guy who was working the pass as the team worked in the kitchen.
We do not live in Florida so we only have the pleasure of eating their food when we’re on vacation. We have eaten an endless number of vegan restaurants throughout the world, including the best of the best in Boston/​NYC and SF. Every single dish we ate at Darbster Boca we ordered was delicious. Darbster is better than the best vegan restaurants we have in metro Boston.
For dinner went with the cheese plate, seared scallops, pasta with clams, mac & cheese side and massively sized strawberry layer cake for desert. Combined with happy hour drinks, we had to take food home because we were so stuffed from the delicious food by the time the meal was over.
Note: We did not go with any of the raw choices («Living Food» on the menu) since we are not very big fans of raw food. It seems that one person who complained in her review today ordered a raw burger from the «live food» section and then was disappointed that it was not hot enough. For that reviewer, I suggest you give Darbster another try and try some of their cooked options, you may just not be a fan of raw food (like us).

In a nondescript shopping center in Boca Raton, we found our way through Darbster, featuring farm animal photographs in the main inside dining and an enormous rooster on the patio where we dined.
What started with cackling guests celebrating a birthday (featuring a barking dog) turned into a fabulous adventure into Vegan fare!
We moved right in with the Palm Cakes… the signature dish was good, the Caesar Salad was light and crisp, the Beet TarTar, which was slightly salty, had a nice flavor; the Nachos were amazing, the Cheese Platter — was a cornucopia of flavors, including unique, tiny sweet and spicy red Peruvian peppers (think tiny pear tomatoes.)
As we maneuvered through the main course, the Black and Bleu Burger: 2 of us liked it, 2 of us thought it was just ok; the Grilled Cauliflower was not our favorite and the Sushi Special was our favorite overall.
For dessert we had the Chocolate Special. The mild ginger added to the decadence & added a different twist to it.
For the four of us, our favorites were
our amazing & knowledgable server Kate; the Cheese Plate, Nachos and the (as previously noted) Sushi Special.
We almost didn’t make the drive from Ft. Lauderdale when no one answered the phone at the restaurant… we sent an email then a voicemail which was returned.

We showed up without a reservation and since they were booked up we wound up sitting at the bar and having a few before dinner. The drinks were nice and strong, the room was comfortable, and in the end it only took about 15 minutes to be seated. Not too bad.
Oddly enough, I had no idea that this was a vegan restaurant until my chick pointed out the fine print on the menu. Before we committed to eating dinner here, I perused their menu in a hurry and saw meatloaf, cheeseburgers, tacos and beef carpaccio. So I thought, okay, this is a typical American bistro. On closer inspection however, the beef carpaccio was actually beet carpaccio, the cheeseburger had cashew cheese and a vegetable patty, and the tacos and meatloaf were made of seitan or soy or some such thing.
I don’t have all that much experience with vegan cuisine. In fact, I only had one previous vegan meal in my life and it was horrendous. So, I was somewhat concerned that I was going to hate the food and have a terrible meal. But no! It was actually quite good!
I went with the cordon bleu and I have to say, it was a really decent meal. Very hearty and quite delicious. It also came with two sides, mashed potatoes, and tarragon broccoli, both of which were very well done. The potatoes were so good in fact I didn’t even miss the milk and butter.
Positives aside, I have to mention that this cordon bleu was absolutely not like any cordon bleu I’ve ever had. They got a good fry on the meat substitute which was nice but they used a tomato bechamel rather than a cheese or butter sauce which sort of made it into a slightly odd chicken parm. I also couldn’t detect any of the vegan mozzarella or ham, which simply got lost in the mix. Again, not a bad dish, but not really a cordon bleu either.
I feel like this is a 3.5 star restaurant overall (I’d guess vegans would say more) but I’m going to round up to 4 because 100% of their profits go to the nonprofit Darbster Foundation. That’s pretty cool in my book.

Trevor was a great server and the expresso martini was amazing!
Try the meatless meatloaf!!! Incredible!!!
We also had the palm cakes! Wonderful!!!
What a great restaurant! A true vegan delight!
Loyal fans!

FINALLY made it to the Boca location! We’d been waiting and waiting for them to open, and was hoping they’d be open for lunch during the week (but they’re not), so finally visited today (Father’s Day for my husband) for Sunday Brunch after they’ve been open for almost a year already. The wait was worth it! Mmm… good!
I ordered the Raw Living Cheezeburger and hubby enjoyed the Black & Bleu Cheeseburger. The intent was for us to share half with each other, but he loved his Black & Bleu burger so much that I only took two bites. It was tasty for sure, but I really liked my Raw burger too! The salad that comes with the raw was sooooo good. I think the dressing was some kind of cashew dressing, but it was very flavorful, and the salad was robust! Fries and a little cup of melon accompanied my husband’s burger. Darbster provides complimentary refills on their foundatain sodas, so hubby was happy with that.
A notable difference with the Boca location is that it is much larger than the West Palm location. What you can’t see from the street is that they have a HUGE patio out back with a very nice ambiance — tiki covering, and nice umbrellas. Thought it’s not near the water like the WPB location, because it’s so much larger, there are ample places to sit inside with A/​C as well.
We checked out the bar before we left, and found that they have Happy Hour Wednesday — Friday from 5 to 7pm when all raw living items are half off, and drinks are half off. In July, they will change the Happy Hour hours to 8 to 10pm. We’re guessing it’s because it’ll be much nicer to sit outside later in the evening. Not sure if that’s a temporary change or not.
Regardless, better late than never applies here, and now we know what we’ll miss if we never went back… and we’re not willing to miss it. So, we’ll absolutely be back!

Great Vegan restaurant. We were looking for a new vegetarian place and decided to try this one after finding it in Unilocal.The atmosphere is nice and relaxed, and they had a live musician playing guitar during lunch on Sunday. In addition to the main seating area, they also have a nice bar area with a few extra tables.
The food was excellent. We tried the falafel salad and raw bacon cheeze burger, and they were both very well prepared and very tasty. They have an extensive menu with very creative dishes. We will be coming back to try some of their other items. This time we also tried the raw chocolate moose, and it was wonderful. It is made with avocado, cacao powder and dates, and served with fresh berries.
We were also impressed by their service. Friendly staff, and very accommodating for special requests. Overall, this is a great place and we had an excellent dining experience.

I am so happy that there is a second Darbster in the area. I got a chance to eat at the new Boca Raton location and was very pleased. Another thing that I liked was that although similar the menu had some different things on it from the north location.
The menu features items using Gardein vegan meat. It also has a section for raw and living foods. There is also a kid’s menu. I had the Chik’n Parmesagn. I thought it was absolutely delicious. My sister ordered some sort of Cordon Bleu plate. She let me try some and it was very tasty as well.
Perhaps the most exciting part of the meal was dessert. This location offers a strawberry cake which was a white layer cake with strawberry frosting. This cake was so moist and delicious. I definitely want to go back and acquire more.

I was so excited that Darbster expanded to Boca Raton. This is one of my favorite vegan restaurants in South Florida. I came here Sunday evening, which was fairly busy. I ordered the Chik’n Cordon Bleu. All I have to say is O-​M-​G!
It was amazing. The plate came with Gardein Chik’n and (another vegan brand) ham. It was smothered in béchamel sauce on top of Yukon mashed potatoes. On top of this mountain of deliciousness was asparagus.
First, this plate will fill you up. Second, this plate will complete your life. Third, I’d like to feed this to every meat eating friend that I have, and prove they could love vegan cooking.
After the entrée, we ordered a strawberry layered cake. This was fantastic. The flavor and moisture of the cake was so good. However, we both were so full from the entrées, we took the rest to go.
I also liked the bar set up here. I noticed the crowd filling up at the bar. I immediately thought how that would be an awesome place for happy hour to potentially meet other vegans, vegetarians and alike here. I am not sure if they have happy hours, but I will definitely be looking into this.
The only thing I am disappointed about is their hours. It is Wed-​Sun from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Since my office is located nearby, I would have loved this to become my new lunch spot. Well, I guess my wallet will be happier with these hours.