Dar 525

Dar525
NY BK East Williamsburg
12:30pm Sunday 12^th June 2016
Four Stars
This place is great for a late brunch. The cost is about $ 30 for an entrée and bottomless mimosas, sang. The place has interesting décor and smell. We sat at the bar to be closer to alcohol. The Champagne was modest, the orange juice was tropicana. The food took a bit but it was quite flavorful. I had the Shakshuka: two eggs poached in spicy tomato sauce served with pita and hummus. One egg was overeasy and the other was other medium. The sauce had plenty of tomato chunks and pepper. The Pita was fresh and crispy. Hummus was creamy. The Service was good. Overall, A good brunch spot.

Every meal has been incredible. The salads and dips are perfectly balanced, my favorite dish and one I have to order is the kibbeh appetizer. With a drop of fresh lemon and the tahini, these are perfect, as good as some of the best homemade kibbeh I’ve had.

I’ve tried a lot of mediterranean food from many restaurants in different states and countries and this place is just really just okay. The food seemed quality but the dishes (vegetable couscous, hummus, tabouli) were all lacking in flavor. The vegetable couscous was incredibly bland, I would not recommend ordering it. Out of the varied things I tried, the babaganoush was comparatively very good.
The décor and atmosphere are enjoyable and the price is reasonable which slightly makes up for the insipidity.

Excellent place every time I go. I’ve been here for dinner a few times as well as lunch, and it never disappoints! If you go here during lunch hours, it’s pretty empty so never problem getting a seat. Their lunch special is amazing — you can get a sandwich for $ 5 and this is definitely shareable. My sister and I went the other day and got the chicken shawarma sandwich and green salad to split and both were delicious and full of flavor. The chicken sandwich is seasoned super well and is served with a yummy sauce inside also. The green salad comes with feta cheese, olives, and is a sizable portion. The lentil and chicken soups are fantastic as well.
I live only a few blocks away and keep coming back here because it’s super reliable!

Hello there,
I just want to say that I was a little skeptical about trying the «pistachio pizza» and it was magnificent! I highly recommend it, you won’t regret. It is something different to try!

I got the breakfast pizza and added lamb sausage. It was bomb! The test of my family got the Dar burger, falafel, 6 cheese pizza, & kafta platter. Everything was so delicious! The service is great and the staff was super friendly. I also love the elegant décor inside. I’m so glad my sister picked this place to come to!

Everything is perfect.
Pita, muhammara, merguez, you name it. Best delivery in the hood.

This place is very good and I highly recommended it!
I came here with 3 friends and we had the couscous without meat and then we had the merguez on the side. We order 2 bottle of wine and one of us had a desert. It was very strange to see that they were also offering a pizza menu but the food was delicious, service great. the restaurant was pretty empty which did not give a very interesting atmosphere but it is a good alternative from La Goulette or Café Mogador.

Went here for a friend’s birthday brunch (group of 10) and the atmosphere was perfect. It wasn’t too crowded for a Sunday afternoon and we had ample time to relax and eat. However, the service was extremely slow especially in terms of refilling drinks.
The waitress messed up my order, but offered me a drink on the house to make up for it, which I appreciated. Had a great time, would definitely go back!

I’ve been going to this place since the first year it opened. It’s one of Williamsburg’s best kept secrets.
The food is always delicious and the portions are large. I love the tilapia dish and the pizzas the most. The Dar Burger is always well made and if you want something quick and filling, get the lentil soup. My husband always orders the falafel and various side dishes (tapas).
The atmosphere is great for families as well as a quiet date. I’ve never had any issues with service. They’re always quick and attentive. The décor is beautiful. This is one of the only 2 Mediterranean restaurants that I ever go to and I am never disappointed.

What a delightful Mediterranean place!
I have had the pleasure of dining in and ordering take out and both times were great.
The place is affordable! and the portions are generous.
They have wine and beer– no spirits but their Chianti was a hit with my picky wine drinkers. I had the lamb shawarma. Absolutely amazing. The chunks of lamb were perfectly seasoned and incredibly juicy. The salad, hummus and babaganoush that came along with it made this a hearty dinner.
We also sampled a red pepper dip that was delicious.
My hubby went with their sun dried tomato pizza — it was wonderful.
Its usually empty when I go to the establishment– i hope that’s because everyone is ordering in!

My experience at Dar 525 was nothing short of superb! I came with a group of 5 girls on a Saturday for bottomless brunch. The food was delicious and delivered by their excellent wait staff in a timely manner. As an added bonus, there was live music that enhanced the already pleasant experience!

The eclectic dining scene that Brooklyn has been blessed with as of late is certainly impressive (almost as impressive as this particular writer being able to generate love/​accolades/​compliments to anything Kings County related, in general). However, it would be negligent of me to not live by my own philosophy of giving credit where credit is due; and this place certainly does deserve the star rating that currently graces its Unilocal page.
A friend of mine had done some sleuthing a week prior to my visit to this location (same friend who was subject to my very moody «2^nd Floor on Clinton» review… just a few reviews ago if you care to peep); anyway, she found that Grand Street in Brooklyn was having their own restaurant week specials… not unlike the citywide Restaurant Week earlier in 2016. From 2÷21÷16 to 2÷28÷16, patrons of this joint would be given the option to pick from a 3 course prix fixe menu (again, super similar to any Restaurant Week dinner). Price of said three courses? An astoundingly reasonable $ 18 (ultimately coming out to around $ 23-​$ 24 after tax and tip were taken into account).
Despite having initiated the dialogue to go to this spot, self imposed exigencies prevented her from coming, thereby abandoning a 4 person reservation which resulted in myself being a party of 1… for a time. Say what you might about this particular writer’s moodiness, but he does just as good a job, as Kambei in «Seven Samurai,» of putting a group of misfits together to accomplish a common goal (or Nick Fury in relation to «The Avengers»… for those who lack the privilege/​cinematic wherewithal of having viewed the aforementioned Kurosawa master work of Japanese cinema). While I was not able to recruit 6 other «samurai» to my Kambei… I was able to find four for my dinner party that Saturday; they were all equally excited to partake in what would be a fantastic dinner.
Like any leader would, yours truly arrived first to the venue… with the scent of food coming out of the building and into the street generating feelings of excitement for the offerings about to be sampled that night. Slowly but surely, the rest of my party began to gather, and we were seated.
This joint, boasts a lot of space, and I appreciate the layout; while it would be possible for Dar to fit a few more tables onto the floor, they forego this option in lieu of giving their patrons a little more elbow room and privacy. I, for one, respect this housekeeping decision. Additionally, the ambiance was also quite pleasant… dark space with soft lighting combined with the all wooden finish of the space amalgamated into a no-​pressure romantic environment (if one was so inclined).
The food, however, was rightfully the star of the show. As there were five of us, we were all willing to try a permutation of menu items and share them amongst ourselves. For the first course, we got hummus, beet salad, mousaka, and lentil soup. Each appetizer course (save for the salad) was accompanied with a wide thing piece of naan (which was a gratefully accepted vehicle by which we transported the appetizers into our mouths). Having been able to try everything, I can say that all apps were tasty, and we were all pleased with our selections.
The entrees followed, and the sheer quantity of food per plate was almost excessive (not that I’m complaining). Being able to pull off quantity AND quality during the second course was the master stroke of the evening. Each plate had our choice of protein (kafta kebob for the 3 ladies, chicken kebob for «Tod,» and mergues para mi). Though my choice of protein was nowhere near as plentiful as the protein provided to my companions, I was pleased with my selection; the taste of the lamb sausage I had ordered was on point, with an abundance of spices and texture that coupled terrifically with the hummus, rice, baba ghanoush, and salad with pickled peppers that accompanied the entrees; again, the portions were huge.
The baklava (which we all ordered), was just the proverbial cherry on top. Layers of phyllo containing the cinnamon-​y walnut filling and drenched with honey… though I frequently say I am not a dessert fan, you can add baklava to the short list of dessert items that I am fond of every so often (in addition to dutch apple pie, doughnuts [if they are even considered a dessert], and chocolate chip cookies).
Well done Dar. You should really think of moving over to my hood… you’d be more appreciated there I think!

Came here last night and there was a huge party that left the restaurant with only 3 tables to spare. We waited at the bar and it wasn’t a big deal anyway since we were in no rush to end the night. While we waited, one of the guys was more than accommodating and attentive by coming back every now and then to update us on the time. The waitress there was also super friendly and so nice by giving us warm mint tea since we sat by the door that would let in the frigid air every time it opened and closed with each delivery guy. They even brought us some freshly fried pita chips with this addictive zaatar and honey dip.
We ordered the usual chicken kebab (large chunks of tender chicken with the just enough charcoal burn) and a kafta kebab sandwich. The prices here are unbeatable and the food is always so good. Rather than my usual side order of babaganoush, we went for the mezze plate and tried the muhamara, moutabel, hummus, 2 orders of baba. Aside from my all time favorite, babaganoush, and my boyfriend’s favorite, hummus, the muhamara was definitely a contender. It’s a thick purée of roasted red peppers and walnuts with a little spice. It tastes a bit like a romesco sauce. They definitely didn’t skimp on the walnuts, which other restaurants sometimes do so that it comes out runny. I loved it on the warm pita but even more so on the kafta kebab and chicken kebab!
At the end of the night, they gave us complimentary red sangria and honey semolina cake. Everything was delicious and the service was by far one of the best. They more than made up for the 30 minute wait, which again, I really didn’t even mind in the first place. This is definitely going to remain one of my everyday go to restaurants for lunch, dinner, or even a laid back date night. I love the ambiance and the décor. Absolutely unbeatable.

Dar 525 is not only a wonderful restaurant, but their delivery is also consistently great, which is what really earns the fifth star. It’s sometimes difficult to find food on Seamless that is both delicious and wholesome, and Dar 525 delivers on both. I discovered Dar 525 while looking for somewhere to get brunch on Grand St. My boyfriend and I had a lovely, authentic Mediterranean meal.
Food
Baba ganoush– some of the best I’ve ever had. Would highly recommend.
Lentil Soup– this is my new favorite thing to order given the chilly winter weather. Richly spiced and wonderfully savory for a vegetarian soup.
Mixed Grill– this is our go to order and we find it’s enough for two people if you’re not too hungry. It allows you to choose three meats and comes with pita, rice, hummus, baba ganoush, a salad, and pita. Lamb kebab, vegetable kebab, and merguez are all favorites.

Tasty, inexpensive, Turkish food.
Get the mezze platter.
The end.

Scoped this place on a visit to NYC and was *not* disappointed. With 3 other friends, we ordered the assorted salad plate with Hummus, Muhamara, Moutabel, Moujadara, and Cucumber Yogurt — all got devoured, but we wound up ordering a whole second plate of the Moutabel, which was the clear, smokey favorite.
We also made quick work of the falafel, the fattoush, the shepherd salad, the zaatar bread (it’s impossible not to love bread with zaatar on it), the syrian rolls (cheese) — they were like filo mozzarella sticks and were possibly my favorite thing next to the Moutabel. We also got a side order of merguez, which while good, was maybe the one thing I wouldn’t be as quick to order next time.
Great service, great atmosphere, and possibly my favorite of all the meals we had over the course of the weekend. Would love to come back next time I’m in town!

Great family place for brunch. the seating is spacious and bright with natural light. For $ 25, u can have a bottomless brunch with unlimited drinks. I ordered the shakshuka which comes in this spicy pepper sauce. Loved the poached eggs and the heat, but it was a tad too salty. Their pita bread is amazing, light, thin, fluffy, the way i like it.
My husband had the chicken kabob platter which is well worth its price. The chicken isnt dry, very tasteful, comes with a refreshing cucumber yogurt and hot sauce. And i had no complaints with the babaghanoush, hummus, rice n salad on the side.
The french toast is a great plate to share if u have a big party. Nutella and bananas on toast sprinkled with pistachios n a side of blueberries. It’s a big yum and not as sweet as it sounds, so in other words, perfect. Everything was priced reasonably.
For the Mediterranean omelette, make sure youre a fan of lamb cuz i could definitely taste the gaminess.
Two tables on the outside for outdoor lovers.

Every time I think I find my new favorite brunch place, Brooklyn manages to one up me. Case in point: Dar 525.
This place has some of the best Mediterranean food on this side of the river, and with prices/​portion sizes that will feed you for days. On my first visit, I got the Mediterranean omelette for brunch ($ 10), which came loaded with lamb sausage and veggies, and shepherd salad, home fries and pita on the side. The omelette itself was awesome, but I could. not. would not. stop eating those home fries. Also, THE PITA. Dar 525 makes it fresh; it comes to your table looking like a soft little pillow, and I always can’t decide whether I want to lay my head down or tear it apart immediately (#2 usually wins).
If you’re lucky enough to live/​work near Dar 525 on the weekdays, they also do a fantastic lunch special. Their platters ($ 8) come with fresh hummus, rice, salad, pita, and babagonouj. I highly recommend the chicken kebab or chicken gyro, both of which are very moist and full of flavor. I wasn’t a huge fan of their babagonouj (it had a weird sour taste to me), but everything else was fantastic.
For reasons I still can’t understand, the place has been almost or completely empty every time I’ve been there. Service is always a bit laid back/​slow, but they do a brisk delivery business. Either way, in the land of $ 13 avocado toasts, Dar 525 is a welcome change to Williamsburg’s brunching scene, or just a fantastic restaurant any day of the week.

Damn this is some delicious food! And I felt for the price, you got great value!
I ordered a falafel platter and it was a ton of food for under $ 10! So much that I could make 2 meals out of it. It can with lots of yummy salad, pita, rice, hummus, babagounaj, etc etc.
I’m not going to say it’s the best mediterranean of my entire life, but it’s very delicious for amazing prices. Service was also super fast and friendly.