Cafe Dario

We absolutely loved the feel of this little bistro taking us back to our time in Europe. Small and cozy but I wouldn’t complain if they raised the lighting just a tiny bit. The greeting was for lack of a better work, curt. Throughout the evening things warmed up a bit. Certainly friendly but not what I would call engaging.
After a short while we were offered drinks and went with the Argentinian Malbec. Excellent! We had a fun conversation with our server about the menu choices. The meal is a 5 course affair and you get to choose your appetizer and main. We went for the baked escargots and baked brie. Nice size portions and nice and hot! Fresh out of the oven. The escargots we really enjoyed although the sauce was a little thin. The bread basked had a nice selection of fresh breads, but a few slices off a baguette would have been our preference for the slugs. The brie, while it had a nice crust, really lacked flavour. Same comment about the bread, baguette pieces would have been perfect.
The star course of the evening arrived and that was the wild boar soup. Excellent flavour, excellent portion size, nice and hot.
The salad course was simple. Fresh, crisp greens but needed a little kick. We tried using the salt and pepper shakers on the table and while there was something inside, it wasn’t coming out. We inquired about fresh ground black pepper and that was brought right out. Strange as to why fresh ground black pepper would not be offered as an option when the salads were served.
The mains were a disappointment. The pan– seared salmon with burnt mango, was unfortunately a bit over-​cooked and the portion size was fair. The spicy 5 chili pork tenderloin had a nice kick, but the fact the meat was very dry and cool was ‘ungood’. The vegetable sides on both plates, while a nice selection, were barely warm, i.e. it was like they were sitting on the pass for some time. I mentioned my concerns about the pork tenderloin and without hesitation they went in to get a replacement. The second attempt was much better but, because it did take some time for the second-​attempt to come out, sadly we ended up eating in shifts. Half the veggies were hot, half were warm though.
The dessert was a chocolate mousse that had nice flavour but the texture was ‘different’. Not sure how else to describe it. A little chewy almost.
An enjoyable meal but i think we were hoping for a little more finesse (of the 5 courses we were only asked once how things were), a little more depth of flavour and definitely servings that were not just ‘warm’.

Get the duck! Amazing food! Amazing service! One of our fav restaurants in Winnipeg! Great little restaurant close to home. We have come many times for our anniversary dinner! See you soon!

We went there for mothers day. My mom had gone for lunch before and love it, so we made reservations for 5pm. (she’s brought it up many times.) Every portion of every dish was perfection. I have many food allergies and the chef came out and talked with me about my allergies and tolerances and made sure whatever I ordered was safe for me to eat. He even said if I called in advance they could make sure to have particular items for me. Each portion came out with perfect timing, with just a bit of space between courses. The whole thing took about 2 hours which was ideal for spending time together and enjoying each course without rush or waiting. Delicious and the service was excellent, checked on and had our glasses filled whenever starting to go down. Our waiter was lovely and made the perfect wine suggestion. My mom insisted on saying thank you to the chef, which we thought was totally called for. We will be back. New favorite.

Exceptional, except for the distraction of the noisy party next to us.
Sure miss Maple Tree in Selkirk.

Absolute 5 star without a doubt. Location is not the best, but I don’t know winnipeg anyways. Now this is my dinner spot every time I travel to winnipeg.
Staff are super friendly, great chef and awesome food.

Most unassuming restaurant I have ever been to. Neighborhood isn’t very bustling or attractive, but this has to be one of the top restaurants Winnipeg has to offer. Good for lunch or dinner. Lunch is a la carte. Dinner is fixed price, 5 course meal. Interior is tight and I guess intimate. I went three times in one week and every time it was incredible. Some of the best duck breast I’ve tasted. Soups are always awesome and come complimentary with any meal.

This is probably my favorite restaurant in Winnipeg – and after eating at a lot of frankly blah restaurants, I was very relieved to find it!
First and most important, of course, is the food. It was creative, tasty, and surprising. Coming from a foodie town (Portland, OR), I can be kind of a snob when it comes to restaurants elsewhere, but Café Dario can contend with the best of them.
Secondly, the service was personalized and flexible. My partner is vegan, and we called early in the afternoon on the day we were going to ask if they could offer him anything to eat. They said that they were happy to accommodate him with the advance notice, and were as good as their word – he got a huge vegan empanada as an entrée that he proclaimed delicious. They were flexible with my food, too – when the waitress found out that I don’t like rare meat, she and the chef conferred and then altered my main dish slightly from a meat that was best served rare to one that could withstand a longer cooking time.
Least importantly, I enjoyed the kooky ambiance, and it’s so small that you feel like part of an exclusive club eating there.
It’s one place I’ll definitely be eating at on my next visit to Winnipeg.

I love Café Dario’s 5 course dinner (see previous review) and I have to say their lunch is also delicious! There was a lot of entrees to choose from with most of the dishes between $ 12-​$ 18, including the soup of the day and bread. You can get a pre fixe lunch menu for about $ 22 which includes a starter and dessert but the entrée is pre-​selected.
The complimentary soup had shrimp in it and a slight bit of heat to it — delicious!
The half rack of lamb with chocolate sauce ($ 17). It came with 3 lamb chop pieces and were cooked to a perfect medium rare. The crust was well seasoned and perfect. The sauce was a bit too chocolately but this was still a great dish. It came with some smashed potatoes, and pureed beets and a roasted zucchini. Everything including the veggies were cooked perfectly and well seasoned. The duck breast ($ 14) was cooked just past medium and had a great cumin flavour to it!
The only complaint I have is the bread… it’s the only letdown at this otherwise great restaurant. I understand it’s complimentary but it’s such a dry piece of bread that’s feels like it’s a day old. Anyhow, service is great and friendly there.
You can go to a random restaurant chain like Earls or Moxie’s for lunch and end up with the same price that I paid for lunch. But you definitely won’t get the originality or quality that you get at Café Dario!

This is one of the best dining experiences I have had… ever.
1. Pleasant and courteous staff;
2. Simple menu; very clear about each item;
3. Excellent variety; each person in our party, with vastly differing tastes, found several items worth trying;
4. One of our party is vegetarian; upon learning this, our server offered to have a unique vegetarian entrée made for him; this was done, and our companion said it was exceptionally good;
5. Portions were just right — some might call them ‘small,’ but with these portions a five course meal did not cause us to feel bloated, rather we left feeling properly fed, and satisfied.