Darwell’s

I faintly remember going to Darwell’s for a meal a long time ago and not being impressed. About 6 months ago I went for a business lunch and completely changed my mind when I tried the Ham/​Crab and Swiss. The sandwich was out of this world!

Passing through, looking for a good place to eat. Found Darwell’s on Unilocal.What a great little place. Very casual and fun. You order your food at the counter and seat yourself. When we walked in, we were greeted by a very pleasant woman who explained the menu. She offered me a sample of crawfish etoufee. I had never tasted that before and it was fabulous! I ended up ordering the Taste of Darwell’s which included gumbo, creole and the crawfish etoufee. All good with my favorite being the etoufee. Very attentive and friendly staff. My husband ordered the pulled pork which was also good. So glad we stopped here!

Wow! This is distinctly the best burger I’ve had in Mississippi. The Gandy Dancer is the pinnacle of burger heaven. The staff’s friendliness and menu remind me about everything that I Love about living in a big city like San Diego or Chicago. It’s also BYOB, which is way too rare for the area. This place deserves your patronage!

Great food, service and music. You can bring your own bottle too.

Very colorful joint. Large but quiet when we were there in the afternoon. Great food! Got the taste combo, crawfish étouffée, gumbo and shrimp creole! Loved every bite and brought some beans and rice and more crawfish home for dinner! Wonky décor, no music while we were there but they said they do some oldies, some gospel, etc. check the website for more info.

I’d like to give 6 stars, but that’s just not allowed. The food was amazing, the live music was great and the friendly atmosphere was more like a family get together than restaurant.
Did I mention the food? Blackened Tuna salad. Couldn’t have been tastier. c’est parfait!

The hubby and I had a great experience at Darwell’s from the minute we walked in. You order and pay for your food at the counter before choosing where you sit to eat and they bring your food to you. Before sitting you grab your drinks from the «dry» bar. The cashier was very knowledgable about the menu and gave fantastic recommendations. My husband and I had the raved about crawfish étouffée and the yummy yummy pasta combo with a crabcake. The food was very very tasty! I won’t go as far as saying it was the best crawfish étouffée I’ve had. Living in Louisiana for several years some of the best stuff I’ve had was served at the homes of friends, homemade stuff. I loved the blackened shrimp they put on top, which was a great addition. The pasta was also tasty and very very rich. The crab cake was good for the price ($ 15 for the pasta and crab cake) it was nice in size, but did have quite a bit a filler but again… that’s to be expected in this price range. The bartender brought me a delectable vinegarette dressing to eat it with that I actually wanted to drink; it was that good. Very casual place with live music. It was the perfect experience after a long drive. We left with our stomachs full and left overs! We learned that the small size is plenty if you don’t want a second meal… oh and its BYOB since they do not serve alcohol. Thanks Unilocal… what a great find!

Good — not great! A lot of talk and chatter. Overpriced. Fun atmosphere. Helpful, friendly staff. Presentation 1-​star. Styrofoam is neither eco-​friendly nor appetizing at these prices. If I want to take out my food, great, serve it in takeout containers — otherwise, No!

Husband and i have weekly lunch dates. We were excited to try some place new. We walk in the door and we were immediately greeted by the staff/​owner. Explained that everything was fresh and how nothing is fried. NOTHING! Which means don’t even bother asking for French fries. But hey! This was great for me, as I personally can’t stand fried food.
First impression of the menu, which is sprawled out across the walls when you walk in the door, was that everything was WAY overpriced.
Second, The lady at the cashier was helpful when I told her I was torn between the crawfish etoufee and the shrimp creole. She immediately recommended the crawfish etoufee. At this time I did not know that this place had been on DDD (Diners, Drives, and Dives) and that their featured meal was the crawfish etoufee. I ordered the etoufee and the husband orders a hamburger with a bag of potato chips.
Food was brought out to us in plastic take out containers and plastic silverware. Drinks served in styrofoam cups. Classy!
As my husband and i start to eat our lunch, our pleasant dining experience ended right there!
The owner, Darwell, evidently was not impressed with one of his new young employees. He then took it upon himself to demean, berate, and ridicule this young lad in front of the ENTIRE establishment (which was packed). Other employees then felt they needed to do the same. Also in front of their patrons.
Then when Mr. Darwell was finished publicly humiliating his young employee he went around to various tables bragging about his food, his business, and his sauces. I thought my husband and I were going to have to move to the eating area outside to allow for room for Mr. Darwell’s ego.
Now, our food review. Husband said his burger was «okay. Definitely not worth the price or having to sit through and watch a public hanging though.» My crawfish etoufee… it was served at a nice temperature but was very bland. It had hunks of raw celery, a small amount of crawfish, cooked in what was a very tasteless white rue. It had blackened shrimp on top which were about the size of your fingertip of your pinky to your first knuckle. Served with French bread. Not impressed. Sorry.
The desserts looked amazing. But sadly after sitting through such an uncomfortable lunch, we chose not to partake in the sweets. We won’t be dining here again.

I really can’t add more to these reviews besides saying that these Unilocalers are correct. Found this place by accident and next time I am in this state we will go out of our way to get here. Not a bad thing on the menu and staff is excellent.
I do wish they would serve on paper or real instead. Plastic is such a waste.

Holy cow that was good!!! First time here for me and I had NO idea what to get but was given plenty of information from the staff and ended up getting The Yummy Momma’ lol and my guy got some pork chicken BBQ thing and wow was it delicious!!! Had a large side of mashed potatoes and a regular side of cole slaw, two Diets and came to $ 37 ish. You order and pay up front and they bring it to you. Really cool outdoor seating. I guess there is live music but nothing going on while we were there. The server ‘kid’ was super sweet! Will definitely be back!

Why I haven’t written a review on this place before is beyond me, but here it goes:
I’ve been to Darwell’s quite a few times and each time has been phenomenal. The owner and his staff are absolute delights. The food is never a let down. The crawfish étouffée is a must, along with the crab grilled cheese. The ambience of the restaurant is really cute and fun. If you’re in the area, do yourself a favor and stop at Darwell’s.

Awesome service, awesome food.
Try the «Taste of Darwell’s». It comes with 3 small bowls containing Seafood gumbo, shrimp creole, and crawfish étouffée. Absolutely delicious!