Voodoo Cafe

Stopped off one Saturday afternoon for lunch with my partner. The downstairs eating area did not excite although the music was fine. The food was of a good standard but nothing special. Staff were reasonably attentive. On the plus side not at all pricey. There is an instruction on men’s toilet not to take glasses in which made me laugh a little.

Stopped in for dinner and had the chicken burrito. The burrito was tasty and filling, the rice was rather bland. Service was good and staff was friendly.

We’ve been a few times, for coffee and for food on a nighttime.
The coffee during the day is almost unbeatable. Freshly-​made as you order it, a decent price and friendly service. We really like the atmosphere, you feel like you are on holiday when you are there.
The food on a nighttime is fresh, tasty and also served with obvious care. The staff are very friendly and work hard. Only grumble is that we felt it is over-​priced and portions a bit small for what you pay (average price for main dish £8), we wanted more!!! We are comparing this to what you tend to get when you go for an indian meal. Maybe we are greedy but we did feel that the portions could be more.

My partner and I fancied a night with a slight difference and had promised to eat here for a while so here we go.
The staff are very welcoming and very clued up on what they serve. We had a bottle of Brooklyn beer each which was lovely and at £2.50 a bottle. The chef came and spoke to us and recommended what she thought we’d like and took our 2 course order. 5 minutes later we were called upstairs as our starters were ready. We sat down in the comfy air conditioned restaurant and starters arrived straight away. We had Chilli poppers (lovely but only 3) and Chipotle Mushrooms which were amazing! Got 2 bottles of Pacifica which was light and not too gassy so it was a nice accompaniment to the food. Maincourse arrived after 10 minutes and that was mind blowing nice.1 word. GUMBO!!! Superb.
We went back down stairs for some after meal drinks. We had a brazillian tequilla which was very warming followed by a 100% Agave (like a tequilla with a worm in it). All were recommended by the barman who knew what he was talking about. The total bill was £43 which i thought was very reasonable. We were about to depart when we were given a chocolate shot liquore on the house.
All in all, a fantastic night had and will definitely be going back!

We go here when we want a bit of a change. The food’s always good and the atmosphere and staff are tops.
We’ve never had a less than great evening here.

I was in Darlington on last Friday and really needed something to eat, as I like Chilli, I thought I would give the Voodoo Café a try having previously noticing it the week before, I wasn’t disappointed, the staff were really nice and the tex mex chilli was fantastic, accompanied by a light and fluffy rice and having three types of chilli peppers. so not for the faint hearted but just as I like it. after I had eaten I went downstairs to the café for another beer, which I think are competitively priced. and was given a Complimentary Chilli Vodka. overall cost of three bottles of beer and a good sized portion of Tex Mex chilli for less than £20.I will definitely be going back.

I went last night to the Voodoo café and the food was fabulous, the staff are very friendly and couldn’t have done more for us.
The value for money is great too, our bill was £47, that was with 2 bottles of wine, 3 starters and 3 mains.
A very enjoyable night.

Visited this restaurant last night and would highly recommend it. The food is fresh and authentic and the service personal and friendly. The atmosphere is great and the music fab! We also found they had an excellent selection of Mexican and Brazilian beers to choose from. The cost of the meal was also very reasonable.
There is now a café downstairs, which also looks very cool and we will be trying this out in the near future.
The only thing I would say is that this restaurant is a little hard to spot and needs to promote it’s fantastic food more!!!
A unique dining experience in Darlington.

Voodoo Café/​Arcadia now do an interesting Mexican and South American menu, including quesadillas, chimichanga, burritos etc. They are pretty authentic, very tasty and well cooked. We paid about £15 for two courses.
There is also a good selection of Mexican and South American beers, wines and (of course) tequila! Beers were about £2.50 a bottle.
The restaurant is a good size and there is space between the tables (The Oven could learn some lessons!). A few more wall hangings and decorative items to add to the atmosphere would help and stop it looking a bit like a school canteen — but I’m sure this will come with time as it is still very new.
Great for an evening with friends.

The best mexican food I have had in England.
Wasn’t sure what to expect from Voodoo Café. Booked based on internet reviews and love of mexican food.
Restaurant is sparingly decorated in a similar style to a street restaurant in Mexico.
Wonderful quesadilla for starters. Chicken Burrito beautifully seasoned. My wife’s Vegetable Burrito was excellent.
Downstairs is undergoing a refurbishment to make it a café bar, with the restaurant remaining upstairs. Refurbishment due to complete 23÷02÷10.

The food in the Voodoo Café has got better with time, and now it’s open in the evening with a wide selection of South American beers to quench my thirst. I think the Voodoo Café is set to become on of the big restaurants in Darlington if they carry on with this quality especially at the price. Check out the Carnitas a full flavoured slow cooked pork dish which I once tried in Mexican restaurant in San Fransisco, I think the Voodoo Café do it better.

They have recently been updating the menu to introduce some mexican style street food where you can pick and match different elements — a nice change to the usual food found in Darlington.
Definitely worth a try, I personally continue to go back here evry time I fancy a bit of a change from the standard café/​restaurant food.
On my last visit I had a great tex mex chili with rice which had a nice spicy heat for those who like it hot, probably the best chili I’ve had anywhere.
They have now opened the café downstairs and no longer sell clothing.
I particularly like their chicken burrito, which is nice and spicy with a nice dollop of sour cream and salad garanshing.
When I first had burrito at this café it came with a mango salsa and a sweet potato salsa and a wedge of lime — this was a great touch and I think they ought to at least have the mango salsa and wedge of lime as these are great accompaniments with chicken burrito.
As the café sits above an alternative clothing store, the café is frequented by students (emo, goth etc.), but for me this is not an issue and should not put anyone off trying the food here.
Although I think the food is not quite as good as it used to be, I still think that this is the type of food that Darlington lacks and is well worth trying, the mexican/​latino style food is certainly a nice change and I would recommend at least taking the plunge and trying this out at least once.
They also have a good selection of coffee and offer free internet access, so you could sit down with your laptop and have a cuppa!

A wild evening of entertainment and the best night out I’ve had in Darlington. Wonderful performances by Burlesque Artists from all over the country, including live music and dancers.
Fun, friendly and great value. Don’t miss this evening if you live in Darlington, this is the sort of thing that makes you think it is worth living in a leafy suburb.