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Darling, the new Chinese-inspired cocktail bar from Brian Callahan and Zimu Chen opens in Cambridge’s Central Square. Darling offers an intimate bar experience featuring daily rotating hyper-seasonal cocktails and a reimagined dim sum menu from Executive Chef Mark O’Leary. Located in the cherished former Mary Chung’s space, Darling honors its storied roots while bringing a fresh, vibrant energy to the neighborhood. Featuring a 40-seat lounge and a 16-seat walnut bar, the space is highlighted with ambient lighting, distressed accents.
Address and Contact Information
Address: 464 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, MA 02139
Phone: (617) 945-1317
Website: https://darlingcambridge.com/
Menu Photos
Order and Reservations
Reservations: resy.com
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Darling – Cambridge
Cocktails – Dim Sum. 464 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, MA 02139. Phone:617-945-1317. Hours Tues–Thurs: 5pm–12am | Fri–Sat: 5pm–1am | Sun: 5pm–12am. Reservations …
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Darling, the new Chinese-inspired cocktail bar from Brian Callahan and Zimu Chen … Cambridge, MA 02139. Get Directions +1 617-945-1317 https://www …
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Reviews
Gabbie Kim
What a pleasant surprise. Darling was one of the few places we truly enjoyed from the Michelin list. The atmosphere was beautiful, with warm lighting, and everything felt new and immaculately clean. The modern wood furniture and interiors added to the overall elegance of the space.
The cocktails were excellent, and it was especially enjoyable to have well crafted drinks alongside Chinese dim sum dishes under the soft, ambient lighting. The person who appeared to be the owner checked in on us throughout the meal, and the service was outstanding. The combination of Chinese cuisine and great cocktails created a relaxed yet elevated vibe. We would absolutely love to return.
… moreThe cocktails were excellent, and it was especially enjoyable to have well crafted drinks alongside Chinese dim sum dishes under the soft, ambient lighting. The person who appeared to be the owner checked in on us throughout the meal, and the service was outstanding. The combination of Chinese cuisine and great cocktails created a relaxed yet elevated vibe. We would absolutely love to return.
Alex Issokson (Boston Foodie)
I’ve been hearing a lot of great things about this place, and I finally got a chance to try it! My opinion on it is a bit mixed. The TLDR is: decent food, but I’m unlikely to go back.
First off, they have a great drink menu. Fun names and I LOVED my Flying Guillotine. The atmosphere was cozy and my family and I sat at the large circular table in the back. Our server recommended we get probably more food than was necessary, but I’m sure I’ll finish the leftovers. Now here’s the thing: each individual dish I’d give between a 4-5/5. However, because so much of the food is fried, the meal itself was soooo heavy and many of the items tasted on a similar note. Like, if I just looked at each item by itself, great quality and tasty! But the way the entire meal came together didn’t coalesce as much as other dinners (and types of this cuisine) in Boston have. Feel free to look at more of my reviews at @alexissokson (Alex | Boston Foodie) on Instagram and @alexeats500 on YouTube!
… moreFirst off, they have a great drink menu. Fun names and I LOVED my Flying Guillotine. The atmosphere was cozy and my family and I sat at the large circular table in the back. Our server recommended we get probably more food than was necessary, but I’m sure I’ll finish the leftovers. Now here’s the thing: each individual dish I’d give between a 4-5/5. However, because so much of the food is fried, the meal itself was soooo heavy and many of the items tasted on a similar note. Like, if I just looked at each item by itself, great quality and tasty! But the way the entire meal came together didn’t coalesce as much as other dinners (and types of this cuisine) in Boston have. Feel free to look at more of my reviews at @alexissokson (Alex | Boston Foodie) on Instagram and @alexeats500 on YouTube!
Gustavo Celis Guzmán
Excellent experience! We had great food. Cucumbers, baos (one of the best I’ve had), ribs (amazing) and prawns, paired with delicious and beautiful drinks. Ribs and prawns took a little longer to get to us but were worth the wait, and also, honestly, what’s the rush? Book ahead! The service was also very good.
… moreTed Fitch
We had a wonderful experience visiting darling. For drinks, we tried the hope I packed a parachute and HK French Toast – the French Toast was very memorable and so delicious! For food, we tried the Filet O Fish Bao, $8 Cucumber, Red Braised Pork Ribs, the Bang Bang Gai, and the Soy Sauce Noodle. All of them were very delicious and stand out to us – but the bao was our favorite! The ambiance is modern and sleek inside – and the service was excellent. Definitely recommend a visit here!
… moreRaj
Wow! A great new addition to the Cambridge food scene.
You walk into a very sleek entrance that separates the dining area, I love that build out as it keeps the dining area feeling private and protected from the cold air when the door opens in the winter. As you turn the corner there’s a gorgeous full bar and a decent amount of seating. They truly optimized their space.
I love that the menu is concise. Not a plethora of options just 10ish dishes that are well thought out. The food is also quite generously portioned. We got the noodles, chicken, and broccolini and were stuffed.
Drinks were also right on point. The menu seems to be constantly rotating as what they had online was not the menu they had in person, but everything was amazing. The drinks were balanced not too sweet, not too spirit forward, just right. They clearly have been very thoughtful with their menu.
The dessert was also good, mango pudding, also again not too sweet, very balanced. The blueberries that they had on top were little flavour bombs.
I would highly recommend this spot for a cute date night or for some great cocktails. The food is fantastic as well.
My only one con was the service was a little disjointed, it felt quite difficult to get the attention of our server and so we were constantly stopping other servers to order things.
… moreYou walk into a very sleek entrance that separates the dining area, I love that build out as it keeps the dining area feeling private and protected from the cold air when the door opens in the winter. As you turn the corner there’s a gorgeous full bar and a decent amount of seating. They truly optimized their space.
I love that the menu is concise. Not a plethora of options just 10ish dishes that are well thought out. The food is also quite generously portioned. We got the noodles, chicken, and broccolini and were stuffed.
Drinks were also right on point. The menu seems to be constantly rotating as what they had online was not the menu they had in person, but everything was amazing. The drinks were balanced not too sweet, not too spirit forward, just right. They clearly have been very thoughtful with their menu.
The dessert was also good, mango pudding, also again not too sweet, very balanced. The blueberries that they had on top were little flavour bombs.
I would highly recommend this spot for a cute date night or for some great cocktails. The food is fantastic as well.
My only one con was the service was a little disjointed, it felt quite difficult to get the attention of our server and so we were constantly stopping other servers to order things.
Karola Mendoza
This place…. This place is very manicured. Starting from the host – to the constant caring service before and during your dinning experience. I feel like I’m at a relatives house being here. Awesome vibes and the staff. SUPERB! And the food and drinks, SLAP. Highly recommend the shrimp dish paired with living is slowly dying drink.
Darling is and will remain a hot spot and for sure will rack up recognition it deserves.
… moreDarling is and will remain a hot spot and for sure will rack up recognition it deserves.
Thao Le
I really wanted to love this place, but I only liked it. If I could give it another half star I would. I was able to get a last-minute reservation on a Thursday night, which was nice. We arrived 30 minutes early for our reservation, and since our table was already available, they were able to seat us right away. The bar was fully packed, and most of the tables were also occupied. The décor and style of the restaurant are very intimate, perfect for a nice date night or a cute girls’ night out. The staff were also very nice. The music was great as well. They played current rnb songs.
The drinks were amazing. We got the “Hope I Packed a Parachute,” which had taro foam and was unlike anything I’ve ever had in a cocktail. We also ordered the “Common Trope,” which was light but not too sweet. I’m still thinking about the drinks and would absolutely go back for those. I’d love to try the others on the menu.
Now, on to the food. The star of the show was the fish baos. They looked underwhelming but turned out to be delicious, hot, and satisfying. The table next to us ordered them too and agreed. Unfortunately, I can’t say the same about the rest of the menu. We ordered the wontons, cucumbers, lo bak go (daikon cake), braised ribs, and noodles. The wontons were good, but they were over-garnished, which took away from the flavor, and they sat in chili crisp oil that made them a little too oily. I still enjoyed them, but the cucumbers were cut very large and were covered in the same oil, and so were the noodles. You can probably see where I’m going with this: the flavors all started to blend together of chili oil only, yet something still felt like it was missing to make the dishes stand out and be amazing.
The soy sauce noodles were more of a fried noodle dish loaded with bok choy. They were fine, but I wished they had a stronger soy sauce flavor. The lo bak go was good, but very fried on the outside. I’m more used to the traditional style where it’s soft throughout. The shiitake mushrooms on top, however, were excellent. I honestly hope they turn those into their own dish. The braised ribs were tender and fell off the bone, but I was concerned when one bite was cold and another was hot. I understand that braised dishes are often prepped ahead and reheated, but I would expect them to be consistently warm when served.
We had considered getting dessert, but after feeling disappointed and honestly full, we decided to pass. The table next to us tried the OG Burnt and told us it was more of a mousse than a cheesecake, and too sweet for their liking.
It was towards the end of the night and the restaurant was slowly emptying out yet our food took a while to come out. I would assumed the rush left so food would come out faster.
Overall, the restaurant is still very new, and with a changing menu, I hope they find their niche in the sea of Cambridge restaurants. I could see myself coming back just for the cocktails and the fish baos, but I’d skip the rest of the menu for now. Hopefully, they’ll add something amazing that makes it worth a return visit. If you’re expecting traditional Chinese food, this isn’t the spot. But if you’re looking for fusion dishes paired with excellent cocktails, it’s worth checking out.
… moreThe drinks were amazing. We got the “Hope I Packed a Parachute,” which had taro foam and was unlike anything I’ve ever had in a cocktail. We also ordered the “Common Trope,” which was light but not too sweet. I’m still thinking about the drinks and would absolutely go back for those. I’d love to try the others on the menu.
Now, on to the food. The star of the show was the fish baos. They looked underwhelming but turned out to be delicious, hot, and satisfying. The table next to us ordered them too and agreed. Unfortunately, I can’t say the same about the rest of the menu. We ordered the wontons, cucumbers, lo bak go (daikon cake), braised ribs, and noodles. The wontons were good, but they were over-garnished, which took away from the flavor, and they sat in chili crisp oil that made them a little too oily. I still enjoyed them, but the cucumbers were cut very large and were covered in the same oil, and so were the noodles. You can probably see where I’m going with this: the flavors all started to blend together of chili oil only, yet something still felt like it was missing to make the dishes stand out and be amazing.
The soy sauce noodles were more of a fried noodle dish loaded with bok choy. They were fine, but I wished they had a stronger soy sauce flavor. The lo bak go was good, but very fried on the outside. I’m more used to the traditional style where it’s soft throughout. The shiitake mushrooms on top, however, were excellent. I honestly hope they turn those into their own dish. The braised ribs were tender and fell off the bone, but I was concerned when one bite was cold and another was hot. I understand that braised dishes are often prepped ahead and reheated, but I would expect them to be consistently warm when served.
We had considered getting dessert, but after feeling disappointed and honestly full, we decided to pass. The table next to us tried the OG Burnt and told us it was more of a mousse than a cheesecake, and too sweet for their liking.
It was towards the end of the night and the restaurant was slowly emptying out yet our food took a while to come out. I would assumed the rush left so food would come out faster.
Overall, the restaurant is still very new, and with a changing menu, I hope they find their niche in the sea of Cambridge restaurants. I could see myself coming back just for the cocktails and the fish baos, but I’d skip the rest of the menu for now. Hopefully, they’ll add something amazing that makes it worth a return visit. If you’re expecting traditional Chinese food, this isn’t the spot. But if you’re looking for fusion dishes paired with excellent cocktails, it’s worth checking out.
Jingo Mante
Darling is delish! Ambiance is mellow, low lighting, and intimate with lots of privacy. Every dish I had was yummy and I rank them in the following order. Ribs were insane, falling off the bone scrumptious. Bang bang chicken is a close second with flavor and crunch. Broccoli was smoky. Cucumber? also had great flavor and spice. Dumpling was fun with the chili sauce. The noodles were fine and unexpectedly crunchy. I wouldn’t order again, but still good. Same with the fish bao – good – and everyone should experience it once. Cocktails were strong and creative. I’ll definitely be back!!
… moreabhijeet dangi
Darling Cambridge is such a fun, unique, and eclectic spot — the kind of place that instantly pulls you in with its vibe. The cocktails were absolutely amazing, crafted with care and full of personality. Their limited Asian-inspired menu might be small, but every dish is packed with bold, thoughtful flavors that really stand out.
It’s an excellent date-night destination: intimate, creative, and memorable. Definitely a place I’d love to return to.
… moreIt’s an excellent date-night destination: intimate, creative, and memorable. Definitely a place I’d love to return to.
Jea Kim
Exquisite cocktails (and decent food).
Cambridge has always needed more cocktail bars outside of Harvard Square, so my friends and I had been waiting for this one to open for a long time. We finally made it in on a Sunday evening without a reservation. No fuss, just walked in and got a table right away.
The concept hit all my favorite notes: Asian-fusion snacks and Asian-inspired cocktails. Drinks were fantastic overall, but the food was a bit underwhelming.
The cocktail menu came printed like a small pamphlet, complete with the date stamped on top. Maybe a hint that the lineup changes regularly(?). We went for three cocktails, and their popular sweet cocktails were excellent. Hope I packed a parachute and HK French Toast were two of our favs.
Hope I Packed a Parachute – Maybe it’s my matcha/red bean bias talking, but this was phenomenal. Smooth, lightly sweet, and clean on the finish, with that gentle red bean note lingering just enough to remind you it’s there.
HK French Toast – More nutty than other French toast cocktails I’ve had. Less dessert-y, more like biting into a thick toast slabbed with peanut butter.
Food-wise, only dish I really liked was the Dashi-braised daikon (Lo Bak Go). Expected the usual melt-away daikon, but they served it meatball-style—minced, compact, with spicy and buttery layers. Denser than traditional braised daikon, but the kick of dashi plus browned butter was sublime. Honestly could make a full meal out of these alone.
Other dishes we ordered were fine overall, and we enjoyed the pork wontons. Soft, juicy, with just enough heat to match nicely against the sweeter drinks.
… moreCambridge has always needed more cocktail bars outside of Harvard Square, so my friends and I had been waiting for this one to open for a long time. We finally made it in on a Sunday evening without a reservation. No fuss, just walked in and got a table right away.
The concept hit all my favorite notes: Asian-fusion snacks and Asian-inspired cocktails. Drinks were fantastic overall, but the food was a bit underwhelming.
The cocktail menu came printed like a small pamphlet, complete with the date stamped on top. Maybe a hint that the lineup changes regularly(?). We went for three cocktails, and their popular sweet cocktails were excellent. Hope I packed a parachute and HK French Toast were two of our favs.
Hope I Packed a Parachute – Maybe it’s my matcha/red bean bias talking, but this was phenomenal. Smooth, lightly sweet, and clean on the finish, with that gentle red bean note lingering just enough to remind you it’s there.
HK French Toast – More nutty than other French toast cocktails I’ve had. Less dessert-y, more like biting into a thick toast slabbed with peanut butter.
Food-wise, only dish I really liked was the Dashi-braised daikon (Lo Bak Go). Expected the usual melt-away daikon, but they served it meatball-style—minced, compact, with spicy and buttery layers. Denser than traditional braised daikon, but the kick of dashi plus browned butter was sublime. Honestly could make a full meal out of these alone.
Other dishes we ordered were fine overall, and we enjoyed the pork wontons. Soft, juicy, with just enough heat to match nicely against the sweeter drinks.