• 4
• Elegant restaurant w/ vegetarian and vegan options

Al Dar ("The House" in arabic language) is a high-class Syrian restaurant in the Center of Hannover, close to the Main Railway station. While it - like most restaurant - caters first and foremost to meat-eaters, they really do offer a considerable number of vegetarian and vegan options. One of their signature menus is called "Culinary journey through Syria" which is a 3-dish dinner set for around 30 EUR that should give you a good overview of Syrian dishes. There is a "Culinary journey through Syria, vegetarian style" of which there is also a vegan variety. It is normally available only for 2 persons, but if you go to the restaurant alone, they will also prepare it for one person only. Both menus start off with a plate of mixed starters, then there is a vegetarian or vegan main dish and finally there is a dessert. I already got a very good impression of the restaurant when I asked the waiter what was included in the starters dish, and he started to list every single dish included, explaining what it is made from and whether it is vegan or not, clearly mentioning the non-vegan options and suggesting vegan replacements. When you think about it, it should be "standard" that a waiter should be able to explain every single dish on the menu, however, only in few restaurants you will normally encounter that. On top of that, on the new menu, vegan and gluten free dishes are also indicated. The food was delicious, and the service was impeccable. It is definitely a great place to have a "classy evening" out, as the design and decoration of the restaurant is also very nice and the service is really good. One thing here - I will not give a 5-cow-rating to any non-vegetarian restaurant out of principle, simply because, no matter how delicious the food and how pleasant the environment, there is a chance that your experience is diminished by having to experience an omnivorous guest at the next table devouring dead animals (or a vegetarian patron indulging in lots of smelly cheese, btw). Having said that, Al Dar came as close to receiving a 5-cow-rating from me as I have ever come to in an omnivorous restaurant. Definitely a place that you should try out when you are in Hannover and have already tried out all the pure vegetarian restaurants. Updated from previous review on Monday May 05, 2014 Updated from previous review on 2014-05-06