Vegan-friendly
Lacto
Ovo
Delivery
Take-out
Asian
Caribbean
Fusion
Breakfast
Non-veg
Serves meat, vegan options available. Small beach-side restaurant serving all sorts of vegan food (curries, pad thai, sushi, wraps). The vegetarian chef also considers customers' requests and creates off-the-menu dishes based on your preferences with no surcharges. Specify vegn when booking. Open Mon-Sun 7:30am-9:00pm.
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Via Principal, Corn Islands, Nicaragua, 82100
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- Outdoor seating
- Reservations required
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Last update on 18 Jan 2024 by JessMikeWinnemuller
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Added by Mariatomàs-rodó on 15 Oct 2021
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9 Reviews
First Review by BenThomas287
Pednuno91
Points +45
Nice but overpriced - Edit
They offer a set of 3, 4 or 5 course meals. We had the set of 3 for 30$ each. A glass of wine was 6$. In total we paid 68$. Which seems overpriced considering we left the restaurant still a bit hungry. Doesn't matter how many dishes you choose, the type and amount of food should always be adapted to leave you filled. We had a salad, a quinoa salad and a curry soup with vegetables. The food was nice and tasty, but the combination of dishes was poorly chosen. We felt like we didn't have a real main dish.
Read moreOn another point, we felt very uncomfortable the whole dinner, as there were other guests and Darinia kept engaging in conversations with them about sea food and fish. As vegans for animal rights, the night was ruined and it was very hard not to stand up and leave.
Maybe other people were lucky to have the restaurant for themselves. But if you share the space with others, be ready for some uncomfortable conversations.
Even ignoring the animal topics, Darinia has a lot of energy, she tries to engage with her guests to make them feel welcome and her intentions are good. But some people, like us, prefer to enjoy dinner a bit more in the company of each other and not to constantly have to engage in conversations with the chef and other guests.
Last but not least, we were informed beforehand we could pay by PayPal with 5% on top fee. When I asked to pay with PayPal, she asked me to please pay in cash as she loses a lot of money in fees though PayPal.
To conclude, the concept has a lot of potential and Darinia has definitely talent cooking.
But for Vegans, your experience could be a hit or miss depending on your luck, as it was for us.
Pros: Nice food, Nice combination of flavours
Cons: Overpriced, Not filling enough, Only cash
Guest
LisaGindorff
Points +61
Fantastic Dinner - Edit
Darinia cooked a wonderful, 4-course Dinner for us, accompanied with good wine, good music, and stories from how she grows ingredients in her garden. We had a vegetarian Dinner but I think her vegan Dinner would be just as great!!! Need to book in advance. Recommend 10/10
Read more(would have given 5/5 but HappyCow won‘t let me cause shes not a completely vegan place) 🫶🏻
Pros: Creative disges, straight farm to table, great chef
Guest
SolFranklin
Points +72
Amazing experience, incredible flavours - Edit
If I could give 10 stars I would! Darinia’s fine dining is a must if you’re on Corn Island. From the moment we got there, Darinia was warm and inviting. She obviously has a great passion for food, health and creating exciting, beautifully presented and delicious food. It was so refreshing to have a vegetarian chef that wants to showcase the incredible variety of plants and herbs on the island (most of her ingredients were grown on the property). All of the dishes were bursting with flavour and well thought out. All the ingredients were fresh and healthy. She was happy to explain what went into the dishes and why and overall she was a very great host. I think the price was very reasonable for the quality of food and the beautiful and intimate setting of her outdoor kitchen space. We were her only guests that night and it was wonderful watching her cook our fresh meals whilst looking out at the moonlight. It was definitely a highlight of our trip and an incredible memory. I can’t recommend her enough!
Read morePros: Incredible flavours , Fresh healthy ingredients , Inviting and intimate setting
Cons: None!
Guest
JessMikeWinnemuller
Points +548
We were blown away - Edit
We had learned that you must call and make a reservation, so we called and made a reservation for 6:30pm. We saw photos here on HappyCow and thought the restaurant was near the beach, but it has now moved up the hill to a new location. Our driver had us stay at the bottom of the hill until a young man came to retrieve us and escort us up the hill. It was a dark walk until I saw the warm lights of our destination. There was light romantic music playing, I then saw a lone table with two chairs, with a bright yellow linen table cloth and a fresh bouquet of flowers in the center. Only Darinia was there to greet us. We both looked at each other puzzled, but happily surprised. We were going to have our own private chef this evening.
Read moreOnly in the past year or so, she has chose to give up her bigger restaurant to do these private gatherings. She was feeling burnt out by the strains of her business and was losing her passion. By doing these more intimate dinners, she has been able to light her fire once more and her creativity and desire to serve and connect again restored.
My husband mentioned (falsely) on the phone that we were vegetarian, (as he has done for many years, since in the 30+ years he’s been vegan most people understand vegetarianism more than vegan). Not knowing that she was taking that information to make our three course meal for that evening. We had thought we were going to be choosing our meal from a menu. When we told her we were actually vegan, that was no problem as she was vegan as well, and all she had to do was omit the egg and dairy. We saw her rush to her garden and retrieve more fresh herbs and vegetables to add to our dish. We were not disappointed.
Her kitchen was located directly behind us on the open air deck we were seated on. She asked us what our preferred beverage choice was, and then explained that we would have a three course meal prepared for us. It was already dark out, but we could tell that the view would’ve been breathtaking.
Each course was handcrafted and so fresh, detailed and mouthwatering. We had the most meaningful and deep conversations with this beautiful soul. We asked her to join us on the last course, so we could continue our discussion on life, the world we live in and most importantly love.
We booked the next evening with her at 5pm, so we could watch the incredible sunset and spend our last evening on big corn island having the most unique, special dinner of our travels💕
Updated from previous review on 2024-01-18
Pros: Knows vegan and individualizes meals, Fresh, locally grown ingredients , Handcrafted, bursting with flavour
Guest
CedricErb
Points +27
What an incredible place! - Edit
The owner/chef is really conscious about healthy food and is trying to make every meal a unique experience. Sure the price is higher than somewhere else but it’s worth it! You won’t get the usual food that you find everywhere, no instead you get a unique culinary experience and the best meal we have had on the islands! She is also really friendly and talkative if you want to but can also give you your space if you need it. We were welcomed to stay in the restaurant after eating because she told us that we can pay the bill whenever we want and we where anyway the only clients. So she went to have a swim while we enjoyed her wifi for an other hour.
Read morePros: Very healthy and fresh food, Nice owner/chef, Right at the beach
Cons: There could be more options
DariniasKitchen
Wow Cedric, thank you very much guys!! I remenbered you both, send you a big hugs and love!!
Read moreGuest
MargotRidderikhoff
Points +36
Delicious and cooking class a available! - Edit
We did a cooking class here where Darinia taught us to make the vegan version of Rondown (the island's typical dish). It was really fun and delicious! She grows most of her own ingredients (including loads of fresh herbs) and clearly has a passion for cooking healthy, delicious food. Definitely recommend doing the class or at least eat here (but note that reservation is required for dinner!).
Read morePros: Many vegan options, Very fresh and healthy , Lovely hostess
Cons: Relatively expensive (but worth it)
Guest
KittyCordero
Points +51
Expensive!! - Edit
There were a few good vegan options and the chef was lovely and very accommodating and knowledgeable but my god it was so so expensive. The most expensive meal we have had so far! Good for a one off meal but it would break our budget eating here more than once.
Read moreThe Pad Thai was $13 and two spring rolls were $7.
They were both lovely though.
Pros: Lovely food
Cons: Expensive
Guest
Mariatomàs-rodó
Points +124
Great spot for vegan food - Edit
Only place where we found vegan options in the island (apart from rice and beans). The staff is very helpful and nice and you have great views of the sea.
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2021-10-16
Pros: Personalized dishes available, Amazing views
Guest
BenThomas287
Points +31
Awesome vegan Thai curry 🙌🏻 - Edit
Warm hospitality, great food, views of the reef
Read morePros: Awesome fusion of island produce and Asian cooking
Guest
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