Chow! A Taste of South East Asia

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#12 of 360 Restaurants in Darwin$$ - $$$, Chinese, Asian, Vegetarian friendly

+61 8 8941 7625+ Add website

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Hours

Sun

11:30 am - 2:30 pm5:30 pm - 9:00 pm

Mon

11:30 am - 2:00 pm5:30 pm - 9:00 pm

Tue

11:30 am - 2:00 pm5:30 pm - 9:00 pm

Wed

11:30 am - 2:00 pm5:30 pm - 9:00 pm

Thu

11:30 am - 2:00 pm5:30 pm - 9:00 pm

Fri

11:30 am - 2:30 pm5:30 pm - 9:00 pm

Sat

11:30 am - 2:30 pm5:30 pm - 9:00 pm

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What is Travellers’ Choice?

Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.

Ratings and reviews

4.0

1,606 reviews

#12 of 360 Restaurants in Darwin

RATINGS

Food

Service

Value

Atmosphere

Food and ambience

Chinese, Asian, Vietnamese, Vegetarian friendly, Vegan options, Gluten free options

“... & my husband, who had a Massaman Curry, said it was very tasty but found ...”

“... which was good but the real standout were the pork and prawn spring rolls.”

Special Occasion Dining, Groups

“Went in group of 6 for celebration dinner.”

“From the online reservation to the end of our lunchtime celebration nothing w...”

Location and contact

19 Kitchener Dr, Darwin, Northern Territory 0800 Australia

+61 8 8941 7625

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Is this a Malaysian restaurant?

Yes

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About

A taste of South East Asia with a focus on fresh, local produce. Think big steaming bowls of pho & laska's, whole coconuts, delicious cocktails, Asian beers, fresh colorful dishes, healthy and tasty, lighthearted and most of all FUN!

PRICE RANGE

$7.00 – $29.00

CUISINES

Chinese, Asian, Vietnamese

Special Diets

Vegetarian friendly, Vegan options, Gluten free options

Meals

Lunch, Dinner

FEATURES

Takeout, Reservations, Outdoor Seating, Seating, Highchairs Available, Wheelchair Accessible, Serves Alcohol, Full Bar, American Express, Accepts Credit Cards, Table Service, Gift Cards Available

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4.0

1,606 reviews

Excellent

820

Very good

481

Average

181

Poor

Terrible

Chels

Queensland6 contributions

Don't bother!

Feb 2020 • couples

Beware of up selling without notice. Once you are seated you are asked if you would like prawn crackers. Say yes, that's $5 to your bill straight away! None of the menu items specify heat levels (chilli wise) of dishes. We ordered Chicken and Cashew Stir fry with rice (extra charge of course!). For my taste FAR TOO HOT! Mentioned this to the waiter who really did not care saying "oh yeah that is one of our hottest dishes". Same dish, my husband didn't even like the sauce. Would not recommend this place.

Written 16 February 2020

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Chowdarwin2014

Hi Chels Thank you for taking the time to leave us a review. We are sorry to hear you didnt enjoy your experience with us and appreciate your feedback. All our pricing is clearly stated on our food and drink menus so staff dont usually advise individual pricing of items unless requested. The thai chicken and cashew stirfry does state it is cooked with a mild thai chilli sauce, apologies if it was not mild to your tastebuds. Our knowledgeable wait staff are always there to answer any questions you have about any of our dishes, should you wish to ask. We are reprinting our menus this week to show hotness levels of dishes and hope you would consider giving us another try so you can enjoy the experience we intend you to have when dining with us. Kind Regards Grace Food & Beverage Manager

Written 16 February 2020

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Beau

1 contribution

Never disapointed

Feb 2020 • none

My partner and i have been coming to chow ever since we met, years ago. Every time we have been for dinner we have never been disappointed. The food is absolutely amazing! Red curry of duck and the Vietnamese chicken curry are our 2 favorites. We especially love how we can go out for a nice dinner and drinks and not break the budget. Some places in Darwin need to take a leaf out of the Chow book and follow suit. its great to be able to go back time and time again and always come out smiling The service is always great and the waiters are always helpful. I will be dining here until the day i die

Written 15 February 2020

Chowdarwin2014

Hi Beau Thanks so much for taking the time to leave us such a great 5 star review! We love to hear you and partner have been loving dining with us for years and we really appreciate your feedback of our food and service :) Your review is the exact experience we intend for all our customers! We look forward to seeing you and your partner at Chow again soon :) Kind Regards Grace Food & Beverage Manager

Written 17 February 2020

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Melanie Y

Perth7 contributions

Great for groups

Jun 2020 • none

The staff at Chow! were really accomodating of the many changes in my booking. They provided us with a lovely long table that sat ~15 people and the appetisers came out so quickly. Staff were attentive but not overbearing. It was my 3rd time at Chow! since visiting back in 2017 and I will continue to recommend it to friends.

Written 20 June 2020

Chowdarwin2014

Hi Melanie, Thank you for taking the time to give us such a nice compliment. It was our pleasure to have you dining with us and are looking forward to seeing you again! With kind regards, Joey Folkersma Duty manager.

Written 20 June 2020

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

HC2015

Baulkham Hills100 contributions

Not worth for twice

Jan 2020 • family

We never have been to this restaurant but a hotelier recommended so tried as we barely knew any restaurant to visit in Darwin. Maybe we have ordered non popular food for this place but it was so not worth to pay even although we paid in full. Food arrived fairly quick to suspicious if they just scooped the food from the pot and served. Fried rice was as if frozen food was just microwave heated (at least carrot was from supermarket frozen one!!) and the entree coated us $18 dollars for 3 tiny wrapped duck(I assume) was neither chewable nor edible. Pho(vietnamese soup) was the only bearable quality. My partner and I shared the opinion about the food and said maybe they won't be able to survive in Syd/Mel with this quality of food. Not twice worth food unless you want to say you have been to..

Written 12 January 2020

Chowdarwin2014

Hi hc2015 Thank you for taking the time to leave us a review and provide us your feedback. We are sorry to hear your experience wasn't as we intended it to be for you and your family last night. Chow being one of the busier more popular venues at the Waterfront our team are well trained to provide quality food, drinks and service to our customers with the shortest wait time for better service. Last night being an unusually quite night for us was the result of your quick delivery of your freshly cooked meals. If ever you are unhappy about something at a restaurant it is always better to mention it to the staff at the time, when they do multiple meal checks, to allow us a chance to rectify any concerns you may have. Otherwise giving feedback that everything is ok during your meal and completely finishing every dish ordered, would lead us to believe everything was ok. Thank you for your feedback and we hope to see you at Chow again soon. Kind Regards Grace Food & Beverage Manager

Written 12 January 2020

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Lisa F

10 contributions

Family meal

Feb 2020 • none

The food was good and the original waitress but the overall experience was poor.. they mucked up my order despite a long discussion with the waitress regarding my onion allergy. I asked for no spring onion my meal came loaded with spring onion. They did fix it but I had to chase down the waiter. When we went there o pay we were just told a total amount no itemised account. The manager at the counter was on her phone not really giving us her full attention. When I asked fir a bill she was annoyed. I studied it and when we were driving home I realised they had over charged by 8 dollars for the wine. I rang up and the manager just said I wasn’t aware about the meal she should have been, yes sorry we made a mistake about the wine come back will give you a refund ( already on the way home) yes sorry I was on my phone I was sorting out the online sytem. No offer of a free entree or a meal voucher. Disappointed.

Written 21 February 2020

Chowdarwin2014

Hi Lisa Thanks for taking the time to leave us your feedback. It is unfortunate that the first we heard of your complaints was when you called the restaurant to complain over the phone, shortly after you had left. As discussed when you called, we are sorry for making the mistake with your meal, we did rectify this and brought you a new meal straight away. I also discussed in detail your other concerns and offered to refund you the difference of the wine you had ordered to the wine you where delivered for the misunderstanding of what was ordered. Every customer is asked on departure how was your meal and how was your service. We find these questions important to give our customers an opportunity to provide feedback at the time so any issues can be rectified or compensated for if need be. We hope you will consider to give us another chance so you can enjoy the experience at Chow how we intend all our customers to. Apologies again for the mistakes and misunderstanding. Kind Regards Grace Food & Beverage Manager

Written 24 February 2020

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

TerritoryTripper

Darwin28 contributions

Very disappointing Mother's Day dinner complete with gastro intestinal distress the next day

May 2020 • none

Based on the reviews I had been wanting to try Chow for a long time and when the Hubby suggested we go and get takeaway for dinner and have a picnic down at the Waterfront for Mother's Day I suggested we have Chow. We also have not been out for ages due to the Coronavirus so this was an especial treat that I was very much looking forward to. I hadn't used the online ordering app before but had no dramas with it, liked the real time updating and the food was ready within the 40 minutes that I had been told, so no dramas there. Picked up the food, went and found a nice spot to spread out the picnic blanket and eagerly tucked into my pork belly only to be very disappointed as it was way too salty and quite chewy with little flavour. I hunted around for the pickle to try and combine that with the saltiness of the pork and see if that helped but the pickle was dry and there wasn't enough in the bowl. Couldn't finish it, the saving grace was the small container of laksa which was quite delicious and was the best part of the whole meal. Hubby had the stir fried beef with vegetables and he wasn't impressed, but thankfully the kiddo enjoyed her fries with tomato sauce so it wasn't a complete loss. For $90 we were really expecting something special but overall we were very disappointed with the meals. Fast forward to the next day and as a friendly reminder from the night before (and sorry to sound indelicate) but I have spent the entire morning on and off the toilet with quite severe gastro intestinal distress which I can only attribute to the meal from the night before. Based on the stellar reviews - maybe they were just having an off night but I won't be rushing back any time soon :(

Written 10 May 2020

Giovanni Battista Danny

Darwin4 contributions

Menu says 6pcs but only 5pcs on the plate!

Jul 2020 • family

We were so disappointed for my last visit on Saturday, 4 July 20. We ordered chicken wing as an entree, the menu says 6pcs and they served only 5pcs. I asked the staff and she said she would get us another 1, but she came back and told us that the chef said he normally cut the wing in half but he didn’t so he only served us 5pcs. So he served us almost double portion then? I tried to cut it in half and it’s only as big as a fork. Imagine, 5pcs of half chicken wing for $14? The taste of the food was actually all right, we were just really disappointed with the service, when it says 6 on the menu it has to be 6pcs on the plate, no excuse and the floor staff didn’t even say sorry or anything.

Written 5 July 2020

Chowdarwin2014

Hi Giovannibdanny Thanks for taking the time to leave us a review. We are disappointed to hear your experience wasn't as we intended it to be for you. I have discussed your concerns with the Chef and concluded you should have been provided another wing as 6 pieces is what is advised on the menu, regardless of how we portion the pieces to size. If you can contact me directly i am happy to reimburse you for the wings or provide you another serve on us. We pride ourselves in providing great customer service here at Chow, so this feedback is appreciated as it highlights there are always things to improve on. We hope to see you at Chow again soon. Best Regards Grace Food & Beverage Manager

Written 20 July 2020

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Millie C

Sydney13 contributions

Terrible

May 2021 • family

Booked this place a week in advance as I was visiting Darwin with some family. It was really really disappointing. Waited over 1 hour for our entree ( BBQ pork Vietnamese rice paper rolls ) and when they came to our table it was sliced SPAM from a tin!! So gross. We sent it back and ordered the veg rice paper rolls - it only had 4 fillings carrot, rice noodles and cucumber and non marinated tofu. Then we waited ANOTHER 1 hour 15 mins for our two mains. A very plain over priced chicken cabbage salad with hardly any dressing and XO eggplant that was really gluggy and came out cold. I wouldn’t recommend this restaurant at all. There’s many other options to go to in Darwin!

Written 29 May 2021

Chowdarwin2014

Hi Millyb We are so sorry to hear you didnt enjoy your dining experience with us! We are usually praised for our great food and service so i have addressed your complaints with the team to ensure no repeats of big delays again. Our BBQ Pork, that is in the BBQ Pork rice paper rolls, is seasoned mince pork, made in house by our Chefs. The Rice paper rolls also state the ingredients contained on the menu. I have passed your feedback of your mains to our chef for consideration. We appreciate your feedback and hope you will give us another chance as we are always striving to better ourselves to give the best dining experience to all our customers. Kind Regards Grace

Written 5 June 2021

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Nhulunbuymob

Greater Adelaide42 contributions

Not keeping up with the times

Jul 2020 • family

We used to love coming to Chow, it was a big treat. Unfortunately, unlike the markets and other restaurants Chow is still using plastic straws, cups etc. when you are having a dine in meal I dont see why you are still serving drinks in plastic cups. The food is good, no argument there at all. Plenty of options for everyone. However the service can be a bit random but happy to go with that if only they would make an effort to be more environmentally friendly. Unfortunately, when we brought it up with manager we were dismissed and no response to our email either (offering to price options as other restaurants are doing). Sorry Chow, you were our favourite but we won’t be visiting again.

Written 16 August 2020

Chowdarwin2014

Hi Nhulunbuymob Thanks for taking the time to leave us a review. As discussed, when i called you on your mobile, Chow is making every effort to be more environmentally friendly and reduce our wastage and use of plastics. The only drink served in a plastic sealed cups are our coconut crushies. We only serve straws in drinks that require them, such as the crushed ice drinks. We do not serve straw with drinks that do not require them but have them available should customers request them. We are looking towards more environmentally friendly containers and straws but not before we use up the stock we already have on hand. We are glad to hear you enjoy our food & service and hope to see you at Chow again soon :) Kind Regards Grace Food & Beverage Manager

Written 25 August 2020

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Regular Traveller

2 contributions

Terrible service and incomplete meals

May 2021 • friends

We went here for dinner and waited half an hour for the table service. We had to leave our table and request for someone to come over and take our orders. When they came over we were told they had checked with the kitchen and our food was on the way.. to this we exclaimed “we haven’t even ordered yet how can it be on the way?”. They took our order, one chicken laksa and one chicken and prawn laksa, what came out was two chicken laksa’s. I asked for the prawns which were then delivered to the table and we realised that our meals didn’t have the tofu in it which is Supposed to be included in the laksa. We asked for the tofu and they told us it didn’t come with tofu and we would be charged extra, so we had to get the menu and show the wait staff that the meal was in fact supposed to come with tofu. The service ruined the experience of what should have been a nice meal on the waterfront in Darwin. The business should consider having people order and pay at the bar so that wait staff aren't so overwhelmed and confused. All the wait staff seemed inexperienced and chasing their own tails. Won’t be back unfortunately.

Written 12 May 2021

Sharry

Darwin12 contributions

Disappointed

Sept 2020 • none

We booked on line, great. Arrived and our table was ready great, ordered our drinks which took ages to be delivered. Ordered our food. Took a long time to get our entrees but then only got one.... the others didn't turn up after we had finished the first one. Then after an hour after we order our mains we were advised that one dish was not available. NOT HAPPY! Its disappointing that the service has declined over the time we have been going.

Written 12 October 2020

Chowdarwin2014

Hi Sharrynneg Thank you for taking the time to leave us your feedback. We are sorry to hear your recent experience wasnt how we intended it to be for you. These are highly unusual complaints for Chow, being a frequent customer of Chow you would know we usually strive to give great food and service, with minimal wait times. I apologise you did not get this experience. Investigating your complaints has highlighted a few areas we failed on that night and we are working with the team to ensure we improve and avoid these issues happening again. We appreciate your feedback and hope to see you at Chow again soon. Kind Regards Grace

Written 13 October 2020

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Sonja

Darwin70 contributions

Disappointing experience

Jun 2020 • couples

We dined at Chow to take advantage of the current myDarwin voucher scheme. Unfortunately,the team at Chow had misunderstood the voucher conditions and only allowed us to use a $10 voucher instead of the $20 voucher should have been entitled to. Despite realising their mistake later, they refused to give us a refund. The food was OK but nothing outstanding considering the relatively high prices We were hoping to dine outside but the cigarette smoke drifting over from the pub next door was so strong that we asked to go inside, which wouldn't normally be out preference on a lovely dry season evening. Overall a disappointing experience, would not go again in a hurry.

Written 13 June 2020

Chowdarwin2014

Hi Sonja, Thank you for the feedback, we really appreciate it. As we have told you over the phone, there has been a miscommunication between the team of myDarwin and us, and being it was the first day of this promotion we handled as was told. We did offer you a 10 dollar gift voucher from Chow! which you decided not to take. I am sorry to read that the pub next door has influenced your experience. There is nothing I can do about our neighbours, it is not our area of responsibility. As for your feedback on our food, I'd love to know what you think we should improve, what was it that made it just OK? With kind regrards, Joey Folkersma - Duty manager

Written 13 June 2020

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Lottysmith1

Darwin4 contributions

Average

Apr 2021 • couples

We ate dinner here over the Easter long weekend and overall our experience was average. We ordered 2 cocktails, 2 starters and shared 3 main plates between us. The starters were by far the best part of the dinner. We were asked if we wanted tap or sparkling water for the table and we requested tap but were failed to be given it. After asking 3 times we finally received it, but by then we’d already finished our starters. The 3 mains we ordered were Vietnamese chicken curry, beef with bamboo shoots and always special fried rice. Well I can tell you straight away there was nothing special about the rice- it was bland and served to us almost cold. Unlike chow states their rice is far from ‘nice’. The chicken was quiet dry and too chunky. It was on the bone so it was quite hard to eat also. The beef had a nice flavour but was still missing something. There was 2 huge stalks of young green peppercorns that were mixed in with the dish. We feel like these should have just been a garnish because my partner ate one of the stalks as a whole thinking it was a piece of beef and it wasn’t very pleasant. Because of the lighting in the venue I think it makes it hard to see what’s on the plate. The service was quick but the staff were not overly attentive to our needs. A recommendation would be to put condiments and salt and pepper back on each of the tables again so you can add to your plate when required. We will not be going back to chow in a hurry.

Written 3 April 2021

Chowdarwin2014

Hi Lottysmith1 Thanks for taking the time to leave us your feedback. We are sorry to hear you didn't enjoy your dining experience with us. Our food and service is usually complimented so we appreciate this feedback to highlight areas we can continuously improve on. We appreciate your feedback & hope to see you at Chow again soon. Kind Regards Grace

Written 26 April 2021

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

ADF-Tekno

5 contributions

Great lunch

Sept 2020 • couples

We stopped by for lunch while visiting the Darwin Waterfront precinct. We had the traditional spring rolls, pad thai and special fried rice. All portions were larger than we expected and of high quality. Would recommend. Cost was $46 and we needed a take away container for what we never finished.

Written 26 September 2020

Chowdarwin2014

Hi Andy F Thanks for taking the time to leave us a 4 star review. We love you enjoyed dining with us for lunch and we appreciate your feedback. We hope to see you at Chow again soon. Kind Regards Grace Food & Beverage Manager

Written 27 September 2020

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Eikay

Nhulunbuy61 contributions

Didn't meet the expectations

Jul 2020 • family

the staff were very nice when we saw them. We had to get up and order drink as we hardly saw wait staff. We (2 adults and 3 kids) ordered 3 entrees 2 salad dishes and 2 mains and some drinks Inc alcohol. It was dissapointing as I didn't find them authentic. I would have been much happier with local markets cuisine and it would not cost $214 either. I do not recommend the house wine.

Written 15 July 2020

Chowdarwin2014

Dear Dunno2020, Thank you for your feedback. Our goal here at Chow! is to make sure that every customer that sets foot in our venue has a great experience. To achieve that, we are willing to go great lengths in our service. It saddens me that you did not tell us on the night you weren't having a good time, as said, we go great lengths to ensure you have. I do not like to use the COVID-19 as an excuse, and I won't. The truth is, we have a brand new team that is working hard to become better at what they do every single day. Constructive feedback is welcomed for that reason. You state that you didn't find the drinks and dishes authentic, our Vietnamese head chef asks if you could elaborate. Feel free to send us an email to info@chowdarwin.com.au. With Kind regards, Joey Folkersma Duty manager

Written 15 July 2020

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

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