Review Daana - Canberra

Using Australian indigenous ingredients in many dishes and the wonderful harmony of flavours and tastes expand in the mouth. Particularly, starters and desserts we had was beautifully presented, and each element on the plates delicately made. We had great time and experience in this restaurant.

Taking my food trail journey ahead..next on my list is Daana😍 based in Curtin, Canberra. I am sure you would have seen lot of my food reviews on North Indian cusines covered recently.. So this one is specially covering the Taste of South India..🤩 This resturant have lovely colourful ambience depicting Indian culture and stories around it. Owners and staff members were super friendly. It was quite evident they are hear to bring the best to serve and with full passion🤗 Inframe - Starters - Thathukada Kori ‘Aval Roast'(chicken dish), and for mains - Allapuzha Thengapal Manga Curry- Prawns, basically Kerala style tangy coconut milk and green mango curry with Prawns (I just loved this dish❤️) and Daana's signature Malabar Chicken along with Parotta n mini Uthapam and Ghee rice. Along with nimbu paani and masala chaas on sides for drinks and Papadums. For Desserts we had Sahi Tukda, Kanoli and Payasam.. payasam is a sweetened pudding made with either milk or coconut milk. It was yummmm🤤 In one word if i have to specify A-M-A-Z-I-N-G😍 it surely a lovely place to explore and try some cuisine! Plus during some festival seasons they do some special cuisine.. They call it Daana Bhoj. Pls check their website for more details. Cant wait to one such occasion toward end of this month (Vishu Sadya), where food will be served on Banana leaf an authentic way of Kerela styling of eating.. specially on some occasions with serveral delicacies 💚

Too long between visits. Daana maintained its standard of excellence for a family banquet. Wonderful!

The opposite of a cliche. Amazing food. Amazing service. This is a mandatory stop on any trip to Canberra. A hidden gem tucked away from the overly commercialised offerings in Civic. The vibe of the restaurant is also brilliant with nice subtle decor and non-overbearing music. I can't speak more highly of the service, happy to answer any questions and very kind. The food is unlike any other offerings of a typical Indian Restaurant in the West. I also love their leaning into the Native Indigenous Tucker creating a nice fusion with the local Indigenous food culture.

Great quality authentic Indian food. Not oily like general Indian restaurants often prepare. My Daana bhoj experience was also great. Overall, little bit expensive, thats why 4 stars, otherwise would have given 5 stars.

The food here was absolutely devine, amazing vegan options - best curry I've had in many years. The service was wonderful and the venue was a beautiful open space with large tables so sharing multiple dishes was not chaotic We will definitely be back on our next trip to Canberra!

Booked this restaurant after hearing about it on Radio, the award, the fine dining, along with their concept story. It all came across as welcoming however our experience was quite the opposite. The booking time stated was 30mins earlier than what I said, and I got a call checking out arrival, which is okay. It wasn't booked out all evening, there were few empty tables On arrival, we had no time to just settle in and the waiter had already come thrice to ask our order barely allowing us all time to decide...neither was the time close to their last order time. The menu was unfamiliar so we were reading through descriptions and neither was the waiter helpful...it was just so rushed and unpleasant through the evening, except for the other waitress Reshmi...she was just warm and friendly. The food was good, and was nice to taste something different. Would have been better if bit more hot in temperature. We were already familiar with the prices before booking. The owners attitude was varied...we found him chatty to other guests on other tables and kept checking in on them all. We weren't expecting someone to keep talking to us but seeing the difference in body language was disappointing...we were paying for the meal ofcourse Also, when booking, we were told Dosas aren't available on certain days, but it would have been helpful if someone asked us to review the menu for any preorders needed, like the Thali which is available only on preorder I have read responses by the owners to any negative reviews hence certain there will be an impolite response in return. We won't be returning nor would we recommend the place based on the service received Edited to 1star - not sure what whiskey BYO is being mentioned by the owner 😂 but it's a common answer I've noted in other reviews by them

I dined here long time ago, and loved the concept of weekly thali menu from different states of India. This is a real attempt to do some justice to sea of variety in cuisine from India. Great hospitality as well. I had Kerala thali, everything but one thing was very good!! You cannot serve north Indian triangular paratha!! It has to be either palappam or Kerala parotta. This paratha was chewy and possibly rewarmed as well!! So hope you do better next time 👍

“Authentic” gets thrown around a lot with Indian restaurant reviews but I can say without a doubt that I haven’t had food this good since I was living there (perhaps not even then). I’m not sure if it was the scent or just the feel of the place (probably both) but as soon as I stepped in, I had an immediate flashback to some great restaurants back on the subcontinent – I definitely don’t get that with other Indian restaurants. It’s awesome to see a menu that isn’t just a photo copy of every other place in town, it even had the butter milk drink I’ve been craving for almost 4 years! Sanjay and the staff were extremely friendly and the food was incredible!!! The only thing that could have made it better was not being seated next to an overly excited toddler, unfortunately she is mine so I didn’t have much choice but it was great that the staff could show her the patience that I couldn’t. So if you’re looking for a restaurant that serves awesome food from an original menu with helpful kind staff in a kid friendly environment then definitely come here. And if you’re looking for “authentic” Indian food, then look no further, this is the best you’ll get without the 15 hour flight, (and even then you might wonder why you made the trip when you had it just as good or even better at home)

We were visiting Canberra from Perth to see old uni friends. Growing up around authentic Kerela inspired south indian meals cooked by my grandmother, we visited Daana during their "Onam" special weekend. Food was amazing and the experience came with so much warmth from the owners Sunita, Sanjay and the rest of their staff (banana leaf service with full typical Kerala menu of more than 20 items). It felt like a delicious home cooked meal after a long time! Highly recommend if you are looking for good south indian food in a cosy setting!

The food was fresh, properly prepared and a great value for the price. We loved the food and highly recommend it. Sunjay & Sunita both are amazing couple-friendly, calm, kind and very positive.......Thank you both for the lovely dinner we had 😃😃😃

Such a bad experience food was not up to da mark da chef recommend there special Shermal n trust me it was just like a rubber even my three year old girl didn't like her food its was pan fry chicken wid pao I will never ever go back bt da staff was very good

A good place for South Indian Particularly If you crave for good dosa idli vada! Perfect. North indian food can drastically be added Had paneer kathi Masala dosa Vada idli Chicken Takatak good enough Everything was fantastic

Great food and service, well deserving of best new restaurant award...southern Indian cuisine , specially loved the cauliflower fritters and idly.......vegan options aplenty! Thankyou

Authentically authentic tasting Indian food. Doesn't get any better in Canberra. Spacious place and awesome hosts. Ample parking. Favourite amongst lot of the high commissions in the city. True Indian cuisine.

I loved this place. Really nice food and such lovely lovely staff. I will definitely go back again.

We are regulars and have eaten here (and at the previous location) both with family and by ourselves. Danaa has NEVER failed us. The Indian food is exceptional, the atmosphere is calm ,the service is cheerful. The kids absolutely love the place and Sunita n Sanjay make it extra special for them. Best Indian restaurant in Canberra

I had arranged for a dinner to celebrate Navroze. Our hosts Sanjay and Sunita crafted a special Parsi menu for us including Persian items not normally found in other restaurants such as sev dahi, faluda etc. the evening was a great success. Thank you Sanjay and Sunita you really made me proud.

We visited Daana yesterday for dinner and enjoyed the evening very much. I ordered the dosa and vada - it was amazing. Great, authentic South Indian cuisine. We will definitely be back with friends. Professional service and welcoming staff. Thank you Sunita.

Awesome, tasty , finest , wonderful, .......friendly !!! Love the food ... my permanent place for indian food in Canberra.

Incredible food. Possibly the best Indian restaurant I have ever been too, including the ones I have visited on two trips to India!

Just grabbed a take away lunch. Image my excitement at finding idli on the menu. Service was friendly and fast, fresh food w/ heaps of flavor. Will be back

It is amazing... After a long time got to eat authentic Indian street food.. Pao Bhaji..Dal vada..Samosa...Vada Pao like I've eaten in Mumbai .. It even came with additional green fried chillies just how I like it Yummmm... Topping it with a warm welcome from Sunita & Sanjay and their friendly team... Love it..Highly recommend it.

Love the idea of special events and menus rotating every couple of weeks! Indian food is so diverse that fixed menu options cannot do justice. Can't wait to come here again! Thank you for doing this in Canberra, other restaurants have a lot to think about.

Since my husband & I moved from Melbourne in January this year we have not found a better Indian food place in Canberra than Daana! We loved our lunch here today & the service was excellent, thank you. We can't wait to come back :)

Our favourite was Vada Pao followed by other authentic dishes such Adai, Medhu Vada. Chef Sanjay, was very welcoming and made us feel comfortable. Food was divine and the proportions were generous too. We are happy to find this gem in Canberra. It's our favourite place from now onwards.