20 March 2025
10 mins Read
Asian markets, hipster cafes, and jovial Greek tavernas meet high-end restaurants, perfect for sampling wild ingredients such as banana prawns, crocodiles, and kangaroo. Here is our guide to the best places to eat in Darwin after a day of activities.
Hidden Gem: Ella – by Minoli
Most Family Friendly: Darwin Ski Club
Best Outdoor Dining: Cucina Sotto Le Stelle
Best Views: Pee Wee’s at the Point
For Date Night: Hanuman
Whether you’re feasting on Sri Lankan string hoppers, fragrant laksa, pork-stuffed Thai chicken wings or freshly made Vietnamese banh mi, you can tell that Darwin’s soul is in step with its closest neighbours.
Laksa House is the epitome of Darwin’s quirkiness. Run by local celebrity Amye Un, it’s where you need to head for your laksa fix (a must-eat dish when in Darwin). Only open in short spurts for lunches and dinners on Wednesday through Saturday, but you can expect the most authentic laksa you’ve probably had outside of Asia. Don’t skip the locally famous charcoal chicken with chilli sauce, either.
Cuisine: Laksa
Average Price: $-$$
Atmosphere: Relaxed
Location: 54 Stuart Highway, Stuart Park
Stop by Smith Street Mall for an array of Asian bites. (Image: Tourism NT)
For authentic, budget-friendly Asian delights, make a beeline for the arcades around the Smith Street mall. Don’t miss Roast & Noodle 328 for a cheap and cheerful Chinese barbecue and a mouth-watering prawn wonton soup.
Cuisine: Asian
Average Price: $$
Atmosphere: Vibrant
Location: 24/27 The Mall, Darwin City
Chow is a hotspot for authentic Vietnamese food. (Image: Tourism NT)
If you love a bit of Vietnamese pho (and let’s face it, who doesn’t), then head to the waterfront and slurp down some of the finest rice noodles with raw beef at kitschy-cool Chow!
Cuisine: Vietnamese
Average Price: $$
Atmosphere: Lively and welcoming
Location: D1 &, D2/19 Kitchener Dr, Darwin City
Feast on pan-Asian favourites at Hanuman. (Image: Tourism NT)
The pan-Asian restaurant Hanuman may be an established favourite, but it still cuts it with an enticing mix of Indian, Thai and Nyonya flavours. Cool down on its fabulous deck and tuck into the signature clay pot oysters presented in an earthenware holder and served with vivid lemongrass and sweet basil sauce.
Cuisine: Pan-Asian
Average Price: $$$
Atmosphere: Elegant and warm
Location: 93 Mitchell St, Darwin City
Must Order: South Indian Goat Curry
A mouth-watering mud crab at The Noodle House. (Image: Tourism NT)
Looking for something a little more low-key? The Noodle House opposite Hanuman is great for unfussy, inexpensive, quick, and easy noodles. Sit outside and enjoy the mild dry season weather.
Cuisine: Chinese
Average Price: $-$$$
Location: 84 Mitchell St, Darwin City
This relaxed restaurant crafts creative cocktails. (Image: Ella – by Minoli)
A luxurious take on modern Sri Lankan cuisine. Ella – by Minoli promises a well-balanced mix of flavours, which pays homage to Sri Lankan food’s Ayurvedic properties, as well as creative and original cocktails. For the menu, think mas cutlis fried meatballs with a chunky tomato tamarind sauce, crispy whitebait with curry-leaf mayonnaise, and wild-caught Australian king prawns slathered with Lankan butter, as well as black pepper pork belly served with tamarind coconut sauce and pineapple salsa and much more.
Cuisine: Sri Lankan
Average Price: $$$
Atmosphere: Refined yet relaxed
Location: 20 West Lane, Darwin City
Must Order: 1000 Layer Curried Potatoes
Yots serves up traditional Greek cuisine. (Image: Tourism NT)
Darwin has a strong Greek heritage, and you can indulge in home-style mezedes, juicy meats, grilled seafood and Yia Yia’s syrupy sweets on the deck at Yots, overlooking Cullen Bay Marina.
Cuisine: Greek
Average Price: $$$
Atmosphere: Coastal
Location: 4/54 Marina Boulevard, Larrakeyah
Pee Wee’s at the Point is perched on the water’s edge and offers the best waterfront dining in Darwin. (Image: Robert Corbin)
With its sweeping views across Fannie Bay to Darwin, tables on the water’s edge under native fig trees, and innovative Top End favourites, Pee Wee’s at the Point is the ideal place to make the most of the balmy, tropical weather. Appealing dishes such as wild-caught saltwater barramundi, tempura soft-shell crab and native bush-spiced kangaroo celebrate Territory produce.
Cuisine: Modern Australian
Average Price: $$$$
Atmosphere: Special Occasion
Location: Alec Fong Lim Drive, East Point
Must Order: Native Bush Spiced Kangaroo Loin
The crispy potatoes with Szechuan salt are incredibly moreish. (Image: Tourism NT)
For the best crispy-skinned Humpty Doo barramundi in Darwin, drop in on Wharf 1 at the waterfront. Magnificent views of the harbour are matched with a selection of cured and raw plates (think carpaccio, cured salmon, charcuterie plates and tartare) and grilled meats or small share plates.
Cuisine: Modern Australian
Average Price: $$$
Atmosphere: Laidback coastal
Location: 19 Kitchener Dr, Darwin City
One of the town’s best-rated restaurants is PepperBerry at The Hilton Darwin, one of Darwin’s top-rated hotels. Its modern Australian menu features miso tempura crocodile with mango green chilli sauce, Black Angus steaks, and baked Massaman market fish in a fine dining setting and gorgeous atmosphere.
Cuisine: Modern Australian
Average Price: $$$
Atmosphere: Sophisticated
Location: 32 Mitchell St Ground Floor, 32 Mitchell St, Darwin City
The most laid-back capital in Australia does casual dining better than most. The iconic Mindil Beach Markets are just one of several outstanding Darwin markets. Most locals can be found on a picnic blanket on the Nightcliff on a Sunday, chowing down on a mix of food van and BYO dinner and drinks.
Dine al fresco on long picnic tables at Cucina sotto le stelle. (Image: Tourism NT/Christopher Nayna)
Twenty minutes north of the CBD in artsy hub Nightcliff, a ‘village walk’ of new-breed food trucks has popped up alongside the suburb’s milky-blue ocean fringe.
Head to the Seabreeze car park (Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays), and you’ll find the jewel in the foreshore’s food truck crown. Cucina Sotto Le Stelle translates from Italian to ‘kitchen under the stars’. In his mobile restaurant, chef Benjamin Matthews wood-fires traditional pizzas while diners share long, communal tables set beneath illuminated flame trees.
Try the risotto with NT squid ink, garlic and blue swimmer crab. But do take note that the menu here shifts with the seasons, so while you may not always find your favourite, you can be assured the freshest produce Matthews can get his hands on.
Cuisine: Italian
Average Price: $$
Must Order: Pizza at Cucina Sotto le Stelle
Address: Seabreeze Carpark, Chapman Rd, Nightcliff
Taste vibrant Mexican bites at Hot Tamale (Image: Tourism NT)
For a spicy, funky Mexican meal on the water, look no further than Hot Tamale. In addition to the usual suspects, this water-view restaurant serves raw snapper ceviche with local tropical fruits, hot pork shoulder served in steaming tamale, spiced chicken topped with cocoa and dried fruit mole, and much more.
If you want to save on the dollars, arrive for Hot Tamale’s ‘Loco Arvos’ from 4pm to 6pm for $6 tacos, and drink specials. Now that’s a perfect sunset pairing!
Cuisine: Mexican
Average Price: $
Atmosphere: Lively
Address: F2/19 Kitchener Dr, Darwin City
The Darwin waterfront sets the romantic scene. (Image: Tourism NT)
A classic surf and turf restaurant on the Darwin waterfront at Stokes Hill Wharf. Pull up a chair outside and order from the enormous menu, which includes crocodile fillet skewers, grilled squid, sizzling chilli prawns, grilled beef and lobsters, wild barramundi, Northern Territory mud crabs (when in season), and Moreton bay bugs.
Cuisine: Seafood
Average Price: $$$
Atmosphere: Seaside chill
Address: 45 Stokes Hill Wharf, Stokes Hill Rd, Darwin City
Find oysters served in multiple ways at the Darwin Waterfront Precinct. (Image: Tourism NT/Christopher Nayna)
If you’ve staked money that Darwin is ‘not an oyster kind of palace’, you can just put your cash on one of the waterside tables of the Oyster Bar. Located at the Darwin Waterfront Precinct, as well as Coffin Bay oysters served up every which way (natural, Kilpatrick, Thai…), you can also opt for karaage octopus, coconut crumbed prawns, pork belly bites and popcorn crocodile. Don’t miss the Friday night ‘Oyster Hour’ – between 5 and 7pm, enjoy discounts on oysters, plus drink specials.
Cuisine: Seafood
Average Price: $$$
Atmosphere: Darwin chic
Address: 19 Kitchener Dr, Darwin City
Darwin Ski Club is a buzzy spot to enjoy seafood and bevs. (Image: Tourism NT/Cait Miers)
For an unencumbered beverage and an open outlook over a classic Top End sunset, many Darwinites will rightfully recommend Darwin Ski Club.
Grab a table on the manicured lawns, choose your fave beer and watch the boats bob up and down in Fannie Bay, the palm trees reminding you that, hey, you’re in the tropics now. During the Dry season, you can’t go past the seafood grill, including jumbo prawns and barramundi.
Other options include the Darwin Sailing Club or the Darwin Trailer Boat Club. These neighbours share the beachfront linking Mindil with Fannie Bay.
Cuisine: Relaxed Aussie fare
Average Price: $$
Atmosphere: Wholesome
Must Order: Pan Fried Barramundi
Address: 20 Conacher St, Fannie Bay
We’ve previously written about our favourite bars in Darwin but have included a few more options for a bevvy and a feed below.
Spend a tropical night at Deckchair Cinema. (Image: Tourism NT/Friederike Franze)
The open-air Deckchair Cinema (April to October) has very little chance of being interrupted by rain, and it screens an intelligent array of films seven nights a week (on the Darwin Waterfront). There’s a licensed bar and decent food to help you enjoy the show (no BYO) with double-session marathons for the buffs. Definitely one of our favourite things to do in Darwin.
Address: Jervois Rd, Darwin City
Pre-dinner drinks by the bay at Lola’s Pergola. (Image: Tourism Australia/Nicholas Kavo)
Lola’s Pergola is a cabaret and carnival-themed restaurant and bar in the harbour-side precinct of Cullen Bay. It is the sister bar to the now-shuttered Monte’s Lounge, once an Alice Springs staple. Enjoy that sea breeze and share a bottle of their famous sangria while chowing down on a delicious pizza.
Cuisine: Aussie fare
Average Price: $$
Atmosphere: Playful
Address: 48 Marina Blvd, Larrakeyah
Head to Nirvana for a delicious nightcap. (Image: Tourism NT/Christopher Nayna)
If you like to mix spice with music, then head to Nirvana on a Tuesday evening. It’s jam night, where plenty of talented Darwin musicians pick up a sax or play impromptu drum sets. Fantastic cocktails—try the whisky sour—and Thai/Malay/Indian food is consistently flavoursome, too.
Cuisine: Asian
Average Price: $$$
Atmosphere: Intimate and eclectic
Address: 14 Dashwood Cres, Darwin City
For more insider tips, check out our ultimate travel guide to Darwin here.
Originally written by Kate Bettes with updates by Melissa Mason
Where do you eat when you’re only in town for a few hours? Go where the recommendations point you, and you won’t be disappointed. When I told p...
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No thanks, I like to travel solo
My Wife and myself come up to Darwin every second
year for the Football AFL -FREO
We always bring some one with us ,last time one of our
grandson he had a great time
ever time we come we find more to do