Li’l Darlin

Whoa… when did this place become a bumpin’ bar? Perhaps it’s the proximity to the new Darlo Country Club and it serves as an overflow for the trendy but it’s definitely changed since I last visited.
If you can get past the bumping music and needing to make a reservation (AT A BAR, WHAT?) the only redeeming factor to this place is the cocktails.
If you’re in a fun mood try their Hundreds and Thousands cocktails– it’s pink, it’s fruity, it comes rimmed with hundreds and thousands– what’s not to love? They’ve also got a list of Espresso martinis. Go for the XO option. It’s got Baileys in it so it’s a creamy delicious concoction.

Meh… not the best idea for a drink/​dinner on a Monday night.
Ambiance/​atmosphere: 1
Sits are not very comfy on those high stool — and the tables felt quite sticky with beer. I find that the whole bar has this weird smell of sugary alcohol…
Food was average — tried the Beetroot salad, too oily for my taste. The roasted macadamia nuts were a good idea though. Duck pancakes are quite small for 9 $
The staff was friendly but I would definitely not return nore recommend

This bar has a very nice feel to it; the décor is excellent. We had very nice cocktails. We did find the staff to be a little up themselves though. I probably wouldn’t return. (Go to Eau de Vie around the corner if you’re looking for good cocktails!)

Cocktails are a bit watery and tasteless lately… NOT OK at $ 17 — $ 18 a pop! :/

LD was quite slick. Good food, pleasant service, dark lighting, and a sophisticated vibe. The flatbread pizzas are genuinely good, despite the unnecessary use of rocket. Not sure why the feel the need to give everyone a cutlery bucket, either. No one wants a bucket. But I’m still giving this place 4 stars because the atmosphere was smooth and the food impressed. The windows open out onto the street, which will give a nice mix of inside-​outside during summer. It was quite busy on a Wednesday, so I can imagine getting a table is very competitive on weekends.

I wrote this review in October 2011, I have been back many times and still love it!
An impromptu Sunday afternoon drop in at Li’l Darlin’ turned out to be a great decision. We sat on the footpath, people watching and enjoying their promotional $ 4.50 tapas style pizzas (generously sized), along with a personal fave — calamari — all washed down with a few Peronis and a coupla glasses of Phillip and Shaw «The Idiot» Shiraz (I’ve known a few in my lifetime…).
My companion has quite an appetite so we had three pizzas in total — The Mexican with beef, guacamole, sour cream and beans; Field Mushroom and Proscuitto and Peking Duck. The base was light and crispy, the toppings — generous and fresh. Normally priced between $ 8.90 and $ 10.90 (for memory), they are great value.
If you can get there whilst their promotion is still running, even better! Calamari is a personal fave and it was perfectly cooked and accompanied by a delish mayonaise and a chilli jam to spice it up a bit.
If my memory serves me correctly and isn’t too clouded by «The Idiot» It was about $ 7.90.
The service at Li’l Darlin’ was fast, friendly and efficient. You do order at the bar but that’s in keeping with the tapas bar style rather than a restaurant. I would highly recommend dropping into Li’l Darlin’. It won’t disappoint.
L

Seems every time I walk around the streets of Darlinghurst, I spot a new gem. Li’l Darlin is one of those gems. Walking down Victoria Street, it’s impossible not to notice this inviting little spot. Part restaurant, part cocktail lounge, and full of people enjoying themselves. You can’t help but wish to be one of them. And, this night, I was…
Ms E, Ms G, Mr B and I stopped by on a Friday night. The place was buzzing. I was expecting a wait for a table, and had already earmarked a cocktail at the Victoria Room next door while we waited, but we were lucky enough to be escorted straight to a waiting table.
We sat down and I couldn’t help but notice the place was gorgeous. With Hummingbird wallpaper, tea light candles and ivy intertwined with fairy lights, it’s a sexy, intimate space. Michael Jackson music was pumping, people were sitting at tables, standing at the bar, and seated at the front lounge area, which provides an open view for people watching to Victoria Street.
The menu is Tapas style, and they are renowned for their Tapas Pizza’s (seriously). Mr B took the liberty of ordering a variety of dishes for us to share.
The food was suitably delicious. I will definitely return here. This place is a darling for sure. Good to know, they have Happy Hours Saturday and Sunday from 3 — 5pm with $ 3 oysters and $ 5 drinks.
If you’re looking for a pre or post dinner drink, The Victoria Room is located conveniently just next door.

Li’l Darling was daring me to come in. Whilst having dinner across the road, it’s big open front was enticing me to enter and have a night cap.
«Come on in,» whispers the sexy new tapas bar.
«Oh, ok. If you insist!»
It’s low lighting makes for a sultry ambience, however judging from my near stumble, the lights may be a bit too low. Gorgeous staff look like their from a gay Swedish porno with their Blonde locks, perfect skin and capri pants. One of them didn’t know how to make our cocktails but who cares he was too cute to complain.
There’s a few different sections that makes this space interesting. A dining area, window seating and out the front, street seating. We chose the latter and it was fun to people watch. The staff were attentive and the cocktails were OK. Just OK? I know! They were $ 14.50 and I am not sure if there was even one shot in there, let alone two!
I’ll give this place another go though, and perhaps the staff will be more experienced by then.

Having just had dinner on Victoria Street, my friends and I were heading to the Victoria Room when we noticed this new face on the strip. Deciding that the VR could wait, we wandered into Li’l Darlin to be greeted by the sort of crowd that you would expect to be inhabiting a shiny, new Darlinghurst drinking house (my friend tends to call them w*nkers, but that’s his opinion, not mine). Having just eaten, we weren’t in the market for dinner part 2, but the tapas menu looked quite tempting, even introducing the concept of tapas pizzas (which I just took to mean normal pizzas, just smaller — I may be wrong though). We got our drinks and headed to one of the free tables — it was busy, but not uncomfortably so, and the open frontage makes for a comfortable breeze coming through (should be good in summer). Despite this, I didn’t feel that it had much in the way of character like some of the smaller bars around Darlinghurst, in fact, the only lasting impression that it left on us, was the image of a girl’s fur waist-​coat catching fire at the bar when she got too close to a lit candle (karma for wearing fur I imagine).
I might go again to try the food and see if my theory on the mini-​pizzas is correct, but I wouldn’t be running there for a evening of drinking.

After leaving the Victoria Room with the intent to return home, Li’l Darling was energetic enough to attract my friends and I in for a drink. Having opened just several weeks earlier, this tapas bar was obviously the new ‘it’ place in Darlinghurst, bustling at around 10PM with a young professional crowd. The pretty hostess in the entrance had a genuine smile and was neither arrogant nor dismissive. ‘This is my kind of place,’ I thought after the first five minutes in the bar. It is quite small, but easy to maneuver oneself straight to the bar where I ordered a Vodka Tonic. Nothing special, but stronger than anything I had at the Victoria room minutes earlier.
The vibe was relaxed, but not sloppy, and the sound level was chill enough to manage decent conversation with my buddies. However, when it was time to relieve myself, I had to wait at least 15 minutes in the crowded toilet waiting area, where the male and female toilets (one each) became a free-​for-​all. I didn’t mind waiting until people started getting rowdy. Strangers began making out with one another to either help the time pass or to distract themselves from the pangs of an overflowing bladder. I thought – ‘wow, it’s only 10:30PM and these people are on my 3 AM level.’ And it was a Saturday night. Pace yourself, guys and girls.