Donatelli's

I was really surprised by the variety and quality of the food. We were a large group in the side room. It wasn't ideal but glad we had a spot. However, it's only by reservation and for a limited time and the food was a little slow to come out and we had to rush at the end. Still the food was good and we were all stuffed. Good sized portions on most dishes. The pasta all tastes like it is made fresh and that is a bonus!

First time here. Made a reservation. Hosts there don't seem like they want to be there. The waitresses were friendly. You walk in and it doesn't seem like a restaurant, layout is weird. Looks like an ice cream shop. Then they take you to the dining and you see pink panther stuffed animal decor. The bread that comes with the dinner salad was pretty decent. Got the ravioli appetizer. A little bland on the inside but the sauce and outside were decent. Service was a little slow and the pop was flat. Great portion for the pasta. Had leftovers for the next day. Deep dish pizza was good and very filling. It was a good try at something new but I probably won't go back.

Came in for my wife's Birthday. Food was pretty good. The Gluten Free Italian fries which I was really looking forward to were not the best. Texture was great but there was no garlic flavor at all it was basically just cheap cheese flavor. The entrees were all really good. The Alfredo was great and thick. The Gluten Free Mac and cheese was also really rich and tasted great. Their Gluten Free roll I got with the Mac and Cheese was I was skeptical when I saw it.. but it was AMAZING! Probably the best gluten free bread product I have ever had. Our server was just a gem and super nice and really personable. We are definitely coming back to try some other dishes.

Service was phenomenal, girls at the front greeted with smiles. Pizza, Seasoned fries, ranch and gelato is what we order and it was all delicious. We will definitely be coming back!

Really good Italian food with a casual very atmosphere. There are some really unmatched menu items here! The thin crust pizza is 10/10. Tortellini, stuffed shells are two of my favorite pasta dishes they serve. They have both ice cream and gelato. The dining room gets quite crowded as the tables are very close together. Very casual atmosphere, not at all a fine dining Italian restaurant experience, which it’s not meant to be! The service and the food is always good though!

Great Italian American food here! The pasta dishes are outstanding, the sandwiches and calzones are delicious, and the pizzas are solid. Never eaten anything below an 8/10 here. Staff is very friendly and provide excellent service. The atmosphere is always good too. Sometimes a small wait of 15-20 minutes but never more than that. They serve really good ice cream too.

The flavor of the chicken Alfredo was bland. When I was asked if I wanted broccoli I assumed it meant on the side though was added to my Alfredo ( which is fine). Portion size is big. To go box was interesting. Service was lovely.

Celebrated my birthday there. As always, amazing food and pleasant staff.

This is hands down my favorite restaurant in White Bear Lake. The vibe is a little retro, with the pink panther floating around, and the old red glass lighting. But it still provides the best homemade italian food in the area. A local staple for decades, they make everything fresh in house, from Italian fries, to dunkers, pasta and more. There is always something to please everyone, and at very affordable prices. The staff is also amazing, super attentive and if you are a regular, they make sure to learn your name and make you feel like part of the family. I love the addition of their grab and go area, so that you can take some of the pastas and pizza's home with you for days you can't get there. But either way, it is a true gem of a spot, and you should not miss out!

What an awesome and kitschy place for some delicious Italian food. Why am I just finding out about this place! It's been a staple in the area since 1976. Sooo impressed with their 1 full page of gluten free options. I chose the gfree tortellini carbonara on the waitress's suggestion and it did not disappoint. I also ordered a side salad. It was creamy and oh so good and came with the most fantastic and soft 2 gfree dinner rolls. Yummm. Positives - no wait on a Friday night, lots of kitschy pink panthers to check out, gelato bar, the frozen/refrigerated section. Cannot wait to go back!

The Food is wonderful!! The staff is so attentive. The ambiance is fun. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who wants great Italian food!

Love this place! Always great food, pizzas are wonderful and love that they kept the dining room when they remodeled.

I tend to pick up Donatelli's for lunch ordering from the Lunch Rush menu. I am a sucker for the $10 Rigatoni w meatballs!! I recently switched it up to the $8 Whole Dunker w meatballs....talk about a lot of food!! It took me a couple hours to finish it all ....slowly picking at it. Then it filled me up for hours!! The staff are always friendly and efficient. Parking is super easy in the big parking lot. Food is ALWAYS DELICIOUS!!! Owners Trish & Steve recently retired but food & service have remained top notch!!! Donatelli's is a little unassuming Italian place in a strip mall....easy to pass over.... don't! It is worth the stop...even worth the take out!! Our family used to order the Baked Mostaccioli dinner.for $55...whoa!! We would get an entire pan of mostaccioli, an entire loaf of garlic bread and a pint of ice cream!! No matter what you order and whether you dine in or get it to go your palate and belly will be grateful!! Donatelli's gets it right....every time!!! Cheers and thanks Donatelli's for my hundreds of perfectly hitting the spot meals!! Cheers!

I went there for the first time on 1/20/23! its a great place to eat for lunch! I had a 1/2 meatball sandwich with chips Lunch special #14 its was very delicious! Lots of cheese and yummy meatballs! I will go back there again and try their pasta!!

Pretty good smoked salmon Cesar Salad for the price considering it's an Italian Restaurant mainly known for pizza and pasta. The bread roll was delish too. Ordered take out, friendly Customer Service . Definitely recommend to try their pasta and desserts .

Great food , great service! Very cute decorations and a comfortable place to hang out with friends & family

We had Donatelli's for lunch on Christmas Day thanks to their pick up program they offer on the larger holidays. We had a lasagna and cheesy bread. Would highly recommend if you don't want to cook on Christmas. Today we had a pick-up order and the food was pretty good. My bf had a sausage and pepperoni pizza and fried ravioli. The ravioli was super crispy and their tomato dipping sauce is very chunky and flavorful. The only thing he thought could be better is if there was more cheese filling inside. There were pretty large air pockets inside so it was mostly the ravioli breading rather than filling. The pizza was quite soggy/messy in the middle but the edges were crispy and flaky. I had a small Caesar salad which was huge for a small (great value, could definitely be a side for two people) and the house-made croutons were my favorite part. I also had the Baked Linguini Carbonara with garlic cheese bread. Loved the pasta bake, could've had a bit more sauce on it but it was still delicious. Bread was baked and toasted to perfection as usual. The only reason I give three stars is the cost for the value of the food. I'd say the small salad was the best value, otherwise everything else was kind of expensive. We've also tried their spaghetti pie which is a pretty good value for a family meal but definitely order some extra sauce on the side! There's tons of parking at the restaurant. They have a bunch of freezers in the main entrance with pre-made food from their menu to take home and bake/heat as needed. There's also a section with ice cream and gelato which looks delicious, haven't tried it yet. They have a very eclectic theme in the dining area. You'll find yourself scanning the room and investigating all of the large Pink Panther characters above the booths. Very unique place with a cozy hometown feel.

Food: Amazing, probably the best gluten free pizza i have ever had. Twisted mac is also great and everyone i go with also loves what they get. Service: Typically good but that depends on who is working. Ambiance: Amazing. The most wonderful restaurant i have ever been to. 100% worth a visit Great Gluten Free options

If you are looking for old school Italian with a family feel you need to come to Donatellis in White Bear Lake. This family owned restaurant has been serving up classic Italian dishes and pizza for years. Known for generous portions and incredible service this place has a way of making you feel at home with with the food and service. I highly recommend all pizzas, you cannot go wrong, lasagna and the creamy Mac n cheese as well as a ton of sides to add a little flavor to the meal. They have a generous selection of drinks and local beers and an a solid wine list that pairs great with a huge menu. Make sure to ask what new dishes have been added to the menu as they have added some new items to a classic menu. Somewhere in the near future Diners and Drive In's will revisit Donatellis for the Swedish time and I happened to get to join the crew for this incredible taping. The food was amazing as always and Christian and the team run a tight ship! In Covid season they have a fantastic to go menu and have catering for all size parties.

I like Donatelli's. It's just a good restaurant. They understand what they are, and frankly, they revel in it. They do some very good Italian dishes, including the baked mostaccioli the service is very cheerful, and they bring a basket of ciabatta bread before your dinner arrives. They also serve a variety of ice cream dishes, which are a wonderful treat.

Delicious food! The atmosphere was the reason I came. Pink Panther was my childhood favorite cartoon growing up. What did Pink Panther say when he stepped on a ant? Employees were nice and fast response to our table with drinks and food. Plus helpful when forgetting to take my leftovers with me. Wonderful experience

That sauce! Probably one of the best sauces I've had in a while. It was everything you want in a spaghetti sauce and then some. We did take out, so no pictures. We ordered the veal Parmesan and spaghetti dinners. Both came with garlic toast. We got a side, Caesar salad, and a side, antipasto salad, which were both huge! Everything we had was absolutely delicious. We picked up a few pizzas for another day. we dug into our tiramisu after dinner, and it was outstanding! I can only speak to customer service from a takeout point of view and it was extremely helpful, very quick, and very knowledgeable. As far as we are concerned, Donatelli's comes highly recommended!

Recognized. we are present brilliant service from Britney. I think he goes by the name. Matthew? was involved in our care as well very lovely Delicious cuisine and amazing deserts want to go through it all again.

Great gluten free menu, but we really miss the old gluten free rolls. They were the main reason we visited this place.

My girlfriend and I eat at your place once or twice a month. We usually order a deep dish heartburn deluxe. The service is second to none. The server, no matter who it is always asks if everything is up to par, and our drinks are full. I still think it's the best pizza I've ever had. However, on this occasion, Aug 13th the pizza wasn't the best. Granted it wasn't delivered by our waiter, it took a little longer than usual. I should have waited until our server came back to check on us. But, I was so hungry and looking forward to a slice we just dove straight in. Hind sight is 20/20. When our waiter came back I told him the pizza was overdone, but we already had two slices out of it so it was too late. He agreed the cheese was on the burnt side. Out of all the times we've had pizza here, this is the first time I was disappointed. Dewey

The atmosphere is fun. Great for families. In today's economy you want the best service, price and food. You get all of that and more here. They have options for everyone. I really want to comment on the staff. They are wonderful. We seem to get Jessica a lot and she has to be the sweetest person we have ever met!

I know this place is a staple and my husband absolutely LOVES their dunkers. They seem to have good quality food and fresh ingredients. However, I feel service has slipped recently and it's really disappointing . The last two times we've gone there we had to wait at least 20-30 minutes for our order that we placed online. Both times the order said ready for pickup and then we get there and it wasn't. The other thing is their artichoke dip had literally a pool of grease on top. I scooped it off with a spoon. Hopefully this was just bad luck for us.

This place continues to shine even through the ups and downs of the pandemic. This is my #1 choice when craving no-nonsense, home style Italian food. Everything they make is amazing but my favorites are the Heart Stopper pizza and the basic Pepperoni Pizza. These are obviously on opposite sides of the pizza spectrum but wow, both are perfect. It just depends upon the mood. Pasta dishes are also fantastic here. The lasagna? It's so good that it has become our Christmas Eve dinner - the large catering platter will feed your hungriest crowd yet leave you plenty of leftovers for the Christmas recovery days. The staff is another high point here - always friendly and always willing to go out of there way to ensure that your visit or your take out are perfect. But I'm most impressed with Donatelli's constant battle to pump out their amazing food during the constantly changing battle with COVID restrictions and precautions. Thanks for being there and I wish you good luck and great blessings as you try to weather this storm.

Great family place to meet! Food and service are outstanding! Great place to take out as well! Love the pizza!

This is a must stop when you are in White Bear Lake. Not only has it been open for 42 years but it's been on Food Network! Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives even has some menu items that they made on the menu. The food here is fantastic, service is always great. It will always be one of our favorite stops!

When hitting up Stillwater MN, we wanted to see Donatelli's. We watched the DDD's episode and it was on the list. Parking: It's in a strip mall so ample parking, with reserved parking for carryout/pickup. Seating: We arrived at 4:20pm, coming in we were greeted by the nicest lady, who took us past the gelato and beer to the hostess stand. There was a great mix up of booths and tables with sturdy chairs. Everything was well spaced to accommodate wheelchairs. It was not very busy for the time on a Sunday. Food: We had the state fair sampler, 9.5/10. Curds, pickles, corn dogs and ravioli. It was the best thing we had. Cheese curds were amazing. Meatball sandwich, 6/10. This was okay a tad dry, meat balls were dense. It's not on a roll, served open face. But as my fiancé said "I'm still in my happy place." Take that as you will. Baked mostacholli, 4/10. This baked pasta tastes bland. Nothing special. Cannolis, 10/10. This cannoli was the saving grace of the night. Super good. Great deal. Filling was sweet, crunchy she All in all, if you come to this place. You're probably doing it for the gimmick. It's a fun place for kids. There are pink panther toys above the seating. Butterflies. Coloring pages. The food wasn't that special but it was fun to go to a Diners Drive Ins and Dives spot.

A long time fan favorite restaurant. I was working in the area needed a great dinner. This is one of my go to spots in the WBL area. Always have great service and food. Today I went with the cajun pasta meal an water. It was delicious.

Great food. Cute Decor, Friendly Staff Deep dish pizza was right out of the oven and tasted amazing

We went back to try other menu items and after this visit, we won't be back. Everything was very disappointing. The antipasti salad was wilted and barely had anything in it. The creamy Italian dressing was very tart and watery. The garlic toast was thick and super dry, no garlic flavor at all! Absolutely terrible. The meatballs were dry, spongy, dense and funky tasting - like a frozen meatball - no flavors of garlic or onion or Parmesan or parsley or anything a good Italian meatball should have in it. The sausage was also dry and funky tasting. The pasta is all homemade, which I love, but all of ours was very overcooked, not even close to al dente. Very mushy. There honestly wasn't one thing to rave about.

This is my go to when bringing lunch to clients and colleagues. The lasagna with a meat ball is my #1 favorite from the lunch rush menu. They also catered my daughter's grad party a couple years ago. The serving staff at the party was excellent. Trish was fantastic to work with in the planning process too. She had them make a custom gnocchi dish just for this event. I still think about it! Everyone said it was the best grad party food of the season. We have 2 more grad parties to throw in the near future and will be using them again.

Great Italian restaurant!! It's family friendly, great food n drinks, wait staff is awesome, prices are decent.

Super amazing place to eat, but I'm absolutely heartbroken they no longer have my favorite meal, the seafood cannelloni. Wish I would have gotten it one more time, literally one of my favorite bites of all time.

Last week we decided to have a small family gathering at Donatelli's. I didn't know what to expect with there being new owners, and because there have been a few negative remarks on Nextdoor. But I wanted to try it for myself to find out if the quality had changed. Yes prices are higher, but there's not a place around that doesn't have the same issue. There were 10 of us, so I expected service to be a bit slower and I was wrong. Service was great and everyone's food came out hot and delicious and no one was disappointed with their entrée or the appetizers. I am so glad its still a good place and I will continue frequenting Donatelli's.

Me and my boyfriend went in absolutely starving after a game and were pleasantly surprised. Has a super cool vibe, very family friendly but still classy. Our service was amazing as was the food. We got Italian fries which were AMAZING and a margarita pizza. Wonderful, would definitely recommend.

Seems there is always a wait. The dining room is smaller than their reputation. But it's warm and welcoming. The perimeter of the room is booths with ceiling tall walls in between for privacy. The center of the room has tables. The food is fresh and tastes homemade. Dinner salad was just lettuce and shredded carrot, but then covered in shredded cheese, homemade croutons, and homemade French dressing. I also ate a sourdough bread stick that was as good as my grandma's. Beef and cheese ravioli was delicious. I wish they had more filling, this is my only complaint regarding the food. The filling was tasty, just not near enough in each bite. Sauce was oh so so mmmmm. Heart Stopper pizza was the best we've had in a long time. Great sauce - great cheese. Covered in every kind of meat (we added salami because that's what we do), on thin crust, and were so thankful we got enough to bring home leftovers. Pizza was better than Fat Lorenzo's and as good as the original Red Savoy's. We need to go back and save room for ice cream next time.

Have eaten here several times and unfortunately this visit was not a great one. It's been around forever so you usually know that you will get a decent home cooked meal. Today I had the side salad which was fine. Nothing special. I believe they make their own dressings and the blue cheese is way too runny. A bit too much cheese on top! I had the chicken a la Donatelli but with red sauce. It was blah and didn't even warrant a take home box. As always , the pink panther display is changed for the season and always a bit creepy. Will try again but disappointed!

Literally the best Italian food period. We are fortunate to have this gem nearby. I love it!

Was our first time trying Donatellis. The hostess which was a tall beautiful sweet young lady advise me and my 8yo daughter that it would be a hour wait. My 8 year said it was mom and daughter night and she wanted to wait . I told the hostess , ok we will wait. And we did for about 40 mins. More sweet kids working gave my daughter ice cream samples while waited. We got seated and Tony was our server. Well at this point we put our order in fairly quickly ... lol. My daughter is pretty hungry . We did have to wait a little bit for our food even though our appetizer came out fairly quickly which was a nice surprise. But it was understandable the restaurant was packed it's a very popular place and it wasn't the staffs fault or the kitchens fault. So we waited. And I made sure my daughter didn't bother anyone or the staff ... because that's what parents should do. Tony kept checking in with us. The food came and we loved it ! Everything was great ! Tony brought us the check and took off the cheese bread because we had to wait for our entrees so long. I told him he didn't have to do that ... that we understood.... You guys are popular! We left , and I forgot my food box on the table. I was in my car and the hostess brought my food out !!! Omg. The whole staff so amazing. We will be back

Made our third trip to Donatelli's and it was fantastic yet again!!! I had the Pizza Turnover with an Italian/Hawaiian twist to it...ham,bacon,pineapple, meatballs,mushroons,and cheese. mmmmmm The Mrs had the Baked Mosticoli (her go to dish there)...ordered the Pizza Fries for aps and the Hot Fudge Cake for dessert. Miss Jessica was kind enough to take time for a picture too. Another Diners Drive-Ins and Dives favorite of ours

Food is good, always a nice atmosphere! It's a old family business that was taken over by someone else. They have done a great job. Maintained the food quality, it still has a family feel, if you get a chance check them out!

Wow, this is really delicious! Our first visit was amazing and we had been wanting to visit on a trip to Minneapolis for a couple years and finally our scheduled allowed lunch. Also, we had seen this featured on Diners, Drive Ins and Dives! There are so many items on the menu it is overwhelming and hard to decide what to try! So, we did a little sampling! For starters, we tried the Italian Fries, which I highly recommend! It's just simple pizza crust, covered in garlic butter and cheese with a perfect red sauce to dip in. We will definitely order these again - they were delicious! We also tried the Donatelli's Dunker, which is thick slice of Italian bread covered in mozzerella cheese and served with a perfect red sauce to dip in. This was good, but it wasn't crisp bread, more like floppy bread, so for that reason we preferred the Italian Fries. For dinner, my daughter and I split the Italian Jambalaya Pasta, which we ate until we were full and then enjoyed the rest warmed up in the hotel microwave the next night. Honestly, this was just as good reheated as it was when we were in the restaurant - which was amazing! My husband had the Meatball Sandwich and he loved it! Next time when we visit, I think it will be just as hard to pick our food, if not harder, because we really enjoyed our food this time. However, we do want to try the Bruschetta, because it looked amazing! The portions are huge, which would make it easy to share a few dishes between people!

Love love love Donatelli's. My grandparents used to take us here for a treat when we were kids. We go more often now that we're adults and are never disappointed.

Kathy B was by far one of the best servers I have had in a long time. I enjoyed her kind smile and her attention to detail. I had taken my dad out for a dinner since its been a while. The Kitchen staff made the food so good that I not only ordered for then but I also bought another 2 meals for tomorrow. This place is more than a place that has good food and great service. It also has so many memories. I used to go their with my aunt whom I took care of for 13 years and knew most of the staff. Since She past I had not been in much because it was our spot. Lunch service is always packed. Dinner service tonight was busy but Kathy B. Made sure that my father was well taken care of and she even indulge me with a shirley temple a drink I used to get as a child with tons of cherries. The Store has the same classy look. I can recall when the restaurant's old menus were massive. Make sure you check all over to see the decor that has been growing for years and years. I do like the new they make the food pop more and they always great. If you can get the tiramisu you will love it. I have not moaned like that for a while almost like when Harry meet Sally.

We are frequent visitors at Donatellis but have recently been disappointed in the food on our last three visits. Taste and presentation have declined. Soggy warm dinner salads, chicken not charbroiled and tough.

Great pizza and a great staff. I have now been here twice and I have really enjoyed the various pizzas. The heart stopper was probably my favorite, as I really love all of the meat. Easy to get a glass of wine at the bar while you wait to be seated, or enjoy a cup of gelato.

Been to Donatelli's many times! We now live out of town and this is one of the spots we have to eat at while we are visiting family. We always get the deep dish taco pizza and it never disappoints! One of the best things on the menu! The Italian fries are not to miss as well! There is some great ice cream if you are feeling that. The malts and shakes are delicious.

they jacked there price up. Not worth going there anymore. more likely they'll probably go out of business, because they won't get any business.

I really liked this place. A friend told us this was a good place if we wanted to eat decent Italian. In our attempt to make it here the other night, we gave up as it was a 35 min wait. Drove back today during lunch and got right in. The place fills up fast though and has a pretty good customer/ regular base. Booths all along the sides. Not sure what the pink panther theme is about, but cute. Ordered the onion rings for an appetizer. They were pretty good. Not too greasy and they serve quite a few. Usually don't order apps, but we knew the pizza would take awhile. Also ordered the Super HeartBurn Deluxe deep dish which is: - Sausage -Pepperoni -Onions -Mushrooms -Green Peppers -Black and Green Olives I must say, out of all the deep dish crusts I've tried in the Twin Cities, this is my favorite by far. I don't typically like deep dish- it's too much damn crust. This was a nice thickness, good dough and subtle. Plus the cheese was on top, not sauce caked on top and then the ingredients below. Sorry Chicago deep dish- I just don't like your deep dish. J thought it was good, but not Chicago good. Service was great. Extensive Menu Gluten Free Menu Catering Menu To Go Market Gelato Really cute place and always busy. They have so many more items I would like to try. Their bread looked amazing. I'll be back.

Excellent pizza and great service. I would recommend this place to everyone that's looking for some great food and pleasant environment.

So nommy! The menu online doesn't do their actual menu justice! (They should update it for sure). Quick food, big portions, the bread was great - cooked to perfection. The waitress was super lovely too, talkative and informative. SECOND VISIT; awesome ever changing beer menu. Food for everyone (I do wish they had more vegetarian options). Revisted and had Jessica help us. This place has AMAZING staff. She was so sweet. Offered amazing food suggestions, kind and funny commentary, and awesome service. We will be back!

This is hands down my families favorite restaurant to eat at together. We always have amazing food and great service there. On the few times that we've had issues, they always fix things and make us feel really welcome there. :)

A bit spendy, but great food and fun ambiance. Excellent service as well! New owners have maintained original recipes and menu.