Donato Enoteca

Food was delicious, we had kind of frito mixto, lamb meat ball, grilled octopus (excellent) , oxtail stuffed ñoqui with spinach and white sauce, ricotta canelones ,sparkling wine ,tonic water, delicious lemoncelo , a new version of ice cream tiramisu and espresso , no disappointment at all (sorry no food picture I was distracted) we arrived around 4 pm and was a happy hour (4pm to 6:30pm) and dinner start at 5pm. The hosstes, so nice , she offered to have a table in the bar and then at 5pm moving us to the dining area, and we accepted. the service in the bar with Ventura was so good and pleasant , if you are looking for a place with a nice personality and a good bartender this is your place, for that reason we didn't go to the dinning area at 5pm, we stay in the bar for dinner . At that time ventura got help and Eugenia takes over our table, also another very good service and actitud, she was very nice and attentive. They deserve 10⭐️, please take care them and don't let them go, is no easy to find that kind the person working in hospitality. The place look really nice and super clean. I like the style and decor also the bar have some TVs and patio. definitely I will return to enjoy more of the delicious dishes and the excellent service. thank you very much Ventura and Eugenia for tonight you guys gave us a beautiful night and experience , oh... I must've to mention another sweet lady , sorry I don't remember her name but she is Italian and also speaks spanish, very nice and sweet thank you again to all of you. See you soon🙏🙏🙏🙏

We came here for anniversary dinner and we were very surprise with the unique flavors and creative dishes! The portions sizes were just right and allow us to have an amazing dessert. Marco our waiter was very kind and accommodating, he was knowledgeable on the menu and made suggestions. Atmosphere was also very pleasant with a farmhouse cute interior design!

Donato changed his menus after 2 decades. Other than the charcuterie meats, which they make themselves and tasted great, the rest of the new menu is a huge disappointment. The menu is creative but the dishes don’t taste good at all, the ravioli is served so dry you can spit out the flour. Serving sizes are very small now. Totally ruined an authentic gourmet experience to a trendy but trying too hard vibe. Been coming for 20 years, we won’t go again unless we see significant changes on the menu and hopefully better execution. This was my previous 5 star review: Been my favorite Italian restaurant for 2 decades. Chef Donato created the menu based on his northern Italian heritage, tasty and unique. Very spacious and can accommodate parties of any size. Their pastas and pizzas are the highlight, the mains are all great as well. Comprehensive Italian wine selection and great house made sorbets and gelatos. After almost 20 years they are closing for a month to renovate and changing their menu for the first time. Can’t wait to try Donato’s new creations!

Have come to Donato for years now. However this was the first visit after the new renovations and menu overhaul. It’s never easy for any institutions to reinvent themselves, but Donato decided to redo everything after a decade plus. Still one of my favorite places in the bay area for its great food and better people.

Exquisite dining experience. Everything was phenomenal. I love the location and interior. The food is absolutely insane.

🍝 🍕 🍷 Friendly service and great vibes here with delicious food and a ton of wine options. I recommend the bruschetta appetizer with boar meat. The servers can easily recommend a wine based on what kind of wine you like. The wine is primarily from Italy and all are delicious. They also have basketball games on at the bar.

Best Italian food ever! I have lived 15 years in Italy and this is truly authentic Italian food! The restaurant is beautiful, the atmosphere is warm and cozy, the service is kind and friendly, and most important, the food is amazing! This will be my go to restaurant in Redwood City!! I am Keba Phipps two time Olympic volleyball player and 15 year professional volleyball player in Italy!! I Love Donato In Redwood City ❤️

We brought a group of 20 here for dinner, and the experience was excellent. Our server, George, did a phenomenal job — he kept everything organized, made sure everyone could customize their orders, and was attentive to allergies and dietary needs. He also knew the menu well and had great recommendations for wine, appetizers, and entrées. The food was outstanding, especially the ribeye and the tiramisu. The rest of the staff was equally attentive and helpful, which made the evening run smoothly. The atmosphere is classy yet comfortable, making it a great spot for team dinners or larger gatherings. Highly recommend both the restaurant and the staff, with special recognition to George for his outstanding service.

Came here for an anniversary dinner, and I have to say it was an excellent choice! Our waiter Carmine was terrific, we asked for suggestions on wine and he made sure to understand what we were having for our mains before selecting a good pairing. He also brought our complimentary champagne for the occasion! He helped make the evening lively and fun. There was also a live jazz duo that set the mood wonderfully. In terms of food, I'm in love. First thing that caught my attention is that all pasta dishes use fresh pasta, as it should be! Pasta is a bit more on the traditional al dente side, which may not suit all American palates, but I personally really enjoy it because it gives the pasta a bit more of a bite. We tried one pizza and one pasta dish - both were fantastic. The pizza crust is true to authentic Italian style (I can tell they use real 00 tipo flour), and the salt levels are light so as to not leave you feeling bloated after the meal. The short rib in my pasta was also so tender and flavorful without stealing too much focus from the pasta (in my opinion because of the strong al dente bite). 10/10 experience for sure. I've tried close to 10 italian restaurants at this scale in the bay and I have to say this makes it into my top 3 easily. Highly recommend!

I discovered this authentic Italian gem over a year ago, and it has remained my favorite Italian restaurant in the Bay Area! The customer service is consistently outstanding, and every pasta dish is crafted to perfection, cooked to the ideal 'al dente' texture. I can't recommend this place enough! If you appreciate authentic Italian food made the right way, then Donato Enoteca is the spot to be!

I would say my review is actually a 3.5 Finally came here after many years of driving by literally every day haha. Service was good, everyone was very nice... but we did have to wait some time for water and the restaurant was not busy at all. Let me start by saying the drinks are great - I had the Picadilly Circus, which is a Pimms, Aperol, vodka, lemon and tonic drink - and that was delicious. It was bitter and tart and just enough sweetness. I will be back for that! I also had a glass of brut prosecco that was perfectly cold and very sparkling - thank you for that! For apps we had the arugula salad with walnuts, tomato and mustard dressing. This was really tasty, the tomato was super flavorful and fresh, and the dressing nice and tart. My husband got the prix fixe menu which came with a thinly shaved cured beef, arugula and parmesan - this was pretty good. We also ordered the asparagus with duck egg - good but also underwhelming and could use a pinch of salt (which was not at the table), or maybe some acid. His meal was a buckwheat noodle with potatoes and cabbage - this also needed more flavor/salt and the pasta was a little dry and clunky - and also needed more seasoning. I ordered the greens ravioli with crispy sunchokes, and it needed more sunchokes as there were just a few shavings on top... and the pasta was also a little clunky. I feel like the pastas should be more delicate and refined... and perhaps with a bit more hydration as they eat a bit dry even with sauces and whatnot. We just had the dessert that came with my husbands prix fixe, which was a chocolate cake with ricotta gelato - the gelato was great but the cake was odd and very grainy. They served free house made limoncello for following them on IG, and that was delicious! That was the best limoncello I have ever had. So... I would come back for the drinks and some apps, but sadly I would not have a pasta again. We didn't try any mains (chicken, fish, beef, etc.) so maybe that is worth a go as well. If so, I will update my review!

Excellent service! Loved their ravioli Bergamaschi - I almost always take a doggy bag whenever I order ravioli, not here! Perfect portion size and very flavorful. Recommend

I have to admit to having pretty low expectations of this place... seemed like maybe another factory restaurant in downtown Redwood City. Wow was I surprised. Starting with the server, who is knowledgeable and had great recommendations. He suggested the calamari, and we expected something out of the fryer, but it turned out to be a delicious grilled calamari with long beans and salad. Really nice and unexpected. Also, had the branzino which was delicious and the green salsa was amazing. On top of some kind of polenta cake which went perfectly. The folks I came with, had a kind of short rib pasta, which they said was incredible, as well as a Gorgonzola pizza. Raves all around. Great spot with a cool vibe right in downtown and really delivered on food and experience experience.

Donato has been on my radar for a while but because there are so many Italian options in the Bay Area, I hadn't gotten around to trying it. My friend suggested it as she had been here many times and really liked it. I loved the menu as it has a lot of interesting dishes. The restaurant is spacious with 2 sections that can be booked for private group dining along with outdoor dining. There is also a bar/counter space. My friend suggested either the bigoli or tonnarelli and being in a seafood mood, I picked the tonnarelli. She got the bigoli so I got to try both in the end. We both ordered a glass of Prosecco and tbh, I wish they had a better Prosecco on the menu as the only one by the glass on the menu was meh. Both dishes were quite good. The pastas perfectly al dente. The calamari in the tonnarelli was tender and the bottarga added a bit of umami and salinity. The braised oxtail for the bigoli was meat and flavorful but not overly fatty. Service was friendly, but the one ding against this place, and hence 4 and not 5 stars was how long dessert took. We ordered dessert and it took 25 minutes to come out. The staff's reasoning is that it's a warm dessert so needed to be heated. (No, it was not something like molten chocolate cake that needed to be made fresh - just a cake that needed to be reheated.) I understand that some dishes need to be heated but 25 minutes for dessert is excessive. Next time I'm there, I'll know to skip dessert.

This establishment is an authentic Italian restaurant situated in downtown Redwood City, offering abundant seating both indoors and outdoors. The menu features a splendid selection of genuine Italian cuisine, along with an impressive array of wines and cocktails. Our office group chose to dine here. We commenced our culinary journey with Moscow Mule, which proved to be just right. Now, onto the dishes: Contorni - Cavolfiore Romanesco: Regrettably, this dish resembled a regular cauliflower, lacking proper roasting. The arrabbiata sauce failed to impress, leaving me at a loss for words. I strongly discourage ordering this. Antipasti: Insalata Radici Noci E Caprino: The crispy caprino cheese stole the show, but it was a single piece within the vegetable salad. Insalata Pollo: The grilled chicken breast was satisfactory. Calamari E Fagioli: The calamari and beans were commendable, but it was not what I had ordered (Tonarelli Al Nero Di Seppia). Insalata Gamberi: Prawns outshone the grilled chicken, grilled to perfection with a usual salad. Pasta Fatta: Spaghetti Carbonara: A cheesy delight, exceptionally creamy. A must-try for cheese and cream enthusiasts. La Carne e Pesce: Branzino E Porri: Grilled Sea Bass Fillet was impeccably prepared. The sauce and braised sweet leeks were delightful. However, no extras like salad were included. Panini: Piadina Di Verdure: Unfortunately, a disappointing dish. It featured a bland medley of roasted veggies in a panini. Best avoided. Finished off with Tiramisu which was just okay. While the experience was quite expensive, it is only truly enjoyable when the right items are selected from the menu.

Service was perfection! The wine and pasta paring was delicious. The sever had me try two different reds to see which was best to my liking. It was a wonderful lunch accompanied with great friends. We had pizzas and the pasta special Looking forward to coming back!

A solid Italian spot. I appreciated that the portions were filling and the service was fast. There was live music starting to play as we were leaving. The cappuccino was the highlight - so good! Agnolotti was also delicious. The bread basket was fine. Alcoholic beverages were on point. Outside of the cappuccino, nothing was a super wow, but it was all good. And definitely more bumping than I expected on a Thursday night!

We hadn't been back to Donato in a longtime. We revisited on August 2, 2024 The restaurant is very nice and classy. The service was excellent. The reason I'm only leaving 3 stars is the menu. We have 2 people in our family with dietary preferences. They aren't open for substitutions or modifications. One simple request they wouldn't do: add chicken to a salad. Charge me, but no, we can't do that. Can we change a side? No. Also, surprisingly no soup served. Again, very nice place and good service, but just not for me.

Donato Enoteca is one of our most favorite restaurants and we come here on special occasions. Everything about our experience here is top tier - the food, ambience, and service. The interior of the restaurant is gorgeous - rich colors, textures, warm and inviting. Beautifully decorated - each table setting is perfect - this adds so much to the dining experience. We started with an insalata invernale - the cinghiale was the star! We ordered the Bigoli e Coda - oxtail pasta with asparagus- always our favorite - absolutely did not disappoint- yum! Last but not least- we had the Cioccolatto Fondente e Nocciole with vanilla gelato - superb! Mille grazie Donato's!

For top of the line service and great tasting food ,this is the place to go. The owner/chef takes the flavors of his creations to the next level. We had a large party of 12 adults, and every dish that was ordered came out of the kitchen, not only looking delicious but loaded with flavor. From the one-off appetizers we were able to sample to the main course, everything was cooked to perfection. With the full bar serving up top shelf drinks, this place doesn't disappoint. Reservations are recommended since they get busy on most nights. Great place for after work gathering or a romantic evening this place can accommodate your needs. Parking is available across the street.

Wonderful food, fantastic service and a delight to sit outside! Excellent wine recommendations by Krinjal. Will return very soon.

Friendly bar, plenty of seating, happy hour & delicious food & espresso.. Donato & staff are always on point. Without a doubt one of my favorite Italian restaurants.

The service is incredible, really some of the best in the Bay Area. Everything I've ordered here has been very good. I personally like the pasta in squid ink. The panacotta is always delicious. Evertime I go to Redwood City, I go to Donato's. They are across the street from the library and parking is pretty good in this area. Go there! Go now!

Chef Scotti's use of seasonal , fresh ingredients is reflected in his cooking, focusing on Northern Italian cuisine. My family is from Northern Italy so we are tough critics, Donato's met our standards. An upscale dining experience, perfect for a celebration or a date night. Busy bar vibe on a Thursday evening, parking was plentiful across the street in a lot. We started with a bottle of Brunello di Montalcino as recommended by our knowledgeable waiter, the intense color with hints of cherry, berries and hints of oak was fabulous. The combination of flavors in the ravioli reminded me of ravioli I have had in Italy, the pasta dough was the perfect thickness, the brown butter sauce complimented the ravioli. The grilled Branzino was served with a salsa verde. We couldn't resist dessert, our selection did not disappoint, we will be back soon.

Service was very good. I ordered a spaghetti carbonara and it had very good texture. The serving size was generous enough. Spaghetti was cooked perfectly with just enough chewiness. I believe everything was seasoned perfectly while it was cooking, but add to that the very salty shaved cheese on top and the entire dish turned out way too salty for my taste. I think adding some plain-ish cooked pasta to mix in with the dish would just fix it

This place is great hidden gem. I've come here for cocktails at the bar, which I had no clue existed until I walked to the back of the restaurant. Bartenders knew how to make great drinks. Also came here for a special event, in a private room. It's a great setup for a large party. Calamari- not your standard breaded. It was too fishy for me and it was mostly beans. Meatballs- great dish. Can't go wrong. Burrata toast- came with half of the cheese round over veggies and toast. Oxtail pasta- can't recall its name but it was good! Pasta was nice and al dente. Meat was slightly dry but still very satisfying. Would def go back, especially on their outdoor deck space on a nice day.

I don't understand food standards in this area. This being 4 stars is odd, it's mediocre and overpriced at best.

I was looking forward to coming here as I have never been. It seems they do not cater well to large groups. Came here for my nephews 17th birthday. Party of 14. The server was missing half of the time. When he finally came around to take the order I asked if they had any pasta with a cream sauce that I could order. He basically said what you see on the menu is what you can order Ok .. I did see a beautiful carbonara pasta on yelp that I wanted to order but apparently its a lunch item. Like they don't have it in the back and can throw it in a pan. Anyway, about an hour in I had to ask for the 'free' bread, which they promptly delivered. Shouldn't this be on the table after you sit down? Their water game was strong, I'll give them that. Food came and my nephew's 'medium rare' steak came out medium, border line medium well. Bland, and dry. The ox tail dish was not impressive to two people at our table. Ravioli was 'ok'. I had to ask for parmesan cheese. Where is the dude that comes around and asks everyone if they want cheese?? For the price we are paying I should not have to ask for anything. Worst part was, they CHARGED us $42 because we brought our own cupcakes. Really? If you are going to charge this much, the service and food better be impeccable, which it was not. Pretty disappointing.

What a delightful Mother's Day treat! At Donato's, Fernando, our server, was incredibly prompt and attentive, offering impeccable recommendations that truly hit the mark. We indulged in a delightful array of dishes, from the savory charcuterie board to the exquisite rib eye steak, Mediterranean fish, and the heavenly cherry tart. Each dish was impeccably cooked and simply divine, making my Mother's Day dinner truly memorable.

Located in downtown Redwood City this intimate Italian restaurant has surprisingly great pizza and fish. While these two might not make the most sense to combine as main entrees, they somehow worked well for me and my dining companion. Pleasant company makes everything better! The branzino was flaky and well flavored with a lovely caper sauce. The beet goat cheese salad was such a tasty starter. I could have had it as a meal, but was reminded to up my protein intake. For dessert, the panna cotta (always forget how to spell this) with a stubborn candle that took a few tries to light was delightful. It was challenging for me not to finish this, but restraint is trait worth cultivating in some things. The waiter was also really great and didn't shame us for not having alcohol. As a non drinker who dined with a fellow almost non drinker this is always a plus!

Delicious food, and I would highly recommend the pizzas and chocolate cake. The lighting is a bit low for my taste, but the ambiance is very classy and peaceful. Service was excellent, and everyone was kind too.

Went here for dinner on a Saturday night for a belated Valentin's day dinner. Had a reservation and were seated right away. Table wasn't the greatest to be honest, right behind the bar but overall nice atmosphere and the waiter was also great. Recommended me a red wine that complimented the dish I selected in a nice way. We ordered the wild boar bruschetta as appetizer and the sea bass and the slow braised angus short rib as mains. The appetizer tasted good, but was a bit basic with not too much variation in taste. The braised short rib was nicely cooked and tender, however there wasn't nearly enough sauce so it felt a bit dry. The polenta could have been a bit creamier for my taste. The sea bass was good, but overall the dish was a bit bland and could have used some more seasoning. So overall good atmosphere, great staff, unfortunately the food was lacking flavor and didn't justify the price.

Never fails to deliver on food, wine selection, kids menu -my kids claim it's the best pasta so they're always happy to visit - and service. Check out happy hour for good deals & I've begun shopping at their in-house market so I have delicious sauces at home, too.

This review is for the food only. The service was amazing. We ordered a radicchio salad, burrata with rabe and tomato, bread service, roasted chicken, and branzino with garlic gnocchi. It was truly disgusting. The salad was nothing like the write up and would have been impressive if we were at Mel's Diner. The burrata was not creamy nor tasty with essentially stale bread and flavorless pesto. The burrata was also strangely ugly with overcooked broccoli rabe and a single stewed tomato. We would quickly learn this was not strange for this restaurant. The branzino was truly the ugliest dish I've ever seen with two shades of green paste, bits of brown something that vaguely looked like twigs, and no gnocchi, but rather a tasteless potato pancake with the texture of glue. While the green paste was clearly olive and tasted okay and the fish was cooked well, the potato blob was nasty. I couldn't eat it. Worse was the "roasted chicken" and potatoes which was swimming in a thin onion grease broth. My husband remarked that this was what he expected POWs must eat. The gruel onion grease broth destroyed the texture of the chicken which also had some green paste on one side only. Clearly the kitchen has zero quality control. While we did not have to wait for our food, it had clearly been sitting for quite some time before they brought it to us, which indicated they have a timing problem. They need to fire the chef and the cooking staff and start over. They also need to SCRUB CLEAN the restaurant as it smells like a frat house after a party - stale beer. We were seated in the bar area and had to move outside as the stink was unbearable. We would have walked out at that moment, but stayed because we had a gift card. Usually we walk out if the restaurant smells bad. I honestly wish we had and am surprised we did not get food poisoning. We will never ever come back to this restaurant since the food was that horrible. The front of house staff, however, should be hired en masse as they were great. The waitress, the servers, the hostess, the folks bussing - they deserve to work in a place with great food to match their great skills and chipper attitudes. This part of Redwood City has soooooo many better choices. Don't waste your time or money at this slop house.

Ordered takeout from Grubhub and initial impressions weren't great as the food came quite cold. Had to reheat things in the oven and microwave. With that being said, the food was still tasty once warm. Foiade di funghi: the buckwheat pasta was quite unique, especially the texture, which was a little grainy. It's a good juxtaposition to the smooth mushrooms. Tonnarelli al nero di seppia: Your standard squid ink pasta. Nice flavors, but a bit oily. Schiacciata nduja pesto e scamorza: The nduja had a nice spicy seasoning. The crust had a great chewy texture as well. Overall, a solid Italian spot with flavors that were spot on albeit a bit oily.

Great place area where you can reserve group of people. Parking area was kind of tricky I wasn't driving so it was fine I could walk LOL. Restaurant was intimate It was kind of dark where I was heading to or I am just half blind. Server was great he managed to take care a big group so hey I salute him. He fed me 3x in one sitting so I am not mad at it. First choice was Agnolotti Del Plin it was a perfection I demolished it in 2 mins. The savory pasta with the sauce was chef kiss! Second choice was the Pollo Arrosto in Tecia LET ME TELL YOU I WAS NOT A FAN OF IT the pollo word got me I think it was the oregano I just dislike the oregano and I had two bites of it probably. I should read next time. THIRD CHOICE WAS MY FAV Cioccolato Fondente E Nocciole was heavenly good! The warm chocolate hazelnut just won my heart! Best by far! I recommend it! I shall come back to try other menu! Until we meet again!

The service is wonderful, but the food is only okay for the price. I was not wowed at all. I was disappointed that they don't have the carpaccio anymore. It's just nothing really special for the price. Whoever does the menu needs to rethink because they have a really basic limited menu that isn't all that. I can go to Vesta down the street for some pizza & this tortilla thing is DEFINITELY not a panini. At least label properly....

I was excited about this restaurant after reading the SF Gate article on it, so scheduled a date night for it. Food: I would say this was 3 stars out of 5 stars. We got one salad and then shared 3 pastas. Every pasta felt over salted, I don't know why they were so heavy handed with the salt, I really recommend to lessen the salt by at least 25%. We tried the agnolotti, bigoli, and risotto, and I would have enjoyed all better if it wasn't so salty. Our starter salad was fine and the chocolate hazelnut lava cake was good. Ambiance: 4 out of 5 stars. We sat in the front room which felt warm and cozy, I'm glad I didn't get seated in the main open section which felt more pub like and maybe a little too casual. Service: 4 out of 5 stars. Our waitress was very knowledgeable, and I appreciate that water was refilled a couple times. One odd thing is they kept trying to remove the bread basket while we were still eating. After our first course of pasta, they tried to remove the bread and I let the server know we were still working on it. After our second course of pasta, they just removed the bread without asking. We still had a third course of pasta left, so it was odd. Annoyance I want to mention: we split three pasta dishes and asked our waitress to course it out for us. They did this well, but I would have just liked the transparency that they were going to charge extra for that. We ended up paying a split fee charge for each course, which was $3, $3, $7 totaling $13. Out of the charges, $7 seems a bit high for splitting a plate. There's no mention on the menu about splitting fees so I would have just liked if they could have let us know ahead of time about the split fee charges. I think that's the professional and courteous thing to do, and we would have still split the plates. It's just never pleasant to find a surprising charge on your bill. Overall, I'm glad I tried it once but don't think I would repeat.

This place was on our list for a while so we were excited to finally try it. We loved the ambience. The place was beautiful and clean, the back patio was quiet and perfect for the summer weather. Unfortunately, the food was disappointing. The polpette (lamb sausage) - the best food of the night, the lamb was tasty but the focaccia was more like pizza crust The calamari - the components of the dish were good but the calamari was under-seasoned and needed more of a char The manzo (steak) - nothing to write home about, sauce wasn't great, overpriced ($38) The tonnarelli (squid ink pasta) - was really disappointed with this dish. It was also under-seasoned and had zero seafood taste. There were bits of calamari but you really wouldn't be able to tell by eating it The chocolate cake was really good but the olive oil cake was dry The service was friendly but not quite as attentive as usual places at this price point. It took a while for us to meet our waiter and no one checked in much and asked how we liked our food. Overall, a very beautiful restaurant but I don't see us coming back here with the flavors currently being served.

We have always thoroughly enjoyed Donato Enoteca. Great authentic Italian food, excellent service by wonderful staff, and outdoor seating is awesome!

Delicious! Everything tasted very fresh and flavorful. Servers were very nice but a bit slow

TL;DR: We chose the location based on a great review: https://www.sfgate.com/food/article/unexpected-bay-area-best-italian-food-18343632.php and the experience was thoroughly disappointing. The basic pasta place or the Mex next door is probably more fun. Why 3* ? - it's still OK to go, but don't expect that it lives up to expectations. Asian or American or Mexican food is usually safer - Italian almost always disappoints. Get a plane ticket, and eat at any nondescript trattoria in Italy - a better investment of time and money. If that's too far - try Eataly in the Westfield Mall in San Jose - way better. Location: big place, too cold indoors - I kept my down vest on- on a September evening in the Bay Area; the table was very nice, big, round, white linen but wobbly - Service: It took three (3) requests to have it stabilized. Water came after I explicitly requested it after some 10 or more minutes - one glass, no refills,m, no inquiries - in the "basic" glass (clearly: oh you're cheap - only tap water so we treat you that way) - rather than offering still bottled water (Italian style). Almost all menu items had pork in some form - it was a non-pork evening for me (holiday) so I got their signature dish "Ravioli bergamaschi "scarpinocc" " (see pic on review above) - let's say they 'were taste neutral' and a bit bitter. The pasta was very "al dente" - what I call "al dentiste" - washing it down with the one glass of tap water I was allowed to have. My friends loved their pasta and the pizza (which looked good). Ambiance - it could be a great Italian restaurant but they would need Italian style&spirit people. So - YMMV - read the other reviews - maybe I was unlucky with my choice - service is bad - most agree -

Came here for my friend's birthday and had high hopes for this place since they make their pasta from scratch. Problem is the pasta was super thick and chewy for the mixed rabbit meat one. It looked like ravioli but tasted half cooked with boring kind of tomato tasting sauce that overpowered any of the meat. The boar pasta was easier to eat, but was salty and lost its appeal after a few bites...sonit really was a bore....get my play on words? The burrata was small with four thinly slices pieces of tomato for $15 which was not worth it. It needed more oil and flavor. The cheese was okay, but not outstanding. Overall, this restaurant didn't wow us and they did not do anything special for the birthday girl which was sad. The waiter mentioned something about buying a dessert, so maybe if you buy a dessert they'll give you a candle or something. We decided to skip the dessert since the food wasn't all that good and we didn't want to eat there any more. At noon on a Sunday we were only one of 4 tables, and now I can see why.....

Had a nice date night at Donato Enoteca. Live music but at a nice level where you could still have a conversation. Service was attentive and friendly. Lemon drops were fresh. Ordered Brushetta Di Cinghiale (braised wild boar), Biete Caprino (beet salad) and Foiade Di Funghi (mushroom), tiramisu and tart for dessert everything tasted amazing. Paid parking across the street Noticed they have a outside dining area with booths

Unbelievably horrible service when I went here. Had to call the waiter multiple times for everything - I couldn't even get water without calling them over! Had to check at least once for: -water -bread -check on status of appetizers -check on entrees It's now been over an hour since we sat down and we've only gotten 1 (of 2) appetizers and no entrees. Insane.

Great service here. I was here for the special menu in November when the truffle pasta was on menu. Delicious. Good service. Good choice in san mateo county for dinner. Some appetizers were not fresh or tasty on my last visit but not any reason to deduct from star rating as i am not a fan of bad restaurant reviews as it's just an indication for management to correct it. You will have a great time here; worth the visit! I love sitting in outdoor area facing street when it's warm out. I will be back :) thanks

I'm not sure how this place ever got a 4 star rating and got to charge the prices they do for the inedible food they serve. I went here with a group of 5 and we left all our food as-is. Had to do go somewhere else after to find edible food. I DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS PLACE TO ANYONE Service- terrible. The entire restaurant was empty but they seated us in the extreme back next to the staff / washroom area. It was really uncomfortable and hard for us to understand because they literally had all their good tables free. On asking, they said they're expecting other people which was clearly a lie considering we left at restaurant close and those tables were still empty. Oh, did I tell you that our reservation was for outdoor seating which also was not honored by them. I almost feel I could sense racism in there but I gave them benefit of doubt. In general, the server wasn't helpful, was really slow to attend. Food- this is where I was disappointed the most. We literally tried 11 things on the menu and the only one we actually managed to eat was their desserts. I am a regular Italian fine dining eater myself so I wouldn't call myself a noob on this. We ordered their margherita pizza (-1/5) - the worst I've ever eaten. Amazed at how a place can mess up the simplest pizza ever. Shrimps appetizer with corn tots (1/5)- was edible. The shrimps came with the heads on, fried in a tasteless batter. The corn tots were alright but made no good pairing with the shrimps. Sides of zucchini and asparagus (3/5)- these were the only thing good. For mains, I got their vegetarian ravioli (-2/5) which was bitter. I left the entire plate. My friend got the chicken (-1/5) - again terrible, we left it as-is. And finally, the pork chops (2/5)- just alright. We also got their desserts - these were the highlight of the night. I guess their dessert chef is different from the savory chef and is definitely doing a much better job. All in all- I do not recommend this place to anyone. Im not even sure how they're still in business

Came here for a surprise bday lunch and first of all - the service was amazing. I brought fresh flowers and they brought over a bucket with water for the flowers to sit in! I love that extra touch. They were super accommodating moving the umbrellas around give we were sitting outdoors and it was a pretty sunny day. We started our meal with a few appetizers - the Polipo Patate E Olive (Octopus appetizer); the Burrata E Pomodori and (not pictured) Prosciutto Cotto Pizza. I will say BEST way to start the food adventure. The Burrata was SO creamy with the FRESH and SWEET heirloom tomatos. The Octopus appetizer with thin- sliced had so much flavor! And the pizza was perfect - think crust, lost of arugula for a bit of bitterness along with their homemade prosciutto which is NOT overly salty - more like ham - so was meaty. All delicious! I could only speak to what we ordered - which was the Branzino E Zuchinne and their special pasta which was a spaghetti bolognas with Octopus. I LOVED my Branzino which was a grilled Sea bass filet with a medley of grilled zucchini and potatoes along with a lot of herbs and a light San Marzano tomato sauce. Was absolutely tender, light, flavorful and delicious with the abundance of grilled zucchini that was slightly charred and they had roasted potato wedges that gave a difference in texture. Unfortunately hubby didn't enjoy the special - it was was too heavy though the description of spaghetti with Bolognese sauce should of been a hint - it totally overpowered the octopus which he was looking forward to. The friends who ordered the Risotto E Panci Di Maiale (Carnaroli risotto parmigiana, crispy Niman Ranch pork belly, winter greens with a demi-glace sauce) and the Pollo Arrosto Inteca (Terrra cotta roasted natural free-range Mary's chicken, Yukon potatoes, Bosane olives & oregano) both cleaned their plates clean so I'm assuming it was good :) We ended up sharing desserts - the absolute best Chocolate Molten cake EVER!! So chocolaty with the perfect oozzing in the middle paired with ice cream was AMAZING... We also enjoyed the Citris panna cotta - light with just the right amount of citris... that was a complementary dessert for the birthday girl that she so kindly shared. And the Tiramisu was good as well, nothing outstanding but very solid in flavor and texture. We also had the gelato that had fruit included - very refreshing. Will definitely be heading back - service, food and atmosphere was EXCELLENT!!

Love this place. It used to my favorite celebration restaurant, but that's up for debate. Last time I was here a beautiful couple bought me dinner and offered to crew me for Barkleys Marathons - ha! Gosh, again, if you couldn't even buy me a Whole Foods gift card after I suffered economic abuse last fall... citing travel reasons as excuses.. well I don't determine what happens to you, not that creative.. ha! But enjoy your day!

Came by for dinner the other night and it was a tasty experience! Parking was available on the street! Made a reservation and our table was ready upon arrival! Restaurant had both indoor and outdoor seating. Waitstaff were all wearing masks and some had a disposable glove on one hand?!? Our waiter Simone was fantastic, super attentive and courteous for the entire meal! They had a prix fixe option which seemed like a steal for $48! Started off with the complimentary bread and it was super fresh with the side garnish! The salad was very light and fresh with tomatoes and cucumbers along with a very light dressing. The main course was a Berkshire pork T-bone which was quite fragrant but was awfully dry. The flavor was good though. The local mushrooms were decent, although a touch on the bland side. I wasn't a fan of the polenta cake. The dessert was a vanilla custard which was decent, although a touch on the sweeter side.

My favorite Italian restaurant in the area. High quality food, good service. Highly recommend bigoli e coda.

My favorite place, food amazing , service very Profesional and friendly at the same time!! It's difficult to say my favorite plate because I love every part of the menu.

Last Friday, my wife and I felt like revisiting Donato for Italian dinner. We didn't have any reservation, but the hostess was kind enough to accommodate us. Perhaps, we were there a bit early (5pm). As soon as we were seated, our server (Christian) came to our table and explained the menu professionally. As a result, we decided to have the following dishes... Bruschetta Di Cinghiale Spicy Sausage Pizza Ox-tail Pasta While we were deciding which bottle of white wine to pair our dinner, Christian (our server) recommended us this bottle. Furthermore, he was kind enough to offer us a taste for the one we planned and the one he recommended. We were glad that I take his recommendation for the wine, it was so much better than the one we chose. Suggestion when ordering wine: tell your server your budget and what you're looking for Ambience: 4 Stars Service: 5 Stars Food: 4 Stars Price: 4 Stars Bruschetta Di Cinghiale: the pork was juicy, not dry at all, great for appetizer Spicy Sausage Pizza: although there wasn't much toppings, but the taste was quick complex and strong due to the home made spicy sausage Ox-tail Pasta: all pasta was home made, the texture of pasta was perfectly cooked. I could feel my mouth was full of ox-tail =P House bread with pesto source (Complimentary) Squid Ink Pasta: I had it there last time, it was also very good Note-1: Make sure you make reservation in advance, or else you may not get a table at all Note-2: They used to have a Happy Hour menu, but it was not available now; otherwise, it will be another perfect reason have early dinner there

Wanted to like this place. Really did. Server was thoughtful and charming. Drinks were sophisticated. But food was consistently disappointing, as if owner had taken his eye off the ball. Let's start with antipasti. Fried eggplant was okay, but overpowered by dependency on too much spicy sausage. Seemingly sitting in the same sauce as the the eggplant, the burrata was a train wreck. Cold and rubbery exterior encasing an interior that had consistency of cheap cottage cheese. Next came the entrees. Seafood dish was well sauced but collapsed under weight of shrimp and cod tragically overcooked. Even more overcooked (and oversalted) was the pork chop. Dish had consistency and look of a pile of retreads. Come on, really??!! Such unnecessary errors. I hope the owner gets back in the kitchen soon and reclaims culinary oversight. Fingers crossed.

Really good experience! The atmosphere was perfect for our birthday dinner. Very relaxing and cozy. Service was excellent and attentive and food was great and in my opinion very authentic Italian. Overall not terribly expensive for an upscale Italian restaurant and everyone enjoyed it. Parking across the street in the lot was also a breeze. Only small complaint was that the portions were a bit small for main courses but its not terrible. Would highly recommend. The fish and pizzas were the highlights of our meals.

One of my fave Italian restaurants on the Peninsula. For dinner, they offer a special prix fixe menu as well as their regular menu items and daily specials. My cousin and I were interested in the truffle items on the prix fixe menu, so we opted to have one prix fixe menu option as well as adding a pizza and broccolini on the side. Needless to say, our decision did not disappoint. Who would've thought a parmesan panna cotta topped with prosciutto and truffle shavings would be the star of our dinner. Pair your meal with their recommended wines and cocktails. I'm a tequila girl so I opted for an "El Diablo." When our dessert came, they recommended we try their port which paired well with the tiramisu. As we ended our night, we were also able to meet Chef Donato! Definitely will be returning to this location.

This place used to be good when Donato first opened it after leaving Il Fornaio. It seems he no longer cares. He was nowhere to be seen, not being the "front office" manager he used to be. Nobody ever asked us how our meals were. I had the "Calamari Alla Griglia" appetizer. These calamari never saw a "griglia." They were breaded and deep fat fried to the point of obliterating any flavor other than the fried breading they were battered in. For an entre I had the Tonnarelli Al Nero Di Seppia. This turned out to be a mess of pasta noodles with almost no recognizable calamari or anything else. Just boring noodles - no interest, no creativity, I could have boiled Ramen and gotten more enjoyment. We know Italian, and we know Italian food. This was just uninspired crap, and nobody cared enough to ask if we were enjoying it.