Donato & Co.

Had a lovely dinner at Donato & Co in Berkeley. 🇮🇹 The atmosphere was cozy, and the service was friendly. The risotto was a great choice—creamy, well-balanced, and satisfying. 🍚👌 The rest of the menu had solid options, with fresh ingredients and classic Italian flavors. Overall, a good spot for a relaxed meal! 🍷

This is the best Italian food that you can get around here, in the modern, high end sense of Italian cuisine. It comes in a sophisticated, not pretentious ambiance. The wine list includes some of the best and rarest Italian bottles available and the cocktail list is worth the visit alone. I’ll keep going back anytime I want to splurge in authentic, contemporary Italian food and wine.

My fiancée booked this place to surprise me for a birthday dinner. I was skeptical because he’s not the best at choosing restaurants. I asked to go to some place that serves organic, real, thoughtful yet rustic food. This restaurant hit all of those points. Everything was delicious. We got the radicchio salad, dived into the spaghetti Neri and the calamari and octopus dish. We wanted more food as portion are about medium size. We then added the truffle ravioli; downed everything with wine and left happy. Service was excellent also- no BS and quick, thanks for a nice time!

The service is outstanding! We had a great time at this lovely place. We tried the popular Parmigiano and Vasetto (chicken liver), and we loved them. The pasta was good, but we weren't amazed. Would like to try the Spaghetti Neri and Calamari next time, and would recommend making a reservation before visiting.

We had a truly lovely early dinner at the bar. Bobby, the bartender, was wonderful. Kind, accommodating, and the perfect host. Didn’t blink when I asked for a special drink, and quite knowledgeable about the menu and the wine choices. The manager was also as kind and warm a host as one could hope for. We arrived before the official dinner hour, but he kindly escorted us to the bar where we dove into the happy hour menu. We started with several appetizers, all of which were tasty and well presented. I particularly enjoyed the sausage, and the polenta with fontina. Our good intentions of stopping after the appetizers gave way when I saw the spaghetti al neri with bay scallops on the menu. A perfectly sized portion of delicious pasta and scallops. My wife had the squash tortelloni with sage and brown butter. Delicious balance of sweet and savory. Highly recommended!

Super slow service, below average food. Ambience is okay. Not recommended for larger groups. We came in at 5:30 and they dragged us here till 930 with absolutely lousy service, that too when it was not too busy otherwise.

There’s something very authentically Italian and brave about this place. I had cappelletti with fig reduction and Walnut sauce and it was spectacular. However, I had so much sweet fig reduction in my mouth at first that it was almost off putting. Digging into the dish I realized how good it was. We sat at the bar and had some excellent cocktails. Overall, I would definitely go back again.

Celebrated a birthday dinner here. Overall we had a great experience. Our server was friendly and attentive. The food was delicious and its a really nice space. I highly recommend the Calamari and Octopus main(see pic), the pork chop, and the Salumi appetizer. We ordered the brussel sprouts as a side and they were pretty bland.

Came here alone in emotional distress yet was soothed by great services and food Recommend all dishes I ordered

Pasta was hard and undercooked - not al dente, but truly when chewing the pasta, it was white in the middle and felt like I was chewing the sides of string beans. And it was tagliolini so it was extremely thin. While the dish was cold, not even room temperature, the sauce was silky and made well. Our server asked if we wanted another dish because she had made a mistake and thought this random dish would go well together with our food. We wondered if it would be on the house since this was a mistake, cold, and offered to us. We wondered why it was not just sent back to the kitchen and thought it might be efforts to lessen food waste. It was practically shoved in our face and she kept selling this dish and practically put it on our table. We felt uncomfortable and confused with this interaction but said sure.. When the check came, there was a 3% tariff that we weren't aware of or noted anywhere and she didn't check to make sure the bill was correct. We paid for that lukewarm overly salty dish the server gave us too. Nice! Rest of the staff were nice and ambiance was overall fine.

Donato has a cute atmosphere, and a good variety of food / drink options, but I have a few things to note (why I'm rating them 3 stars): 1. Some of the food was a bit bland / not that exciting (the gnocchi sauce was great, but the gnocchi themselves were plain and a bit lacking on flavor). 2. The service was good until it left a weird taste in our mouth... our server was really nice and felt like she was taking care of us. We ordered the Scarpetta appetizer which is basically focaccia with burrata cheese in tomato sauce. It was probably the most flavorful thing we had, but she brought it out with an extra side of focaccia (that we did NOT ask for, mind you) and said she felt this needed more bread and wanted to bring us some. Super nice! Until she charged us for that side of focaccia (that again... we didn't ask for), at the end of the meal. Ok, $4 is NOT a big deal, but the principle of this... left us confused and felt cheated. Not cool. 3. Not living in Berkeley, and about 20ish min away from here, it's an outing to go out here. I don't think I'd push to come back here, honestly. I'd come back if it came upon me, but I do think the service note I mentioned above really left a weird impression.

I recently tried this for lunch and overall thought it was just okay. The appetizers and ricotta were decent, but the cacio e pepe was a real disappointment. I almost never send food back, but in this case I couldn't eat it -- the pasta tasted like it had just been microwaved, lacking the freshness and flavor you'd expect from such a classic dish. While the atmosphere was nice and some items were enjoyable, I probably wouldn't try it again.

This place is very disgusting. The food has no flavor what's so ever I get it's an Italian restaurant and quote on quote it's from scratch . The customer service is also very bad long wait time .

My husband and I sat at the bar to have dinner tonight. After I received my pasta I o asked for some Parmesan cheese and the bar tender told me that the chef recommended not to add Parmesan cheese to my spaghetti neri, so I replied that in my country we use spaghetti cheese in that dish. He was sullen and pretentious! Do us a favor managers: tell your employees that the customers are always right, whatever the want they can ask for. It is a very pretentious restaurant . Employees seem to be living in Rome. Do us another favor treat the clients with respect to their cultural identity. At the end the bar tender turned his back to us. Very poor service,

This place is so cute and classy! The food is good, but make sure if you don't like your pasta al dente you tell them! I made that mistake and felt like a lot of the dishes were undercooked, but it just wasn't made to the way I like it! Otherwise, the restaurant was super cute, easy to get a reservation on a Saturday night for 7 and wasn't too crowded. Definitely try it out if you're in the area! Drinks are great too!

Donato is classy space in Elmwood, that perfectly complements an evening at the theater, and a stroll to Mrs Dalloways and / or The Book Society. I've been watching Stanley Tucci's program on food in Italy, and was pleased to see some dishes on the menu that he's gushed over. This seems like a more authentic Italian experience than most places. I had the Tortini, while the wife enjoyed the Cacio E Pepe. Both were excellent, and the portions were reasonable. I also had a carafe of Primitivo. For dessert was a hazelnut cake with chocolate sauce and hazelnut gelato, and I had affogato using hazelnut gelato. Absolutely fabulous. The prices unfortunately will prevent us from dining here regularly, but like I said, this is a great component in a lovely date night.

Had dinner on a Sunday night here with family and had a lovely time. The inside has a great atmosphere with great lighting and lots of wine!! The menu had a lot of options, and there were a lot of seafood options that caught my eye! I'd stick to the pastas over the entrees as I felt they were the highlight of the meal. The pasta was cooked perfectly and handmade by the restaurant!! The service was a little slow, so be sure to come when you're in the mood to wine and dine.

Came here on a Thursday evening and was seated immediately. Great server she was so animated and fun. Loved the food, drinks, and service. My friend and I both got a cocktail and it was yummy. I tried their mushroom pasta it was SOO good! Great experience all around. Parking is a bit hard to find so allocate some extra time for that! Price is reasonable for the delicious bites!!

Ambiance was nice. Pasta was decent, but not special. Not sure what took so long. It was a long wait. Appetizers were great. Bread basket was okay, but I don't think we would order it again. Service was not consistent. Table next to us sat after us, but they got the food before us and left before us.

Thanks Yelp for helping us find Donato & Co after finding out that another Italian restaurant we wanted to try was closed on Sunday. Making a reservation was easy through Open Table. We opted for indoor seating as yesterday evening (08/11/2024) was a bit chilly. We started out with the burrata and mixed greens. Burrata and olives were tasty. We liked the various greens and thought they paired nicely with the vinaigrette. I had my eye on the squid ink pasta on Yelp and decided to order it based on the waitress' recommendation. First time having squid ink pasta and it won't be my last. Aunt got the pork chop, which she enjoyed. For dessert, I had the marscapone with salted caramel sauce. It came with almonds and rice crumbles. The crumbles weren't my fave, but I liked the marscapone and caramel. I also considered the hazelnut cake so I think I'll try that next time. Waitress was super nice and gave good recommendations. Service was somewhat slow and the restaurant wasn't super busy. We'd definitely come back for the food. Hopefully next time service will be quicker!

Such a cute date place. The food is good and the waitress and waiters are friendly. Great local neighborhood date night place. It's my new favorite place to go to for date night and family dinner nights as a nice place to go.

Pros: design, ambiance, friendly service Cons: food is not good I wouldn't even give it one star, the worst was the pizelle it tasted like elementary school pizza, portions are tiny, food came out cold, coffee even came out cold

Really wanted to like this place However: Management is rude Food is bland. It is overly expensive The portions are tiny for the price point It doesn't really seem like they know what they're doing Won't be back

We were in town celebrating our daughter's graduation and wanted to find a place with a good vibe and good food for a celebratory dinner for six people. Donato & Co totally hit the spot! Here is what we liked: - Our server, Kathryn, was amazing...attentive, but she picked up on our cues that we didn't want to be rushed so we were able to have a leisurely dinner without each course coming out on top of each other. - They had a great cocktail menu, so we all opted to start there. Very fun! - I asked for a recommendation for appetizers for our sized group, and Kathryn recommended the Salumi board, Formaggi board, and two orders of Arancinis. It was perfect and so good! - All our meals were wonderful. My wife and I split both the Pappardelle and the Tortino...and we loved each of them. The Torino was pretty unusual, and has not made me love fava beans! - For dessert, we split the Gelati and the Crema Cotta (which was especially yummy!). - We sat in a very comfy booth; the vibe overall was really laid back and warm. FYI, for our group of 6, a gratuity of 20% was automatically added to our bill (even though no one ever mentioned that would happen and we didn't see it noted anywhere), plus there was a charge of $12.75 for "living wage." Despite this, they still had a "Tip" line showing on the bill for people to fill in so be sure to review your check! Bottom line: We loved Donato & Co and would jump at the change to return.

First: yelp guided us here when we looked up Italian restaurants in the area. Thanks, yelp! We arrived to a packed restaurant on a Saturday night and the host managed to get us a great table near the kitchen. Second: our server, Natala, was incredible!!! She strangely read our minds frequently around what we wanted to try, or order. She was able to match what we were looking for every time we described what we wanted. And she is super fun. Third: this food is unbelievable!!!! Every single dish is amazing. Like chez pannise but better?! The lamb is the best dish. Period. Squid ink spaghetti is amazing and the spice is perfect. The calamari in the spaghetti is sooo soft and melts in your mouth. I can't say enough about this food! Oh, the drinks! The bartender is an alchemist. And even the coffee: zero acidity. We drank it black.

I was dying to try the UOVO salad and it did not disappoint. The greens with the dressing were yummy and the fried egg added an interesting texture, both crisp and soft and I wish I could have one every day. We shared the Parmesan flan and Salumi, I thought both were tasty but not anything to get excited about. The tortellini with eggplant I would order again though, a small portion but filling. I also enjoyed their non-alcoholic beer option and hope more restaurants begin serving these drinks.

This neighborhood Italian spot wraps you up like Sunday dinner at home--if home came with a sommelier and handmade pasta. The warmth hits you first, all smiles and familiarity, but it's the food that lingers. Their pastas are tender with that perfect al dente bite, blanketed in sauces that cling just right--rich, balanced, and never overdone. Every dish feels like it was made for you. Add a wine list that reads like a love letter to Italy, and suddenly, you're family.

The ambiance is dead-on; the food is good. We had no problems getting reservations on a Sunday for our wedding anniversary, and we were greeted kindly by the hostess. So why not five stars? The service. Our waitress was friendly, but it took FOREVER to get our food and even longer to get the check. Fortunately, a friend was watching Baz and was patient with us returning a little later than we'd expected, but it was frustrating trying to flag her down. When we finally did, she said: "You two have been hiding in this spot -- out of sight, out of mind." Noted.

One of my favorite restaurants in the east bay! We drive here regularly from Pleasant Hill for the delicious cocktails (Bianco Negroni), amazing house made pasta (cacio e Pepe to die for) and dessert (cioccolato e cioccolato). One of the few places with upscale food that's appropriate for kids. Love love love.

We stopped by Donato & Co in Berkeley on a Friday night for their happy hour, and overall, it was a pretty decent experience. First off, the happy hour prices were great! I tried their cheese board, salad, and pasta, and while everything was good, it didn't quite blow me away. The cheese board was nice--generous portions and a good variety--but I've had better elsewhere. The salad was fresh and had a nice dressing, but it felt a bit underseasoned for my taste. The pasta was the highlight of my meal. It was cooked well and had a nice flavor, but I felt it could have used a little more depth. The ambiance was cozy, and the staff was friendly, which always adds to the experience.

Exceptionally marginal. Salad - over dressed to the point of virtually inedible. Bolognese was good, but just good. Cacio e Pepe, watery and flavorless. The menu warns al dente, which is fine, but this was ultra al dente. All of this marginal goodness comes with an extraordinary tab. Seemingly friendly but inattentive service. Not a lot of Italian in the east bay, and based on this visit I understand why.

Fabulous! I celebrated my birthday here with my best friend. Service was amazing. Food was spectacular. Photos speak for themselves

My husband and I had dinner last night at Donato's. The appetizer we ordered turned out to be just a bowl of tomato sauce...with 3 olives and a few capers and some bread....not really good. I ordered the ravioli and they were so under cooked that I could barely cut them and the filling and sauce were not tasty. My husband's pasta dish was very small and not great. And, at the end, it took a very long time to get someone's attention to pay for dinner and then have someone come to get the credit card. Sorry but this was a very disappointing dinner.

Horrible service. I dined alone Sunday around 130pm, nothing at all special, wasn't even offered bread or anything. These places are truly a shame, I see why so many go under. Not even nice or anything, miserable looking staff! Will NEVER be back, not even for free! Cacio e pepe was gross, odd flavor a goopy mess and not even very warm, either people have no taste buds or just eat anything, I walked out. Straight RIDICULOUS. Go to gypsy's on Durant, better prices and food is more than lukewarm!

We went for the first time for the pre fixe Christmas Eve menu and it was amazing! The restaurant was so festive and decorated beautifully and the service was top notch. We felt welcomed and spirits were very high. Attentive staff. We did order one item off their regular menu which was the NY steak and my son loved it ! Wonderful seasoning and everything tasted great. We'll definitely be back again and will bring our whole family next time !

I walked in here after my Pilates class next door over, and had to kill time to pick up my husband. It's a decent place near UC Berkeley with great atmosphere for date nights or just solo at the bar or table. I was recommended a fettucini and overall, it was nice and unique but then again, I chewed on small crab shells each bite. If you're on a date and you need to look good, avoid eating the fettucini unless you want to spit out the small broken shells each bite lol The bread that came with the food was nice but I wish the sauce came on time. Portion is okay, but I would definitely order a salad or appetizer to fill up more. Service was friendly and chill all around from host to servers, but not too detail oriented. Might be back if I'm around the area when hungry. I also wouldn't say no if someone else makes a date to come here, but wouldn't travel just for this solo.

Jill is an amazing server - engaging, fun. And knowledgeable. We felt special. She is multi-lingual and molto talento!

Three middle aged folks walk into a restaurant and order the prefix menu and some cocktails. They lived happily ever after. Great fresh pasta and salad. The cocktails were delicious! I'd go just for the cocktails.

The service was fine, though we we were told we couldn't taste wines that were offered by the glass. The real problem was the food, which was either (1) bland as in the case of our main entree or (2) portioned far too small as in the case of our pasta. The pizzelle was crisp at the edge but undercooked in the middle. Even the bread in the bread basket was stale. The best thing we ate were the potatoes and the olives which any short order cook could have made. One entree, one pasta, one appetizer, two sides and two glasses of wine = $196?? Won't be going back.

This Italian restaurant has fabulous food. It's a nice atmosphere, and when we visited there were several large family groups dining (as well as more intimate tables). Service very friendly. Our water glasses were kept full. The menu changes frequently. I had Cappelletti: prosciutto and cheese stuffed pasta with a roasted walnut sauce, currents, and a fig reduction. This was AMAZING as the sweet fig reduction was tangy and sweet and balanced the salty meat. My husband had an eggplant stuffed pasta which was also good, and our dining companions had rock cod and another pasta dish. We normally go to Belotti for pasta. What Donato has over them is more choices on non-pasta items, easier to get a reservation, with equally good pasta, and a larger dining room to accommodate a larger party. Chocolate dessert was rich--the way we like it--but this is a tough dessert menu for lactose intolerance folks. Parking easy and free in the neighborhood above the restaurant

Our waitress Natala was wonderful, attentive but not a helicopter mom. She understood what we were looking for; helped us navigate the large menu and was cheerful in the bargain! The food was spectacular, and we enjoyed ourselves immensely... in no small way due to Natala.

Great service -- came in with a group of 5 around 30 minutes before closing and the workers were super nice and attentive :) Got the lamb sirloin which was really delicious. A couple of my friends ordered the NY steak and they undercooked every single one, even after we asked them to cook them a bit more. Tried a couple of pasta dishes as well, and they weren't anything special. Overall, not a bad experience but didn't justify the price.

Too many choices. No way to know what to eat. Server's tried to help, but I was lost in the menu.

So glad we tried Donato's and will definitely be back. Great comfy neighborhood place to have a good leisurely meal with friends. Pasta was perfectly done.

We had a terrific dinner and service. Prosciutto and melon, shrimp salad and lamb skewers were excellent. If you love chocolate, the chocolate desert is a must.

Good selections of pasta in a nice atmosphere. Pastas all very al dente but wished portion sizes were larger. I would check out their specials, they have fabulous dishes you don't want to miss. We always order the pizzelle, it's a good appetizer but a little oily.

My usual Italian spot, Belotti, doesn't open on Sundays, so my group opted to come to Donato & Co on a whim yesterday. And, I'm so glad we did! All of the dishes were incredibly delicious, and the service was impeccable. I recommend the tortelloni which is fall-inspired with its fried sage leaves adorning the top and the spiced squash interior filling the inside. Since this is more upscale than your typical fast-casual Italian restaurant, it is pricier, but you do get what you pay for. The quality is superb, and every dollar you shell out here is so worth it. Definitely will be back!

Management and service was so unresponsive and curt. Will not be going back anytime soon.

WHEN: Sunday, 7/10/22 PARKING: free street parking in adjacent neighborhoods Haven't heard too much about donato & co and I don't have much to say about it. Service was great but the food is overpriced and the ingredients in my pasta weren't fresh. Make sure you ask for their free appetizer bread because the green sauce is really good. What I got: 1. Spaghetti Neri ($24) - pretty small portion with very small pieces of calamari. Pretty underwhelming I think the interior of this restaurant is nice and modern and great for a small group. It could be a romantic location at night because the vibe fits. But the pasta I got was nothing special and I expected more.

Clean modern venue, with solid Italian fare. I walked by this place so many times but finally gave it a try only just recently! The open kitchen is nice! I really appreciate that the ingredients all tasted so fresh! The burrata was on point. It was such a refreshing dish all around with tomatoes and cucumbers. The pasta noodles were fresh, and tasted delicious. Perfect balance of meat and pasta. The octopus was very nicely made and very tender. I thought I wouldn't get full but it actually was a nice portion. The sauce and accompaniments at the bottom went well with the octopus. The panna cotta dessert was also delicious & very smooth although a tad bit sweet. And thanks for the birthday dessert as well! Service was normal. We'll be back to try other dishes!

Really wanted to like this place after walking by many times and waiting for the right moment but very disappointing. Ordered the Linguini with clams. Really bland dish, so few tiny, tiny clams. And interesting choice not to serve bread at an Italian restaurant and more odd with a dish that really calls for it. Glass of wine and dish for $40+ that should have been so much better.

Best Italian I've had in years! Food: Had the Mezze Maniche with added black truffles- superb! Absolutely perfect pasta and incredible flavor. Drinks: Had the best rye Old Fashioned in many years. Perfect! Service: Excellent service, and the owner has a great personality. Overall cleanliness: excellent Misc: about a 12 minute walk from the Claremont Club resort (all downhill), and a $10 Uber ride back to the Claremont.

The restaurant itself looks great and we were expecting a nice meal with great food. Unfortunately after the good look of the place things went downhill. Our waiter was pretentious and dismissive - very much a downer. I had the Sogliola, petrale sole - it was dry and not treated the way a delicate fish should be, lots of elements on the plate which kept the dish somewhat interesting but a $40 entree? The actual fish was overcooked and a dry. I tried some other bites of what others had and nothing was a standout. I didn't think it was particularly good and not rushing back. On the plus side was the place was rather empty so we could hear our dining companions.

Omygoodness! Full stop. Donato & Co is, bar none, one of the best Northern Italian restaurants in the North Bay. The food is divine, the atmosphere relaxed, as if you are at a friend's, indeed Chef Gianluca and his partner Donato, of the Donato & Co., and the service correct. We started with Salumi, their homemade board of charcuterie, then the Venetian style Baccala, smooth as silk salted cod mousse flying above a grilled polenta cake. Then the pastas appeared: the hand made asparagus tortelloni, with asparagus puree, with asparagus spears! and mezze maniche to satify my husband and daughter's love for traditional Bolognese pasta. For the secondi, we had perfectly grilled branzino with broccoli, with savory sfmato and black rice. Everything was so creative, beautifully presented, and delicious! My husband was remarking the some of the best Italian restaurants do not have much of a dessert menu, but the piece de resistance was the prodigious list of excellent desserts. We finished the meal with excellent CIOCCOLATO E CIOCCOLATO (and you can't get more chocolate then this), with zuppa di fragola to mark the season, and my TORTINO DI NOCCIOLA PIEMONTE, the best traditional Piemontese "Tonda Gentile" hazelnut soft cake, bittersweet chocolate sauce, finished with hazelnut gelato, toasted hazelnuts. What a memorable birthday meal! We will soon return.

NO! Terrible service. Cold food. Where did the good chef go? Never going back. Where is friendly service? Where is service, period! Flagging down waitresses keeps you busy here, good exercise maybe. But to pay this kind of money to eat at this failing restaurant is a big mistake.

Came here on a Saturday afternoon. Wonderful meal and great service. Creative cocktails and Exquisite Italian dishes with attention to detail. Can't wait to return.

Excellent flavor in every dish. We had the charcuterie board, excellent. House bread, excellent, every cocktail, balanced and strong. Had the negroni myself. The spaghetti neri was executed perfectly, the bounty of the briny ocean waves shines through on a bed of squid ink spaghetti noodles. Seafood lovers will get exactly what they are after here. A friend got the massive and delicious looking pork chop. Our party rounded out the night with affogatos, the hazelnut gelato pairs well with the espresso. I would return.