Address: | 232 N Dale Mabry Hwy, Tampa, FL 33609, USA |
Phone: | +1 813-875-6660 |
Site: | donatellotampa.com |
Rating: | 4.2 |
Working: | 5:30–11PM 5:30–11PM 5:30–11PM 5:30–11PM 5:30–11PM 5:30–11PM 5:30–11PM |
CO
Common Customer
We tried Donatellos, I would love nothing than to agree with the 4 and 5 star reviews, but simply can not. The owner seems like a nice person but they need a plethora of changes to make this a great experience. They need Gordon Ramsey to be perfectly honest. The food was nothing shy of horrible. It lacked flavor and presentation. Especially for the price they charge. The atmosphere is dated and dirty. So with the presentation of bread...the most basic of things, they serve toast! Seriously? That is obsurd...unless they are hiding stale bread as toast. That was the first thing that was unacceptable and left a questionable impression. They served butter with the bread...which is fine but they do not offer an alternative of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and herbs...pretty common and basic...what they brought, when asked, was a thin oil plus leaves that looked like they were pulled out from the back yard. Italian herbs would have worked perfectly. But that may just be my expectation of an Italian restaurant. The calimari appetizer was ok, lightly breaded and was not rubbery...it was not too bad but Ive had so much better at a better price. Then the main dishes that came out showed steaming food...the kind you get when you microwave food, not freshly prepared food from an oven or pan, and yes, there is a discernible difference...that was again completely obsurd... Next issue was that the plates were incomplete of all the ingredients that were expected to be included in the dish per the menu. Again, the dishes lacked anything unique to the flavor that is expected at this price point. They were completely bland. Decided to try dessert...not quite sure why, but I did. The tiramisu flavor was ok but no where near perfect and the presentation was as if they had left overs in a pan and scraped it on to a plate...sprinkled more coco powder on top and then served it. It was an absolute mess. Publix sells a tiramisu cake that is better presented in the plastic container, spells out tiramisu in coco powder, and has an exceptational flavor...far surpassing the mess that was presented to me as a dessert. The service was ok, but not the best either. I felt like I was an imposition to the wait staff versus a valuable customer. It was late and that may have been part of the issue...but stil, every customer at every hour that you serve, is extremely important to your business. I was left with the impression that they truly did not care about their customers or their business which is not a good recipe for success. The rose for the ladies is a nice touch but you really need to dethorn them so the ladies do not get poked by those thorns on the way home.
NA
Nathan Snyder
I took my wife last night for our anniversary. Our first time eating here. We pulled in and the vallet was playing games on his phone. We parked ourselves. Staff inside was fantastic. Very polite and welcoming. Decor is oldschool. Gordon Ramsey probably would want to make it over. Paintings and celebrity pictures were very cool. We had the mussels to start. They were fantastic. My wife ordered the linguine with clams in a red sauce. We both found it to be incredibly salty. Almost inedible. We dropped the leftovers at my moms without telling her how we felt about the dish. Found out today that she felt the same way. 30 dollar dish. I had the stuffed tortellini. The dish was composed of about 10 tortellini. It was mediocre. Another 30 dollar dish. The bread table side was not fresh. Desert was fantastic. We dropped almost 200 dollars on dinner and two drinks with tip. For the price and the portions we will not be back. Its a very richy rich resturant. You will have to be to eat there routinely. You get the feeling celebrity influence has kept this place in buisness. For the money Id rather be at Berns. For the price and portions we find Tony and Nellos in St. Petersburg to be a much finer authentic Italian dining experience.
RO
Robert Zampella
I know it was Valentines Day, but when you had a reservation since December, it should not be a surprise that customers would like to be seated in a timely manor with some wait time because it is a busy day........not being told that you are over an hour and a half behind. Waited an hour and watched the staff try to seat people that had been waiting over two hours. We watched people leaving the restaurant saying that the staff was not prepared at all. The gentleman at the door was acting like it was OK and saying if you went to fancy restaurants up north you would be waiting 2+ hours.........RESERVATIONS!!!!! I am from the North East, that would be a no. We walked out. Sorry, I would like to enjoy my Valentines Day with my girlfriend, not stand around waiting to be seated when we could be using our time more wisely. Lucky for me, my girlfriend looked at me and said we are on vacation together, I do not care where we go. Again, I know it is a busy day but there is no excuse for a wait time with reservations that is that long.
MA
Matthew Gendron
Although the building exterior setting can be liken to a strip mall, the server was attentive and professional, however lacking in product knowledge; he should have had an answer for where the oysters were caught, other than Massachusetts; maybe Cotuit or wellfleet etc...would have sufficed. The food was good but the price reflected a 5 star location and world famous culinary fame...Would never return knowing we could have been water side, I mean, seriously, thirty dollars for linguini with clam sauce.. Keep in mind linguini sells for one dollar a pound at the finest organic market..and we were served well under a 1/4 pound....and not one wine worthy of consumption listed under sixty dollars....mattg6389@gmail...
J.
J. Smith
Absolutely a great experience! We have been here in the past, but for some reason this time was superb. From the moment you walk in you are greeted, and feel like part of their family. All of the wait staff are phenomenal. They work very well together, and are happy to give recommendations. We ordered the mussels in a white wine sauce and bruschetta for appetizers, linguini with pesto sauce and one of the steaks for our entrees, and of course the tiramisu. The linguini with pesto sauce tasted just like I had it when we were in Cinque Terre! The tiramisu is the best in Tampa, and very light/fluffy like you would have in Italy. We felt like we were back in Italy! Fantastic meal and experience! We will be back soon!
RI
Rick Price
I ate here for the first time this week. On the plus side, the food was very good, nicely presented and fresh. We had pasta, and a bowl of soup each. On the downside; valet parking only (though complementary), the food was a little slow in coming. (We were some of their first customers for the evening and it took 40 minutes to be served the main course), vegetarian selections are far and few between, and the prices are....lofty!! ...1 cheese ravioli, 1 angel hair pasta, 1 bowl of soup each, 2 tap waters... $86 before tip. Whoa. If it wasnt for the very high prices and slow serving time I would rate it a higher.
ER
Ernest Kollra
In Tampa last weekend,went two nights in a row. First I had the grouper based on bartender Kims recommendation and it was as good as it gets. Second night had caneloni based on recommendation from bartender Ashley it was superb. Ate both nights at the bar and Kim,Ashley and Mark[I think I got his name right} although I am sure of the girls names. They were excellent and made the evenings most enjoyable. Service overall was top notch and I would rate the two experiences five star. Have already touted the restaurant numerous times since my return. Cant wait to get back, definitely A-ONE across the board.