Donato Enoteca

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 3.5Finally 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

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!

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.

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, 2024The 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.