I went to Don Leone several times already and loved the perfect pizza but this time I was more than disappointed. The pizza was totally burned and hard and after I told the waiter about it, he just told me sorry. This is not acceptable for a pizza that cost 30 CHF. We were placed on a table in the corner next to the kitchen, even though we asked for a nice table for a special occasion. read more

Seafood salad came out but wife's grilled vegetables came out 10 minutes later. Had to ask for out water. To crazy of an atmosphere. Smoking on patio drifted inside restaurant. Dog barking in restaurant. A no go for us. read more

#NO ETHICS# I ordered a tuna pizza, and told the blonde waitress to take half of it to go. Obviously she forgot and threw it away. Instead of telling the truth, she gave me a slice of salami pizza from other customer's trash. Evidence is attached in the picture. After we showed it to her, she didn't seem sorry but blamed the kitchen, even she was the one who picked it up from the trash and packed it up. Unfortunately we had to leave to catch our train. I hope if anyone sees this review will not support such a restaurant with no business ethics at all. It is disgusting. read more

Don Leone - Evidence - Italian Near Me - Zürich, ZH

Oh no! This place looks totally packed and no way can we ever get a table! Never fear! Superman is here and he will guide you to a secret location underground across the street and seat you there! Well ok. That was a positive, unexpected surprise. Especially because all these other reviews complain about the service. I can't remember when we came, but it appears that we managed to come right before the crowd and were unbelievably lucky. Anywho, service was nice, but wouldn't let us order two pizzas for 3 people. I would have been pissed if they didn't give to-go boxes, but it's a pizza place, so you're allowed to take your food home. We ordered the Calabrese (tomato, mozarella, spicy salami) 18.50 chf Dell Orto (tomato, mozarella, grilled vegetables) 17.50, and Quattro Stagioni (tomato, mozarella, ham, artichokes, peppers, mushrooms, olives) 19.50 chf. The Calabrese and Quattro Stagioni were both very good. Grilled Veggie, not so much. There wasn't much flavor. They were good pizzas, but nothing wildly better than other pizzas I've had in Zurich/ St. Gallen/ Schaffhausen (which have for the most part, have all been very delicious). What really bugged me though, is that when I asked to take them home, they packed them for me, but they folded all of them and stacked them on top of each other.... Maybe you can make the argument that it all tastes the same... but really, it doesn't. I did not order a calzone, and I like to eat my pizza like a piece of pizza. Why ya gotta go foldin my pizza, yo?! Don't do that! read more

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At the strong recommendation of many Yelp members, I finally got to try the legend 'Don Leone'. A mystical place, with what was said to be delicious, perfect, out of this world pizza and horrible, terrifying, out of this world service. I have to admit I had extremely mixed feelings about trying this place. On one side, I was looking forward to be enlightened by the food, while on the other side I feared the awfully offensive treatment of the staff and long waiting hours. We had made a reservation for Saturday 8pm (could call that the most crowded time possible). When we got there, we were asked to wait for 10 minutes until one of the tables was free. Behind us, in 5 minutes, a line of people having reservations and waiting for tables to be freed up was formed. After this, all went super smoothly. We got a nice separate table, we ordered probably *the best* bizza in Zurich (have to agree with Simon that indeed that's an authentic one), drank great red wine and so on. Food came in 15 minutes, service was fast, waitress super friendly. As the highlight of the evening, the chef danced Gangnam Style with the pizza dough, throwing it in the air and then catching it very fast, like a true circus act. It was super entertaining, he is indeed a pro and he deserved all the applauses. Great atmosphere and wonderful food (not to mention the price/quality ratio; pizzas are huge and cost 18-26 CHF), Don Leone has gained my sympathy and loyalty. However, it's easy to see why it can be super frustrating also: when we left the place, we saw a line of 10-15 people (many of them with reservations) waiting.. many of them quite frustrated, they seemed. It's for sure not pleasant to spend Saturday evening waiting in line for a restaurant you have indeed reserved, but... that was not our case, hence I conclude it's a matter of luck! 5 full stars and best pizza in town for Don Leone! read more

Don Leone - Pizza Regina - Italian Near Me - Zürich, ZH

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Friendly, attentive and efficient service. Because this places is almost always full and people keep coming in, often you might have to wait till the server sees you but once you do, you get what you need in timely manner. Wine list is great including ones for glasses (offenwein). Pizza is huge. Not the best i've ever had but this is personal preference. Big menu for pizza and two can definitely share one. Definitely recommend and must make a reservation. read more

We loved this place!!! The concierge at the Park Hyatt Zurich told me that he felt like it was the best Italian and pizzeria in Zurich so on our only night there, we had to go! It lived up to my expectations being one of the best Italian we had on this trip, including the Florence part. We ordered a seafood pasta with squid ink as a shared starter. I've never had it this way before but when it arrived, there was squid ink on one side of the plate with the tagliatelle and seafood untouched by the squid ink. You then mixed it together. The seasoning was perfect - slightly spicy which is how I liked it. Why can't we find pasta like this in the US?! The pizza was perfect - we ordered the spicy diavolo pizza - Neopolitan style so super thin crust with a melty cheese. It was delicious!!! We met the pizza chef who clearly had a passion for making pizza - it was fun watching him. He later showed us these beautiful creations on his phone. A true artisan at work!!! This place is owned by Italians, not Swiss. I mention this only because it truly is authentic and not a Swiss-version of Italian food. Reservations are a must based on what we saw even though it's super casual. The staff were super nice even though we didn't speak much Italian. read more

There are two Don Leone restaurants in Zürich so don't confuse this one and my review with the Waffenplatz restaurant. In a nutshell: Are the Italian meals at Don Leone among the best ones in Zürich? Most certainly, yes - for this price range at least. How is the service? Variable, but potentially lousy. It is not uncommon to come and not get a table despite your booking. Staff speak Italian (great) but sometimes no German / English. Would I recommend it? I would recommend it like low grade bonds - risky with potentially a good payoff. read more

I just came from Milan, so my pizza standards were above average. We had the hotel make a reservation for us, we were seated just after we arrived. I know some people had trouble with this. Most of the staff spoke Italian, so I greeted them in Italian as well. My friend spoke German to one server and I'm not sure she understood, but the people helping I spoke English as well. The place was packed pretty tight and many of the tables are community style. Drink We didn't have wine but the list did offer many Italian selections Food Appetizer was bruschetta, and my favorite. Very simple tomato with olive oil. The bread it was on was the perfect kind of pizza bread, crunch n chewy at the same time. Then we shared two pizzas, the prosciutto was the better if the two, very light and tasty. The other was salami, while I love salami, it was cooked and the oil ran off making the pizza really oily. It tasted good, but felt very heavy read more

After a couple more times back at Don Leone, I conclude that the best time to come here is either for lunch or around 6 p.m. for an early dinner. Any other times, it's too packed, which means the service declines accordingly. My last trip back here last week featured great food and a very fast and friendly service. As a starter, our party of two shared the Insalata Verde, which was more than enough for the both of us. Came with different kinds of lettuce, as well as some tomatoes and bread that fit perfectly. Then the pizzas arrived. This time just about a perfect crust thickness to cheese amount to tomato sauce amount ratio, which lead to a thoroughly enjoyable pizza as a result. read more

Don Leone - Insalate Verde - Italian Near Me - Zürich, ZH

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Best Italian food in Zurich hands down. Service is most probably the absolute worst! In the US, I would never come back! Here, unfortunately, there is an oligopoly of sorts wherein really good Italian options are limited and service is generally less than stellar. There are probably more Italian joints in Zurich than any other genre, but to my surprise, most are simply "good" and all of them have the same menu (arabbiata, bolognese, ravioli in sage butter, bla bla bla... Don Leone's menu goes beyond traditional, for example using provolone on a pizza or melting Taleggio on toast served with amazing prosciutto cotto from Modena. They offer an amazing salumeria selection and their pasta and pizza options are excitingly innovative. Unfortunately, it's always a chaotic disaster that has everybody at the table pissed off... until the food comes. Then we're all happy again! We recently went back after a hiatus and arrived on time to be told we should walk across the street to their other location. Confusion ensued since the other location was an enoteca with a limited menu. I told him, no and that we reserved at the restaurant. He responded frustratingly, stating in an arrogant tone that they had the same menu. I said, "oh that's new... how am I supposed to know that?" To which he responded, "everybody knows that!" Well hot damn am I an idiot! At least that was his implication. I almost bounced at this point. But instead, I practiced my patience and the party walked across the street. Of course, they had no idea we were coming and couldn't find our reservation. Then she walks away to ask someone and comes back... We're in the grotto downstairs!! It's always a cluster fuc* like this here. So we get downstairs and they're rearranging some tables for us. We just stand there, no greeting, for like 2 minutes watching and waiting. Finally we sit and immediately noticed the speaker right next to the table, volume pumped up, so we ask to move. Good, finally we're sitting. No one comes for 10 minutes to take drink orders. I flag someone down, order wine. 10 minutes later, I flag them down again to ask where the hell it is! Didn't get our food until 50 minutes after arrival. Constantly necessary to watch and track and wave to get service. On top of that all, they're not even friendly!! They usually forget something or bring the wrong item... The only reason I come back is the oligopolistic situation on Italian grub in Zurich. They've got me under their damn thumb. read more

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I only make it once a year to Don Leone but I wouldn't want to miss it and I always love the chatty atmosphere when I'm having my pizza Donna Mafalda! Don't forget to make your reservation, as the restaurant doesn't offer that many seatings. Bring your friends for the biggest possible fun! read more

I had this place in my bookmarks for a long time, and each time I wanted to try it, it was too late to make a reservation. On a Friday evening (around 5.30 PM) I decided to spontaneously go there and try it, and voila, I had the place to my gf and myself ! It's kind of funny because they have two rooms which are right opposite to each other, just separated by the street (I discovered this later when I got out of the restaurant). It's situated in a very busy area and bustling with restaurants (so if one day you're looking for a place I recommend going to Staufacher and just walk in the area to find other nice places) We ordered two pizzas, a rose and a beer. When making a pizza, it all comes down to getting the basic elements right - if they're good enough, a pizza needs no embellishments. I look for a few basic elements in my pizza: dough quality, tomato sauce taste and quantity and quality of cheese - A great pizza dough will be filled with flavor and have a nice crunchy outside with a soft chewy inside. Check - Tomato sauce for me should be fresh, fragrant and sweet. I really missed this in our pizzas, as I had the impression it was just out of the can. - Cheese, check:i t was very good, with the exact saltiness and texture that I like. The only negative point was the Rose, it was very bad, it almost tasted like water. Food came in 15 minutes, service was fast (there were only 2 other couples in the restaurant at this this though), one of the waitresses super friendly, the other one was clearly not happy to be there working, so it showed on her tip... Great atmosphere and very good food (not to mention the price/quality ratio; pizzas are huge and cost 18-26 CHF), Don Leone has gained my sympathy. read more

friendly staff & delicious pizza, a winning combination. We ordered a family style prosciutto funghi pizza to go. The crust was very thin & the toppings fresh & flavorful. Highly recommend it. They also have an extensive wine list, which we will be back to explore. If it's crowded, there's a second location just across the street. read more

Good food, friendly staff. We ordered pizza and got it in a shape of a heart our waitress was very cute, cause she was learning german and did a very good job in talking german with us very nice. read more

Don Leone - Italian Near Me - Zürich, ZH

Food is delicious and the servers are as nice as can be. In a cold country this is a warm and inviting refuge. Will come again! read more

Don Leone - Italian Near Me - Zürich, ZH

Wow, super pizza. Cool restaurant. Like in Italy. You won't regret it. Pizza was huge, staff was very friendly and honest. Recommended the cheaper pizza instead of trying to sell the most expensive staff. read more

Don Leone - Italian Near Me - Zürich, ZH

Extremely casual. Great food. I've been on the road for a while, so I'm tending to go for comfort food instead of fancy, shmancy cuisine. With that in mind, I had a hankering for a pizza, but I wanted to get something a step up from all those "Pizza" restaurants in Zurich. When I searched Yelp, I saw this place was not too far and there a were a couple of good reviews, so I decided to give it a try. At 7:30PM on a weeknight, the place was packed. When I asked the manager if he could squeeze in a table for one, he thought for a minute and then sat me with two other singleton guys. A little strange at first (all three of us played with our phones and tried to ignore the others), but I ordered my pizza and some wine and settled in for the wait. If you are looking for white table clothes and flowers on the table, you can stop reading now. The place is a lot more like a roadhouse and was mad with activity. Even the manager looked more like a Grateful Dead roadie than a proprietor of a fine eating establishment. (By the way, I noticed the manager watching everything like a hawk and he wasn't too good to pitch in as my server.) That being said, the food was great. The pizza I ordered had a perfectly cooked thin crush with just the right amount of crunchy/chewy texture. The ingredients we plentiful and flavorful. Speaking of plentiful, the pizza hung over the serving plate by a good margin and I was forced to get half of it to take away. One of my dining "mates" got a interesting dish with mussels and I noticed he didn't leave a bit. The other guy got a pizza too but he didn't leave any to take away. It turns out the guy with the mussel meal was local and had eaten lunch there today as well. All in all, the food was great, the staff was friendly and accommodating. The casual atmosphere was invigorating. I bookmarked it, so I'll probably stop by the next time I'm in Zurich. read more

The first time I came here I made the mistake of ordering the veggie pizza, which turned out to be an abundance of eggplant and an herb I cannot name. Ever since, I have ordered the Pizza Margarita and I love it. However, it is different everytime... Howwww is this possible? Sometimes the basil is minced so small that I can hardly see it, which I prefer, other times there are several big leaves spread out on the cheese... Last time I went, about a week and half ago, there was WAY too much cheese on my pizza... which you think this may not be possible, but it is. And I had a hard time eating it due to the amount of cheese. Last time I also ordered the verde salad and it had HUGE amounts of fennel. I admit, I like fennel, but it was a majority over the lettuce. :/ Overall I am a fan and I like the price so I will return. If the abundance of cheese is there next time, I may not go back again. I would give it 3 1/2 starts but Yelp does not do that. read more

Don Leone - Pizza margharita! - Italian Near Me - Zürich, ZH

One of the best pizzas I've ever had! Can only really speak on the pizza because that's what I get every time.

i think a pizza cant get any better than this. i went there once ( more on accident ), eversince then, i dont really go to any other pizza spots in town. the restaurant is quite loud and everything is really italian ( Old big wooden tabels and chairs, not really comfortable but ok ) The way that they manage their business seems stressy at all times. Be sure that the waiter will always forget at least one thing of your order. to avoid that, get your pizza for take away, less stress, less noisy. read more

Service was unattentive. Never saw the same waitress after ordering. Pizza was mediocre at best and the sauce was fairly tasteless. Whatever concierge is recommending this place should be examined by the police for being on the take as there is no other explanation for someone recommending this, unless all of the other pizza in Zurich is even worse. read more

This is one of our favorite places in Zurich. The restaurant is small so recommend reservations. The food is AMAZING - great flavor and good sized portions. Wine list is fairly small. Service is good too. We go regularly. read more