Good value basic Italian. Friendly staff, good for casual parties.

You really get what you pay for here - and more! I would choose the pasta over the pizza, but that's just my opinion. The portions are huge and the dishes are actually pretty flavorful. You could easily get full off of their 6.95 deal for lunch and even takeaway some for dinner. The salad bar is a winner, you get as much as you want and it's some of the fresher salads I've seen in Brighton. I think some of the staff are even Italian and speak Italian. They're pretty helpful and welcoming here. The dining area is huge and it's great for bigger groups. The drink menu isn't too big, but I think the bartenders will make you drinks off the menu if you just ask nicely :) read more

Although the location is good for people watching that's the highlight of the restaurant. Starters are fine fresh charcuterie and cheese, the rest takes us back to pseudo Italian food from the 80's. read more

A cheap n cheerful, friendly (and child-friendly) eaterie. Not the best Italian I've ever eaten, but I seem to find myself going back time and time again because it's great value, it's lively, and they do fantastic gluten-free versions of their main pasta dishes. The cater well for large (and noisy) groups and do prawn cocktail (yay! 70s!) as a starter. Not exactly gourmet, but still a winner. read more

I thought the food was awful and the staff were so rude I will never go back here again. I don't care if it's cheap, you don't treat people like that. read more

This restaurant is just too big. Everything takes ages, being seated, having your order taken, having the food delivered and by the time it is it's normally cold. The food is also, although the same as it's sister restaurant Pinocchio's, isn't nearly as good. read more

This is an Italian food restaurant with waitress service and a relaxed atmosphere . It is family and couple friendly and also accommodates groups. There are a good range of dishes available on the menu - starters mains and puddings. They also serve alcohol. I love the pizza here, it definitely has a ring of authenticity to it in my opinion! Most of my friends and family who have eaten here agree with me that it's a great place which serves good flavoursome food at purse friendly prices and the staff are very friendly and helpful. If you are out and about shopping or whatever in Brighton and need to take a lunch break, i recommend you pop in here, you won't be left disappointed or skint! read more

I've been here a couple of times for our Christmas meal with work. It's probably not the best time to get a feel for the place as it is always so busy and loud. The food and menu is good and presentation and cleanliness is good too! And all for a reasonable price. read more

This is a well decorated italian restaurant located in The Lanes. The food is good whilst being inexpensive, making it a popular restaurant every day of the week. Recommended for groups as the atmosphere is quite lively. read more

A very large Italian eaterie, which sometimes seems to almost border on being corporate. Located in a lovely spot though, and ideal for watching the world go by if you're eating outside on a sunny day. Food experience has ranged from very good to average, but this seems to have a correlationship with how busy they are, so bigger isn't always necessarilly better. read more

Myself and my girlfriend had a rather uneven experience at Donatello, the food was good and inexpensive but the service was downright poor. The waitress threw the menus at us and brought out the wrong wine, and was overall ungracious. Hopefully the dishes we had were decent, except for the desert which was bland and tasteless. If you're looking for a cheap and decent Italian meal then Donatello is the go to place, but don't expect anything classy or charming. read more

Different to most restaurants in Brighton, Donatello is a big restaurant with lots of food. Honestly, I would go to other places to have nice Italian food. read more

Situated in the heart of Brighton's famous Lanes, Donatello is an Italian restaurant frequented by locals, visitors and celebrities alike. Seating 400 (with places for another 50 al fresco) this authentic Pizzeria offers an excellent range of pizza, pasta, meat and fish dishes all at very reasonable prices. Donatello is open 7 days a week from 11.30am to 11.30pm and is the perfect place for anything from a romantic candlelit dinner for two, to a fun night out for groups. As a genuine Italian family-run business, Donatello prides itself on its hospitality - but don't take their word for it, come and experience it yourseld. Atracked by tyhe black-boards outside, in the summer it is good to sit on their terras, watching all passing bye people from young to old. The food is as it says: good tasting, quality and fresh. The waiters could be more friendly, they are mainly students and not highlt interested but the food makes it vall good again. A grande "buffet salad bar" is one of the oportunities. Just try their mussels with white wine, the grilled sardines or go for a large pizza in all types and tastes. Best take a offer from the black board as the main course prices are a little to high, but that is personal. Further more: perfect for a hot summer day, but open all year. read more

Donatello Restaurant - Donatello - Italian Near Me - Brighton, BNH

I love Donatello's! Okay, it's nothing exceptional but with the two-course and three-course menu deals (either £6.95 or £8.95) it's amazing value for money! I almost always have a pizza when I come here, and they're always really good, but the aubergine parmigiana is also recommended. If you're on a budget and want good Italian, come here! read more

The food tastes good. The place looks nice. However it gets very busy, and the service gets slow. As I type this on my phone, I've been waiting about 15 minutes for my apple juice. Oh, and we asked for the bill 10 minutes ago. read more

I visit Brighton regularly and there have been a few times that I walked past Donatello's and thought that it looked like a really nice place to eat. It looks like that on the outside. After finally trying the place, I would never go back again. I had the vegetable soup to start with which was basically water with a few vegetable thrown in. There wasn't even any bread rolls served with it. For main I got a four cheeses pizza which was far too rich to eat and ended up giving me bad heartburn. We also waited ages for drinks. The atmosphere in the restaurant was not very nice as people were seated so closely together and the staff were really rude. The only reason I have this place two stars instead of one is because the food was cheap. read more

Food yummy and service quick, but staff almost running round the place and not so quick with the bill. Would recommend for good, well priced Italian lunch. read more

Things didn't kick off well, when I noticed that the wine glasses were absolutely filthy. We are not talking streak marks from the dishwasher, this was dirt that I lifted off with my thumbnail. New glasses were provided by a sullen waitress, with a purposeful thump onto the table. I went for the agli spinachi tagliatelli for £6.25 and I must say, this was very good value. A full plate of food which was good competently and no complaints from me. Could only spend 1 hour here so no time for starters / dessert, but service was generally friendly, efficient and food OK and good value. read more

Myself and my partner visited here late January after deciding it looked of a good quality via internet searching. On arrival it really did look beautiful and inviting, situated in The Lanes. The food was enjoyable but both of our main dishes were heavily flavoured - my partners with spice and mine with so much cream that I could only manage about half. The desserts were lovely if not, once again, slightly overpowered with certain flavours, particularly alcohol content. The service left a lot to be desired; one waiter in particular was very short and would not make eye contact or talk to us beyond mumbles. This didn't make for the most comfortable meal I've ever had. Overall it was an average meal; enjoyable food but an experience hindered by uneven service and slightly hostile staff. read more

This place is well hidden and one of the most go's in brighton if you are craving italian food. Though the pizza may be a bit salty for my taste, the two course meal for 7.95 pounds is perfect and very filling. The food comes in very generous portions and the service is very nice. I would recommend this place to my friends to try it out! read more

This lovely Italian restaurant is one of the first places I ate out when I moved to Brighton. It's fantastic value for money and there's a large selection of food from pasta and pizza to anti-pastas dishes and salads! The atmosphere is very laid back and it is decorated pleasantly with modern shades of reddish-orange on the walls, hanging plants and authentic blinds to give it a lot of light. The restaurant is situated in a wide, pretty, street along the south laines with a cute outdoor seating area. I always see people sitting outside during the day it always makes me want to stop whatever I'm doing and just relax. I can imagine it would be a lovely place to have lunch and enjoy a relaxing glass of wine on a warm summer's day! When I went for dinner however it was too cold to do this, so I was instead welcomed with a table indoors and had a warming vodka and coke! To eat, I tried a rather spicy arrabbiata pasta dish that I felt very satisfied with. The quality wasn't amazing, I'll admit I have had better, however it was certainly tasty and did the job. Despite the numerous number of Italians around, chains or not, without a doubt, I can't think of any reason not to come and check this place out! read more

Cheap and cheerful - food is mediocre but you get a good sized plate of food for not much money so it depends what your priorities are! The location is great, in the heart of the lanes, and its a very popular spot where you can sit inside or out. And if its full there are a couple if sister restaurants just round the corner. read more

good food, but the staff are a bit rude and you have to wait ages for a seat

If you're looking for fancy, michelin starred restaurant quality, look elsewhere, however if you and a group of mates want a decent satisfying meal washed down with good drink or two in a great party like atmosphere, then this is for you. Yes the servers don't really know what they're doing, and yes the food is basic, but this place is all about socialising and meeting people and this it caters for brilliantly. read more

This restaurant is a throwback to the nineties and that includes the prices, which considering the central Brighton position are reasonable to say the least. I think a 3 course meal was about £8.75, 2 courses under £8.00. Food quality was OK, very nice garlic and mushroom starter and an excellent pizza up to Pizza Express quality but much cheaper. The decor reminded me of a Costa Brava hotel reception c. 1995, but the staff were very friendly. They do a Sicilian lager in a 1 litre bottle which was OK. Absolute winner, highly recommended for a cheap and cheerful night out. read more

If you want good Italian food made with skill, love and fine ingredients, look elsewhere. If you want something quick & just OK, Donatello is fine. Stick to pizzas, probably. But heaven help you if you complain about the limp, brown-edged salad leaves because all you'll get is disdain from the staff & management. read more

very good service from the staff and managers, food very cheap but good portioning and very tasty. good parking around or hop on the bus into the centre of Brighton read more

In my experience, Italian food that has been cooked to perfection with real passion and attention is nearly impossible to find outside of the country itself. Being both hard-to-please and a fussy eater, I am rarely excited by the prospect of lasagne served from the exotic depths of a restaurant microwave. Happily, the food served at Donatello is rather more appetising than a soggy pre-packed bolognese dished up and shipped out like something from an assembly line. I especially recommend the tortellini aurora - spinach and ricotta-filled pasta served with a beautifully rich, creamy tomato sauce. For those with a sweet tooth, the torta di mele (apple tart, for those unfamiliar with the language of love) is greatly satisfying. The restaurant premises themselves are tidy, cosy and clean; groups both large and small can be accommodated comfortably, and thus Donatello scores ten out of ten for the social factor. Alongside the mannerly merits of the actual dining area, I am always particularly concerned with the hygiene standards of public toilets. Fellow gastronomes will empathise when I tell you that palatable dinners are not so well received when coming up in reverse due to a stomach bug contracted in an unclean restroom. Fear not: the toilets at Donatello are well maintained and cleaned, and the large mirror and bright lighting are welcome touches for the image-conscious diner needing to reapply their make up or adjust their newly-tightened waistband. I speak, of course, only for the ladies' facilities: not even the interests of intrepid journalism can force me to inspect those catering for the opposite sex. Sorry. The staff are all courteous and pleasant, which really isn't less than I would expect from restaurant staff anywhere. Still, politeness never goes amiss, and for hospitality Donatello scores magnificently high. Pricewise, it's rather reasonable. The restaurant offers set menus from £8.95 for three courses, which isn't beyond the budget of a university student like yours truly. Like a true Italian restaurant, a 10% service charge is added to the bill, yet you are not expected to tip on top of this. Be sure to accommodate the service charge when planning your monetary resources, or else you may end up spending more than you had originally envisaged. A wonderful dining experience, I would recommend Donatello for celebratory occasions and casually friendly meals alike. Molto bueno! read more

The restaurant looks nice, however, way too busy. It is true that they definitely lack of the staff, and rather employing enough people to cope with such a big area, they are not fairly using the ones who are working there. The friend of mine used to work in that place and he said it was a nightmare. The staff are forced to lie about that 10% service charge which they 'get'. All the money goes to the company as well as the tips which the waitresses sometimes gets in cash for THEMSELVES are as well collected and than divided not fairly. I used to like this place as it was pretty cheap and I was wondering how do they make money. But these people are definitely doing business without any respect of their employees who work mad hours and get less when minimum wages with almost none tips! I am so surprised no one still complained about it. After knowing all this none of my friends or family comes to this restaurant anymore. read more

Went there for lunch on a day out in Brighton. 1.Plates and cutlery were dirty. 2. Minestrone soup was brought to the table cold and had to be sent back to the kitchen and heated in the microwave (the traditional way!). 3. Two of the 3 pizzas we ordered came out with out all the toppings they should of had on them! 4. The crust of the other pizza was burnt! This is supposed to be an Italian restaurant!!! Other issues - there was no extractor fan in the restaurant which meant that the inside was steaming up and the floor became like an ice-skating rink. We didn't complain about this, but other people were. A family was taken to a table where under the table there was masses of food, and the customers had to ask the staff to clean it up. It didn't occur to them to clean it after the last party had left. Anyway, we complained about the various issues we experienced (not mentioning the things we witness with others) and the waitress said she would inform the manager. When we asked for the bill, she came and deducted the service charge from the bill as compensation. We explained to her that the issues were not her fault and that we were not prepared to pay the full amount of the bill, and did not want to penalise her. She then came back and deducted 50% from the bill. The manager didn't even show his face. This restaurant is one of the worst places we have ever been to. Never again! read more

my all time favourites. have tried many other italian restaurants, but this one beats everyone else by a mile. lovely food. great people. unfortunately i can't find any decent italian restaurants in kemptown, can anyone suggest me???? read more

really like it here. good for the kids and very reasonably priced. service was great. definitely recommend.