Of all the Italian spots in downtown Toronto, Donatello felt like one of the most homey and old-school. I came here with my best friend for a birthday dinner, and I could immediately see why this place has lasted for decades. It's tucked inside an old house on Elm Street, and the whole restaurant has that warm, family-run charm that makes you feel like people have been coming here for years and bringing more people back with them. The tables are definitely close together, so it's a little tight when the restaurant gets busy, but honestly that also adds to the lively energy because there was a steady flow of people coming in all night. Food-wise, there were a few dishes that really stood out. The carpaccio is such a good order, very thinly sliced raw beef, simple and classic, and honestly one of the most reasonably priced versions I've seen. My personal favorite was the prosciutto & melon. It's such a simple dish, but when it's done well, it really hits, and this one did. The real star for me though was the Cozze Marinara. The mussels were plump, tender, and clean, with no sandy bits, and the garlicky tomato sauce was so good that I ended up scooping it up with bread until the plate was basically spotless. We also tried the Vitello Marsala with mushrooms and Penne Arrabbiata, which felt very classic and comforting. If you like traditional Italian flavors, this is the kind of dish that will make you happy. That said, I personally wouldn't recommend mixing the meat and pasta together too much, I think they shine better on their own. Later we also ordered the garlic grilled seafood fettuccine because we were enjoying ourselves so much, and that one was much lighter in flavor. Nice enough, but probably not the best choice if you like richer or bolder pasta dishes. By the end we were completely full and had to leave a few strands of fettuccine behind, which almost never happens for me. Overall, Donatello feels like the kind of neighborhood Italian restaurant people return to for comfort, generous portions, and that warm family run atmosphere. It may not be the most spacious or modern place, but it has heart, and some dishes were genuinely memorable. read more

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Donatello is considered a fine dining Italian restaurant. And it didn't disappoint. The foid and service were excellent. The vibe was a slightly darkened room (for the evening). There is an upstairs balcony seating but I've never sat there. During warm weather, there is plenty of roadside outdoor seating too. This is my fourth time here but I never wrote a review fir the restaurant before. We ordered the following: 1. Shrimp Perno (daily special $6/shrimp). Jumbo Shrimp sautéed in garlic, white wine, tomatoes, scallions, and finished off with a shot of perno liquor. 2. Rack of Lamb (daily special $59.95). Four pieces of lamb in a rack, with a rich portion wine reduced sauce, that has a touch of mint to it, and Penne Pasta in a tomato rose sauce. The table bread was really good. The crust was crispy but the inside was fluffy. The soft butter that came it was so tasty. The bread was perfect for dipping in the sauce that came with the shrimp. We asked for a second basket of bread and they put two loafs in the second basket. It was too much so they were willing to let us take it home. The shrimps were definitely jumbo. It was so filling. Two pieces (per person) were good enough as an appetizer. The shrimps were perfectly cooked. We requested the lamb be cooked medium rare. It was definitely medium rare. It was juicy and did not have a gamey taste. It tastes great. The pasta was perfectly al dente. The tomato rose sauce was really good. They offered to grind parmesan cheese and pepper so we got both. There is free WiFi. The restaurant is wheelchair accessible. There is paid neighbourhood street parking and paid parking lots. Review 2025-187 read more

The best meal I had on my last Toronto trip. Small and intimate setting in the restaurant. Bruschetta was fresh and quite good. The depth of the flavors was impressive, everything was seasoned well. I went with the gnocchi for my main and it was fantastic. The theme of freshness continued with the gnocchi itself and the sauce was beautiful. Thick (but not too heavy) and loaded with flavor throughout. Good wine selection as well. If you stay at the Chelsea in Toronto, this is right across the street. You won't be disappointed. read more

Donatello Restaurant - Italian Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Waited a LOT, felt like staff prioritizes returning customers, and there is better in Toronto. Service is bad : We were starving after a day of birthday of celebrations for my mom's birthday. Waited 20 minutes with reservation, waited to order because a big group was paying, then waited after paying to get things packed. Ambiance: elegant vibe ruined by initial staring. Creepy. Food: Bread was the best (not sure if it was because of the 20 min wait while starving though...) Grilled calamari is ok; could have been juicier. I prefer it whole then cut it after grilling so it can be juicier, but to each their own. Lobster was overcooked in the lobster pasta, rubbery and hard to chew. Pasta part of lobster pasta was not as savory as expected. New Zealand lamb racks was not well seasoned. Better with the sauce but you can't let sauce do all the work. Got pasta with the lamb; average tasting but fills the stomach. The extra star is for the chanterelles pasta, which was the pasta of the day. Hard to mess up a creamy mushroom pasta and a staple for us at any Italian restaurant Overall experience: negative, will not be back, do not recommend. Better in Yorkville area. read more

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Donatello is an institution in Toronto and has been there for many years. Not surprising, it was busy even when we deliberately came early for a 5:00 reservation. Service was quick and not intrusive. A very nice comfortable, romantic atmosphere. Cuisine was top shelf: Eggplant Rollatini and Straciatella for appys, A delicious Veal Chop special, Shrimp & Scallops in wine and garlic sauce - with pasta on the side. Tiramisu and Creme Brulee for dessert - beautifully done. Highly recommended! read more

When I checked out their menu before I went in, I was not keen on their menu. Menu seemed rather boring. I was wrong. I was amazed by how cozy and comfortable it looked as soon as I walked in. I loved the atmosphere right away. I was amazed that we ordered butternut squash and crab ravioli that was off menu items( they used to have on the menu), without hesitation they would make them for us. Ravioli dough was for sure made from scratch, that means they probably added stuffing and cooked to order. How special is that they would do that when restaurant was a full house? And my ravioli was delish! Whatever they did with the sauce was like thick gravy and I wiped my plate with extra bread. I was also amazed by how generous portion size was. I was stuffed after my ravioli & friend's salmon dish was like 1.5 portions size. And the price was very resonable. Highly recommend this place. read more

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This place has it all. No wonder it's rated as a top 100 in the USA. Service, food, music. outstanding!

I visited on a weekday evening when the weather was great, and we sat on the second-floor balcony, which was very pleasant. I really liked the Gamberoni & Scallops al Vino Bianco. The Linguini alle Vongole was a bit too bland for my taste. The prices are somewhat high, but you're partly paying for the ambiance and location. read more

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Our service was wonderful. Our server was super friendly and spoke to my partner in French and told us about his background. We really appreciated that. The ambiance was very romantic and nice. While I thought the food was a bit expensive for what it was, the portions were decent and flavor was good. The table bread and butter were also delicious. The only ding against this restaurant is the selection of pastas (there weren't any I jumped at immediately), but what I ordered was still very delicious. read more

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Such a wonderful experience eating at Donatello! Tibor was such a great server. He knew the menu and made great recommendations! I actually ate there 3 times in a 5 day visit! Highly recommend the shrimp appetizer and bread! read more

Went for lunch on a weekday, and had made a reservation. We happened to have the misfortune of sitting down at same time as a large group (who did not have a reservation. That entire group and almost everyone else was served and paying their bill before we got our food an hour later. You may be saying - why did you wait around?? The waiter continually told us - - yours is coming out next! When it finally did we asked them to put in take out containers as we had to get back to work. Astonishingly no apology, no attempt to offer some sort of discount. So the food was just ok - might have been better if I had had it hot, in the restaurant instead of wolfing it down at my desk - salmon was over cooked read more

Donatello Restaurant - salmon and Alfredo pasta - Italian Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Awful awful awful place. Went in after reading the menu outside the establishment. Very intrigued for some nice Italian food at a good price. However, once I opened the menu I found all the prices to be more expensive by at least 7$ or more. But, I committed. I order a tortellini cream sauce dish. It was bad. Just plain bad. Pasta was stiff, sauce was bland and so was the sausage. 30$ Canadian and I would've had a better meal at dominoes. They should be ashamed. read more

Donatello Restaurant - Italian Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Great and tasty Italian food. Nice atmosphere, staff efficient and friendly. It was a special celebration for us, our 50th wedding anniversary and this place made it special. read more

I was in the mood for Italian food on my first night in Toronto and found Donatello on Yelp. The menu had a good selection and the wine list was great. I found the service to be top-notch (my waiter was super friendly). My gnocchi was excellent. Dining outside was nice. read more

No very impressed. They would not let us order starter without ordering our main courses, they said it was the chefs preference!! Since when do chefs tell customers/diners how to order?? Definitely won't be going back!! read more

Italian restaurant located on a quiet side street in the core of Downtown Toronto. It has both indoor and outdoor seating (outdoor seating is open during warmer weather). I've dined here twice, once outside during the summer and recently indoor, if you have the option of both, outdoor is much nicer. I personally found the decor inside to be quite dated but if you're looking for a place with an old charm to it then the indoor space is just that. The service was good and professional both times that I dined here, no complaints. The food was delicious and price point was good for what you're getting and the location of the restaurant. I definitely recommend this restaurant if you're in the area and craving some decent Italian food. read more

Donatello Restaurant - Tartufo - Italian Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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The best penne ala vodka in the city ! The service is always amazing and great ambiance! Highly recommend read more

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On a street off of yonge, lies this place amongst a few other quite nice restaurants. I came with great company, and we enjoyed our meal and experience. The ambience was nice, you can tell the restaurant has been there for a long time, and even though the tables were quite close together, it was not loud. The service was very accommodating, letting us take our time with ordering and coming around refilling our water quite often. In addition, the food came out at an appropriate speed -- not too soon, but we did not wait long either. The menu itself did not have an overly extensive as usual the case for other restaurants, which I quite liked as a large menu tends to overwhelm me. We ordered two starters: the grilled calamari and antipasti for two. They were good, but I would say they were overpriced for their portions. For mains, I went with the fettuccine with smoked salmon in a rosé sauce. You may be like "Smoked salmon in pasta?!" and I understand, I actually only initially ordered it because I LOVE rosé. But, it was a very delicious dish! The taste of the smoked salmon was very light and paired quite nicely with the rosé sauce. The fettuccine was cooked perfectly too in my opinion. A pleasant surprise. The other dishes ordered were the Gnocchi and a Seafood Risotto. *note that the smoked salmon fettuccine and risotto were specials, so they were not on the menu* For dessert I ordered the red velvet cake. I won't lie, I was caught off guard at first by the lack of volume for the cake, but the flavour made up for it. My favourite thing about red velvet cakes is that if done well, they are not too sweet or artificial tasting. This one checked off all the boxes! The cream cheese frosting was soooo good. It didn't stick to the top of my mouth or need a sip of water to wash it down. It complimented the red velvet part perfectly. If you like Italian food, I'd totally give this place a try! The portions are also quite generous. I wouldn't recommend coming here in a large group though (no more than 4-6) as the interior is not super spacey. Maybe a good place for a date! 9/10. read more

Donatello Restaurant - Smoked salmon fettuccine - Italian Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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We had dinner here last evening and had the most wonderful experience. It was our 40th anniversary and the waiters were so attentive and the food was spectacular. I would highly recommend this place. Loved it and couldn't give them enough praise. read more

Guided here with high praise from store clerks. What we had was GREAT. Good people attending all our requests and questions. We really like. read more

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I had high expectations eating at this restaurant given the positive reviews. Unfortunately, my hopes were quickly dashed upon receiving very poor service from our waiter. We had to ask 4 times, and wait more than 30 minutes for the waiter to come take our order. I am not sure why we were ignored, perhaps because we are on the younger side of their customers median age. Nevertheless, there is no valid reason, as there were four waiters working that night, and it is a small restaurant. The waiter explained it would take 45 minutes for the food to arrive, but the food arrived in mere minutes, perhaps as a way to apologize for the poor service from our waiter. The salad was quite good and the pasta was average. I would never come back to this establishment because of the poor customer service. There is a lot that can be improved in this regard. read more

The restaurant is great! Very authentic Italian cuisine everything is fresh and tasty a must go if you are in Toronto yummy yummy read more

Donatello Restaurant - Italian wine - Italian Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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Work in the area. Brought a large business group at Christmas witha preset menu. Was less than impressed. Food value for cost was below average. Has definetly gone down from years back. Won't go back unfortunately. Just average at best read more

Came here with the hubby and a friend for a casual dining evening and enjoyed our time here. It's something between a casual and formal dinner setting and right in the middle of downtown. They have multiple seating options which is amazing. They had an outdoor patio, indoors on the first floor and a balcony available for seating. On a summer evening, sitting outside was just perfect! We ordered some prosecco and enjoyed our drinks when we got some bread and oil. The service was decent but we did feel that they were prioritizing some other customers over us. People who came long after we did got served their bread and drinks while we waited for us. Our food was tasty - we got the specials (salmon and pasta) and the chicken in a rose sauce from the menu. Both were delicious. The rooftop patio/balcony is where we sat and it was beautiful. I highly recommend sitting outdoors if possible during a warm day. When we got our bill, the staff member added the gratuity on it automatically but it wasn't clear. When we asked him to explain what was written on it he started saying something very random which didn't make sense. We had someone else come and explain it to us that it was the gratuity. I did feel that the serving staff could do a bit more to make a better experience in terms of service. But overall this place gets a 3.5 to 4 Star for its food and ambience experience. read more

Donatello Restaurant - Italian Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

When my husband travels to TO for business he's always sure to dine here. He told me it's a must and he was right ! The service is top notch. Friendly and very attentive staff. We had a bit of a wait for our entrees. We were enjoying the ourselves and were in no hurry but the staff was very apologetic just the same. We had no room for dessert and hope to stop by again during our trip. The food is fresh and delicious. We enjoyed a blueberry mojito and espresso martini. The caprese salad was fresh and flavourful. My daughter enjoyed the Gnocchi which was rich and delicious. I had enjoyed a fresh Caesar salad with grilled chicken. read more

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Tiny spot in the over saturated commercial mess that is Yonge-Dundas, Donatello is a welcome institution. I can't emphasize how small this place is but well worth the cramped space for the gnocchi. Absolutely delicious. I've been twice; service was great even with a Saturday evening walk-in (my sister and I got the last table - score!) read more

Donatello Restaurant - Gnocchi - Italian Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Amazing food, they let us in and even tho it was closed they still allowed us to go inside. Tried the white sauce spaghetti it was delicious. Hopefully get to go again when back in Toronto. read more

Dinner here was great! The service and food were amazing and I will definitely be coming here again the next time I'm in Toronto. The restaurant was walking distance from the UofT building I was working at. This was a really great getaway from the snow storm that was happening outside. We walked in without a reservation and were seated immediately. The bruschetta appetizer was very tasty and fresh. They had these cute little olive oil and vinegar dispensers on the table with the oil on the outside part and an olive shaped insert in the middle with the balsamic vinegar. Definitely a nice touch. The penne arrabiata and seafood special were delicious. The pasta was cooked perfectly al dente and the sauce was tangy and spicy. We were offered fresh black pepper and parmesan as well. I ordered a glass of valpolicella ripasso, which took me back to when I was in Italy last year. The tiramisu was also unique - it had a different liquor in it, I think it was sambuca. It gave it a very unique flavor and we loved it. Definitely will be back. read more

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Gorgeous patio, friendly service, and amazing food. This place feels like you are dining at an Italian house. They have an extensive menu, and the portion sizes are pretty big. We tried Caesar salad, gnocchi and the salmon dish plus a dessert which was really good but I don't remember the name of. Everything was delicious. They are really generous with their parmesan, which they only add to each dish after serving it to you. Service was great; we ended up chatting with our server in the end for a while who turned out to be such a lovely person! They put a lot of effort into making their patio look good. I recommend reserving a table on the upstairs patio. The tree right in front of the restaurant is decorated with lights and it makes the whole place so beautiful and romantic with all the lighting and colourful flowers. I liked everything about this restaurant. Will be back for sure to try their other dishes. read more

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While the Penne Arrabbiata was exceptional and demonstrated the culinary excellence of Donatello the service left much to be desired, the host's arrogant demeanor drew away the overall experience. Good food should be matched with good service. I hope the management takes steps to improve, so that future diners can fully appreciate all that Donatello has to offer. read more

Service was great! 10/10. The tiramisu is a must get! The pasta was good but way too salty for everyones liking. We ordered their lobster pasta rose sauced based, was good, but way to much salt. Same thing with the seafood pasta with wine sauce. The meatball spaghetti was a bit disappointing, the sauce was but sour, wasn't very special. read more

Charming and beautiful place with fantastic food! The ravioli is super and all the pasta is so fresh. Absolutely delightful. This is a really lovely place for a date or special night out. I came here last year and continue to think about my ravioli since that day. Bravo read more

Mediocre Italian food. Probably good place for tourists with the hotel across the street Frutta di mare salad was awful Straciatella- the colour was so unnaturally yellow there is no way it was made with real chicken broth Lamb chops: tiny, barely and meat and overcooked (asked for medium rare) Also lady working as host (seemed like the owner) was super weird. Sat people with later reservations ahead of us. Observed while waiting for her to seat me taking some walk-ins (ahead of us, with a reservation) and turning away others because the tables were "reserved"...overall was not impressed and would not recommend. read more

Super average food with inflated prices. It's a small place so you have to make reservations even on a week night. The veggie pasta that I got (linguine with cream sauce and mushrooms) costed me 20 bucks without tax. The pasta was al dente which I liked but lacked much flavour. The portion size on the other hand was big. The calamari was also around $20 but was well cooked. I just wish we got more pieces :( They charred it nicely but by the time it made it to our table it was cold. The sever talked super fast but was friendly and happy. Not sure if I will return because I wasn't impressed with anything! read more

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The wine pairing with the spicy clam pasta dish is a must! Highly recommend. Incredibly authentic Italian food in such an accessible location within Toronto read more

Recommended: Veal marsala with penne Ok: Shrimp and scallops in wine sauce Meh: Roasted bell peppers. They're ok, but the quantity makes no sense unless you have a group to share with. This type of food is really not my thing. A bit too straight forward and bland. The food is simple Italian, but not special. The veal was well seasoned but a bit chewy. Still it was better than the shrimp and scallops dish, which contained small scallops and shrimp which seemed overcooked or reheated. Olive oil and vinegar bottles are covered with corks which are very greasy. I have no idea how these could possibly be clean. Your fingers get dirty at minimum. For the price, I expect higher quality or at least more interesting food. Service was a bit absent at times, but passable overall. They only have one credit card machine, which created a bottleneck of a few minutes. It didn't matter this night, but if you have a time constraint, it is not a fast meal. The waiter explained and apologized, at least. read more

Donatello Restaurant - Veal marsala - Italian Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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Amazing Food and Service! The restaurant was nice, warm. The server was kind, friendly and helped us decide what we wanted, and it turned out great. There was no waiting for service. read more

I was craving gnocchi so my friend took me here for ny birthday. It was extremely classy, even the exterior of the building was quaint. The server was extremely attentive and even used a special scrapper to clean the crumbs off our table after eating the crunchy bruschetta. Although there were many fancy looking appetizers, I had to choose the bruschetta as its a simple classic that I love. I tried it with the olive oil and balsamic vinegar that they had on the table as well. It was so flavourful! The gnocchi was fresh with an amazing sauce. The server sprinkled cheese and pepper. I wish I had asked for more cheese and pepper (it looked like a lot of pepper but I actually did not taste much since it was so finely grinded). My friend got the cheese filled ravioli. I was expecting it to be cheesy but it was a harder, more crumbly dry cheese instead. The sauce was light. It was yummy but not as flavourful as the gnocchi I felt. Overall, I would reccomend this place to others and would love to come again to try something else! read more

Donatello Restaurant - Potato filled gnocchi - Italian Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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This place was adorable. Truly. Such excellent service and we took every recommendation of our server and the pasta was out of this world. K8 was craving pesto, so I told them she was pregnant over the phone, and hey explained that they didn't care- either way they had pesto pasta available. It was a ravioli! I had spaghetti 2000 (real name of the dish, very futuristic) and with their special tomato sauce with a touch of cream (also recommended). I was upset with myself for having eaten at all earlier that day. I assure you, I will be having spaghetti 2000 for breakfast. I actually ate a lot of it, so tomorrow morning it's spaghetti 1,500 and pesto for my baby. A MUST if you are in the mood for Italian food, charming ambience and the kind of staff you would like to join your extended family. BRAVISSIMO! read more

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Arrived excited after s long day touring the city, but extremely disappointed when the host said reservations were needed. Never saw listing for this requirement when other reviewers mentioned just dropping in. Huge pass! Smh read more