Good, well located Italian restaurant in the Clinton Main St. Menu is standard Mediterranean / Italian fare. It's BYOB which is great since I can bring my own wine choice, but if you like pre dinner cocktails you are out of luck. Service was pleasant and attentive but not overbearing. I had a crab cake appetizer and lobster ravioli. Both good but nothing exceptional. read more

Going for past year, never disappoints. The app of burrata prosciutto is excellent! Add a bit of their pesto to it and you have one heck of an appetizer. BYOB, which is great. The mushroom ravioli is by far the best thing on the menu. Its paper thin pasta and you can see the mushroom filling through it. The sauce is amazing. Pricing is good, place will not dissappoint! read more

We stumbled upon this restaurant on a trip to Clinton and were blown away by the food here! I can't even describe how tasty the food is. The service was great as well! Definitely recommend the chocolate soufflé for dessert! read more

Dora did a phenomenal job. We are in town visiting and they were able to accommodate our large group with outdoor dining. The service was wonderful and the food was delicious. I highly recommend this restaurant! read more

Good food.....service is atrocious. Waited forever for them to take our appetizer order, and another century for our dinner order. Which they messed up and were very nonchalant about fixing. Again food was very good (I didn't end up getting my plate because we didn't have the time to wait and everyone else had their plates) so I just shared with my wife. This is not to call out any origin of the new owners... but it should be noted English is not their first language and this could be resulting in the ordering issues and service expectations. read more

Summary: Restaurant was extremely disorganized and on the verge of chaos and we were penalized for that with an extremely long wait and poor service. Bottom line, this place needs to hire someone who can run front of house. Only reason for second star is because my mom liked her clams. Full review: I generally provide a decent benefit of the doubt to places, I live in San Francisco, and waiting at least some time for seating is the norm. However, how we were treated was unfair. I first walked into the restaurant itself around 7:20pm looking for a hostess and waited inside the front door for 5-10 with no help from anyone. It was a busy night so I brushed it aside. While another party and I were waiting someone finally told us to meet them outside. We both walked outside and the other party was helped first as they had a reservation, fair enough. The lady came back to me and my mother and we asked about the wait to sit outside. We agreed that we would walk around for a half hour as she "put us down" for an 8pm reservation. We returned around 8 and waited for any help. When the same lady came back she noticed us and acknowledged we were back for our table. She mentioned there were no tables but that a couple tables were just paying their check, and to just sit tight on the bench for a couple minutes. I did so and very soon after I took a seat a couple came up asking for a table, acknowledging they didn't have a reservation but they "were regulars". This time someone else on staff left and came right back and took them to a table. We were left continually waiting. Finally around 8:20, after an hour in total waiting for a table, my party and another party (who had an 8:15 reservation) were again asked by a different individual (who looked like a manager) if we could be helped. After both parties told him we were waiting for tables he went to look for tables and came back saying some people were just finishing up. At this point I mentioned "this is what we were told last time" which at this point was almost a half an hour ago. He came back to me and said "what do you want me to do kick people out and tell them they have to leave?" I said no but explained that multiple groups who arrived after us had been taken to tables while we were still waiting. He responded rudely that "they must have had reservations" which I know in at least one case to be absolutely untrue! Further, in my mind we had 8pm reservations as well. This is the point I should have walked away. A simple apology would have been welcome and reassurance a table was almost ready. Why should I pay money to a place in which we were treated this way? After a few more minutes, after over an hour wait at almost 8:30pm, he came back and seated both my party and the other couple waiting for their 8:15pm reservation. Ironically we were seated next to the couple who didn't have reservations who was brought right in. A little way into our bread the couple was asking about their entree. As it turns out it took over an hour to serve since they ordered, and again they had to follow up twice to finally get it after being told it was "on its way out". The food itself was okay. My mom really liked her clams, which was a special of the night. However, everything else was just basic Italian my mom could make or we could go to Olive Garden and get for 1/2 the price and be just as satisfied. I am appalled we allowed this restaurant to treat us in this fashion. Root cause was disorganization all around which led to unhappy customers. No place is worth the trouble and I would have preferred leaving and rummaging through cabinets for snacks to actually eating here if I could do it all again. But hey - hindsight is 20/20. read more

My second visit to Dora was great. I'd visited once before a few years ago and had a pleasant enough memory to go back! I was not disappointed. I believe this location may have changed hands, as there was a different staff and menu in place, but the food and service was still very good. Stopped in without a reservation around 7pm on a Thursday. Lucked out that it was not yet too busy and we were able to snag a nice table for two by the front window. I think we got one of the best views in the place-- though all the tables have some partial view of Clinton's lovely main street. They seat you immediately with a loaf of fluffy bread and some sort of herb oil dip. Both of these things are delicious and will fill you up so you can't eat anything else... but you won't regret it! Even with the bread, we decided to order an appetizer- the eggplant rollatini. The flavors were there, but it was basically stone cold. We were both really hungry and did not feel like sending it back, so we still ate it cold (#hungerprobs). It would have been a 5 star meal if this had been hot! We both ordered the pappardelle, which is an egg noodle dish tossed in bolognese sauce with a dollop of ricotta on top. It was outstanding. The sauce is flavorful without being overpowering, and there was a nice mix of meat and finely chopped veggies. The ricotta added a nice, creamy texture to the whole thing. The portion was fairly large and neither of us were able to finish it, but did happily take it home for lunch the next day!! No room for dessert this visit, but the table next to us shared a chocolate souffle that looked amazing! read more

Great place in Clinton. Indoor and outdoor seating. Food, atmosphere and staff are all wonderful. Best part it is BYOB, but they do serve local wine if you don't bring your own. Only thing is the pasta servings we're on the small side. You need to order appetizers and/or side dishes. read more

My husband got food poisoning from the seafood special. I called and spoke to the manager who refused to do anything for us. The service was terribly slow. We will never go back . read more

I had a great meal here! The location is in really unique "Main Street" area that looks eerily like it was forgotten about in the late 1950's. Heads up: Only full bottles of wine are served, but BYOB is offered and encouraged. I had the Caesar salad and the octopus appetizer. Both were stellar! Wait staff and management were on point! My water glass never lost more that 25% of fill. While the food is good, the green, herbed oil dip for the bread (free) was the best thing I've had in 2 weeks!! If it wasn't a white linen restaurant, I would have used my finger to get the last drop! read more

Everything was like a magic touch . The dinner was terrific ,the waiter was very professional and suggested to us the best salad and pasta The salad was so healthy and the pasta so delicious. And the last touch was the Tiramisu ,SPLENDID!!! The Service :PERFECT !!! Everyone smiling and full of energy and passion for the food they serve. The best food experience in NJ,I love this place full of smiles ,energy and great taste... read more

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Wonderful Lunch on the outdoor patio, We had appetizers of meatballs and octopus, with lunches of shrimp scampi and mushroom ravioli. All beautifully made in house. Decent wine from a local vineyard, The staff was delightful. All very reasonably priced. I will be back. read more

Just had great eggplant parm at Mama's in Hackettstown. Dora should learn from them. Come to think of it...Dora was a total rip off and their overcooked food was garbage. Will NEVER be back! read more

This place is terrible. I had a bad experience the first time waited forever for them to get our check so we can leave, but I believe in second chances. Second time, I ordered the chicken florentina off the online menu, only to be told by the waitress that answered that the online menu isn;t updated, but they could still make it. It was under PASTA, it came with no pasta, also said it would have fontina cheese in a white wine sauce, it had NEITHER, it had mixed vegetables and mashed potatoes and chicken. I attempted to reach out to the restaurant to correct the situation and they did absolutely nothing. avoid this dump! read more

We sat outside and enjoyed a lovely evening. The food was very good, service pleasant and cost affordable. Clinton is an adorable town with plenty of parking and several good restaurants. read more

Very simple ingredients. Way overpriced for the quality of food. Have the location a second try and will not be returning. Location and set up is very nice. read more

So this was my second time giving Dora's a try. My first experience there was pretty bad. We were seated promptly however it took about 10 minutes to be given menus. Once we were given menus it took another 30 minutes for a waiter to even walk by us where we stopped him and asked him to open our bottle of wine. Then about 10-15 minutes later we finally had our order taken. During this time our waiter was not busy but rather standing around staring into space. Food was great but it seemed our waiter could careless about us. The other waiters seemed to be more on top of things so I decided to give it another try. I made a reservation to sit outside. When I arrived with out of town friends I gave them my name and said that I had a 7:30 reservation. He then asked if I could sit inside, I said no that was why I made a reservation for outside. He then informed me it would be 5 minutes. It was 15 minutes and I tried to get someone attention where I was ignored. I then decided to make a call to another Italian restaurant around the corner who told me they would save a table for us to come right over and we could be seated. Much better experience and much better service! Why make reservations if you are not going to honor them, and then ignore customers. I have never dealt with such rude and really less interested staff. The real shame is that they have good food. However I will NEVER return because the horrible service I have experienced twice now! read more

We eat in Clinton a lot and wanted a nice place to eat outside. We sat on the patio, our waitress was nice but too young and not very knowledgeable in her own menu. She never offered/asked us for drinks so I guess we just stuck w the water. She read us the specials and left, the manager/owner came over and took our order. We wanted the Halibut special but when we ordered it, no one knew whether it was halibut or Branzino... I had the crab cakes appetizer and she had the Melon and prosciutto. The crab cake was nice, good flavor and the coleslaw was nice as well, but I asked for ground pepper and the bus boy never came back. The melon and prosciutto looked like it was thrown together by my 10 year old. Two slices of prosciutto draped over two slices of melon. Zero presentation.. it was at this point I realized that the entire outside of the building was ripped off down to the sheathing with other pieces of siding falling down. Ughhh I ordered the rib eye and she ended up with the Branzino; neither were anything to rave about. The cappuccino mousse for dessert was good, but overall I have no intention of returning. read more

Husband and I had dinner here tonight. Our server wasn't the friendliest. My husband had the NY Strip special. Steak wasn't bad, just a little over cooked then what we had asked. I had the chicken parm, and it was delicious. However, i wish the server would've came over and asked if I would have liked grated cheese for my pasta. He didn't come over to even check and see how everything was. Food was good, service was eh. I don't think we would make the drive for this again. read more

Four of us had dinner there last night. I have the seafood mix special with pasta. I use this dish to judge places. It was awesome!! Others had the fish , chicken and Scallops. All love it. The bread was very good. I go here on occasion and find it consistently great. In the summer time you can sit outside. Clinton is a lovely town. Stephen Taylor read more

I celebrated my rehearsal dinner here on the night before my wedding at Jack's Barn with about 45 guests. The staff was absolutely wonderful to work with in setting up a pre-set menu and then also accommodating several vegetarian guests on the night of. They were kind enough to allow for us to drop off our beer and wine before guests arrived (it's a BYOB -- what a bargain) and they set it all up, put things on ice as appropriate, and set glassware at each setting. My mother-in law and a friend came in earlier in the evening to set up table arrangements, favors, and a seating chart and Dora assisted them in every way possible. When we arrived drinks were quickly poured and we were shown to our private area of the restaurant. The room was stunning and waitstaff was always on hand while not being intrusive. We started with a hot antipasto that was served pre-portioned to each guest. Next, we had a salad course and finally an entree choice of sole or chicken parmigiana. We finished with a tiramisu. The food was all served hot and each table was served at the same time. It isn't the best Italian food you've had, but it is good and it is consistent and nicely plated. They allowed for us to bring in an elaborate cake at no additional charge and assisted in serving it. They were patient, warm, and understanding even when we stayed late into the night. I would recommend for your special occasion in the area because they really took hospitality to the next level and on special days shared with family and friends that is an element that cannot be overlooked. read more

Another Italian restaurant? Yes, the same good Jersey Italian fare...but there is so much more at Dora in Clinton. It's not only the food that makes this place stand out, it's the people who work there. You are greeted at the door as if you are an old friend by the host, Tino. By the second time, you are on a first-name basis and greeted with kisses and hugs. The décor is simple and elegant--all the personality comes from the staff and the food. You really can't go wrong with any menu item you choose. From the first warm pieces of homemade bread and herbed olive oil to the finale of melty chocolate soufflé and cappuccino, the entire dining experience is pleasantly satisfying. I'm not saying this is the best Italian food I've ever had, but you can't go wrong when classic Italian dishes are cooked right and when great company surrounds you. Quick Tips: 1. Make reservations on weekends. 2. The best time to dine is on a sunny, summer evening on the patio. You get to enjoy the outside seating and can hear live music from Main Street. 3. BYOB!!! Maybe my favorite part about this place. 4. Luckily, it's not expensive because you'll end up having a 3 or 4 course meal. It would just be wrong to skip out on their fabulous appetizers and desserts. 5. Dress up or down. There's really a mix of attire from jeans to dresses. 6. Make friends with the owner and waiters. They may give you free stuff... a bottle of wine or free dessert! read more

The fried calamari were soggy and filled with grease. The house made beef ravioli had a rotten meat flavor. I'm guessing they Were trying to repurpose some spoiled meat from the walk in. The board of health should shut down this abomination. Passionless and disgusting! read more

Stopped in while in the area for a spontaneous dinner. Had the soup special, carrot and apple, very flavorful, balanced, my wife had the arugula salad, delicious For a main course she had the pasta special, I had very light ricotta gnocchi, we were both very happy with our choices. Service was prompt respectful and attentive I would come back again and again. A gem in Clinton read more

I came here last weekend for a rehearsal dinner. The setting is beautiful - I was envious of all of the people dining outside, but we had a lovely room to ourselves. The meal, however, did not start out well. We were each handed a plate of appetizers - a flavorless shrimp, a small crabcake, a stuffed mushroom, some kind of clam, and a few scattered calamari. I was instantly put off by the presentation - the items were just scattered about the plate. I kept waiting for some kind of sauce to come out - cocktail sauce, tartar sauce - even a lemon! But alas, nothing, and I only managed to eat a taste of each thing, as most items were dry and/or bland. Service was extremely, extremely slow. We waited a half hour between each course. My husband and I eventually had to get up and take a walk outside between courses; I just couldn't sit there for three hours. We had a salad course - just overdressed greens with nothing else - and a pasta course - three ravioli in a plain, unseasoned tomato sauce. My main course earned a star, though. I had a delicious, well-seasoned steak. It was a undercooked for the medium-well I'd requested (alas, pregnancy has made me fearful of too much red, no matter how delicious rare meat is). I think it may have been cooked in butter, too. Still - delicious. Dining companions had either salmon (small portion) or chicken parm and said these were fair. We were each given a slice of tiramisu AND cheesecake for dinner. Getting two desserts earned the restaurant a second star. Both were quite tasty. Because we were at a rehearsal dinner, we weren't free to try some of their normal menu options, but I'd strongly advise against coming here with such a large group (we had 20-25 people). It really was a subpar meal. read more

We had a great family dinner celebrating a birthday. Jude was our server and did fantastic. We started with assorted appetizers. I enjoyed the lamb special entree with risotto. Followed by a chocolate soufflé dessert that several helped me eat. read more

Excellent fanfare and even better service! No complaints from this end from the salmon I had to the desert that was shown to us.excellent attention to detail about the specials while keeping their promise about letting us take our time about what we wanted. Why only 4 stars? Well that is at our end...we live to far to come here, so it has to be a seasonal thing! read more

Dora - Italian Near Me - Clinton, New Jersey

One of our faves ! Consistent food and service . In nice downtown Clinton . Nice outdoor seating

This was my second trip to Dora, my first trip was a little disappointing, I had linguini with red clam sauce which was not really a clam sauce, but a tomato sauce. I like a good clam sauce with olive oil, fresh herbs, garlic, tomato..... not a tomato sauce per se, but that's me! I am very pleased to say that my second visit was wonderfiul. My dinner companions were well known by restaurant staff, being semi regulars there, and one was celebrating his birthday. We were seated at a lovely table in the front window that overlooks quaint downtown Clinton, the tables are spaced enough apart to ensure some privacy... and there's a cheerful fireplace for cold evenings which added to the overall homey atmosphere for a neighborhood restaurant. A crusty warm bread and a mixture of good olive oil and fresh herbs for dipping arrived with the menus. So far so good............. So what about the food? The birthday boy had a generous portion Eggplant Rollatini, stuffed with Ricotta cheese and melted Mozzarella and a rich Tomato sauce. My other companion and I had the excellent Butternut Squash soup. For the main course I asked to have what my in the know birthday boy ordered: home made Parppadella , a ribbon like noodle with Bolognese, Mirepoix, fresh Herbs and a dollop of Ricotta cheese with a special request to add Meatballs, which were meat and pork, and scrumptious!(apparently I didn't see the appetizer of meatballs and sauce, or I would have ordered them, they are THAT good) and sweet Italian Sausage. The restaurant manager, a charming man named Brian, patiently took the request and accommodated his additional request to add plenty of garlic and fresh basil. My other companion had Pan Roasted Half Chicken, Pan Roasted Chicken, Broccoli Rabe, Sausage, and Tomato. Portions were very generous, I took half of mine home for tomorrow's lunch. Dessert was a real treat, a creme brulee for me was delicious, a chocolate mocha mousse cake with a candle arrived for our birthday boy, and a lemon confection went to my other companion. Service was extremely attentive without being obtrusive. We had reservations for 7 PM and stayed til a little past 9 and were not rushed at any time to finish up, as the restaurant closes then for the evening. I was very pleased that I came, and look forward to visiting this moderately priced restaurant again. read more

Horrible service monotone servers and management. Sat for 2 hrs waiting for food. Before somone came to explain. Horrible service. Bring lots of alcohol and a good book. You will be waiting a long fucking time for food. read more

Went here the other night to get some drinks and appetizers with my boyfriend. Very impressed with the cheese and meat platter and the crab cakes. Had a bottle of wine and a great time! Our waiter, Brian, was fantastic! Always made sure our glasses were filled and that we were happy. Excellent service! The only reason I'm giving 4 stars was due to the water damage and rotting trim in the dining room. Hopefully the owner repairs this soon because it really takes away from the atmosphere and makes you a little worried to eat food in a rotting building. read more

My wife and I went to Dora's tonight, haven't been there in a few years. We sat outside on the patio, all tables full. I had the seafood special papa dal, my wife had the short rib, both were excellent. Bread was served warm and fresh, with an xxvirgin, olive oil dipping on the side. As it was Friday night, listening to the musicians playing on Main st., made it extra special! Highly recommend! read more

My family was very disappointed on our recent Saturday night visit with the food, the service, and reservation policies of Dora. We will never visit again, and we live in Clinton Township! We called a week in advance to request a specific table of 5 by the front window. The restaurant confirmed our request, and we again emphasized that we wanted a specific table. On the day of our reservation, we called to confirm our reservation and table location. On both phone calls, the restaurant confirmed our request. When our family arrived at the restaurant at 7:20 pm (for 7:30 pm reservation) the requested table was full; and the party had only recently started their dinner. The hostess then told us that they could not guarantee a table, and unapologetically suggested a round table by the door. After some discussion, they set up a four top table for us and added a fifth seat at the end. At this point on a Saturday night, we had few options but to stay. We were furious that we were twice not informed (lied to) of this "policy". We made the best of it; but the service was still spotty, and the portions were small and ordinary. When I told this story to a colleague at work (she lives in Clinton Township) about the reservation "policy", she told me that the exact situation had happened to her too. read more

My friend and I arrived at 7:20 on a quiet weeknight and asked for a table outside. We were squeezed into a table for two between two other small tables so we asked for a four-top. There were at least eight other empty tables that we could have occupied. After we were seated the waiter greeted us with a snarky comment about it being a table meant for four. His attitude never improved throughout the course of our meal - which was two salads and two appetizers - nothing spectacular so the bar wasn't too high. While still working on her meal, the waiter came by to my friend asking if he could clear her plate. What? Didn't he see that she was still eating from where he stood no more than 20 ft away? I won't go back despite the fact that I'm in Clinton all the time and would like nothing more than to patronize a local restaurant. Who needs attitude and lousy service when the food isn't even anything to write home about? read more

Started off with carpaccio which was fabulous! Also had burrata... So creamy. I had Bronzino special and Nick had lamb shank with mushroom risotto. We both had clean plates. Now cheesecake to split for dessert with decaf cappuccino. read more

I just tried to order from here and got the rudest service. They kept yelling at me and interrupting me and then abruptly said they were canceling the order... when you have sub par food you don't have room to be extremely rude. My sister actually started laughing in the background thinking how incredibly rude this person was. Not worth it. Better off getting dominos. read more

Please beware!!!! The service is terrible and the food is mediocre! We ordered an app and our food did not come out for another hour and a half! The waitress did not come over ONCE to say anything about the delay or to ask if we needed anything! My husband had to finally go and track down someone to find out what happened to our order. When the server finally came out with our food, we asked why it took an hour and a half and he blamed us, saying that it was because of our adjustments we made to our order. The only thing that we requested was if my mashed potatoes could be changed to a pasta!!! A VERY disappointing experience to say the least!! Our friends had warned us that the food and service were going down hill, but we decided to give them the benefit of the doubt. What a mistake!!!!!! read more

Small portions. Dora is good Italian. There's not too many choices in Clinton and it seems all restaurants are content to be average at slightly higher than average prices. Competition is weak unless you're a diner/breakfast place. Dora is good but wished menu was a little broader and portions a little more. On a side note: We went last Saturday 7/14, seems the portions were a little more. Glad to see they added a little more food for the prices. Caesar salad is EXCELLENT read more

My first visit to Dora's with some locals. The downtown area of Clinton is very nice, BTW. The service at Dora's is excellent. My hosts brought their own wine, so I can't comment on the wine list. There were three of us. We each ordered from the specials of the day offering as that was my host's recommendation. I must say it was very good and I will certainly return to this restaurant. I give it 4 stars for an American "Italian" restaurant. And, for me, that's a good thing. My only concern is with the pasta itself. It is not fresh pasta, and is not served hot, in the Italian way, meaning that the dish remains hot throughout the entire meal. I had the capellini with sauteed shrimp, cherry tomatoes and artichoke hearts. Very good; although, I'd simply leave off the cherry tomatoes - doesn't add anything to the dish beyond eye candy. read more

Found this place on yelp while visiting the area on business. The pictures looked good and Clinton is a cute little town so a few work friends and me loaded in the car and made the trip. The sitting situation was a little confusing because it is an old house and didn't see a designated hostess station. We ended up jut walking over to the patio and they said it was okay to just pick a table. The staff was very friendly and never made us feel rushed even though we came in 30 minutes prior to closing. The food really did not disappoint and tasted awesome!! We even had the pleasure of seeing fireflies and for us Arizonins we were excited. You really can't go wrong with good company, good atmosphere, good wine and great food. We have to stop here again the next time i am in town. read more