We had heard many good things. We arrived for our reservation and were seated near the server prep area. Our primary server was inattentive after the initial greeting. The space between seats was limited and waitstaff repeatedly bumped into my wife or her chair. We had to seek staff to refill drinks. Desert was never offered. We were underwhelmed and will not return. There are other Italian places we can go where we can count on good service.

Food was absolutely the best Italian I have had in Tampa. Sauces were amazing and service was very attentive.

We love everything about Donatello. From the valet guys to the bartenders to the host to the wait staff. Everyone is so friendly and the food is second to none.
We just celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary there and received many 'well wishes' from everyone. The grouper special was very tasty, wish it was on the menu all the time. And the veal cannelloni was ohhhh so good.
Thanks to everyone for making our anniversary even more special.
Dennis and Steph

As always, the food and service were phenomenal. Thank you, Gino!

Over-priced, mediocre Italian food. The inside looks old (not in a classic Burns way, but in an old cruise ship way). While we were very excited to try it based upon the reviews from others and we didn't face any problems while we were there, nothing seemed all that impressive to garner $30 for a pasta dish with no meat or $20 for basic calamari appetizer. The only very good delicious part of the meal was the marinara. Otherwise, we were simply disappointed on our anniversary.

Gino welcomed us and everything after that was excellent as usual. Great authentic food and service. Food is like real home cooking that my family and I are used to. Dishes taste like grandma made it.

Best Caesar salad ever!!!

Without Guido just not the same. Went 2 nights, 1st night sat in bar for 20 minutes right next to the waitress station, finally I asked for a drink from the bartender who gave us one but no one ever cleared the space in front of us from the prior customers nuts and empty drink glasses (20 minutes!) second night restaurant was pretty empty waited up front to be seated no one was there had to start walking into dining room, seated ordered a drink, that’s the last we saw of our waiter for 20 minutes, I put empty glass on all 4 corners of the table and finally hailed down waiter for another drink. They switched waiters on us obviously they noticed I was annoyed. PS COLD/STALE Bread looked like it was salvaged from the birds there actually looked like a bite had been taken out and we never offered oil & cheese. Food is great as always but I sure miss the personal attention Guido demanded from the staff

Had an reservation but was made to wait for 40 mins after that time. The table were cramped ne the food portions were very small and overpriced . Waiters did not care about asking us if they need anything .we will not come back here . The standards have fallen considerably . Personally feel they cannot care about the service if you are not a regular

I have been going to this Restaurant since it opened in 1984. It is by far my favorite Restaurant in the Tampa Bay area. Gino, Guido and the entire staff make sure you are having the best dining experience and the best Italian food you can possibly have in the Country.
I look forward tp every visit to this Restaurant. In my opinion the best in the Country.

Best restaurant in tampa

We celebrated My wife's birthday last Saturday. The place was packed with many families get together. Waiters flying by. Carpaccio really good, Veal, too much salt. I would recommend eating there on a Week night. All the ladies got a rose but not my wife.

Just a wonderful evening of food, friends, and opera. Donatello's did a great job of blending their normally excellent service with entertainment that added to the evening. We always enjoy our evenings here.

Authentic Italian cuisine. Try Opera night for an entertaining evening!

Still the best northern Italian cuisine I have found outside NY or Italy. The dish you liked 20 years ago is still there and still tastes as good.

Fantastic. Had great food and service. Even made me something that was not technically on the menu and it was delicious!

We do dinner each time we visit Tampa. Excellent food, drink and service.

When you pull up to the front, your valet meets you and is very kind and humble. Once you walk in, it feels like you are their top priority, unlike many restaurants these days. We did wait a while after being seated to get our drinks and food, but only because it was an extremely busy night. It did not go unnoticed though and Gino & the guys definitely took care of us.
I took my wife, kids and mother in law there for her birthday and we ended up having an amazing time. Definitely a place to recommend and we will be seeing them again soon.

Ciao,
Nick

Great food, personalized service with a very eclectic crowd. Donatello's is the perfect spot for a romantic dinner.

All around great Italian dining experience

Nice old school Italian restaurant.

Food gave me and wife cramps! For that much money I should’ve went to a steak house

Best Italian around here. Old tradition at its best. Super delicious foid.

Donatello’s has the best service in Tampa. The food is consistently outstanding and such a beautiful ambiance.

Excellent food with fantastic service.

What a great spot to celebrate our anniversary! The service was great, the food was excellent and the wine choices were top notch. We had an excellent time, we’ll worth the time.

Best Italian food in Florida of I lived in Tampa I would be there everyday.

It was really a great experience. In a day and age of crappy service and mediocre restaurant food, this place was the exact opposite. Will definitely be going back

Took my boyfriend for his 30th birthday. Everything was nice and clean. My only concern was while walking back from the restroom a server carrying dirty dishes almost ran into me. It is a bit of a tight squeeze with all of the tables on the floor.

Other than that the food was delicious and the wine list was great.

Don't go without reservations! Fabulous food. Impeccable service. We were greeted at the door by Gino, who shook our hands and wished my sun Happy Birthday then led us to our table. Our sommelier, George was from the town next door to my hometown and had a great sense of humor. We weren't rushed at all. The whole meal took over 2.5 hours. Highly recommend!

The best Italian restaurant in Tampa. A class act!
The quality and experience has been maintained consistently for 34 years.
This is where to go for an Italian, over the top, romantic fine dining experience.

Without a doubt, the premier Italian dining establishment in the Tampa. The service is second to none. Don't see something you like? Ask the staff....they are beyond helpful. Truly outstanding!

My husband amd I celebrated our 24th wedding anniversary at the restaurant. They found out it was our anniversary and went out of their way to make it extra special with cake and a rose. The meal was delicious from start to finish. Staff was wonderful. Couldn't ask for a better time and we drove 75 miles to have dinner there. Would do it again and highly recommend them.

Best restaurant me and my wife have ever been to. The service was awesome, and waiters were on point. Food was very good as well. We are definitely going back. We even saw Derek Jeter there, the owner of the Florida Marlins and we were treated the same as him. The atmosphere was very lively as well. Free valet parking also. Kind of pricey, but well worth it.

Always the best no matter the occasion.

We were in Tampa for a long weekend and had a wonderful evening at Donatello! Delicious food, great wine, attentive and caring staff. It was perfect!

They can flat out cook. My favorite restaurant in Tampa.

Great food but service was really slow...have been there many times and this was the first time that this has occurred...I guess everyone has a bad night!
Easy access in Tampa and valet was prompt

Overall, dining at Donatello was a great experience. The service was very impressive as water glasses and bread were refilled without any prompting. The course changes were swift and the wait staff extremely courteous. The food surpassed my expectation and everyone one of our party agreed that it was fantastic. My only complaint was that we were served a bottle of Champaign that was warm. This was remedied as quickly as possible but still, that should not happen in a restaurant of this caliber.

Outstanding food and superior service. The real deal.