donato&co.

We ate outside on Friday night and it was lovely. The food was truly delicious and our waiter was delightful and charming. We will definitely eat here again. It was truly authentic Italian.

Donato's has a wonderful imaginative chef who offers the best in regional Italian cooking. Their servers are always very nice and attentive. Their restaurant is lovely inside and I hope that we'll be able to eat there again. In the meantime support them with their takeaway, food shop, and outdoor dining.

Donato & Co. is kind of a staple. Not exceptionally amazing, however good tasty food. Service was a bit slow and with COVID dining is simply not the same experience.

I have a hard time understanding why this place is not better known -- and why it took me so long to dine at donato&co. Wow. Everything was great.

Had the gamberi salad appetizer/starter. Huge. The prawns were perfect, and mix of greens and different tomatoes pleasing to eye and palate. The bruschetta was loaded with, again, an excellent visual experience of varied tomatoes.

The wine selections were fun. We tried a few. Standout was the 2011 Toscana, but at $21/glass a wee bit over-priced.

Full bar, with an interesting selection of grappas and amari.

COVID-45 protocols in place. Restaurant at 10-15% capacity (at most). Gloves, masks, distancing, and sanitizer. Felt safe as normal as possible.

Will return, again and again.

I ordered the calamari which turned out to be a mistake. It was tough, the sauce(?) was a bitter disappointment. My wife tasted it when I brought it home, then refused to eat it.
I love Donato's so don't take my criticism as a rejection of the restaurant's cuisine. Every other dish I have had there was great.

Outstanding experience! Excellent service and absolutely delicious food! A perfect evening!

Great food and ambiance. On of the best Italian restaurants in the bay area.

Wonderful authentic Italian food. Attractive ambiance. Great to have indoor tables again. The tables are well spaced and public health guidance is being observed.

Delicious food and drinks!

The food was excellent. We both did pasta and both dishes were hand-made, perfectly al dente, with well incorporated sauce. We went during the pandemic and they had little personal hand-sanitizer for the table, which was charming.

I was having dinner with two friends - girl night! - and I must admit that we had a great time, with excellent food and cocktails. We started with some great Prosciutto di Parma and lonzino - pork loin - which were both Wow! Negroni. The grilled calamari were plentiful and excellent! We finished with excellent Vin Santo - flavor that catapulted us to Florence - and Cantuccini di Prato handmade by the chef. Exceptional!!!

Donato & Co always provide excellent and well thought out authentic Italian food. Their care for the community during the pandemic is inventive and appreciated.

Excellent service, wine and authentic yet unusual Italian food. Great job with social distancing outdoors. Highly recommended.

The food and the service were outstanding! A very memorable meal. Our only wish was for some outdoor heat lamps.

We absolutely love this gem of a restaurant! My fiancé and I are avid foodies and appreciate good authentic cuisine. Best Italian I’ve ever had hands down. Friendly, down to earth, unpretentious but nice for a date night. We love Donato so much we get it every week! So happy they are open for outdoor dining now!

Surprised by the quality of food, great flavors and great service

They were closed!!!!

Excellent fish and phenomenal hazelnut dessert. Nice wine selection. Salad could have been better. Authentic and welcoming. Outdoor tables on Ashby work fine, but not like a patio. Highly recommended.

First time there - great service and the food was excellent. Some Italian music outside would have been a nice feature given we are on the sidewalk and to help drown out the other noises.
Not your typical Italian food. That was a nice change.
We will definitely return.

There was good social distancing and they took every precaution to keep us safe while serving amazing food!

wow!! I can't believe i've never tried this place before. OUTSTANDING. it will be my go to for Italian!

Another stellar dining experience. Enjoyed a Spritz Indeciso (super cocktail), fried white anchovies that were divine and then the special homemade pasta and braised pork. Wine, desserts, vin santo. Just terrific and lots of fun.

Always a wonderful meal in a beautiful room with warm and thoughtful service. A favorite among the favorites!

In the era of COVID 19, Donato, which has always been spacious, with lots of room between large tables, has taken out several tables to spread diners out even more. They seem very aware of health risks, offering sanitizing wipes at the door, and they conscientiously wipe down their talbes. The food is fine, atmosphere great, and if you are feeling stir crazy, this might be one of the safest bets for eating out.

A touch of Italy in Berkeley with friendly staff and delicious pasta dishes. It’s my new GO TO spot. Plus, it stays open from 11:30 am until closing so great for a quick bite before the movie.

Great food, good prices and our server was wonderful. I would go back and eat here to try their other dishes :)

It was really good. When we were there it was kind of busy, so that staff was stretcheched but our waiter did the best he could under the circumstances.

I often forget what a lovely neighborhood gem this restaurant is. Three different entrees that were delicious; two yummy starters that kicked off the dinner.

We did not have space for dessert, but the list looked appetizing.

I need more stars ! Everything was fantastic! Such great service and the food and wine was the best!!

Great food, wonderful place. Veniero and Carol are wonderful hosts.

Great as always.

A lovely evening at Donato and Co. Our waiter, Adriano, was so engaged and welcoming. He was very charismatic and his zeal for the menu was infectious. Everything he recommended was fantastic. Truly enjoyed the whole evening, and my friends and I look forward to returning.

Food delicious, going back. Highly recommend the squid with Dijon sauce

This was our second time at Donato and we were very disappointed. The service was very poor. Our waiter forgot the bread, was late to service the wine (not served until the first course was served) and no followup after the main course was served. The food was mediocre at best. I had the ink spaghetti pasta that had no flavor and very, very little calamari. Someone else had the swordfish that was mediocre. Also, we ordered broccoli that was not delivered.

Our first visit to the restaurant was excellent. Great service and very good food. We do not know what happened over the two weeks between visits, but are fairly certain we will not be back.

Food was excellent and reasonably priced. Nice menu selection. Saturday evening was crowded and service was very slow. Although there is a free neighborhood parking lot in the rear, it was full, (6: 30 dinner reservation), and parking on the street is a challenge.

Amazing service and food! The hostess, Carol, was warm and inviting. Our waiter Marco offered impeccable service. Knowledgeable about the food , sophisticated and helpful.
Well crafted and thoughtful combinations of flavors. We will be back.

Everything was good except my dinner. I ordered duck. It was very dry, over cooked. There was little on the plate with it. I have had enjoyable dinners at Donato and will return but I was really disappointed in the duck. I didn't say anything because I didn't want to put a damper on my birthday dinner. My friends and I had a great time and our waiter was a lot of fun. I just won't get duck again.

Great pasta

It’s a great place to eat and our server, Marco, was excellent. Love it there.

Family dinner. Great place, service and food!