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Details & Description

Restaurant type

  • Steakhouse,
  • Fine Dining,

Cuisine type

  • Italian,
  • American Cuisine,

Dishes

  • Seafood,
  • Pasta,
  • Hamburger,
  • Pizza,

Features

  • Extensive Wine List,
  • Restaurant With Party Services,
  • Restaurant With Terrace,
  • Restaurant With Private Rooms,
  • Prix Fixe Menu,
  • Wheelchair-accessible Restaurant,

Atmosphere

  • Casual,
  • Romantic,

Products and Services

  • Italian Cuisine,

Languages Spoken

  • English,
Location
37 Elm St, Toronto, ON M5G 1H1
Useful Information

Opening Hours *Holiday hours

Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
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Rates:

  • $11 To $25,

Methods of Payment:

Ratings & Reviews - Donatello Restaurant

How would you rate this business?
3.8/5
  • Excellent
  • Very good
  • Average
  • Poor
  • Terrible
4
3
2
1
1
  • Atmosphere:
  • Food:
  • Service:
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mviscount
By

Seriously, best restaurant i have been to! Donatello on Elm in Toronto - the service was sooo good - made very special by our knowlwedgable server! The food - sublime! I highly recommend it! What a night!!! The lamb was perfect, and the seafood pasta in a pernod cream sauce to die for. Such wondeful hosts! OMG!They even wrote Happy Birthday Michelle in chocolate around my tiramisu. Such a special night!

Atmosphere: 5/5
Food: 5/5
Service: 5/5
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Allie Bell
By

If there was an option for negative stars regarding service, food and experience. I would offer a negative 10 star review. The service staff are extremely rude. Food is not made in house and the pasta is clearly frozen. But waiting over an hour for just mains while watching other tables who arrived after our small table of 5 receive their food before us is just dispicable. Avoid at all costs.

Atmosphere: 1/5
Food: 1/5
Service: 1/5
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fait4449
By

We enjoyed everything about our visit here. Beautiful street, the best service we have ever had and we are out All the time, and our food was very good. We have no complaints....will definitely return again!!! Our server was very attentive, knowledgeable and interesting...unfortunately...we did not remember his name, but he is from Bangladesh...that may help?? Haha...

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Jerowe
By

Good Quality

Love the food here, tasy and good portion. A bit on the expensive side.

Food: 5/5
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Restaurantica12
By

A horrible experience all around

I once visited Donatello years ago for a work Christmas party. The meal was a la carte. I dismissed the underwhelming cuisine as just being the nature of the beast when you have a large party during a busy time of year and day....sadly this wasn't an isolated incident. Some friends from out of town came in and saw positive reviews for Donatello, so we decided to give it a shot. The restaurant wasn't very busy, but the waitress still got out order wrong. I had butternut squash ravioli, which was undercooked and over-salted. It was practically inedible. The service was equally awful. At every stage in the evening, one of the wait staff was rushing us, seemingly hurrying us to get out of our table and get out of the restaurant. Honestly, I felt like I was getting the bum's rush. After paying our bill we raised our concerns with the Maitre'D who seemed almost indifferent and assured us there was no rushing. This place hardly deserves a place on Elm St. and is the farthest thing from fine Italian dining I can imagine. Toronto has plenty of other great options...check them out and stay away from this place.

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Restaurantica12
By

Great Food, Great Atmosphere

My favourite restaurant downtown and won't break the bank. Food is delicious and the service is friendly and attentive. Personable owners that make you feel like guests not customers. Always an enjoyable visit and always a must when I visit downtown Toronto. The homemade ravioli is phenomenal.

Atmosphere: 4/5
Food: 5/5
Service: 4/5
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Restaurantica12
By

Unimpressed

Poor attention to detail all around. Service was amiable but very inattentive: Water came long after wine was served. Balsamic Vinegar & Oil, served it attractive containers with bread, were insipid quality. Food was uninspired and not very authentic Italian. Carpccio was attractively plated but near tasteless. Veal was over-floured and somewhat over-cooked. Flavors were lacking.

Atmosphere: 3/5
Food: 3/5
Service: 2/5
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Restaurantica12
By

The glass of house wine was diluted with water...

The glass of house wine was diluted with water. The Minestrone soup was decent. A bit too salty. The lamb chops were fresh but were overdone. Asked for medium rare, came medium. The service was poor considering the price of the entire meal ($55). The waitress was polite but unhelpful. A party of 3 came after me but were seated first. Neither of us had a reservation.

Atmosphere: 3/5
Food: 3/5
Service: 2/5
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Restaurantica12
By

Everything was delicious, my only criticism would...

Everything was delicious, my only criticism would be that it was WAY too salty. And that applies to salad as well as the main dishes/sauces.

Atmosphere: 4/5
Food: 4/5
Service: 4/5
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March 26, 2024

Spectacular experience. Great food and service. Will 100% be back soon.

Ambiance: 5/5

Cuisine: 5/5

Service: 5/5

March 24, 2024

Absolutely delicious. Hidden gem

Ambiance: 5/5

Cuisine: 5/5

Service: 5/5

March 16, 2024

Have visited multiple times when we visit Toronto. Always excellent service and a great selection of specials. Wine list is excellent and has lots of reasonable priced wines.

Ambiance: 5/5

Cuisine: 5/5

Service: 5/5

March 14, 2024

Fantastic experience. Food came too fast, so next time we would order mains a little while after apps.

Ambiance: 5/5

Cuisine: 5/5

Service: 4/5

March 9, 2024

Excellent service, prompt, friendly and courteous. Always attentive with no hovering. Dishes cleared quickly and efficiently but not before we’d enjoyed the last bite!

Ambiance: 5/5

Cuisine: 5/5

Service: 5/5

March 8, 2024

Great restaurant, delicious food, exceptional service.

Ambiance: 5/5

Cuisine: 5/5

Service: 5/5

March 2, 2024

Wonderful gem! Amazing food, excellent warm & friendly service, wonderful atmosphere - great experience. It feels like family!

Ambiance: 5/5

Cuisine: 5/5

Service: 5/5

February 23, 2024

The seating is on the small side with not much space between the tables. The food however, was exceptional. Our dinner party enjoyed the gnocchi, caprese salad, lobster linguine, burrata salad and arrabbiate. Everything was delicious and the waiters were very attentive. Highly recommend!

Ambiance: 4/5

Cuisine: 5/5

Service: 5/5

February 22, 2024

This place was one of the worst places I have ever been to. The area is cramped, the service is horrible, the drinks are completely watered down, I can't tell you how the food tasted because we ended up leaving due to many factors the final one being the smell in there. We did see the food that came out for the people sitting so close to us you would have thought we came together..... It didn't look good at all. We wasted time and money ubering downtown to this place. Don't recommend!

Ambiance: 1/5

Cuisine: 1/5

Service: 1/5

February 22, 2024

The best Italian food I've ever had !.

Ambiance: 5/5

Cuisine: 5/5

Service: 5/5

February 17, 2024

Food was incredibly delicious! Service was impeccable! Definitely would come back and recommend it to anyone!

Ambiance: 5/5

Cuisine: 5/5

Service: 5/5

February 15, 2024

Very disappointed in the Valentine’s Day experience. Management does not stand behind food quality or have any interest in providing value to their guests who are paying $100 per person. They just use Valentine’s Day as an opportunity to mark up their menu while serving overcooked steak and store bought cake. Instead of using Valentine’s Day to make a few extra dollars, maybe next time focus on creating repeat customers, as this is what will keep your business alive. Do better!

Ambiance: 1/5

Cuisine: 1/5

Service: 1/5

February 15, 2024

I have been to this restaurant approximately 6 times in the past 10-15 years. Quality was always top notch but most recently it seems to have slipped. Gone is the friendly Italian greeting and feel. You were once made to feel special and valued as a guest, but that time seems to have passed. My most recent experience made me and my partner feel like a business transaction. Something to complete as fast as possible. The place still looks nice but essence of what made this place special is gone.

Ambiance: 2/5

Cuisine: 3/5

Service: 1/5

February 2, 2024

The service was exemplary. You are always treated as a welcome guest and the staff take the time to chat and ensure your meal is to your liking. For the first time ever (and I come here somewhat regularly) the main dish was a bit salty for my liking. Our waiter said he would relay my message to the kitchen and he/they provided a sorbet dessert at no cost to us.

Ambiance: 5/5

Cuisine: 4/5

Service: 5/5

January 27, 2024

This is a special find. It's my go to for Italian when I'm in GTA. Attentive service, good food, cozy atmosphere

Ambiance: 5/5

Cuisine: 5/5

Service: 5/5

January 23, 2024

I frequently visit Donatello’s. Whether it’s with my wife, friends or my most recent business outing, the food was fantastic and the staff were very professional and happy to serve us. Recommend this restaurant to everyone to try and once you do, you’ll want to go back.

Ambiance: 5/5

Cuisine: 5/5

Service: 5/5

January 19, 2024

Had an amazing experience. Service and food was excellent.

Ambiance: 5/5

Cuisine: 5/5

Service: 5/5

January 14, 2024

Service was excellent and the food was incredible. We had a wonderful dinner and would recommend this restaurant to anyone.

Ambiance: 5/5

Cuisine: 5/5

Service: 5/5

January 12, 2024

The food was delicious. We were staying at the Doubletree/Hilton and they directed us to come to your restaurant. We came back and told him it was wonderful.

Ambiance: 5/5

Cuisine: 5/5

Service: 5/5

January 7, 2024

Excellent service. Food was absolutely delicious. A gem on Elm St.!

Ambiance: 4/5

Cuisine: 5/5

Service: 5/5

January 7, 2024

We love this restaurant. Since first coming here over a year ago, it has become our favourite restaurant we have been to in the city. The friendly and attentive service from the greeter the moment you arrive, to our server Khaled, the service is second to none. The food we have tried here over all our visits were perfect. The setting inside is like a traditional house with some separate rooms, making it a very cozy and warm environment. Casually dressed or dressed up. Groups or couples.

Ambiance: 5/5

Cuisine: 5/5

Service: 5/5

January 6, 2024

The meal was fantastic and the service was impeccable. We will be back!

Ambiance: 5/5

Cuisine: 5/5

Service: 5/5

January 5, 2024

This was our second time at Donatello. The food was as great as we remembered from our first visit. Our server, Dewan, was absolutely fantastic! You could tell he really enjoys interacting with his customers. Overall, a fantastic meal at Donatello!

Ambiance: 5/5

Cuisine: 5/5

Service: 5/5

January 4, 2024

Great food, nice setting, have returned many times since discovering this restaurant.

Ambiance: 5/5

Cuisine: 5/5

Service: 5/5

December 31, 2023

Our waiter was EXCELLENT! very attentive! Good amazing! Definitely recommend!

Ambiance: 5/5

Cuisine: 5/5

Service: 5/5

December 31, 2023

Fantastic food, excellent service in a cozy environment. We’ll definitely return!

Ambiance: 5/5

Cuisine: 5/5

Service: 5/5

December 30, 2023

From the moment we walked in, our experience at Donatello was top notch! Our service was incredible, and the food was truly spectacular. Thank you for making our experience so wonderful!

Ambiance: 5/5

Cuisine: 5/5

Service: 5/5

December 17, 2023

My overall experience was not good, we sat at the worst table in restaurant right by the door with cold air coming in. Our server did not bring water for the whole table. Also he question my choose for my dinner.

Ambiance: 3/5

Cuisine: 1/5

Service: 2/5

December 17, 2023

Fantastic meal and service. Waiter was very knowledgeable and helpful with food and beverage choices and quite personable contributing to our dining experience. Prices were reasonable for the quality of food and service provided.

Ambiance: 4/5

Cuisine: 5/5

Service: 5/5

December 9, 2023

Always enjoy Donatello's. Great food, service etc.

Ambiance: 5/5

Cuisine: 5/5

Service: 5/5

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