Donatello in Brighton and Hove

Optimal! A real surprise, like being in Italy!

Very disappointed. We didn’t touch the food at all and nobody asked how it was . I am italian and the food it doesn’t taste like italian food AT ALL ! (Or look like) . Pizza it is not home made everything it’s frozen. We only enjoyed the beer and the juice. 35£ paid for nothing. NOT RECOMMENDED!!!!

Fantastic service. Felt really looked after. Delicious food at a great price. Would recommend to anyone.

Good, solid Italian food. Nice atmosphere.

Came here to carb up for the Brighton Marathon! Perfect place for it! Lovely family style restaurant, great food and fast service.

Buzzing, great pizza and good value!

Great restaurant in the lanes in Brighton. Great food. Plenty on the menu to choose from. Staff were really good, service was excellent. Loved it all. Only one gripe was no gluten free pizza bases for me 🙁

It is ok. The service is really not there but the food is ok. You do get a lot for the price, which is great

This is one of the worst experiences I’ve ever had in a restaurant. Avoid if you don’t have 2 hours of your life you’d like to waste. First the food - it was right enough, no real complaints when it actually came. The portion size was pretty big. The service on the other hand… we saw a number of tables that arrived after us get their food before us and it took around 45mins for us to get our starters. A good while later a main came that was wrong and then after another wait we finally got our food. We questioned the waiting staff multiple times and they were quite abrupt with us (aside from one waiter who was very polite). We understand that they were very busy, but their responses were that our food wasn’t a priority because it wasn’t as simple as other orders. There were no apologies about the wait or assurances that they would check on our food (aside from the aforementioned waiter). Price wise it wasn’t too expensive, but the food was not good enough to justify the negative aspects of our meal

Well it’s been a year since I visited the restaurant, it has always been great and good food. Hell, what a change the good was really mediocre. Spoke to the staff who were great, they. Agreed it had gone down hill. I spoke to the manager and expressed my concerns. He was apologetic, if this place does not produce an improvement i feel it will fail. Such a shame to see part of the Brighton establishment in great decline. Sir please save it.

Very cheap price for high quality food. Served with huge bowl of Parmesan cheese. Me and my friends, a group of 7 managed to get a table immediately, highly recommended on the lasagna

The service is such a let down. You'll only get one drink and once you have your food (if it all arrives) The staff never come back, never to be seen again. Not even after you've finished. Waited so long to ask for the bill, that we gave up and went to the front, then get told were in the way.

Food and portion sizes were excellent for the price range, however, the restaurant was pretty rammed which meant it was very loud and led to slightly impersonal service through no fault of the waiting staff. Overall, recommend if you’re looking for slightly more cheap and cheerful.

Had a really good experience! Service was quick, high quality food and a perfect atmosphere for high quality dining at affordable prices! Would 100% recommend for anyone in the Brighton area, definitely worth the trip. Looking forward to going back Arthur..

As always food was amazing, staff go that extra mile and great atmosphere

Average food, not real Italian in my opinion, and we had to wait for our food foooreeeverrr. Which is a shame because you can get nice sunny seats outside and the waiters are lovely.

We decided to come away for a little break to Brighton over the Easter bank holiday and me & my husband always like to find a nice Italian restaurant for our evening meal. Donatellos was recommended and definitely did not disappoint. Our meals were outstanding, the portion size was amazing and our server, Benoit, looked after us very well. The only disappointment was that I didn't have room for dessert! We'll definitely be making a return visit during our next visit. Keep up the good work, big hugs, Sue & Steve (from Gateshead) xxx

I love going here whenever I’m in Brighton. The food is delicious and the staff are friendly and attentive. They used to have veal schnitzel on the menu, please bring it back! It was absolutely delicious

We had a lovely visit here after a recommendation, and we werent disappointed. Food was excellent and reasonably priced, plus the service was friendly and attentive. We will definitely go back

I do love this place, great pastas and good value, the cheese pastas not the best. The rest r great. My favourite dish was the Veal Escalope which comes with a side of pasta, unfortunately they stopped making this dish. Please bring it back. We come from London just for this dish. Music can be more suited for the place, as it feels too dancy. Lovely people and service is never an issue.

Perfect place to be, lovely food, great staff, good price and front of house manager, Diamond Geezer 👍🍻....

If you like food, don't come in. They make barbarous pasta.

Tip top 👌amazing food great staff wonderful atmosphere

Absolutely best Italian restaurant and delicious pizzas and pastas, other Italian dishes. All in all nice food at reasonable price and the staff were really helpful, a great place to spend some time. Highly recommended.

First time here . We shared pizza and ham and mushroom tagliatelle which was very tasty. We asked for water and was given lukewarm water in a dirty jug . We really enjoyed the food until within 20 minutes of leaving the restaurant we were both violently unwell. So either the water or the tagliatelle was not right . Such a shame it’s certainly put us off going back

Is definitely not an Italian food. Cold, salted and tasteless. Never again. Looks like they put the pasta on plate and sent it out. No fresh herbs on top, no olive oil or anything to make it taste a proper pasta.

Food was outstanding. Good portion sizes. We came on a Saturday evening, so we thought there would be a wait for food, however it came surprisingly quickly. The only bad thing I would note is our server Claudia wasn’t particularly friendly, only speaking a few words throughout the interactions. Upon taking our orders she simply stood by the table with her notepad, no greeting. We were not asked how our food was, and decided after the awkward service to have dessert elsewhere. When asking for the bill instead of desert she almost looked annoyed with us. This is a good value place to eat, however do not expect friendly service.

It was an awful night out me and my 7 other teenage friends went there and they scammed us added an extra 35 pounds to our bill and we had to end up paying for it even though it was wrong there was hair in my pasta and on my friends chicken my pasta was cold and not nice the service was bad toilets unclean would not recommend at all i loved that restaurant so much but after than i will never go back again absolutely awful we went out for my friends birthday and there tried charging us 10 pounds for a cake we were being scammed because we are young girls and there was no adults very unfair!!

My recent experience at Donatello's in Brighton was nothing short of a nightmare. Despite being a returning customer, the service was appalling. We waited over an hour for our food, which arrived wrong, and by the time the correct order came, it was almost closing time. The staff were unprofessional, unhelpful, and made us feel unwelcome. Despite being overstaffed, they didn't bother to check on us. We would have ordered dessert and was looking forward to it, but the whole experience was uncomfortable we wanted to leave. Overall, this experience has left me deeply disappointed, and I won't be returning. Avoid Donatello's if you value good service and a pleasant dining atmosphere.

The food smelled amazing. We were seated and our order was taken quickly. Unfortunately we waited for over an hour and our food had still not arrived. People around us who had arrived much later started to be served within 10-15 minutes. We flagged this with our server who was fairly dismissive, no apology offered. In the end the lady serving us went to the kitchen and brought back the wrong order which had been visibly rushed. Our starter was also missing, we were told this would come next. We left at this point with a hurried apology from management. Unfortunately a negative experience over all.

Perfect good value family venue in the heart of town. Excellent!

Excellent value service ambience what a great place old school restaurant thank goodness for it

The pizza was like rock, I ate half of it, couldn’t even cut it, I had to tear it, garlic mushrooms with butter and garlic, literally got fried mushrooms butter and garlic powder on a huge plate. Vile. Never Going there again. Wasted my money.

Nice food, good prices and staff were friendly.

Been there many times across the years. Great food. Special mention to Marco who served us.

5* allround ! Marco served us and was an absolute star, top food and service.

We came here friday night. Had a very nice meal. However after paying and leaving we were followed down the road by our waiter who claimed we hadnt paid. He was quite insistant we didnt. Maybe some better communication betweenthe staff could help. We found nf the whole thing highly embarrasing as there was many people watching. Will certainly not be back

Amazing value great choice and always good service.

We came for a girls dinner there were 8 of us. We were ‘abandoned’ at the back of the restaurant upstairs. The only other two tables that were occupied were for the staff who were having a break. There was a lot of coming and going and staff moving seats/tables etc. We waited ages for somebody to come and take our drink order when they finally did we ordered our meals and drinks at the same time. Our food then arrived before our drinks were given. We had to ask multiple times for fresh water and for our drinks. When our mains arrived all bar one came. We had to ask twice for the last remaining dish which didn’t arrive until we had all pretty much finished. We were all trying to eat slowly so that our friend didn’t have to eat alone. I then went to the toilet and not one single toilet had toilet paper in. I came outside and spoke to a guy on the bar and he just looked at me and shrugged his shoulders as if to say ‘what do you want me to do about it’ I then asked if he could get some as there were ladies waiting he just said “I’ll get someone to do it in a minute’ Awful customer service!! If I had wanted bad service I would have went to Karen’s diner! The only good thing was the food so thank you to the chefs I applauded you, you really done a great job!!

Couldn't fault anything, just a brilliant all-around.

So pleased to find this after walking all day! Good warm tasty food with good ingredients. Something for everyone. Well priced 2 course menu very satisfying. Loved the vegetarian pizza.

The food didn't taste like anything and the noodles weren't cooked through yet. The service was fine, you were processed quickly. I don't understand why there is so much going on there and why it has so many good reviews.

Bad experience, the portions are very small, the quality disappointing not even to mention the attitude of the waiters towards the customers. I do not recommend

Great food and wine at really good price.

Great food, great service, affordable prices. What's not to like?

A wonderful time with excellent food.

You get what you pay for in the quality but the size of the portions just make up for it. So cheap, is perfect for big family gatherings with younger children :) We enjoyed but didn’t expect out standing quality so weren’t disappointed.

We had a table booked for 6 today, as it was my daughter’s favourite restaurant choice for her 8th birthday with her grandparents, auntie and us her parents. Then we were shown upstairs to a table at the back of the room. From that point, we seemed to be forgotten about and waited an extremely long time in between each course. Nobody checked in on us, nobody gave us fresh water without us having to find some, nobody even offered condiments and when we checked to see if dessert was finally going to arrive (we were all dissatisfied by this point) it suddenly arrived, along with the bill. Thanks for the subtle hint. My daughter now no longer wants to come back here and was quite upset. We spent well over 3 hours on a meal that was meant to be a fun birthday lunch and affected the rest of our day. Do not extend your restaurant if you don’t have the staff to serve extra people.

Great size portions and very reasonable prices

I went there while studying abroad. delicious italy

I was there with a school group from Italy. The owner came immediately to welcome us. The food is as good as in restaurants in Italy, or even better than some of them. For us It was like being at an embassy. Would recommend.

Myself and my husband came here for lunch today, having eaten here many, many times before. The food was absolutely excellent, the only thing that was disappointing was the attitude of the 2 waitresses serving our section. Just very flat and cold, almost like they didn’t want to be there. In stark contrast, the young lad who was also waiting tables was exuberant, cheerful and friendly. When we left, I said thank you to one of the women, but no reaction, it was like I was invisible! I caught the attention of the young lad, who waved and said goodbye. I said to him that he appeared to be the only member of staff who was capable of smiling.

Ordered a seafood risotto and was violently sick within a couple of hours

Went to watch a Romesh Rangathan show in the Brighton dome lovely food they had quick service bringing out main course! Thank you 😊

Great service, very attentive and efficient. Really good food

Very noisy couldn't have a conversation apart from that enjoy the place

Food is excellent. Good portions. Good value for money.

We went on Valentine’s Day for a date as we had been there a year before and had a great time then. This time wasn’t as great. The food was good but as soon as I put my knife and fork down to have a drink, a waitress came and took my pizza away as she had assumed I finished but I hadn’t and I was still hungry. We then wanted to get the bill but had to wait half an hour for it to actually come and then another 15 for someone to come with a card machine so that we could pay. Overall the service was really slow and as the workers were going around we could hear them complaining about other customers and how they just wanted to go home. It’s a shame as the food is very nice and reasonably priced but I don’t appreciate my food being taken away before I was finished and then having to wait a total of 45 minutes to pay.

2nd we have been here. Just as good as the 1st. I didn't book but it was very busy. However the service was still with a smile, the food piping hot and delicious . It was a Fri night Thank you.

We had our food fairly quickly after ordering but the drinks arrived 10 minutes after we received the food. Once we finished, we waited another 10 minutes waiting to ask for the bill and then an extra 20 minutes to pay for the food. Overall, the food was nice, just wish the service was better.

We were met by a very rude Italian manager. He sat us by the disabled toilets, which smelt. When I asked to move the manager told me that I could stay where I was or go to another restaurant. I asked about the rest of the vast restaurant, he told me with attitude that every table (approx 50) was reserved!!! Horrible service! I would definitely do not recommend!

Great food, good choice of wines, unbelievable value. Traditional Italian dishes with diverse, authentic flavours, without having to resort to garlic in everything. Just brilliant.

Good value food. Garlic bread was delicious. Pizza was average but then again it was just a margherita. Service was poor, it took a while to get noticed when we wanted to ask for some tap water towards the end of our meal, in the end we asked for the bill and left instead.

Have chosen to eat here now three times. First coming for my partners birthday. For said occasion they provided free desert for my partner and generally created a wonderful environment. The food here is incredible, it has quickly become all time favourite of ours, and at such a reasonable price too. I genuinely could not ask of more from a dinning experience. The staff are friendly, service is fast and efficient and the restaurant is clean, cleanly and very well presented.

Fantastic food. Down to earth prices.

I went with my family for a celebration but sadly we all had the worst experience we have ever had, the greeting staff are the rudest people I have ever had the misfortune to meet in my life, they spoke to us like trash because we questioned the table they gave us and they said we DON’T CARE if you come in or not. Please NEVER GO THERE, YOU RUDE NASTY PEOPLE. You wrecked our evening with your rudeness, hope people don’t wreck their celebrations or any other reason. Just because it was busy they were not interested

First time dining at Donatello and we had a brilliant meal! Very fast service for a busy Friday night. Great food, very friendly staff, fab atmosphere, very affordable, huge portions. We will definitely be back again!

Popular place in Brighton but walk ins still welcomed. Delicious food at affordable prices. Great service by Maryanne. Would recommend.

Booked a table…. Had to wait… booking system seems chaotic. Not a pleasant dining experience…. Food ok, and it’s cheap…. So noisy… tables cramped and I got knocked every time any one left the table behind us. Felt like a conveyor belt, trying to get everyone through as quickly as possible

Incredibly rude staff who were arguing with customers - will not come again

Incredibly rude staff - would not recommend. Tried to go for a family meal and was told “don’t you dare go upstairs” when trying to look at the table for a disabled family member

Simple, cheap, but tasty. Always fills me up 😋

Great steak!! Cooked to perfection!! Our serve Mateo was great! He put up with a lot not just from the group but his colleagues as well. Remember 1 team 1 dream!!

Would have given it more stars if possible! Incredible service, felt very welcomed and the staff are very nice, food is very very good, have been a few times and it keeps getting better.

I’m working Italian Restorant from Sicilian side. Today we visit in Brighton and l would like to try Sicilian kitchen. This pasta was terrable bad. If you eat before norma it’s really amazing. This pasta we was eat because we was pay but they use to much tomato sauce. Servis very bad blonde hair lady is very rude.

Save choice in the heart of south lanes in Brighton. Decent food and good service.

First time at Donatello. Went for a birthday lunch. Food was pretty good. My steak was somewhat chewy and having asked for a large side salad with it I got a huge (in the words of the waitress “an extra large salad”). Not bad overall.

This was my first time at Donatello Restaurant in Brighton, but it won’t be the last. Warm welcome and excellent service throughout our lunch. If you ask nicely, they might let you choose the toppings for your calzone. Good coffee and great food - not expensive especially considering the central location.

Lovely restaurant that doesn’t break the bank. Food is always freshly cooked and to a great standard.

We popped in on NYE for lunch. 2 families of 4. We hadn’t booked so we waited 20 mins in the pub across the road and they sorted a table for us. The food was excellent value for money. We opted for the 2 course menu. Even our fussy kids found something they liked on the kids menu. It was very busy but the food came out in good time. We had drinks including a bottle of wine and beers and it was £20 a head. Would highly recommend.

Hadn't been to Donatello for quite a while and had forgotten just how good it is here and cracking value too. Very busy and popular on a Saturday night with not one table spare (and the place is massive!). Really enjoyed the generous Antipasti sharing platter to start followed by a main with a really fabulous tomato pasta sauce, my wife devoured her delicious pizza too. Welcoming and attentive staff and all in all deserving of being a Brighton Legend.

Woeful experience. Table booked weeks in advance for 7.30pm only to arrive at 7.35pm and not ready. Told to wait outside in the cold. Young staff all rude with no interest in customers. Finally got meals at 9pm! Flavours about as Italian as a Tescos Ready Meal.

Mix up over the menu but a nice time was had by all

The restaurant location is ideal, the place is well designed for large venues and/or family events, it is bigger than I thought it would be. The staff is OK and the waiting time reasonable.... But the food is absolutely horrible: it tastes as bad as...

If u want to eat good italian food for a small price, that's restaurant it's the best in Brighton for that. Highly raccomended

Service was good so was the food

We have been to Donatello’s before and enjoyed our meal but on Saturday with friends we felt the service was poor. The restaurant was very busy and not once did a member of staff check to see how we were enjoying our meal or if...

This review is almost 5 years overdue. I had a reservation for another restaurant in Brighton for a pre-wedding dinner. We were in Brighton from California, for an international wedding that had folks from all over. We were told that the original restaurant had no record of our reservation, and we were out of luck. I had 35-40 people that were supposed to be at this dinner. Panic mode had set in. I spent hours calling every place I could, to no avail. We were feeling pretty down… then I called Donatellos. At the time I called I had cut the dinner down to the core 10-12 people that needed to be there. They could absolutely make it happen. So, I asked “any chance you could do a table for 35 in like, 45 minutes?” There was a momentary pause and the answer was “yes, come in” The food was excellent. The service was amazing. The night was saved and is still talked about between all of the attendees. Donatello will always hold a deep place in my heart. They truly saved the night and did it with panache.

Was ok service a little slow even though it wasn't that busy Food was ok its normally better

항상 붐비는 식당입니다. 투코스(디저트 없는)로 식사하시는 것을 추천드립니다. 디저트에는 크게 메리트가 없는 듯하지만 스타터와 메인은 깔끔하고 맛있습니다. 다만, 사람이 많다보니 웨이터 분들이 늘 바빠 식사 시간을 길게 잡고 가는 것을 추천드립니다.

Food was first class, great value and fantastic service. Highly recommended

Really good restaurant to go with friends 😁

Fantastic Italian restaurant serving fabulous food, price was very reasonable and great value, would recommend and definitely go back when I was in the area

We had a lovely meal at Donatellos, before heading to the theatre (which is a very short walk). The staff were so friendly and attentive. Even though it was very busy with almost all the tables full, the service was very good. We couldn’t believe...

Food was pretty average to be honest, service was a little rushed and we had to ask for cutlery. I wouldn't rush back.

Food not good pizza like cardboard chips to salty to eat warm beer so hot in there you could hardly breath Steer clear

They seated 28 of us, after attending a show at the Brighton centre. Food, service and price was excellent. Couldn't fault it

Christmas meal with family and was lovely.

Worth recommending to others. Very nice.

Really good value . A lovely meal at good price . Thank you Matteo for looking after us and especially putting extra nougat on my husbands dessert . Great to still have a good value for money meal when most other places in Brighton are so much more expensive 😊