D'Oro Italian Restaurant and Wine Bar Templestowe — Restaurant in Melbourne

Like other locals, we have watched this venue evolve through at least four iterations in the past ten years or so.

After watching the hype of this new restaurant start to settle down, we booked our first dining experience a few weeks ago as part of celebrating a special occasion. Unfortunately, it was a Saturday night. While we expected it to be busy, it was also a very under-whelming experience.

On arrival, it was obviously busy and somewhat out of control at the front counter. After attending to a small group who arrived in front of us, one of the staff asked if we had a booking, which he quickly found and then asked another staff member to seat us.

As others have noted here, customers appeared to either receive fast, attentive and welcoming service, or... not. Nothing in between.

Overall , the customer service provided to us was almost non-existent. There was no "thank you for coming here tonight", or "is everything ok?", or "is there anything else that you need?", or "please come back soon".

And there was no apology when even a glass of water took 20 minutes to be provided.

We were given the drinks menu which was rapidly removed again before we'd even seen the food menu. A strange practice that we note other reviewers have also experienced.

Was the food good? That's debatable. Was it great? Definitely not. Like the service, the food appeared to be very "hit and miss". The pizzas were almost flying onto the tables. But we opted to spend a little more and try a few of the higher priced dishes.

We ordered the veal scallopini, a steak, and some side dishes. The veal was tasty but contained too much salt; the steak was well cooked, but a poor quality piece of meat.

Given the poor service and rather average food, we did not stay for dessert or coffee, choosing instead to go elsewhere. I don't think that the wait staff even noticed.

We may have been less discouraged if we had tried pizza.

I expect that customers who consider this as an up-market pizza restaurant, may be very satisfied. But that would also be missing the obvious potential of at least some of the back of house staff, and the apparent vision that the owners have.

There's a lot of opportunity for improvement. Hopefully the potential of D'Oro can be realised.

Templestowe is blessed with so many great restaurants; for now at least, D'Oro is mostly just blessed with lots of potential.

It would be easier to overlook some of the quality concerns in the food, if the customer facing staff weren't letting down their side.

Perhaps any other night of the week, other than a Friday or Saturday, may have resulted in a better experience.

Fundamentally, ours was a...

Had a really great time at D'Oro this eve. In fact, at first we were hesitant to step into this restaurant, cuz I was skeptical of its good reviews. After I searched its name on the REDnote and saw all the posts are positive and praising, I decided to give it a try. Turns out, it deserves all of these praises. If u live around or just visit a friend nearby Templestowe, this restaurant is definitely a must-visit. When we stepped in, we were greeted with a inviting and vibrant atmosphere. The waitresses and waiters are responsive and attentive, they can address any of my concerns or requests promptly, and also, inevitably, they're all friendly and accommodating. The restaurant serves a plethora of Italian cuisine. Their CALAMARI FRITTI will cater to people with even the pickiest tastebuds, and the CAPRICCIOSA is a delight for anyone with a huge appetiappetite. My personal favourite is their irresistible PROSCUITTO DI PARMA E BUFALA. Every bite with the Proscuitto and Buffalo Mozzarella is just exquisite, it is a must-try! The chef is obviously committed to the freshness of food and I'm confident that there will be at least one dish here that will be your cup of tea. I have to say, tho, that the prices at here looks like pricier than other similar restaurants nearby(but it just seems). However, I think the high quality of the food, in taste, presentation and freshness, justifies the price tag. It is obvious their customers see eye to eye with me since all of the customers here are happy and relaxed. To summarise, if you are looking for a place to treat yourself or a loved one, D'Oro is definitely a splendid choice. It is well worth it. Make sure you check in at this restaurant the next time you drop by...

I recently visited D'Oro on Valentine's Day, and despite the restaurant being extremely busy, the overall experience was still quite memorable. We had a reservation for 8 PM but ended up waiting an additional 25 minutes, which was understandable given the occasion. The restaurant was packed, and there was a lot of energy in the air.

Our waitress was absolutely fantastic – she was attentive, friendly, and really helpful. Giving some great advice, recommending that the entree and main course come out at the same time to avoid long waits. Her advice taken, we still ended up waiting a full hour for both dishes to arrive.

The Bruschetta was absolutely fantastic – fresh, flavorful, and a great start to the meal. My partner had the Linguine Scoglio, which they described as being incredibly delicious, with perfect seasoning and seafood. On the other hand, I had the Chicken Saltimbocca, which was a bit dry for my liking. While the flavor was there, the chicken could have been a little more tender and juicy. To cap off our meal, we decided to try the desserts, and I’m so glad we did! We had the Chocolate Volcano from the specials board and the Crème Brûlée. The Chocolate Volcano was a true indulgence. Complemented by a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

The Crème Brûlée. The top was perfectly caramelized, offering that satisfying crack when you tapped the spoon on it. A perfect ending to our meal. Overall, the experience was solid, and despite the long wait and the dryness of my dish, I'd definitely give D'Oro another try on a less busy day. With great service and delicious Bruschetta, I’m optimistic about trying some other menu...