Donovans — Restaurant in Melbourne

I’d like to review the food but we didn’t even get there. The service was a complete mess and after nearly 40 minutes of stuff ups, we decided enough was enough and left. So let’s start from the beginning… We had a booking at 2.30pm. When we got there no one acknowledged our arrival. We waited for 5 minutes at which point, the bar tender noticed us from 10 metres away behind the bar and called out that someone will be there shortly. Someone finally came, asked whether we had a booking and started to take us to the table. Half way there they stopped and had to sit us down on a couch because the table wasn’t ready. At this point they basically forgot about us for 15-20 minutes. Then a waiter came up, apologized and proceeded to sit us right next to the toilet when 40% of the restaurant was empty. He gave us a couple menus then another waiter came about 5 minutes later took our drink order and brought water, then they proceeded to forget about us. By this stage we had been in the restaurant for about 30-40 minutes without bringing a glass of wine or taking our order . Not sure how long it takes to bring over 2 glasses of wine…and take an order. So at the 40 minute mark, we decided to leave without even seeing our wine order. To the owner I’d just say my observations are as follows: Your staff have no idea what they were doing. They were running around like headless chickens. Multiple dirty tables standing empty with no customers and staff just walking past them with empty hands shows poor training. No one in control. Manager nowhere to be seen controlling or helping out. No ambience at all. You don’t seat people near a toilet when 40% of the restaurant is empty. Maybe think about wait stations because your staff are clearly incapable of clearing properly. Teach your staff never to walk with empty hands. It was also clear that we weren’t the only people that walked out because the empty plates on multiple tables signifies people left without service finishing. Will certainly never go back there. It’s just become a run of the mill restaurant where there’s a half decent view and nothing else....

Back to Donovan’s for my husbands birthday and the ambience is as delightful as ever. I ordered the t bone this time as it’s one of their signature dishes but frankly I preferred the eye fillet I had previously. I also tried the chocolate fondant which was nice but the bombe Alaska is definitely more of a showstopper. They did write happy birthday on the plate though which was cute.

An expensive lunch for sure but such a special place. Loved bringing bub along for her first fine dining experience at two months old, a nice memory given I was pregnant the last time we were there and it is surprisingly unbelievably child friendly

Original review We had an exceptional experience at Donovan’s which I wasn’t necessarily anticipating given it has such a stellar reputation often the reality doesn’t measure up to the high expectations however the service was lovely and the atmosphere unparalleled. We will definitely be returning for a visit in summer so we can appreciate the view!

Food wise they weren’t too many entree options for a pregnant person so I opted for the scallops which were fine but nowhere near as delicious as my steak and deliciously seasoned perfectly crunchy chips (though I wouldn’t call such chunky potatoes chips!) I tried the house chop chop and virgin colada mocktails which were okay but the others at the table were absolutely loving the wine menu.

For dessert we couldn’t go past the signature bombe Alaska which claims to serve 2 but definitely serves 4 generously as it’s quite decadent. The waitress did say she would comp us some truffles but they didn’t arrive which was okay as we were incredibly full (probably owing to the huge yummy bread basket we started the night with). Definitely recommend for any celebratory occasion or if you just want to treat yourself to a...

I had the most disappointing lunch at your restaurant on Sunday 27 March Apart for waiting six minutes at the front for checking in, I can understand that with Covid check-ins etc. We were then taken to a lovely quiet spot as requested in the restaurant corner, table number 52. That was the best part of our lunch. We waited 16 minutes until we were asked would you like some alcohol "yes we replied". We ordered the organic Shiraz, another 15 minutes went by and I asked on two occasions could we please have our Shiraz. The reply was we are trying to find it. We were then told by your drinks Person "that particular Shiraz was not available". We then ordered another bottle of Bishop Shiraz which came in an acceptable time of five minutes. Finally we had a drink to toast on our 40th wedding anniversary. At 3pm we were starting to feel a little bit hungry so I asked our waiter for some bread. We were not offered. The Batard was the 2nd best part of our lunch. The Batard is from Laurant. We decided we should order as there may be a delay on our meals arriving. I ordered Seafood linguini and my wife ordered risotto "large main meal." These arrived in an acceptable time, the only problem was my seafood linguine was cold and felt like it had been sitting under hot lights for 15 minutes. This also lacked ingredients. 10 cent size scollaps and small prawns. For $55 I expected so much more. The meal was sent back and a nice hot dish of the same arrived 10 minutes later. This left my wife to eat her main meal on her own. I must say I thought the kitchen got the order mixed up as her serve of risotto main was so very small. We won’t be returning. Overrated and...