Il Galante - Authentic Italian Restaurant — Restaurant in Doha

Last week, I had the incredible opportunity to celebrate my birthday at Il Galante in the Banyan Tree Hotel. Perched on a high floor, the restaurant offers a breathtaking panoramic view that truly enhances the dining experience.

Dining Experience: The authentic Italian menu featured freshly made dishes crafted from premium ingredients, all served hot and beautifully presented. We were welcomed with a complimentary bread basket accompanied by olive and sun-dried tomato paste. The warm bread paired with this traditional Italian dip was the perfect start to our meal.

Starters: La Burrata (90 QAR): This creamy, fresh burrata cheese served with various tomatoes, basil, and pesto sauce was a refreshing treat that set the tone for the rest of the meal. L'Arancino (80 QAR): The crispy fried mushroom risotto rice ball stuffed with taleggio cheese and served with truffle mayonnaise was a delightful indulgence. Each bite was a pleasure, with the melted cheese offering a rich, creamy flavor.

L'Insalata di Cesare (95 QAR): A classic Caesar salad featuring crispy fresh lettuce, succulent chicken, and creamy dressing, all topped with high-quality shaved parmesan.

Gamberi & Calamari (90 QAR): The crispy battered fried prawns, squid, and vegetables were perfectly cooked—lightly fried and not oily at all! Each bite dipped in creamy tartare sauce made for a fantastic snack to enjoy with our wine.

Main Course: Tartufata (99 QAR): The highlight of our meal was the authentic Italian-style crispy thin crust pizza topped with aromatic truffle and exquisite mozzarella and parmesan cheese, which fully satisfied our cravings.

Desserts: To round off this delightful meal, we indulged in: Blueberry Cheesecake (45 QAR): A sweet, creamy finish that was simply delicious. Lemon Crème Brûlée (50 QAR): This classic dessert was a fantastic way to end the evening with its rich flavor and satisfying crunch.

Overall Experience: A big thank you to the restaurant for the lovely birthday cake! The service, ambiance, and food were all fantastic, making my birthday celebration truly special. I'm so grateful to my sister for this amazing...

I had lunch here recently and was left disappointed by several aspects of the experience.

Wine Service: The knowledge of wines was poor. The waiter seemed unsure about the wine list, looked confused when bringing the menu, and at one point even said wine was included before later correcting that it was not. This created unnecessary confusion and didn’t give much confidence in their service. This felt more like a lack of proper training than the waiter’s fault.

Food: The food itself was average at best. Flavors and seasoning were lacking, and overall the dishes felt uninspired. For the type of restaurant this is aiming to be.

Service & Table Management: Service needs significant improvement. The waiter struggled with the basics of table setup – repeatedly removing and replacing cutlery in a way that felt clumsy. A waiter working behind us was making a lot of noise while doing duties, to the point where even our own server looked uncomfortable and annoyed Again, this seemed more like insufficient training than lack of effort.

Overall: The atmosphere has potential, but with the current level of food and service, the restaurant does not justify the expectations. A stronger focus on training and consistency would make a...

Most certainly our best lunch experience in Qatar 😍 We spent a lovely Saturday at Il Galante. First... the place was empty, the team was dedicated to us and all the staff was really nice and attentive. We start with an appetizer we love, a parmigiana and it was perfectly made. Then the chef offered us a pizza frita which is a famous dish at Il Galante. We ordered 2 main dish: 1 fish (red snapper) and 1 pasta. Unfortunate no red snapper was available that day... the chef offered hamour instead and the dish was absolutely amazing. The pasta were cooked to perfection and tasted great. We had a very nice surprised when the chef offered the other fish on the menu (sea bream) which was a excellent surprise. We ended our delicious meal with some sweet touch: a tiramisu & a limone which is the signature dessert. The tiramisu is for sure the best in Doha and the limone is was really ice surprise.

Do not hesitate and go! Either in Friday for the brunch or any other day and enjoy the menu. We had the opportunity to meet chef Sipho, from South Africa. Chef you must have italian blood 👍👍 Thanks to the waiter Phiona as well. We will...