Dario's Ristorante — Restaurant in Doncaster

Vegetarian given meat! Been here a couple of times now the time before last was amazing, this time was abysmal. Last time Great, attentive service. Very much appreciate how much effort was put in from the moment we sat to the moment we left. I used to run a pub and I’d be extremely proud if it were my staff. We actually used it as the bar that we judged other places on. However that won’t be the case anymore.

We arrived yesterday and was asked to wait while they flip a table (not a huge issue). Seated 20 minutes later. Went to get a drink and the bar was poorly stocked and didn’t have some drinks that I would call standard for any pub. We had to ask a waitress to place an order and this continued for drinks, until the back end of the ‘meal’ when it had gotten a lot quieter. After placing out order we were asked twice more by different waitresses if we wanted to order.. probably because our menus never got taken and we had to put them on a book case to the side of us. Food took just over hour to arrive, mozzarella pearls weren’t cooked at all, almost cold. But garlic bread was nice. We had to ask if our mains were coming as it took so long after. The mains came and my partner is a vegetarian so, had of course ordered a vegetarian pizza. When it came it was covered in ham. We asked about it and it transpired they gave us the wrong plate AND the pizza we we actually ordered hadn’t even been made, so I had to sit with my meal until my partners were made and cooked. (Normally you would take all meals back and keep them warm or at least offer). My partners pizza came and the waitress was extremely apoplectic and did try to smooth things out but unfortunately the damage had been done. My food was half the size of the neighbouring table (seeing there’s the reason for my order in the first instance) and completely flavourless, we’d of been better at Wetherspoons.

I will add I don’t believe it was the fault of the server's and if anything they were the saving grace that stopped us leaving after the starter. Whilst serving was slow they themselves were absolutely not and they were flat out. Even a new starter held themselves well and they all appearingly did a great job. I think what would help is if each server was assigned a group of covers rather than them having to repeatedly go to different tables not knowing what stage of the meal someone is at or when they last had drinks. Again servers seemed to have to make the best of a bad situation and they definitely saved us from leaving. Also the restaurant did try to put it right which we appreciate but if this was our first visit we definitely...

There’s a lot of room for improvement in the food and service though that seems to be, from reading the restaurant responses to the reviews, that they have opened an Italian restaurant with a chef who doesn’t have any prior experience cooking Italian food. If this is indeed the case, it shows.

I want this to be constructive. I’ll start with the service as these points are simple enough - you need a drinks menu or at the very least the wine menu should be given to us when we sit down. Parmesan and black pepper should be offered when the food comes out and there ought to be spoons served with the spaghetti / tagliatelle dishes.

The food is lacking in flavour. There is nothing wrong at all with how the food is cooked from a technical perspective, but it’s bland. Italian food is brilliant because it’s made of high quality ingredients cooked simply.

That being said - you need better tomatoes. The bruschetta arrived with anaemic and unseasoned tomatoes. If you had higher quality, more flavourful tomatoes and ran some balsamic, garlic, EVOO through and seasoned them properly with salt and pepper - this starter has already improved tenfold.

The bolognese (typically cooked with beef and pork) is lacking in flavour. It needs more garlic and better seasoned. It doesn’t taste as rich and full as a ragu like this is supposed to.

The chicken fusilli with is light and fresh but needs more salt. The portion size is overwhelming and as such is boring to eat after a while.

The pizza served to me felt like it was on a pre-made base, the dough hadn’t been proven at all or frozen and thawed. Either way, it was heavy, very greasy and felt like I was eating a takeaway.

Please send the chef to Italy. Given it’s size and location, a restaurant like this has a lot of potential but you really need to get...

Misleading Marketing—Not True Italian Cuisine

Dario’s Ristorante Pizzeria in Doncaster claims to serve traditional Italian cuisine, but what they actually offer is an Anglicized interpretation of Italian food that falls far short of authenticity.

The Bruschetta had none of the expected garlic or basil, replaced instead with pea greens on a tiny piece of bread. The Tuscan chicken in cream mushroom sauce was completely bland, lacking even basic seasoning. The Marinara sauce was just canned tomatoes with oregano—uncooked, unbalanced, and unappealing. Worst of all, the Prosciutto pizza came with oversized chunks of canned figs, a strange and disappointing addition.

That said, the restaurant itself is lovely, with a pleasant atmosphere and stylish surroundings. It’s a great setting for a meal—just not one you’d expect to reflect true Italian flavors.

Not only was the food underwhelming and overpriced, but the claim that they cook in a traditional Italian way feels dishonest when the execution is so off. The fact that the cook isn’t Italian makes the marketing even more questionable. Diners expecting true Italian flavors will likely leave disappointed.

If you’re looking for an authentic Italian dining experience, this isn’t it. Unless the restaurant makes serious improvements to its approach, I wouldn’t...