Donati's Pizza Lake Forest — Restaurant in Lake Forest

Deep Dish Needs Thorough Bake, and Other Concerns -

Service: I'm somewhat new to the Lake Bluff area, so perhaps my relative displeasure at the service-oriented aspects of this restaurant is consequent to that lack of local familiarity, but I did not enjoy the in-person pick up experience, nor food at this Donati's.

Previously, I have enjoyed dining in and ordering out from other local pizzerias but had yet to give Donati's a try. While picking up my order from the dimly lit counter, staff seemed to exhibit what I presume to be a sense of relative dread at having to speak to me and receive cash payment. The bills I paid with were thoroughly checked with a detection / felt pen, including the cash tip. Staff at the counter proceeded to gather my order and have other staff accompany them with the order, back turned to the counter.

Now, nominal pleasantries were exchanged and I wasn't harangued, but an undercurrent of distrust and general displeasure was evident even to a simpleton like me. I do realize that I may have looked disheveled after a long day following an early start, and that the poor lighting may have played a correlationally negative part in how I believe that perception was received, but I was a paying customer who attempted to offer courtesy and gratuity for hard work and good food. I received suspicion and food.

Food: The deep dish was prepared and cut in the exact manner I had requested. It was tidily placed in a secure carrier box. Vexingly, the outside of the pizza had been thoroughly reheated, and I say reheated because there were elements such as cheese that still had not yet melted in the bottom layer of the pizza! The sauce as well as the exterior, by contrast, were somewhat puzzlingly completely cooked. The dough was light, yet supple enough to provide good crunch along the edge. The sauce, while favoring perhaps too sharp a salinity to complement the sweetness of the tomato, which tasted in keeping with most traditional deep dish sauces, proved sufficient to match the crust. However, that bottom layer contained a few marble-sized pockets of cold, unmelted, shredded/pre-shredded cheese that decidedly detracted from what was otherwise a fair deep dish. It could have been delicious, but the undercooked elements cannot be overlooked.

I appreciate that the order was correctly completed in a timely fashion, but I was disappointed in the preparation quality of a central element of the dish.

I will not order from Donati's in the...

Honestly, just wouldn't bother going here during a potential lunch or dinner rush. Went to get lunch here today with my co-workers and there was no one there when we first walked in. We waited over 30 minutes for two sandwiches and two Detroit style pizzas. When one of my friends went in to see where our food was (for the second time) it was met with needing to see receipts again so that they could see what our orders were. When I went in to give a receipt, we still had to wait another 10 minutes, and the employee who dealt with the whole situation was very unpleasant. We were told there was nothing they could do because they were short-staffed (even though there were 4 people standing in the back). If they had just told us right off the bat that it was going to take a little longer than normal, that would have changed the situation completely. When expressing the disappointment I had in using my whole lunch hour to wait for lunch that I wouldn't even be able to eat now, the employee had an attitude and said there was nothing she could do and that she was short-staffed and asked if I "wanted a refund or something." It had been a long time since I've been to Donati's, and after the experience today, I don't imagine I will be going back anytime soon if this is how things go and how people...

Donati's has really upped their game. I've always felt Donati's was kind of a middle of the road pizza but I don't feel that way anymore. For this review, I ordered delivery of Donati's Detroit style pizza and one of their chopped salads. The Detroit style pizza is amazing and a welcome addition to all of the New York and Chicago styles offered at other restaurants in the area. The signature charred cheese on the edges of this pizza are crunchy and flavorful. The sauce is just right and has a fresh flavor that is slightly sweet and pairs well with the charred cheese sides. The cheese on top has that desirable 'snap' when bitten but properly stretches when pulled. The crust is thick, fluffy, and full flavored. I also got the Lake Forest Chopped salad. Wow. This salad is amazingly fresh, cold, and delicious. The chopped chicken was still warm and tasted like it just came off the grill with that perfect grill flavor. The raspberry vinaigrette dressing is also flawlessly matched with the other ingredients. This salad is a new favorite of mine. If you have not tried the Lake Forest Chopped salad I highly recommend you do. Kudos Donati's for...