Doni Italian Restaurant — Restaurant in Norman

Update

We've dined here several more times since the first review.. I added pics of the cheese ravioli with meat sauce and mozzarella cheese sticks to the review..

Original Review

My wife and I tried a new to us venue for lunch today.. And now we're mad at ourselves for not discovering this goodness sooner..

Doni is a nicely appointed Italian eatery on 36th Ave NW in Norman between Rock Creek and Tecumseh, and we had a fabulous dining experience..

She sampled their baked ziti, and I had the Fettuccine alfredo with grilled chicken.. Both entrées included a house salad and fresh rolls..

The salads arrived cold and crisp and were topped with their house Italian dressing.. The dressing was a delightful departure from most store-bought Italian variants and had a wonderful flavor..

The bread was delivered hot and fresh, had a wonderful array of seasonings and a touch of parmesan cheese spread on top, and was deelish!!

The ziti arrived piping hot, and the marinara mixed with ricotta cheese blended together to create a decadent sauce and flavor unlike any ziti we've had at other venues..

The Fettuccine alfredo had a creamy sauce, an ample portion of flavorful grilled chicken, and was nicely seasoned.. It, like everything else we tried, was a resounding hit..

On top of the excellent eats, our service was fantastic.. We were well taken care of for the duration of our stay and the interior of the restaurant was inviting and well appointed..

There were several other menu items that piqued our interested and we're already looking forward to our next visit.. A strong 10 out of 10 for anyone wanting a delightful...

I'd been watching construction take place for Doni the entire spring, and was excited to try it once they officially opened. I went with a few friends two weekends ago, and my friends were seated before us. Once I arrived, they told me they had waited almost 10 minutes without a server approaching them at all. We ordered some fried mozzarella for the table. The appetizer came out relatively quickly (along with our salads and bread), but tasted like your average frozen-then-fried mozzarella sticks. The bread was very tasty along with the house Italian dressing, but the salads weirdly came with a single wisp of carrot and a miniscule slice of tomato. Before we were even halfway through our appetizers/salads, the entrees showed up and forced us to consolidate and stack plates. The servers looked visibly confused throughout the evening, both with our tables and others. I had the Siciliano w/ chicken, and my friends had lasagna, pasta primavera, and the pasta sampler. Everything was okay - my chicken was pale, the sauce was buttery but lacked acidity/depth. The red sauce on the lasagna and sampler tasted possibly homemade, but was thick and relatively bland/one-note. I won't hold the issues with courses/serving against them, as things are always in a state of flux and adjustment when a restaurant initially opens. The food, however, was just okay across the board - an adept home cook could make better Italian food at home...

Doni was hands down the best Italian food experience I’ve had in Oklahoma — maybe anywhere. We came in for dinner and everything was incredible from start to finish. I had a house salad with peppers and a spicy red vinaigrette, followed by the Chef’s Favorite pasta, and a cannoli for dessert. Every bite was perfect. The pasta was tender, tasted fresh and homemade, and the Chef’s Favorite was honestly the best pasta dish I’ve ever had.

My wife had the baked ziti and a glass of Moscato which were also excellent — everything we ordered was full of flavor and clearly made with care.

Our server, Colby, was phenomenal. His candid attitude when making recommendations was a breath of fresh air. When I mentioned I was torn between the Chef’s Favorite and anything else he might suggest, he immediately backed my choice without hesitation, saying it was what he would’ve recommended anyway. He was incredibly attentive, checked in with us often, and made the entire experience even better.

Colby’s service easily outclassed places where I spent twice as much earlier this week. He set a standard that’s unmatched. The food, the service, everything about the experience was top-tier. I doubt we’ll eat at any other Italian place before we move back home — Doni deserves every bit of 5 stars.

We picked somewhere new on a whim and couldn’t be happier. We will absolutely be back and will hope to be seated with...