We didn't have to wait to be seated which was great. Our waitress was absolutely wonderful and took our orders carefully. She made sure that the owner spoke to me about my food allergies so that I would have a safe experience. I decided to order the pizza and my husband got the Eggplant Parmesan. We waited a bit, but it's good to get freshly made hot food. The place was packed and everyone was enjoying their food, family and conversations. As for the food, it was ok. It's hard to compare when your husband is Sicilian and used to his mom's special sauce :). read more

Dontino's Italian Restaurant - Eggplant Parmesan - Italian Near Me - Akron, Ohio

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Jenny was a fabulous server, and we had a lovely time. The food was great, and the ambiance was wonderful.

I ordered a grilled chicken sandwich which was great. The bun was toasted and the chicken was served with little or no seasoning. Condiments were served on the side including the mayonnaise I ordered. Skinny fries were $2.00 extra. The sandwich and fries were both very good. The Tiramisu was good not great. It seemed like it had been frozen not fresh which is understandable. The service and the ambiance were both very good. I love this restaurant and will be back. read more

Dontino's Italian Restaurant - Tiramisu - Italian Near Me - Akron, Ohio

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It's been awhile since I've been here. So I thought a fresh review. We ate here last night. It wasn't busy at 7:30p on a Monday. Which was good with us. We got seated right away. It's kinda dark in the dining areas and looks to be around 1989 decor. It's clean. They have daily specials. My partner got the baked rigatoni and it comes with a salad. She enjoyed it. Portion size is kinda small in my opinion. It's a $15 cost and it's a little baking dish. I got the meatball sub with homemade chips. It's was good as well. Chips were hot and came with ranch to dip. Super good. Everything is Ala carte. So my sub was 1 price and to add chips was $2 and cheese to the sub was $1. To add cheese to the salad was $1. So you have to watch the nickel and dimes. The server was nice. I asked a few questions and wanted a recommendation and she gave them to me. At first I thought she was kinda grumpy because I asked the about the quality of steak in the steak sandwich. I didn't want to order it and fight with chewing the steak. So I asked. I think I offended her. But she was fine after a bit. Overall it's not bad. It's a solid Italian American cuisine experience. Prices are in the middle not outrageous but food quantity could be better on the pasta. My sub came with lots of chips and it was a good size. So that's good. We would go back. Again it's just average. But if you are close you want Italian it's fine. Next time I'll get the pizza. read more

Dontino's Italian Restaurant - Meatball sub and chips. Ranch on the side for the chips. - Italian Near Me - Akron, Ohio

I stopped in just to try this spot I had the spaghetti and meatballs the restaurant was pretty nice inside but there was a long black hair in my spaghetti sauce so I told my waitress and she was actually pretty ignorant about it she pretty much snatched my plate and took it back and I waited almost 25 minutes to get another one after already sitting and waiting for my food I will not be coming back at all the service was horrible and I'm pretty sure no one wants their employees hair in their food read more

Great food, old school North Hill atmosphere, and great prices. Stop by on Thursday nights for homemade arancini! Yes the owners are Sicilian! I had the veal cutlet, my wife had the grilled chicken pomodoro. They were both excellent. The also offer homemade pasta for a small up charge. It is worth it! Thank you Anthony and team for a wonderful evening. read more

Dontino's food is always delicious and a good value. The fresh pasta is great choice.

Dined with a party of six . We go there several time a year but this week was a little disappointing. I had the LaVita steak sandwich which is their signature meal. The sandwich was lean and tasty. My wife got the spinach raviola but was disappointed when it came with red sauce and not olive oil. It didn't specify on the menu and probably should have asked. Another got the cheese ravioli and it came with red sauce, too. The other two ladies had spaghetti and meatballs and chicken parm. Everyone got the side salad with cheese and the house dressing. All in all the meals were good and server was attentive w/o being bothersome. Now for the real disappointment. How about a Makers Mark on the rocks served in what appeared to be 2oz. glass! Now that's shamefull! read more

We met three other couples and had dinner at this old school Italian restaurant in Cuyahoga Falls. The joint was packed so we waited a while, but our server was attentive and quick to help. As soon as I saw manicotti I knew what dinner would be. The fish tasted like home made and was a good sized portion. Dinner included bread (good) and a dinner salad. I opted for the house dressing: a simple but delicious Italian. The table shared apps that were good: fried ravioli and calamari. We were all too full for dessert. A solid option if in area. read more

Dontino's Italian Restaurant - Manicotti - Italian Near Me - Akron, Ohio

Went here a few weeks ago and as an Italian I was Leary of the authentic flavor. But this place was hands down like eating in my grandmothers kitchen! I would go back every day if I could! The ingredients is great and taste amazing. The place is clean and the staff is the absolute best! You walk in a stranger and leave as family! Sadly I didn't take pics of our food! Lasagna. Chicken parm. Salads all so yummy. read more

Pretty good food and great value. They have a wide variety of meals so there's something for everyone

Thursday dinner. Fried ravioli, meatball sandwich, chicken Alfredo, house salad, love the fresh potato chips. Great service, great food. Friendly atmosphere. No complaints at all. We'll be back to try all the weekly specials. read more

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When we walked in the first thing we heard was Frank Sinatra, we knew it was going to be a special night. Love the family pictures on the walls and the cozy booth. Our waitress was so helpful and friendly, letting us know we would want to try everything on the menu and that they also have specials every day. The salad was chilled perfectly and the Italian dressing along with the blue cheese was a perfect mix. The huge chunks of cheese were delicious. We never had to ask for a refill of our beverage. The wife just had to try the pizza and spaghetti and meatballs. The bread was nice and fresh with real butter. We got the small pizza with the regular dinner size spaghetti which was. Cooked perfectly with delicious sauce and meatballs. We decided not to have dessert until I saw the bumbleberry cheese cake which I took to go. It had blueberry, strawberry and raspberry cooked and and then layered on top of the most delicious, moist cheese cake ever, the butter and graham cracker crust was perfect, I wish I had ordered 2 pieces. I highly recommend this restaurant if you love authentic Italian food with the feeling the Rat pack will walk in any minute. Loved this place, will keep going back until I have tried everything on the menu and as many specials as possible. read more

Took the whole family here for dinner. It's extra special because I was able to have my parents there too. At 88 and 85 it's not easy for them to get out. The waitress was very nice and kept everyone happy. My parents both had to return the chicken parm because they said it was too tough. The waitress brought them out some meatball sliders and they enjoyed them. I have been going to Dontino's since I was about 8 yrs. old (I'm 65) now. It was very good back in the day. When we lived in Tallmadge 14 yrs. ago it was still very good. I guess when the old man Dontino passed things changed. This is my second visit in 5 years, and I had hoped it would be better this time. Both of my last visits I ordered the House Specialty Veal Cutlets with garlic and oil pasta. The garlic was way over cooked and almost brown in color. Nothing like it used to be. read more

Dontino's Italian Restaurant - Italian Near Me - Akron, Ohio

We visited Dontino's for a 2PM lunch today, buoyed by our last visit several years ago. Sadly, our resulting opinions were far below expectations. My spaghetti with two meatballs and red sauce was uninspired and bland, with no discernible spices, (ragu or Rao's would have been an improvement) and meatballs that were overly dense and similarly tasteless. My dining partner ordered the perch dinner, which came with grilled veggies. Before confirming her choice, she asked the server if the vegetables were frozen or fresh. Assurance was given that they were fresh...they definitely were NOT! But the fish itself was thick and tasty. Dinner salads were merely iceberg pieces with a few beet slices and two little slices of red cabbage ! At least the house vinegar and oil dressing tried its best to compensate for mediocrity. I suggest Dontino's revisit its offerings and give its sauces a taste boost, model the meatballs after Mama Mancini's , and kick the basic salad up a notch! read more

Spaghetti and sausage was ok. Spaghetti with white clam sauce was inedible. I won't be going back.

This place smells right for an Italian restaurant. The sauces are very tasty. My favorite pasta is the spinach linguine with marinara. Hubby, a carnivore, loves the meatballs as well as the steak sandwich. The ambiance is pure neighborhood restaurant with a bar, and had pleased customers for many decades. One of our favorites read more

This place is great, a nice old school family restaurant. Great service and very nice inside. The food is very good, some of the best Italian food. Try the eggplant parmesan. read more

Our first time here and we are hooked! We had to go with a traditional order of spaghetti and meatballs and the special of the day, ravioli and meatballs. Salads were promptly brought to us and were fresh! Loved the homemade house dressing! Bread was also good, with extras brought to us upon request with our meals. Spaghetti and meatballs were everything I expected and ravioli was point on as well. Three flavors of ravioli included in the special. A shout out to our server, who was amazing as well! Overall, we liked the "old school" decor and friendly service. We felt like we were definitely supporting a small, family owned business and not an overrated chain! We will definitely be back again for more. Wish we would have found this gem years ago. read more

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Our go to place for Italian food. Great food at a good price. Homemade noodles are outstanding.

Been too many years since dining at Dontinos. Our company decided to host a seminar in their meeting area. BEST DECISION! Anthony, Marie, Tiff and staff made the experience absolutely perfect. Space was inviting. Parking and location easy to find. FOOD OPTIONS WERE AMAZING, and portions incredible for the price. I could not be happier with the outcome. Be sure to dine here for lunch or dinner and definitely host your events here! read more

Food is always good at Dontino's. It's not spectacular but we frequent often. Get the homemade noodles.

Great staff. Great owners. White clam sauce with homemade linguini noodles. Get a side of olive oil to dip your bread... ...and some of the cheapest cocktails in town. read more

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It's a regulars, regular place to go. Never going to disappoint - Always great service - preparation with pride and integrity. Nobody's trying to be fancy with the menu. Just really good Italian by a great American Italian family. Give them your support !! I am there 3-4 times a month. Ciao !! read more

We were out of town visitors looking for an authentic family-owned Italian restaurant, and I felt Dontino's hit the nail on the head. We had an appetizer, 3 meals, and dessert. The food and the service were quite good, and price was very reasonable. read more

Went there for the first time Saturday with my son at lunch. Portions are SMALL... 17.50 for fettuccine. We thought is was the lunch portion but it was full sized. Salad was old and included lettuce, one slice of tomato and one beet. Pizza was burnt. Total bill was 44 after tip. Very underwhelming. Recommend even the Olive Garden over it for cost and quality. read more

Dontinos is an amazing family friendly Italian restaurant. I love the family owned aspect and how Anthony the owner is so personable and makes you feel like you are a part of their family. The food is amazing, I have tried pretty much everything on the menu and love everything, especially the eggplant parm and the steak sandwich with fries, oh and the fried ravioli and wings!!!! Can't name just one thing, so many good options. It's our go to restaurant when we want carry out or to dine in!!! We will be going for years to come read more

The food is meh, not impressed at all. I've had better pizza at local pizza shops, better pasta made at home. I'd rather drive 10 minutes for a quality pie vs 2 minutes for the opposite. No respect for the locals. Parking on East Cuyahoga Falls Ave is not permitted, yet the management ignores the problem. No Stopping on Linden, yet management ignores the problem. read more

I am a big eater of perch fish. When I visit here I always eat Italian. This was my first time here on Friday and had their perch dinner I was amazed that this dinner was excellent. I wasn't expecting the dinner to be so great. Here is the recommendation get here early if you want this dinner Again the service was excellent read more

This is still our favorite Italian restaurant. Even during the time we had to do take out, the quality never suffered. Of course, now that we can eat in, they are obeying all of the guidelines set forth by the CDC. However, you still get the wonderful servers and the excellent food along with the ambience of the neighborhood family onquality restaurant. You just can't beat Dontino's! read more

We go there a lot we love the food service is always wonderful and never a problem. They have the most wonderful salad dressing.

If you want to have an old school Italian night, Dontino's is the place for you. The interior is everything you would expect of a family-run Italian joint. We walked past the bar, which was large and inviting (we may have to sit here and have pizzas on our next visit). Our server, Cathy, was exceptional. We started with the stuffed shrimp, which were plump and had really tasty filling. Next were the salads. They were pretty simple, but I appreciated the house dressing and pickled beets. For my entree, I had the veal parm, which was pounded thin and crispy. I loved the house sauce. My fiance had the veal cannelloni, which was also executed perfectly. For drinks, we each had the house wine. The chianti was a perfected complement to the veal. We decided to drink our dessert and have espresso martinis, a great end to a memorable meal. I'm excited to come back here because so much of the menu sounds delicious. Dontino's is a true classic. read more

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91 years old! Dontino's _akron is that "old school cool" italian place in North Hill/ Cuyahoga Falls Border. We saw someone had been there recently and had to go back after a prolonged absence. My wife had the beef ravioli. She doesn't dish praise lavishly but she said, " next time you are over this direction you have to stop and get me more!". high praise from @jillrn_17 . My son fettuccini alfredo and was silently happy stuffing his face. the homemade hot sausage sandwich was good but I wished it had been more like kielbasa rather than patties. the chicken tenders were fine out of a box ( as my youngest likes them ) fries , salad and fried mozerella all were as expected. great ambience ans great service. read more

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One if not the best good Italian restaurants- certainly the new decor makes it even more attractive

Got a gift card from my in- laws Very friendly staff and service was good ; however, the food is below average . I ordered the Pizza hoping to discover some great pizza place but the pizza was like something from a gas station or Chucky Cheese . Very disappointing The portions are small and very ordinary tasting no where near the quality and taste of " Fine Italian " dinning read more

Dontino's La Vita Gardens Craving the taste of Italy? Stop by this family-owned gem that's been a part of the Akron area for nearly 100 years! From the place mats and color schemes, to the vintage photographs and decor, Dontino's La Vita Gardens serves something we think is super important in dining experiences: authenticity. We absolutely loved the style of this restaurant, and want to go back just to sit at the beautifully arranged bar (which we are SO sad we weren't able to photograph). We didn't get anything to drink, but were plenty satisfied with our pre-meal bread and salads. The house-made Italian dressing was absolutely wonderful, and the bread was fresh and refilled promptly upon our request! For our main courses, we got the baked manicotti and the spaghetti with mushrooms. The spaghetti dish was very average, and we weren't too wowed by any uniqueness or flavors. But the manicotti dish was absolutely DELICIOUS, and was probably the freshest we've tasted. Additionally, Dontino's menu is large, diverse, and filled with incredibly reasonably priced items. Overall, it's likely in the cards for us to visit again and try something new! read more

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First visit. A slightly worn, yet comfortable, neighborhood restaurant. Wife and I both had the veal parm entrees. Served with salad and bread. Food was solid....good not great. Bread was just OK. Portion size was more than reasonable. Priced very fairly. Ordered a Manhattan as pre-dinner cocktail ($7.00) the Orange was at my request) and a glass of house Chianti ($5.50). Overall a very solid neighborhood restaurant. read more

Dontino's Italian Restaurant - Italian Near Me - Akron, Ohio

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Always nice to have some tried and true "go to" restaurants, and Dontino's Italian Restaurant in North Hill is just that for our family. I've probably eaten about half the items on the menu over the years, and was honestly shocked I had never reviewed it before. Pasta dishes are all really good, especially if you pay the up charge for their homemade noodles. The pizza is great, nothing fancy, but solid nonetheless. The Chicken and Veal Parm are delicious, thin pounded out meats, crispy fried and topped with melty cheese and served with spaghetti. Their red sauce is nice, not overly acidic or sweet,but just right! The bread they serve with the meal is tasty, chewy, and soft. I really like their homemade salad dressing, Oil and Vinegar, but just a touch of seasoning and sweetness. Delicious, and available for purchase to take with you too! The interior is what you would expect from a family owned Italian place that's been in business for almost 100 years, stucco walls, marble counter tops, old pictures on the walls. I'll say there are things that maybe aren't quite to my taste that I've ordered over the years, but never had a bad meal here if that makes sense? Anyways, check out this iconic old school Italian joint! read more

Dontino's Italian Restaurant - Cheese Pizza - Italian Near Me - Akron, Ohio

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Vibrant, friendly greeting and overall atmosphere! The food was fresh, modern and yet traditional. If you are looking for an amazing local Italian restaurant this is a definite GO TO! read more

We thought we found a gem in Akron when we saw the menu of this restaurant online. Have a lot of choices and sounds very authentic! They even have Italian beer! Oh boy, I have to say I'm a little bit disappointed They have a large dinning rooms, the one near the bar looks nicer but they seated us the other side which seems to be a bit old and just don't feel that nice. The salad came out first and the dressing is so soo good, but the presentation was meh I ordered prosecco for drinks and fettucini alfredo for main. Loved the drink but the pasta was very creamy. I expected very fresh taste of pasta but I guess I expected too much haha! I'm not gonna lie I have tasted better one from one near my home. My boyfriend ordered veal Cannelloni and he wasn't impressed either. Tiramisu was on point, was pretty good. It has some frozen taste in the middle of the tiramisu, I guess they have put it in the freezer before? Wish they hadn't though. I like it more loose but my boyfriend loved the tiramisu :) For take out, this place would be great! Not sure about dinning in hahaa! (The waitress was nice but she didn't come and check on us during eating) Food: It was good. Solid but not great! Service: Okay Environment: fine Parking: medium size read more

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