Doraldo Restaurant

So the interesting circumstance that lead me here. we had purchased a very expensive food and wine Busch Gardens ticket ($ 55) and for some reason the ticket had a glitch and wouldn’t work. They had no solution except ‘we will contact you within 30 days). Well… I wasn’t about to spend more money at BG yesterday based on principle and we left.
I am so glad we did. We’ve now found our new haven for Italian food after BG. I told my husband yesterday… Forget spending a stupid amount of money on food at BG when we can leave at dinner time and head here.
Our server, Chelsea, was absolutely wonderful. My husband and I each ordered a pasta meal which came with a basket of garlic knots for us to share and a salad. Delicious! He ordered the rigatoni and I ordered tortellini fiorentina. Both were awesome. We loved the sauce. I am Italian and I am picky and too snotty about ristorante Italiano in general and this one is fantastic. Dare to say we live in Norfolk and we would make a special trip next time. it’s that good.
We sat in a quaint table in the corner. Privacy and nice view of the area. Loved my Lambrusco and my meal. We will be back.

My husband, our kids, and myself came here to eat after busche gardens. The atmosphere is great, our server was wonderful. The food on the other hand, was really a disappointment. I would never go back. We had clams as an appetizer, they were pitiful… Very small and all filler. It was hard to even find the clam. There was filler on both sides of the shell. I would recommend that to someone who doesn’t like the taste of clams. We split the veal Monte Carlo for our entrée, it was all breading, cheese, and spaghetti. Our kids loved the pizza though. I am local and it was our first time going there for dinner, as I said, I would never go back. If you are from out of town, it is reasonably priced and the food is just okay. I would recommend sals any day over that place

Me and my friends had a horrible experience here. The food was pretty good, but the service was not. I made a reservation for prom, asked them if they would have it look nice and a private area for us. When we arrived, they were not ready and they were not busy. We were waiting on them to set the table, which was right in the middle of the room with everyone else which is not what I requested. As we were seated a member of the staff noticed our concerned looks and asked us if everything was okay and we told her why we were unhappy. She was very sarcastic and completely rude to us. She told us she could move us but once the bigger reservation party arrived we would have to be moved back. It made no sense at all! She was extremely rude. Our waitress was nice and funny. We were told we would not get our food until the party of 30 was served, even though they arrived a while after us. Our waitress told us the rude staff member was the owners daughter, so we gave up trying to express how we felt about the service because we knew she did not care. I would recommend this place for a part of 2 or 3, not a large party because they will be confused and you will not be satisfied.

Ask for Roseio from Peru! Best waitress there and so sweet! Great food, good prices, and amazing service! Will be coming back again when we are in the area next! Homemade Italian dressing is the best!

This restaurant was a very pleasant surprise. We visited late on a weekday night when the restaurant was not busy. Our waitress (Yarina) was very friendly and efficient, and the food was excellent. The pizza was one of the best I’ve had, and the veal and pasta dishes were also superb. I would definitely recommend this restaurant.

Just had dinner at Doraldo’s this evening and it was very good, the food outstanding, service good, prices very reasonable. Would highly recommend. Had eggplant rollatini as an appetizer and I would have to say it was the best I’ve ever had. Plan to go there again when in the area.

My boyfriend and I came here after going to Busch Gardens for the day. When we arrived the host led us to a private table in the back by a window. The restaurant is cute, and the tables had flower petals on them. I ordered a glass of wine which was filled all the way to the tip. We received complimentary garlic knots that were delicious and salad. We ordered eggplant parmesan and a chicken pasta. We both really liked our entrees and had leftovers for the next day. When we were leaving, the manager came over to say bye and gave me a white rose since it was Mother’s Day, which I thought was very sweet! I would definitely come here again if I were in the area.

Arguably the Best pizza in Hampton roads. Very authentic Italian taste. Every pizza comes with garlic knots. You can’t beat that. Very affordable. Nice place to dine in or carry out. If you are looking for good Italian food or pizza this place is a must try. !!!

Bottomless garlic knots are good. A couple of mine were over done, but overall, still tasty.
I ordered the Rigatoni Alla Vodka with chicken. The «pink sauce» made the entrée.
My wife ordered the Tortellini Fiorentina and it was good, but super heavy with the spinach.
Overall, we enjoyed the meal.

Fantastic Italian food! Skip the overpriced restaurants in colonial Williamsburg and do yourself a favor and go to Doraldo instead. The garlic knots are to die for. All of our meals were beautifully done, and I am picky when it comes to Italian food. Would certainly return.

Fast, friendly and fresh. Extremely friendly service. The owner takes pride in everything surrounding the restaurant. Prices are fair. Salads are fresh, bread is hot out of the oven and entrees are large and filling. Will be back.

Outstanding. Food was great, nice atmosphere and staff. Wished we lived closer, would go to all the time for a nice night out.

Sampled the Doraldo Thriller pizza and I was not disappointed. A pizza pie that reminded me of Italy. Amazing!

Penne vodka was awesome. The texture in the garlic knots was awesome. They developed very nice gluten strands in the dough and for the uninitiated this means stretchy and slightly chewy dough which I love. Mine were a hair burnt but that still didn’t keep me from eating the entire basket.
My waitress was amazing. She had a huge table as well and still found time to make sure I was good.
My experience was that these people including the owner, enjoy being there. So refreshing. Great job!

After a long day at Water Country USA, the family wanted some good, hearty food. We found Doraldo by accident, driving by as we were looking for a different place, and I’m so glad we stumbled on this gem!
FAMILY NOTE: though Doraldo is a gorgeous restaurant, it is completely family friendly, so being in casual clothes (or bathing suits and swim shirts, as we were) won’t be a problem.
After being welcomed by our server Rocio, we ordered quickly — garlic knots, mozzarella sticks, lasagna alforno for my son, and specials for my wife and I: lobster ravioli with shrimp, and spaghetti puttanesca (my daughter had penne with butter).
WOW!!!
The knots were fresh, hot, and not over-​seasoned.
The mozzarella sticks were great.
The house salad, served family style, was fresh, crisp, and had a great dressing.
The lasagna was delicious.
The ravioli was amazing — somuch so that my wife, who is NOT a member of the clean-​plate club, polished off her serving.
The spaghetti was a revelation, a combination of perfectly cooked pasta, olives, hot peppers, and a delectable tomato sauce that was both simple and complex.
Throughout our meal, Rocio made sure we were comfortable and well taken care of, without ever being obtrusive.
We would gladly return for another meal, and we can’t recommend Doraldo highly enough. If you’re in the area, by all means go!

Went here for a nice dinner and to get my Italian fix in. After a long weekend, I like to curl up with a bowl of pasta from a great Italian place and this did not disappoint!
We had the Caprese insalada to start and it was fresh and delicious. It comes with marinated peppers and olives as well.
Garlic knots and a house salad come with the order of an entrée. The garlic knots were delicious and the house salad is simple and on point. The House dressing was pretty tasty! But those garlic knots though.
I had the penne pasta with vodka sauce and shrimp, and did that dish deliver! Not many places can make a good light creamy vodka sauce but Doraldo can! My husband got a sausage and peppers dish, that was also very light but full of flavor.
Good selection of wine and I’ll mention it again, those GARLIC KNOTS! Service was friendly and fast but did not rush us or neglect us. They were wonderful and even slipped in some extra garlic knots to go. Ok I’m done with the knots.

We’ve been in Williamsburg a week and our dinner at Doraldo tonight was the best meal we’ve had, no matter the price.
It’s a classic Italian place, welcoming and friendly. My wife had veal picatta (not on the menu but that wasn’t a problem). I had flounder francesa, which is pretty much the same thing, with fish instead of veal. Both were excellent — not overcooked, well seasoned. We shared an appetizer of baked clams, which was equally good.
The after-​dinner expresso was Lavassa, which usually translates to good, and this was no exception.

Stopped in for what I had hoped would be a quick lunch. The server seated me and brought me a water. He seemed a little unsure of what to do next.
While looking over the menu, I asked him what the sandwiches came with, «like chips or French fries,» and his reply was ‘um, I’m not sure but I can get you some garlic knots.” Taking another 30 seconds to look over the menu, I decided to go elsewhere. Based on that first impression, I did not want to risk the possibility of other unknowns.

I stumbled across this place doing a drive across the state and needed somewhere to get dinner. My gps took me here and I was surprised to be driving right passed Busch Gardens!
It was certainly the off season as we were the only people in the place at seven on a Tuesday. The inside was decorated fairly fancy and I felt a little under dressed at first. But as I got settled in it wasn’t a problem at all.
The menu had a good variety from something upscale to lasagna. I went with the fettuccine pesto as I love when places used a pesto sauce in a dish.
The house salad and garlic knots came out firstv with the salad being in a big bowl of everyone at the table. Even though there was just two of us there was enough for a small second on the salad. The oil and vinegar stressing on the salad was delicious. Something that I needed to use the garlic knot to soak up every bit of it. The garlic knots were good as well, not too buttery or oily.
Then for the main dish, I was worried with a fancy kind of place that the portion would be on the smaller side, but I was wrong! It certainly wasn’t too much either. The fettuccine pesto dish included mushrooms and chicken mixed in. The dish had a great balance of all these ingredients. The pesto sauce wasn’t to strong and had a good creamy texture. The mushrooms, done perfect, tasted perfect.
The only thing a bit odd was the chicken. I thought it was a little under done, but I’m writing this a day later and my insides haven’t exploded so it must have been ok. Maybe it was just something that I imagined, I didn’t look to closely since everything else was so great!
I would imagine this place gets packed when the park is open, but it was great in the off season!

Perfect meal after a long day at Busch Gardens! We decided on this restaurant based on the good Unilocal reviews and were not disappointed!
The garlic knots that are given are unbelievable and so fresh! We went through 3 baskets of them between 4 people!
We ordered the Chicken Franchese, Rigatoni a la Vodka, and the Lobster Ravioli special. No complaints here! Everything was good, fresh, and obviously homemade.
We spent a few minutes after our meal talking to the friendly owners, which we always love at family owned restaurants.
If we are in the area again, we will definitely come back!