Doney

We had just driven for 5+ hours and had checked into the Westin Excelsior Rome so we were looking for the fastest and most convenient spot for a late lunch. We came to the Doney because it was convenient and attached to our hotel. However, we definitely regretted it. The food that we ordered (club sandwich and burger) were subpar and completely overpriced, but the only good thing was the service and the outside seating.

I stay here often, but no longer eat here for anything other than the free breakfast I get with the room stay. As a previous rater said, there are reasons to not eat in hotel restaurants… and this is the case here. You can do so much better in Rome.

stayed at the westin and this is exactly what you expect from a hotel restaurant… very overpriced! nice people but its horrible value for your money! go a couple blocks from the hotel and you’ll get better food at much lower prices.

Situated within (and without) the Westin Excelsior (that’s «Ex CHEL see or» to you if you want a cabbie to know what you’re talking about, not «Ex SELL see or»), Doney serves up their hearty, internationally appealing breakfast and lunch buffets, and a la cart meals in the evening. Seriously — where else can you get a European style continental breakfast, next to an American style breakfast, next to I don’t know — who eats hummus and curried veggies for breakfast? Those guys.
Service is always friendly (how are the same people that are there at breakfast still there at dinner though? do they not get time off?!), and the food is good, though pricey.
If it was my dime I was spending, I probably wouldn’t select this place over all the others in Rome, but that doesn’t mean there is anything wrong with it. Great people watching as well.

Very good and attentive service, pleasant outdoor seating (indoor area looked lovely as well.) I was given a complimentary amuse bouche of raw salmon and passion fruit wrapped in cucumber which was delicious! Unfortunately, the meal I was served was inedible. I ordered the seafood «salad» appetizer as an entrée, which was supposed to be a steamed seafood dish. The mussels and clams were fine. But, the prawns were not cleaned, were gritty with sand and had large, visible veins that hadn’t been removed. The octopus (which came in good quantity) was gooey and slimy on the outside, literally gelatinous, and strangely soft on the inside. It did not seem fresh at all. There was one piece of calimari that was similar to the octopus. The «salad» seemed to be a steamed julienne of carrots and zucchini which I actually didn’t taste. I’m staying at the Westin Excelsior which houses this restaurant. The hotel is beautiful, and I assumed the restaurant would be at least adequate. Maybe a different meal or a different dish would have been better but I don’t think I’ll try again.
I should mention that the maitre d’ and the waiter were very interested in my complaint and comped my meal including the glass of wine I had already had.

The previous reviews are crazy. They don’t know what fine dinning is all about. This place is beautiful. Service was amazing. Three servers waiting on us. Food was also amazing. Great selection. Cooked to perfection. I highly recommend this restaurant.

Pathetic food! Poor service !! A big DONT go place in Rome !! Me and my husband were both very unhappy with the food.

Diner Done Right! Great Service… Good Food… Nice Atmosphere… Great value for the money…

Agree with the other reviewers about the wait but as my wife reminds me, we’re in Italy where a little patience is important. I started with a pasta dish with squid and cherry tomatoes that was fantastic., y wife had the vegetable plate that consisted of grilled vegetables with a hunk of mozzarella and bruschetta with some marscapone like cheese. For our main courses we had spaghetti and the sea bass respectively. My wife was really please with her well executed spaghetti and I had one of the best prepared plates of sea bass I’ve had in my life. I’d go back but it was +100 € for two with a bottle of wine.

My preferred first stop in Rome when landing in the early morning. No better way to start your trip and beat the jet lag than to have a cappuccino and pastry. The cappuccino here is perfect! Indoor and outdoor seating available.

this place is aptly named. Doney – which is short for Doneyt here. Sat in the outdoor area for about 10 minutes and was ignored. Walked over to the Jumeirah hotel outdoor restaurant and was promptly acknowledged and served. Go there instead!

Stopped by this side walk Café for dinner. All they had on the menu was appetizers & Tappas. And a limited selection at best. Nice sidewalk Seating, but more of a bar than a Café. May 2012

Reasonably priced for a hotel restaurant (in line with surrounding restaurants) Excellent service. One of the best places I have eaten in Rome.

«From the market to the table …» — jeden Donnerstagabend gibt es diese besondere Wundertüte im Doney; klar, dass wir just an diesem Tag dieses Restaurant der gehobenen Kategorie enterten. Dann nämlich kauft der Küchenchef ein, was der regionale Markt aktuell hergibt — und das kann man sich (neben den Gerichten der übrigen, übersichtlichen Karte) zubereiten lassen. Dass es dabei ehrlich zugeht und nicht mit Dingen wie holländischen Importtomaten geschummelt wird, ehrt den Maitre. So hatte er bei unserem Besuch Anfang März eine tolle Auswahl an Käse, Salami und Schinken mitgebracht, die nett auf dem Büffet drapiert sind. Dass sie nicht nur gut anzuschauen sind, dürfen wir mit einer Auswahl probieren, die wir als Einstieg wählen. Ansonsten gibt es: Artischocken. Hm. Und die kann man mit Pasta zu einem leckeren Hauptgang verarbeiten? Man kann! Zu alldem einen hervorragenden Rotwein — so lässt man es sich gefallen. Der einzige Fehler war, noch eine Nachspeise zu ordern … weil ich mich danach fühlte wie eine gestopfte Gans :-)
Klar, der Genuss hat seinen Preis, pro Hauptgang darf man im Doney locker mit 20 Euro rechnen; die guten Weine fangen bei 30 Euro die Flasche an. Aber das Ambiente ist nett und der Service ausgesprochen bemüht und aufmerksam. Wenn man reserviert, bekommt man einen Tisch mit nettem Blick auf die Via Veneto und ihre abendlichen Spaziergänger, ach ja, und nette Jazzmusik zur Berieselung ist auch vorhanden.