Thursday March 28th, 2024
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Donato's Brings A Little Slice Of Italy To Cairo

Newly opened, Donato's restaurant promises an authentic Italian culinary journey. We speak to the eatery's owner and namesake, Franco Donato, to find out more.

Staff Writer
Authentic Italian food can be a bit difficult to locate in Cairo. The fancy hotels have fancy places that you pay fancy prices at. Unless you live a luxurious life it can be hard to budget for such an expenditure when all you want is some good pasta. Enter Donato’s. Recently opened in the City View compound on the Alexandria Desert Road, Donato’s is bringing homestyle Italian cooking to the community. 
 
“Serving our community is very important,” speaks Franco Donato, the restaurant’s Italian owner and namesake. “We actually had people come in for our quality control before we opened." Quality is what Donato’s strives for - without the extravagance of other Italian experiences. 
 
“We want the food to be affordable enough to be an everyday option,” the restauranteur explains, highlighting the importance of making sure you get that authentic Italian experience with top notch ingredients, and portions that are fit for humans not squirrels, without having to sell a kidney. 
 
Speaking to Franco, it’s easy to tell the love he has for great food. He speaks at length about experimenting on the local population to fine tune his recipes (ahem, if someone wants to experiment with Italian food on us, you won't hear us saying no, ahem). “The restaurant has my name; of course I want to make sure there is never a complaint!” His laugh is infectious as is his passion for the food of his country. 
 
Donato’s delivers pizza and pasta (even lasagna!) to City View and the surrounding area. The restaurant also has a few tables inside for a cozy dine-in experience making it one of the few places in the area for genuine Italian cuisine. 
 
Browsing through Donato’s Instagram looking at the appetizing pizza and delectable pasta options, it's easy to forget it’s a restaurant here and not in New York or Italy.