Italian restaurant in Doncaster is passionate about authentic cuisine

On the corner of Silver Street there is a traditional Italian restaurant where the chef goes above and beyond to serve great food to his customers.

Chef Leo grew up in Rome, surrounded by people who loved food - it is what inspired him to become a chef himself.

Da Leo, named after the chef, serves a range of Italian and Mediterranean dishes that Chef Leo learnt back in Italy.

He told us: “I am trying to bring a little bit of Italy to Doncaster, I want people to feel like they are really there.

“I put so much passion into the food, we only use fresh ingredients.

“Our steaks are all dry aged for a minimum of 45 days - we have a great selection of fish which comes from Doncaster market.”

The pizza flour they use is also Italian as well as the mozzarella cheese.

“You won’t find Italian food like this anywhere else,” he continued.

“Our pizza and pasta are cooked in the traditional way and we believe in the Italian culture.

“Everything from how we dress to how we connect with our guests.”

We witnessed this hospitality first hand as we were invited down to the restaurant to try Leo’s food.

Not only did the chef go to each and every table to check that customers were happy with their meal, he spent the time to chat and catch up with regulars who he knew by name.

We arrived on a busy Friday night, the atmosphere was great.

There were several large parties there celebrating birthdays and anniversaries.

To start we enjoyed a cocktail made by a very friendly bar tender as well as opening a bottle of house rose wine.

For our starters we enjoyed muscles, garlic mushrooms and burrata cheese with cured ham.

All were delicious and generously portioned - we noted the sauces in particular were exceptional.

For mains we had a steaks one with a blue cheese sauce and another with mushrooms - both were cooked perfectly.

We also had a traditional spaghetti bolognaise which was rich in flavour.

Despite protesting several times that we were full, Leo insisted on bringing out a tray of desserts - every one that is available at the restaurant .

He would not let us leave without trying the tiramisu, almond cake and a range of other Italian treats.

There was even home made limoncello to finish off the night.

If you are looking for a restaurant with a great atmosphere and authentic food then Da Leo is an amazing spot in the city centre.