Old Italian guys cooking your food, will even offer you a wine pairing if you want. It’s not a chain, what more could you want. I’d recommend it to anyone who doesn’t want the same old chain restaurant experience. It takes longer bc they make it to order (since apparently people don’t know that). I think it’s worth it, go and take the special for the day, delicious!
What an incredible evening at Casa Dora. The food and staff were amazing. My husband and I were celebrating our 30th wedding anniversary and we could not have asked for a more perfect place to celebrate. Thank you for the one of the best Italian meal that I have not had in a long time. We took our desserts to go the Bannana Foster's Cheesecake and Cannoli were excellent. Thank you for making our night special. ❤️
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Orlando Jones
I haven’t had an experience like this in a long time. The food was delicious and the service was beyond amazing. Our meeting let out and we showed up with 15 people around closing time. We looked up the reviews and we really wanted to try this place out. We expected to get turned away, but instead they cooked fresh plates of food for everyone. The chef came out and talked to us about how the dishes were made and poured wine for us with a smile on his face. The dessert was so good we ordered a whole cheesecake to take back with us. I highly recommend if you are in the area. You will not regret it.
Made from scratch, authentic Italian food is absolutely to die for at this restaurant. I wish more places put this much heart into the food like the old days. I was living in the moment and didn't take photos of our food, but I can assure you this place is worth it. Saw a group of local old timers there who've known each other 40 years. Can't wait to visit family in JAX and make this a staple joint to visit. I had the mahi mahi with tomatoes, capers, lemon garlic butter and a bunch of other stuff he rattled off. Sounded so good I didn't even look at the menu, and he nailed that dish.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Kaleigh Warrington
Wow nothing but good things to say about this place. Food was incredible. I got the chicken Mediterranean and partner got the chicken marsala. My pasta dish was so tasty and fresh with flavors that you won't find anywhere else. The marsala was also exceptional and very noticeably, a homemade recipe. We ended the night with a tirimisu that took me back to my days in Italy. If you're looking for the mom and pop style of an Italian restaurant, you've found it. Grazie mille!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Sarah Howells
I got a slice of cheese, a slice of pepperoni and the Italian antipasto salad. The pizza was DELICIOUS! It was a New York slice but it was thin and the sauce was soooo flavorful. The crust was small and soft, not a crunchy pizza but excellent. The lettuce in the salad was crunchy and fresh. The salami in salad tasted old and there was another meat in there that tasted like beef jerky. The older man who checked me out was very kind.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 3
Recommended dishes: Salad, Slice of Cheese Pizza
Erik Liddell
Down to earth, trattoria style restaurant with great food, the friendliest people and quirky atmosphere, incl. autographed pics of cool musicians and performers who've dined there over the years while playing the Florida Theater down the street. ? Highly recommended.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Eggplant Parmesan
Brandon Curtis
This place is absolutely phenomenal
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Sue crayz
First time here. Two lasagnas (delicious ) that were microwaved...served with a tiny piece of garlic bread, one tea, and two canollies (terrible) =$50. Counter service. We wanted salads but we're afraid to ask..I got my lasagna and my husband had to wait a long time for his! Then we had to wait a long time for the desserts.. very unorganized. Pay when you leave tell the guy what you had. He was slooowww.. short on help it seemed. Very expensive. We could of had two steak dinners for that price. Not microwaved lasagna..
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 3
Service: 2
Recommended dishes: Lasagna
J Love
It was a busy evening, but the service was quick! You must try the lemoncello cake. It was to die for! We will return!Parking: Free parking after 6pm and on the weekends, or park a block down the way for just $5.Kid-friendliness: Family-friendly atmosphereWheelchair accessibility: Yes
A wonderful establishment steeped in history, conveniently located in the heart of downtown. The cuisine is lovingly prepared and homemade. While the service may require some improvement, with time, care, and attention, this establishment has the potential to become the finest dining option in Jacksonville.
The staff is really what made this place 5 stars, but the homemade food was a delightful bonus! Really recommend giving this place a try!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Jesse Kellum
Owner and his crew were just wonderful, super friendly and the food was outstanding. Spinach lasagna caught my attention (it looked delicious) and didn't disappoint in the slightest. The place is cozy without being stuffy or cramped, lots of autographed photos up of different acts that have come through and played the theater, recommend taking a closer look as you may be surprised who you find up there. On a more personal note though, the owner is an incredibly sweet and insightful man whose warmth can't really be captured here. Suffice it to say, we will be back. Keep doing your thing Casa Dora ? you are a treasure in downtown.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Roberto Torres
We’ve been here once before on a slower night. We ordered from the menu, the owner was really nice and we had a nice experience so we figured we would come again.This time they weren’t using menus and we had to use the “hot” bar. The food looked cold and dry like it’s been sitting for hours but we gave it a shot anyway.The weird prison trays with the self serving silverware, the styrofoam cups, the cold food with watery sauce, zero table service, and the balls to charge $50 for cafeteria style food.The absurdity was enough to get me laughing. This was truly one of the worst dining experiences of my life.I’ll remember this experience forever but I won’t be coming back again.
David Schroeder
Food is fantastic pizza and lasagna hit the spot my new go to spot
Old Italian guys cooking your food, will even offer you a wine pairing if you want. It’s not a chain, what more could you want. I’d recommend it to anyone who doesn’t want the same old chain restaurant experience. It takes longer bc they make it to order (since apparently people don’t know that). I think it’s worth it, go and take the special for the day, delicious!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Tiramisu, House Salad & Garlic Bread, House, Cannoli, Chicken Marsala
What an incredible evening at Casa Dora. The food and staff were amazing. My husband and I were celebrating our 30th wedding anniversary and we could not have asked for a more perfect place to celebrate. Thank you for the one of the best Italian meal that I have not had in a long time. We took our desserts to go the Bannana Foster's Cheesecake and Cannoli were excellent. Thank you for making our night special. ❤️
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I haven’t had an experience like this in a long time. The food was delicious and the service was beyond amazing. Our meeting let out and we showed up with 15 people around closing time. We looked up the reviews and we really wanted to try this place out. We expected to get turned away, but instead they cooked fresh plates of food for everyone. The chef came out and talked to us about how the dishes were made and poured wine for us with a smile on his face. The dessert was so good we ordered a whole cheesecake to take back with us. I highly recommend if you are in the area. You will not regret it.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Lasagna, Pizzas, Chicken Marsala
Made from scratch, authentic Italian food is absolutely to die for at this restaurant. I wish more places put this much heart into the food like the old days. I was living in the moment and didn't take photos of our food, but I can assure you this place is worth it. Saw a group of local old timers there who've known each other 40 years. Can't wait to visit family in JAX and make this a staple joint to visit. I had the mahi mahi with tomatoes, capers, lemon garlic butter and a bunch of other stuff he rattled off. Sounded so good I didn't even look at the menu, and he nailed that dish.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Wow nothing but good things to say about this place. Food was incredible. I got the chicken Mediterranean and partner got the chicken marsala. My pasta dish was so tasty and fresh with flavors that you won't find anywhere else. The marsala was also exceptional and very noticeably, a homemade recipe. We ended the night with a tirimisu that took me back to my days in Italy. If you're looking for the mom and pop style of an Italian restaurant, you've found it. Grazie mille!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
I got a slice of cheese, a slice of pepperoni and the Italian antipasto salad. The pizza was DELICIOUS! It was a New York slice but it was thin and the sauce was soooo flavorful. The crust was small and soft, not a crunchy pizza but excellent. The lettuce in the salad was crunchy and fresh. The salami in salad tasted old and there was another meat in there that tasted like beef jerky. The older man who checked me out was very kind.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 3
Recommended dishes: Salad, Slice of Cheese Pizza
Down to earth, trattoria style restaurant with great food, the friendliest people and quirky atmosphere, incl. autographed pics of cool musicians and performers who've dined there over the years while playing the Florida Theater down the street. ? Highly recommended.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Eggplant Parmesan
This place is absolutely phenomenal
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
First time here. Two lasagnas (delicious ) that were microwaved...served with a tiny piece of garlic bread, one tea, and two canollies (terrible) =$50. Counter service. We wanted salads but we're afraid to ask..I got my lasagna and my husband had to wait a long time for his! Then we had to wait a long time for the desserts.. very unorganized. Pay when you leave tell the guy what you had. He was slooowww.. short on help it seemed. Very expensive. We could of had two steak dinners for that price. Not microwaved lasagna..
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 3
Service: 2
Recommended dishes: Lasagna
It was a busy evening, but the service was quick! You must try the lemoncello cake. It was to die for! We will return!Parking: Free parking after 6pm and on the weekends, or park a block down the way for just $5.Kid-friendliness: Family-friendly atmosphereWheelchair accessibility: Yes
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
A wonderful establishment steeped in history, conveniently located in the heart of downtown. The cuisine is lovingly prepared and homemade. While the service may require some improvement, with time, care, and attention, this establishment has the potential to become the finest dining option in Jacksonville.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Pizzas, Chicken Alfredo, Mozzarella Sticks
The staff is really what made this place 5 stars, but the homemade food was a delightful bonus! Really recommend giving this place a try!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Owner and his crew were just wonderful, super friendly and the food was outstanding. Spinach lasagna caught my attention (it looked delicious) and didn't disappoint in the slightest. The place is cozy without being stuffy or cramped, lots of autographed photos up of different acts that have come through and played the theater, recommend taking a closer look as you may be surprised who you find up there. On a more personal note though, the owner is an incredibly sweet and insightful man whose warmth can't really be captured here. Suffice it to say, we will be back. Keep doing your thing Casa Dora ? you are a treasure in downtown.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We’ve been here once before on a slower night. We ordered from the menu, the owner was really nice and we had a nice experience so we figured we would come again.This time they weren’t using menus and we had to use the “hot” bar. The food looked cold and dry like it’s been sitting for hours but we gave it a shot anyway.The weird prison trays with the self serving silverware, the styrofoam cups, the cold food with watery sauce, zero table service, and the balls to charge $50 for cafeteria style food.The absurdity was enough to get me laughing. This was truly one of the worst dining experiences of my life.I’ll remember this experience forever but I won’t be coming back again.
Food is fantastic pizza and lasagna hit the spot my new go to spot
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Lasagna, Pizzas