Don Vino's Italian Bar and Grill

The food and cocktails were absolutely fabulous. The owner who served us was fun and personable.

Main Street here looks like a bit of a step into the past with the older structures and their furnishings. Nice area, but this building seems to stand out. Gave it a try. Saturday evening, after 8 so not too early and not too late. Sat at the bar per my usual dining methods while working out of town.
The bar seating was open, and I was thirsty. Ordered a double Jack Coke, it was tasty. The bar tenders, et al. were quite friendly through the evening. Striking conversations and talking with various topics. It was apparent right away that this is what they do and they enjoy it.
Browsing the menu, I couldn't help but check out the ravioli option a few times. I went with it. Glad I did. It was an out of the ordinary ravioli, a stranger in strange land perhaps, but after the first bite. I knew I was home. Grilled chicken topped the plate, vegetables on the side, and a wonderful creamy pesto sauce with the ravioli inside of it. The delightful surprise was the jalapenos. Making the whole dish a bit spicy, but adding a lot of unfamiliarity with it. The blend of the flavors was nice and delicious.
In the end, this was a nice dining experience and I will be back. Heard they have tacos on Tuesday with a Dj spinning

My first time eating here and I will definitely eat here again. Great atmosphere and I highly recommend the Carne Asada Tacos and a Tequila Sunrise. Looking forward to sampling more of the menu.

Part of the fun while in a different town is to try local restaurants. I did that while in Porterville, CA. I dined at Don Vino's. It's an Italian restaurant with Italian and Mexican dishes. It's located in the heart of the downtown Porterville. The downtown is the cutest with its charming brick sidewalks and modern street lamps with an old fashion look. The restaurant has a secure back parking lot with an entrance. Or you can enter from the front, the street parking is angled lots so no parallel to parking fussiness.

They were are able to accommodate large parties if you make reservations in advance. My large-ish group were even able to get separate checks. Appreciate that.

Our waitress did a great job handling our table and her other tables. We were immediately served our drinks and complimentary focaccia bread and olive oil n vinegar was brought to the table. I ordered the chicken parmigiana ($20) and requested no mozzarella cheese on top. The waitress informed me that there is some parmesan cheese sprinkled on the spaghetti noodles. Very attentive of her to ask. The plate and food came out hot. The chicken filet was thick but all so tender and moist. Nice amount of breading and without the mozzarella on top just like I requested. Excellent. The serving size was ample. The spaghetti sauce was tasty with a touch of sweetness. Not harsh tasting at all. The noodles were cooked to a perfect doneness. Having a HFCS aversion, I forgot to ask about the sauce but I had no effects. So I'm going go out on a limb and say the sauce has no HFCS.

On 15 March 2025, we stopped in at 8pm, an hour before closing with a party of 8. When greeted, the employee told me they are closed. I asked about the posted time of closing at 9pm, she said they chose to close early because it was slow…

The pizza was burnt and missing ingredients

All good here..

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Service was great. Food was pretty good but menu could use a bigger selection of Italian foods.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 4

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Cannolis, Chile Verde Pizza

Love this restaurant

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Chicken Alfredo

We were hesitant over some reviews we seen. Good thing we decided to eat here the food was amazing and the service was 👍

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 4

Service: 5

Very tasty and good quality.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 5

Service: 5

Food looks nothing like the photos aweful representation when asked why my food didn't look like photo on website

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 1

Service: 1

Very good food and very nice friendly service. Unfortunately it is a bit noisy when the dining room is busy.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 5

Service: 5

Pizza (combination) had zero meat on it!!

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 3

Service: 5

Wonderful service, delicious food and overall atmosphere. Highly recommend!

Kid-friendliness: Good kids menu options

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Chicken Piccata, Kids Cheese Pizza, Lobster Chowder, Fried Calamari