If you are not in for Arabic food when you are in Doha there is not much else to find if you are looking for a high end restaurant. Soccer World Championship and numerous other big events on its way to Doha and a significant lack of good fine dining restaurants are not good enough. The Italian restaurant Il Teatro located in the Four Seasons Hotel Doha strives to be Italian top class, but lacks the passion and glow you come to expect from a true Italian.

The interior is more lavish than what you are used to see in an Italian restaurant. The tranquil ambience and luxurious surroundings recall more of a typical Arabic fine dining restaurant. Il Teatro is a contemporary Italian restaurant so several of the classics are served with a twist and a hearty chunk of French cooking style as well.

Antipasti with mixed ruccola salad, cherry tomatoes and parmesan, pasta with steamed Canadian lobster, secondi of the local Persian Gulf fish Hammour and a dessert of warm, balsamic strawberries with vanilla ice cream and honey tuile is a typical meal at Il Teatro.

Of course Italian food will never taste as good as in Italy, but Il Teatro suffers from more than just not being in Italy. The waiters’ service is impeccable, but the taste is simply not there. Or at least not the great taste which will give your taste buds the haven they deserve. It is quite boring to dine at Il Teatro and soulless compared to many other Italian restaurants on the same price level. The problem is that you might have to catch a plane to Europe if you want to have a better Italian.

Images courtesy of Il Teatro

Written by Andy