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Donna's Los Angeles Reviews
We magically scored walk-in seats at the bar Sunday night
We magically scored walk-in seats at the bar Sunday night after the dodgers game-boy were we lucky! Donna's is a delight. The decor is modern and eclectic all at once. Service was warm, informative and attentive. The food was SPECTACULAR. I absolutely want to go back to try the peach plum bruschetta. Can't recommend the meatballs and carrot cake enough.
Wow I don't remember the last time I went to a restaurant
Wow I don't remember the last time I went to a restaurant where everything was perfect . Starting from the host . All the way to dessert ! The cocktails were ammmmmazing . The appetizers that delicious tiramisu . I had a great bday dinner at Donna's whoever the chef is thank you . It's def my fav gem in echo park ! I also loved the decor. I will def come back and tell everyone about it . The staff were lovely . I was def impressed !
To be very honest, my first trigger giving Donna's a try
To be very honest, my first trigger giving Donna's a try was the article calling it out as one of the hardest spots to make reservation in town. I did witness it from how fast all spots got taken right at the moment they were released 4 weeks in advance right at 10am (now you know the tip, you're most welcome!). Reaching the venue, I could kinda understand looking at the limited seats the cute petite venue carried. Regardless, it was well designed with classic Italian touch in the decoration which I was so pleased of. If you thought of walk-in, you might wanna come early right at the opening time or better wait closer to the closing time; otherwise expect the long wait. The service was surely top notch with super friendly and responsive servers. Being first timer, I did my little research on their signature dishes and I followed the crowd picking Fusilli Alla Vodka and Chicken Parmesan. The first dish was 9/10 with al dente pasta perfectly cooked in the luscious spicy sauce featuring whipped ricotta, chili oil, and pecorino romano. The creaminess was well balanced with the spiciness , just making you want another spoonful of it. I was initially bit skeptical given it didn't come with any meat, but now I tried it I would surely said YOU WOULDN'T WANNA MISS IT FROM YOUR ORDER. We intentionally ordered Chicken Parmesan as the second dish to not miss any of the meat-based one and turned out we made flawless choice as this came as perfect pairing to our pasta. It might sound simple that the dish was basically sizable chicken cutlet topped with mozzarella, pomodoro, and basil; but the combination of flavors was definitely delightful. The tanginess from tomato-based sauce truly complemented the cheesy touch, and I loved how the chicken was just juicy and tender yet the batter was crispy. Would rate this 8.5/10. Wouldn't add more and making this TLDR, but I could definitely picture myself coming back real soon. The Lasagna Rollatini would be the next one on my list!!
Hey hey.
We were pleasantly surprised by those stuffed red peppers, and my wife couldn't stop eating them-so good. Our appetizers came out quick, and our server was pleasantly attentive. Lastly, the entrees were filling, as we went with the chicken Parmesan-warning super large portion, and vodka pasta-also warning has chili oil and a bit spicy. Do it soon!
The inside has such a cool vibe.
Our waitress made sure we were taken care of. The chicken Parmesan was ok, something about it was off though.
The service was great, but the portions were small.
This is surprising for it being an Italian restaurant. Culturally, Italian cuisine is ample portions and this was not. Unfortunate, given the higher than anticipated price point. Otherwise, the ambience was great and it has private parking for patrons.
Superb service, cozy, tranquil, friendly environment, the
Superb service, cozy, tranquil, friendly environment, the food was excellent, the star of the show, in my opinion, was the linguine Roberts service added more ease and created a very welcoming dining experience. I'll be returning soon.
Caesar, bomb.
Garlic Parm, bomb. Fusilli ala vodka, bomb. Service was excellent. Very attentive and stopped by multiple times without interrupting mid conversation. Ambiance is in line with Italy. Loved that they had an open bar in addition to the wine collection. Chef's kiss We'd come back again.
If I'm going to write a review, it's typically because it
If I'm going to write a review, it's typically because it was amazing or awful. But Donna's fell smack dab in the middle... The aesthetic and ambiance is adorable. So well curated and thoughtful (even the bathroom!) The starters, garlic bread and bruschetta, ended up being our favorites! Especially the plums on the bruschetta - WOW, delicious! But then the alla vodka pasta and chicken parm came out and we could not believe how incredibly salty they both were. Borderline inedible. And the cannolis for dessert? Worst cannolis I have ever had - and I am a huge cannoli fan! With so many delicious restaurants to choose from in LA, this would never be on my repeat list.
Got lucky with a last minute reservation and had heard so
Got lucky with a last minute reservation and had heard so much about it so I was hoping it wouldn't just be the hype. Let me first say, it exceeded expectations with how the ambience and attention the waiters/servers showed menand my friend. The food was actually aptly portioned. I was concerned about it being the typical abysmally small portions but I was full by the time I left. The bread was so nice. Crunchy on the outside but soft and buttery on the inside. The table was set so perfect for a date night or catching up with a dear friend. The decor is to die for and feels so homey. Definitely will be going back in the future!
This resturant is delicious! I've been trying to get a
This resturant is delicious! I've been trying to get a reservation for weeks, but decided to stop by at 5 and pray for a table. Luckily I was able!! My server was michael and not only was he helpful kind and funny he gave great suggestions. My bf and I had the garlic bread, the meatballs and the fusible al vodka. Food was tasty!! The shrimp were delicious as well but I noticed they weren't cleaned as well as they could have been. I also think the shrimp were frozen since the consistency was off. All of the food was delicious and the service was so on point! Jackson was so attentive as well assisting in bagging up my food. This place is a gem!!!! Well worth the wait!!!!
took my wife to Donna's for our anniversary Dinner.
The ambience and staff were great. The garlic bread was to pretty darn good, my wife loved her pasta but the lasagna while tasty was teeny tiny appetizer sized. My wife even giggled when it came out! LOL
If you're looking for that classic, old school family-style
If you're looking for that classic, old school family-style Italian dinner in LA, Donna's is the way to go. They have a lot of the classics like pasta Ragu, chicken Parmesan, spaghetti and meatballs, veal picatta, etc. But they also bring a new age flare to some dishes like the lasagna Rollatini (think lasagna but instead of horizontal layers you get tight pinwheels of meaty, salty, cheesy goodness!) and fussili a la vodka with whipped ricotta. The restaurant itself does remind me of a Brooklyn-based Italian mom & pop restaurant with a checkerboard floor. It's a pretty small venue which is probably why it's so hard to get a reservation (you gotta book 1 - 2 weeks in advance at 10 AM on Rezy). This does make for a more intimate dining experience which is nice. We started with the garlic bread. Oh my god this was the best garlic bread I have ever had. The outer crust was so crisp and crunchy. Covered in parmigiano cheese. The inside was perfectly fluffy and so garlicky and buttery. I could not stop eating this bread I was genuinely considering ordering a second. Next we got the Caesar salad which was divine. Perfectly dressed with a fresh dressing and again served with tons of parmigiano. As a group of 3, we got 3 entrees in addition to those starters to share. We chose the chicken Parmesan, the lasagna Rollatini, and the pork ragu. The chicken parm was crunchy on the outside and loaded with cheese. The lasagna was fantastic, my only critique was that it was a pretty small dish but one bite of it was very rich. The pasta sheets were thin, arranged in pretty vertical pinwheels, and there was lots of meaty sauce in between all the layers. The pasta ragu was so good. Perfectly cooked al dente pasta topped with a rich pork ragu sauce. The service was great, our waiter was very friendly and attentive. My only critique was the dessert. The carrot cake was not moist and had a very citrusy flavor which was not what I was expecting. And the cannolis tasted stale. I would skip dessert but otherwise, enjoy a fantastic dinner at Donna's!
I read the reviews before I came, claiming the food is
I read the reviews before I came, claiming the food is "salty" but I have to disagree... maybe y'all aren't used to flavorful food!!? I'm from the South maybe that's why haha! Every single dish was superb and came hot and delicious. Nice spritz for my drink. Calamari - can't go wrong but this one was cooked perfectly. The garlic bread is sourdough - LOVE - and perfectly crispy crust and fluffy inside - beyond amazing. The only thing I wish is that it came with something to dip in. Luckily, I had the squid ink aioli and marinara left over from the calamari. My lasagna was so unique - almost like a lasagna dumpling dish. The top of the noodle was slightly charred and the meat inside was tender, sauce was wonderful. The desserts were really yummy. The tiramisu was great, not normally a big fan but I liked the chocolate flavor in this one. The carrot cake was made with almond flour which I adore and love the dense moist texture it gives. Cheryl, our server, was absolutely darling and sweet. The ambience of the restaurant was chic yet relaxed and cozy. The area the restaurant is located in has other popping bars nearby you can go to after or before.
Garlic bread and Caesar salad were great! Vodka pasta was
Garlic bread and Caesar salad were great! Vodka pasta was eh, but service was so good! Adorable decor!
Really good Italian American food in the most beautiful
Really good Italian American food in the most beautiful charming spot. Staff is really nice and we had great service. The pasta and chicken were the stars. I personally would skip the overpriced bread but it's good to dip in sauces.
I'm not sure if the reservation time (9:30pm as that was
I'm not sure if the reservation time (9:30pm as that was the only time available due to reservations being hard to come by) impacted the quality of the food but I share this just to keep in mind when reading this review because we went with high hopes due to the hype of "how good it is" and were severely disappointed. We ordered the garlic bread and Caesar salad to start as Tik Tok and other reviews raved about it. The garlic bread was hard and salty, the Caesar salad was drenched in dressing and had a strong lemon taste which I wasn't a fan of. Slightly disappointed with our starters, we still had hopes that the main food would be better. Wrong lol We ordered the popular fusilli allá vodka, lasagna rollatini, patata, and chicken Parmesan. Fusilli allá vodka: the first bite was good but I agree with another review that the more you eat it the saltier it gets which turns you off from eating more. Lasagna rollatini: not only was it burnt but the meat flavor was overwhelming to the point it made you not know what kind of meat(s) you were eating and it was extremely salty. I didn't even finish my first bite because I hated it. Even Target's Rao frozen lasagna is better than this. Patata: I thought you couldn't mess up potatoes, wrong again lol. The potatoes were super dry and some had a burnt flavor. Chicken Parmesan: This one was the most disappointing for me. The outer parts were decent but once you bit into the middle the texture of the chicken felt rubbery and fake which made me feel nauseous. The decor and service are 10/10 but food is not. None of my friends and I liked any of it. We left so disappointed and feeling so gross because of how salty it was. I truly was disappointed and utterly confused why this place is hyped up for being "so good". I won't be going back and won't be recommending it and the hype was definitely NOT worth it.
We loved Donna's! Super cute restaurant with really good
We loved Donna's! Super cute restaurant with really good cocktails. We had the delicious garlic bread and also the chicken parm and lasagna for dinner. Everything was delicious. We finished off the night with the Tuscan carrot cake for dessert and really enjoyed it as well.
My partner and I walk around this part of town and go out
My partner and I walk around this part of town and go out to eat quite often. We noticed Donna's a while back and tried to go, but learned of how popular it was. We had stopped in twice previously and were quoted 2 hour wait times and left, so we decided to go right at 5 on a Monday night and see if we could get in (making reservations 2 weeks in advance isn't really our thing). We got seated right away, which was exciting. I had already seen the inside, so I knew it was super cute already, which it is. The ambiance feels like a fancy, but kitschy Italian Grandma's house. Our server was great the whole time. Gave recommendations, our water was refilled, cleared plates off the small table, was very nice. Food came out very fast. I was surprised to see very little vegetarian food (no, I didn't look at the menu after all my previous attempts to visit -- or at any reviews either). No vegan food other than some of the sides. Just one salad and the only "green" in it was fennel, just one appetizer -- garlic bread, just one main entree (mushroom risotto), one pasta (fusilli with vodka sauce), and nearly all the sides were vegetarian (which all sounded good to me). This made ordering pretty easy for us, so we got all of those dishes I mentioned and one side (broccolini - which they allowed us to remove the anchovies from). We also got two dirty martinis. How was it? Well, I've got to say disappointing. The olives in the small martinis tasted kind of sweet. We both love olives and couldn't eat them. The garlic bread looked cool, but it was kind of burnt and dry and hard and definitely needed red sauce for dipping (which we did order). The sauce side wasn't big enough and really not that amazing. The risotto was probably the best item we ordered -- although I don't generally prefer risotto, so I don't have much to compare it to. The fusilli was a small, but rich portion with ricotta on top. It was super salty and that's all I really noticed about it, so I wouldn't really recommend it. The broccolini side was salty and pretty boring -- the server did say she would recommend the kale instead since we would be removing the anchovies and we didn't listen. We decided to pass on dessert and the complementary house made limoncello was a very nice touch. That's about it. I really wanted to love it more, but for a dinner on the pricier side, I want to love it and have more than one choice of things to order (it's not too expensive compared to other places if you love the food, but that wasn't the case for me).
This was our second time at Donna's -- we couldn't wait to
This was our second time at Donna's -- we couldn't wait to come back. The chicken Parmesan is AMAZING, one of the best we've ever had and also highly recommend the fusilli alla vodka -- it's very rich & flavorful. The espresso martinis are delicious and pair well with the entire meal. We LOVED the tiramisu the first time around, but the second time it was very salty -- we're hoping it was just the one batch & want to go back to confirm. Not to mention, we got a flat tire on our way there & the staff was very accommodative in pushing back the reservation a few hours so we could make it.
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Let's say Peter has a great morning and decides to take his three friends to Donna's Los Angeles at 6 PM the same day.
He checks the restaurant's website and sees that no reservations are available. He then looks at the Donna's Los Angeles page on AppointmentTrader, but finds that there are no user postings either.
That's where the community-driven bid process comes in.
Peter can place a bid on AppointmentTrader, which serves as a reward for any community member who chooses to work on securing the reservation. AT then notifies experienced users who may be able to help.
Step-by-Step Process
1.) Setting a Reward (Bid)
* AppointmentTrader uses historical data to recommend a reasonable reward amount for securing a reservation - let's say $100.
* Peter really wants to go, so he increases the bid (or reward) to $200.
* At this stage, the reservation does not exist yet.
2.) A Community User Picks Up the Bid
* ElaborateHouse74, an experienced AT user, has a strong track record of successfully securing reservations and low refund requests, they receive a notification about Peter's bid.
* ElaborateHouse74 picks up the bid, meaning they will now work on securing the reservation.
* Peter can now talk to ElaborateHouse74 for any questions Peter may have as ElaborateHouse74 user fills the bid.
3.) Finding the Reservation
* ElaborateHouse74 now uses their connections at Donna's Los Angeles to secure the table.
* If they successfully get the 6 PM table for four, Peter receives a confirmation that the reservation has been secured.
* If ElaborateHouse74 fails to secure the reservation, the bid is returned to the pool so another user can try.
4.) Payment & Protection
* Once the reservation is secured, ElaborateHouse74 receives the $200 reward which is credited to ElaborateHouse74's AT balance, where users manage their own funds and can withdraw via available payout options such as bank transfer, PayPal, or Zelle.
* Peter can now enjoy the dinner with his friends at Donna's Los Angeles!
* As with all transactions on AT, disputes and no-show fees are handled through the platform's community-driven resolution system. Users with a strong track record are incentivized to fulfill bids successfully, and community members can report issues to maintain trust in the marketplace.
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