Great experience! Service 10/10 Food 8/10 Atmosphere 10/10
Would come back for sure!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Valerie McPhaul
The food was not traditional Italian food the shrimp scampi wasn’t anything I had ever experienced.Not good at all . More salt than seasoning I know this because my feet were swollen this morning. After an hour and thirty minute wait truly not worth it.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 4
Julie Buck
Order the garlic bread and meatballs.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Garlic Bread, Meatballs
Mike V.
I’m Italian and from the east coast. This place was phenomenal, especially for California. Absolutely 10/10.
luis moran
I’ve been eager to try Donna’s for quite some time. Every time reservations opened up, they filled quickly, and I was never able to secure one. So, for my birthday today (9/27), I decided to finally visit Donna’s in Echo Park with a close friend. We arrived at around 6:05 pm. The location is small, and when we walked in, there was no line or crowd, aside from a small group leaving after checking in.
We were greeted by a blonde woman with short hair and glasses. We asked to be added to the walk-in waitlist for a table of two. She inquired if we preferred the bar or a table, and when we asked about the wait times, she informed us that it would be 2–2.5 hours for the bar and 3 hours for a table. Although the wait time seemed excessive, I’ve always heard how difficult it is to get a spot, so we decided to wait the two hours for the bar. She took my first name and phone number, and we left to explore the area while waiting.
One thing I found odd right away was that I didn’t receive a text confirming we were on the waitlist, but I gave them the benefit of the doubt. After an hour, we waited in our car, and once the two-hour mark passed, we returned to check in with the host (the same person who had initially helped us). She seemed surprised to see us and mentioned it would only be a few more minutes. Unfortunately, those “few minutes” turned into an additional hour of waiting.
After waiting for nearly three hours total, we checked in with the host again, only to be told that they were no longer adding people to the waitlist. I was shocked. If they knew they wouldn’t be able to seat us, why weren’t we told sooner? This felt incredibly disrespectful and disorganized. To make matters worse, it seemed like we were being brushed off from the moment we walked in, while other groups (who were not people of color) appeared to be seated with less hassle.
I can’t help but feel that we were treated unfairly, and I truly suspect that our ethnicity played a part in how we were handled. We were given an outrageous wait time and then dismissed altogether. It was a deeply disappointing experience—especially on what was supposed to be a special occasion.
I won’t be returning to Donna’s, nor will I recommend it to anyone. There are plenty of other great places to dine in L.A. without being subjected to this kind of treatment.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Kimmie
The atmosphere and service were excellent. The food was generally good, but it was quite salty. If I go again, I think I’ll ask them to use less salt.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Susana S
Everything about my reservation was great. The entire staff is so friendly and accommodating. The food was fantastic. We left thinking about when we'd be back just to have the Fusilli alla Vodka again. Pro tip! If you can’t find a reservation, set notifications on Resy for the times you are available. A few usually open up. Just be sure to have your credit card on file, they go fast! ?
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Garlic Bread, Tiramisu, Fusilli Alla Vodka
Natalie Marrero
This place is an absolute gem.
The lucky thing about being a solo dinner, bar seating and limited waits (thank goodness). I did come on the early side of the evening and there was a slight line. I waited maybe 15 minutes.
The bartender Linda was great and incredibly helpful and kind. I had the linguini and clams and all I can say is nothing was left in the plate when I finished it.
It was absolutely delicious
I look forward to many more meals here.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Abraham Marquez
food is good quality, wine is delicious, and we didn’t make reservations, we walked in last min. highly recommend.
Iconic Echo Park spot so short a time after opening. The struggle of getting in is real (I recommend showing up early, putting your name on the list, and going up to Bar Flores while you wait) BUT it’s so worth the wait. Great drinks, the service is quick and well paced, and the food is deep in flavor and texture! Highly recommend the garlic bread, Cesar salad, and Fusili alla vodka! Tiramisu if you have any room left will make sure you come back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Garlic Bread, Tiramisu, Fusilli Alla Vodka, Tonnato Caesar Salad
One of my favorite places to go! Special atmosphere with great tasting food and drinks.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Steve Moses
Absolutely delicious. Best Italian I've had in a long time. Highly recommended
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Meatballs
christine oh
food & drinks were awesome, but definitely on the heavier side - we had mad food coma post-meal
what we ordered: - old-fashioned: solid - peroni
- garlic bread: soo good, definite must order 4.5/5 - fusilli vodka: a little bit too thick, but had a really good smoky flavor 4.5/5 - chicken parm: might be a hot take, but I could’ve passed on this 3/5 - tiramisu: could use more espresso and v heavy, 3/5
walked in with no res around 6pm, sat at the bar, and parked on the street - I think this was as lucky as we’ll ever get for this place given the lines out the door and reservations booked 3+ weeks out
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Garlic Bread, Tiramisu, Fusilli Alla Vodka
Sina J.
Came here for dinner. No reservation, just walked in at 8:30pm on a Thursday night. Waited about 75 minutes for a table. No biggie. Got a couple of absolutely amazing drinks at Bar Flores next door while we waited. We’re honestly so lucky we can kill time at Bar Flores waiting for a table at Donna’s.
The vibes at Donna’s are immaculate. The garlic bread is absolutely divine, super unique. Changes the whole garlic bread game. The fusilli alla vodka was mind blowing: sauce was on point, a little spicy but not too bad, and the pasta was perfect texture. The spiral lasagna was wildly delicious: meaty, hearty, and it seemed even a bit smokey too.
Literally everything we got was a home run. Definitely coming back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Garlic Bread, Fusilli Alla Vodka
Mac Jensen
4.7 Wonderful taste and execution of everything we ordered! Clam linguine was ?. Garlic bread was exceptional.
Great experience!
Service 10/10
Food 8/10
Atmosphere 10/10
Would come back for sure!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
The food was not traditional Italian food the shrimp scampi wasn’t anything I had ever experienced.Not good at all . More salt than seasoning I know this because my feet were swollen this morning. After an hour and thirty minute wait truly not worth it.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 4
Order the garlic bread and meatballs.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Garlic Bread, Meatballs
I’m Italian and from the east coast. This place was phenomenal, especially for California. Absolutely 10/10.
I’ve been eager to try Donna’s for quite some time. Every time reservations opened up, they filled quickly, and I was never able to secure one. So, for my birthday today (9/27), I decided to finally visit Donna’s in Echo Park with a close friend. We arrived at around 6:05 pm. The location is small, and when we walked in, there was no line or crowd, aside from a small group leaving after checking in.
We were greeted by a blonde woman with short hair and glasses. We asked to be added to the walk-in waitlist for a table of two. She inquired if we preferred the bar or a table, and when we asked about the wait times, she informed us that it would be 2–2.5 hours for the bar and 3 hours for a table. Although the wait time seemed excessive, I’ve always heard how difficult it is to get a spot, so we decided to wait the two hours for the bar. She took my first name and phone number, and we left to explore the area while waiting.
One thing I found odd right away was that I didn’t receive a text confirming we were on the waitlist, but I gave them the benefit of the doubt. After an hour, we waited in our car, and once the two-hour mark passed, we returned to check in with the host (the same person who had initially helped us). She seemed surprised to see us and mentioned it would only be a few more minutes. Unfortunately, those “few minutes” turned into an additional hour of waiting.
After waiting for nearly three hours total, we checked in with the host again, only to be told that they were no longer adding people to the waitlist. I was shocked. If they knew they wouldn’t be able to seat us, why weren’t we told sooner? This felt incredibly disrespectful and disorganized. To make matters worse, it seemed like we were being brushed off from the moment we walked in, while other groups (who were not people of color) appeared to be seated with less hassle.
I can’t help but feel that we were treated unfairly, and I truly suspect that our ethnicity played a part in how we were handled. We were given an outrageous wait time and then dismissed altogether. It was a deeply disappointing experience—especially on what was supposed to be a special occasion.
I won’t be returning to Donna’s, nor will I recommend it to anyone. There are plenty of other great places to dine in L.A. without being subjected to this kind of treatment.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
The atmosphere and service were excellent. The food was generally good, but it was quite salty. If I go again, I think I’ll ask them to use less salt.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Everything about my reservation was great. The entire staff is so friendly and accommodating. The food was fantastic. We left thinking about when we'd be back just to have the Fusilli alla Vodka again.
Pro tip! If you can’t find a reservation, set notifications on Resy for the times you are available. A few usually open up. Just be sure to have your credit card on file, they go fast! ?
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Garlic Bread, Tiramisu, Fusilli Alla Vodka
This place is an absolute gem.
The lucky thing about being a solo dinner, bar seating and limited waits (thank goodness). I did come on the early side of the evening and there was a slight line. I waited maybe 15 minutes.
The bartender Linda was great and incredibly helpful and kind. I had the linguini and clams and all I can say is nothing was left in the plate when I finished it.
It was absolutely delicious
I look forward to many more meals here.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
food is good quality, wine is delicious, and we didn’t make reservations, we walked in last min. highly recommend.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Garlic Bread, Chicken Marsala, Meatballs
Iconic Echo Park spot so short a time after opening. The struggle of getting in is real (I recommend showing up early, putting your name on the list, and going up to Bar Flores while you wait) BUT it’s so worth the wait. Great drinks, the service is quick and well paced, and the food is deep in flavor and texture! Highly recommend the garlic bread, Cesar salad, and Fusili alla vodka! Tiramisu if you have any room left will make sure you come back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Garlic Bread, Tiramisu, Fusilli Alla Vodka, Tonnato Caesar Salad
Restaurantji Recommends
One of my favorite places to go! Special atmosphere with great tasting food and drinks.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Absolutely delicious. Best Italian I've had in a long time. Highly recommended
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Meatballs
food & drinks were awesome, but definitely on the heavier side - we had mad food coma post-meal
what we ordered:
- old-fashioned: solid
- peroni
- garlic bread: soo good, definite must order 4.5/5
- fusilli vodka: a little bit too thick, but had a really good smoky flavor 4.5/5
- chicken parm: might be a hot take, but I could’ve passed on this 3/5
- tiramisu: could use more espresso and v heavy, 3/5
walked in with no res around 6pm, sat at the bar, and parked on the street - I think this was as lucky as we’ll ever get for this place given the lines out the door and reservations booked 3+ weeks out
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Garlic Bread, Tiramisu, Fusilli Alla Vodka
Came here for dinner. No reservation, just walked in at 8:30pm on a Thursday night. Waited about 75 minutes for a table. No biggie. Got a couple of absolutely amazing drinks at Bar Flores next door while we waited. We’re honestly so lucky we can kill time at Bar Flores waiting for a table at Donna’s.
The vibes at Donna’s are immaculate. The garlic bread is absolutely divine, super unique. Changes the whole garlic bread game. The fusilli alla vodka was mind blowing: sauce was on point, a little spicy but not too bad, and the pasta was perfect texture. The spiral lasagna was wildly delicious: meaty, hearty, and it seemed even a bit smokey too.
Literally everything we got was a home run. Definitely coming back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Garlic Bread, Fusilli Alla Vodka
4.7
Wonderful taste and execution of everything we ordered!
Clam linguine was ?. Garlic bread was exceptional.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Garlic Bread
Loading...