The table you couldn’t get is now the table you can sometimes get, and the fusilli alla vodka tastes just as good, the room hums just as loudly, and, yes, everyone was right about Donna’s. The Echo Park restaurant was the epitome of the hard-to-get table when it opened in summer 2023; even now, free tables for spur-of-the-moment visits can still be a rarity. But the enduring hype is well-deserved for a menu of reliable red sauce-gone-2020s dishes, a booth-lined room that begs you to linger, an almost too welcoming bar, and a waitstaff that become fast friends.
Packed but in a casual way that doesn’t feel like it’s trying too hard. Imagine the restaurant version of your edgy friend who can wear their Italian grandmother’s sweater and somehow make it fashion. That is Donna’s. I waited almost a year to come here because I’m generally hype averse and I immediately hated myself for not coming sooner. It’s not too cool; it’s just a great time.
Be very nice to your server and you might get a tiny glass of the homemade limoncello to finish off your meal.
Since opening in mid-2023, Donna’s has became Echo Park’s popular neighborhood Italian joint with a sprinkling of East Coast flavor. Chef Sathia Sun serves contemporary spins on the traditional veal piccata, spaghetti and meatballs with basil, and a must-eat garlic bread heaped with grated cheese. Every detail inside is pure fun, with custom retro wallpaper, hanging lights, tiled floors, and a bar to try one of Karla Flores-Mercado’s creative Negronis and spritzes. — Mona Holmes, reporter