Chatterboxlove

Of all the places I've eaten in San Diego, this one takes the prize. Yardena, my server, was amazing. She was extremely personable and attentive, but also gave plenty of space to enjoy the meal without feeling like someone was hovering. Pro: I love it when staff ask about any food intolerances before ordering. Despite her thorough knowledge of the menu, she tripled checked with the kitchen about my chickpea intolerance before I placed my order. I felt like Yardena really enjoyed her job and the food they prepared. Really, she was a gem. Even if you don't get Yardena, the food is worth the visit! Had the strawberry lemonade. It was a great balance between tart, sweet, and strawberry. The caesar salad was delicious. The croutons was excellently crunchy and I enjoyed the way their saltiness balanced with the greens and dressing. I might have had a hard time picking a pizza, but I don't regret my choice. The Killer Queen was phenomenal. Bold flavors. Spicy. Cooked to perfection. I don't think I've ever had a pizza that has tasted that good. It made for excellent (cold) leftovers - which is a extra big win in my book. And to top it all off -- planted-based!!! Great for vegetarians and vegans. With how amazing everything tasted, I would totally bring my omnivore friends and coworkers as well. While I dined alone and felt completely comfortable with the experience, I would love to return with my +1 to be able to try and share more dishes. The portion sizes are generous, and I definitely took home 2/3 of my pizza. While they accommodate walk-ins, I would suggest making reservations when possible. Such a intimate and well-loved venue!! And I love their logo.

Jason Brooks

Had a wonderful dinner here while on vacation in San Diego. It is really wonderful to find such great vegan food while traveling. The lasagna was particularly great but enjoyed everything. If you are looking for a great vegan vegetarian spot with unique and interesting menu options, this is your spot.

+1

Angela Wong

Wow. You can’t convince me that lasagna needs meat anymore. Donna jeans lasagna is exceptional! the pizzas are also amazing. Fantastic thin crust and toppings are delicious. Will definitely be back to try their brunch menu!

Khalid Omar

A nice restaurant on El Cajon Boulevard, San Diego, serving plant based dishes ( pasta, pizza and Lasagna, etc.). We ordered hot shroom, which gave taste of Pakora in Pakistan/ India, when taken with their delicious sauce.Potatoes with special roasted white bread, Lasagna and Pizza.All were delicious except Pizza.This was surprise for us too. The service was excellent. The lady serving us was well mannered professional.Atmosphere was pleasant and vibrant.People from all races and ages were there.Price however is on higher side.

+5

Jenny Pizoli

Ive always LOVED Donna Jean. The food is fresh and great quality and the pizzas are authentic. It was always my favorite pizza in SD. However…. They moved to a new location and I hadn’t been in awhile and I ordered a pizza and it was completelyyyyy different than the old pizzas that I had known and loved. Different crust, dough, cheese, flavor, everything. I would’ve never guessed it was from the same place. It was still good but I don’t love it nearly as much as the OG pizzas. I was so disappointed to see it had done a complete 180. I miss the old pizzas, please bring them back :(

Conner Jolly

Its been a while since we had a calzone or tofu scramble so we got the breakfast in bread. The bread itself to the calzone was good. It was fluffy but also chewy which is the sweat spot. that being said, I dont think the tofu scramble was a good fit for it. It didnt much of a texture which was disappointing and the flavor was pretty neutral. They do give you a curry sauce though which does add enough flavor to offset the tofu. The staff was super friendly and quick. We felt welcome the moment we entered. The price was a bit high for what I was expecting for a calzone at around $20 but that might be standard for san diego. In general I like the idea of what they were going for but I should have gotten something else.

Donna Jean has a lovely atmosphere, and I really wanted to love the meal. The flavors were interesting, but a couple of dishes missed the mark for me. The fungi pizza felt a bit dry overall, and the mushroom appetizer was unfortunately quite oily. That said, the experience was still pleasant, and I can appreciate the creativity behind the menu. I’d be open to trying other dishes in the future.

Kristina Bolt

Looking at most recent reviews seems like a theme the service was very slow. My drink came out after I had started eating my apps. The mushrooms were oily but I think because they had been sitting for awhile since they weren’t very hot coming out. And I went and just grabbed my own to go box because it took awhile. Obviously not the waiters issue but the might just be very understaffed. I looked like all tables around were waiting a long time just to get their first courses out. He did comp my drink which was very nice. Hopefully they get this fixed soon.

Nupur Jaiswal

The hot scrooms and margarita pizza were very delicious! Unfortunately, I was disappointed with the gnocchi and Caesar salad. The gnocchi sauce lacked flavor, and the Caesar salad tasted bitter.

T Lewis

House bread with garlic butter, hot shrooms (star of the show), and Caesar salad were excellent. I think I would return just for those three things. Joey was an excellent server. I knocked off a couple stars because although our appetizers came out quickly, we waited an extremely long time for our entrées and the pesto fusilli came out room temperature, nearly cold. They accidentally served us a gluten-free widow pizza, and shortly after brought us one with the regular crust. The smoked date purée on the widow sounded intriguing, and although it was tasty, there was way too much slathered onto the pizza. I would not go so heavy handed with that covering the pizza. So overall, the entrees were meh, but the appetizers excellent!

+2

I have been coming to Donna Jean for years, even before the move to the new location on El Cajon Boulevard, and I have always supported this restaurant. Unfortunately, after my most recent experience, I will never return. Brunch started off fine, but everything went downhill when we asked for the bill and tried to use a passport discount that has been honored many times in the past. This time, they refused to honor it. What made the situation far worse was the behavior of the manager, Francesca. Her customer service was shockingly bad. She was rude, dismissive, and demeaning. When I expressed that treating loyal, returning customers this way could hurt their business, she responded by saying their customers are fine and don't have any problem paying full price. When I told her that her approach lacked basic customer service, she said, "I really don't care." I have never experienced such unprofessional and disrespectful treatment at a restaurant I have supported for years. The attitude alone was enough to ensure I will never set foot in this place again. I will also be sure to share this experience with others so they understand how returning customers are treated. To the owner, I strongly suggest reevaluating who you are promoting into management roles. I recognize Francesca from when she was a server at the previous location, and based on this interaction, she should not be representing your business. It is incredibly disappointing to see a restaurant I once enjoyed lose sight of basic hospitality and respect.

This was my second time that I had a bad experience at this location. I only ordered bread to go and it took 30 minutes. The establishment wasn’t busy at all it was on a Sunday that I went and the person who was assisting me wasn’t the best to wait on someone. This explains why their LA location is closed, poor customer service. People forget that they only have a job because of the people who come and spend their money with them. The owner only has a business because of the people who come in to dine with them. For some reason people think when business is good and or they have a job they can treat people any kind of way. Twice I had to ask for a refund, this time and the last time I came. There won’t be a third time, I deem this establishment unworthy of my money. Please save your response to this review. May your business have the loss of customers that it deserves. To the owner, you may want to consider the people and management that you have running your establishment.

Ravikumar Devarajan

Flavor was non existent. How do you screw up fries? The fries we got were more like scraps from a kitchen table, unevenly cooked, some raw, some blacked, lacked seasoning. Was the same theme with everything we ordered - no flavor, unevenly cooked. The plates were old and wobbly. Food takes more like chalk than food. Never going back ever again. Save your money and time. God awful experience overall.

Esmeralda Quintero

Had a reservation and still waited over an hour for food to arrive. In the first 45 minutes, only one person checked on us. Our waiter told us the food would be out in five minutes. We waited 10 minutes, and then she came back and said, “It’s another five minutes.” No apology, no explanation, and zero attempt to offer a solution or make the experience better. It honestly felt like a “take it or leave it” attitude. I ordered a matcha and didn’t receive it until 45 minutes later, and that only happened because I asked twice. When it finally arrived, it was the wrong order. We were also seated in a terrible spot—right next to a door and a window tunnel, with constant movement and cold air. Not what you expect with a reservation. For context, I came specifically for lunch. I usually eat around 12:30 PM, arrived at 12:30, had a 12:45 reservation, and we didn’t leave until 1:50 PM without ever receiving food. That’s nearly an hour and a half for absolutely nothing. I came in with high expectations, especially since my Amex promotes Resy reservations as a premium dining experience. This was beyond disappointing. On top of that, coffee had to be ordered separately at the Evolution Coffee counter, where communication was difficult and added even more frustration to an already disorganized experience. I left feeling stressed, frustrated, and honestly shaken. This was not just bad service… it was a complete failure to manage guests or care about their experience. Would NOT recommend!!

Louis Brik

I recently visited this restaurant and wanted to share my experience in a constructive way. The ambiance was pleasant and the menu had a good selection, though I found the food itself to be fairly average. With a few adjustments, the kitchen definitely has the potential to elevate the flavors and overall presentation. What stood out to me most, however, was the guest experience at the entrance. I believe every restaurant thrives when all guests feel equally welcomed and valued. During my visit, I noticed that the level of attention and ease of entry seemed to vary among different guests. While I’m sure this was unintentional, it’s an area that could benefit from greater consistency. A warm, inclusive, and unbiased welcome sets the tone for the entire dining experience, and I genuinely hope the team continues to strengthen that aspect. Overall, this place has potential, and with a bit more focus on hospitality and polish on the dishes, it can become a wonderful spot for everyone to enjoy. I’m sharing this feedback in hopes that it encourages continued growth and a more universally welcoming atmosphere.

Abhay Gupta

I'm absolutely appalled by the experience I had at Donna Jean! The vegan plant-based menu was a joke - the food was not only poorly presented, but it also reeked of a very non-appetizing stench that made my stomach turn. I'm talking pungent, overpowering, and completely off-putting. It's like they forgot to add any seasonings or spices, and instead, just slapped some unappetizing ingredients together and served it to us. We ordered the widow pizza with date sauce, which was the biggest disappointment. The date sauce was overly sweet and overpowered the entire pizza, and don't even get me started on the 'chicken' mushroom dish - it was clearly not plant-based and looked like it had been sitting in the fridge for days. And the Mac n cheese? Forget about it. It was a gloopy, flavorless mess. The worst part is that the service didn't even bother to apologize or offer a refund. They just seemed completely unbothered by the fact that they had served us subpar food. Needless to say, we will not be back. 1/5 stars, and that's being generous.

+2