One of the best Mexican places in The Town - and it's a fiercely competitive landscape too! We've been coming for a while now and this place never disappoints. The menu does change up seasonally. I've had countless mouth watering chile rellenos with their ever changing sauce and filling. And my to go to nowadays to ensure I get plenty of protein is ordering one of their bowls, usually with pescado frito (fried fish) with black beans. My husband enjoys their barbacoa shredded meat. The bowls are filling, nutritious and flavor bombs. I also love indulging in their agua frescas. Our personal favorites are the strawberry horchata (a MUST if it's available) and their coconut ice coffee. Refreshing beverages to help soothe your tongue because the sliced fresh chiles on fried fish bowl are indeed lethal. Overall consistently delicious. It does get packed but if you come early around 4-5pm you will beat the crowd. read more

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Double dated with my friend and her partner. It was my partner's and my first time visiting Dona. Ambiance coming in was welcoming and well decorated. They welcomed dogs on their patio, loved seeing all of the pups. Service was friendly and knowledgeable. Food promptly came out and was delicious. We'd definitely come back in the future! We got the nachos and french toast....delicious read more

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Doña is in the perfect part of town on Piedmont Ave! They even have their own little parking lot for your convenience because Piedmont Ave. is extremely busy! Went on a Sunday and enjoyed the beautiful weather. You order at the counter and then your food will be brought out to you! If you are ordering to go you just pick it up at the counter. I always love when I get the chance to have chilaquiles! The portions were huge and so tasty!!! I highly recommend getting this dish which I believe is only on the weekends. It's hot, fresh, and packed full of flavor! The guacamole and chips was nice for the table as well. I'll definitely be coming back! read more

Doña - Guacamole & Chips - Mexican Near Me - Oakland, California

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I had an appointment in Oakland and when here you gotta go places you like. Haven't been to Dona for a while and it's getting to be dinner time. So I ordered two Barbacoa bowls with black beans to bring home. The Barbacoa beef is cooked perfectly and super flavorful. Generous portions of everything for about $15 which is not super expensive nowadays.. I walked into a bright vibrant atmosphere and ordered in the to go line. Service is friendly. I did wait for a little bit, but that just makes me think they prepared it fresh which is fine with me. read more

Doña - Inside - Mexican Near Me - Oakland, California

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This was my first time at Dona. Nice interior downstairs and upstairs with outdoor seating. Order at the counter on first floor and order will be dropped off at table. Everything tasted good and fresh. Prices are reasonable. Will be back to try other items. Metered parking lot and street parking. read more

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When I first came here I was a little put off by the order first then they bring to your table but I guess it's quicker. It's a good lunch hour spot. Food is surprisingly fresh and innovative. Only wish their Caesar salad was better. Would pass on that next time but the rest was delicious! read more

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I've just gotten back from time in San Diego. Home of some great burrito. Which I enjoyed many. First day back and I've stopped to enjoy a favorite burrito, welcoming staff, and pleasant environment. read more

This place always has a crowd--and for good reason. The food is super fresh and tasty and it's light and bright and good for groups. I love that it is also casual: you go up to the counter and order and then find a table inside our outside. There is plenty of seating. We had the fish and veggie tacos and the Dona salad, which had jicama, carrot, avocados, baby gem lettuce, and edible flowers! I also had a cold brew coconut horchata. Yum! read more

My best friend discovered Doña and we are now changed for the better! The vibes here are it and the food is pretty good too! We came on a weekend, despite the rain it was crowded inside! The restaurant is extremely big with multiple stories, beautiful outdoor patios, and colorful indoor seating. The ordering process is casual--you order and pay at the register, receive your number, and staff will deliver your food. Everything else is self service such as water, utensils, take-out containers. Interactions with workers were limited but everything was efficient and our food came out fast. My best friend and I both got the Carnitas Bowl and Strawberry Horchata. My carnitas bowl was good--a huge portion where we both needed take-out boxes. There was a good variety and portioning of all ingredients. The carnitas was plentiful though some pieces were a bit dry. The horchata was the winner. We had never had strawberry horchata but theirs I can dream about. It was so creamy, the consistency was almost to a smoothie point, and the fresh strawberries gave it a nice sweetness. Piedmont Ave. has so many eateries. I'm kind of surprised I'd never seen or heard of Doña until today! They have a paid parking lot, but you can find free residential parking around. Come for the vibes, bring your friends and family and dog, and enjoy! read more

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If you want a delicious, flavorful, and healthy-esque breakfast, Doña is the place to go. There's limited paid parking out front, and plenty of outdoor seating to enjoy the Spring/Summer air in. My friend and I both ordered the Hash bowl and I added carnitas to mine. The vegetables were plentiful and delicious, and the carnitas under the runny eggs were well seasoned. It was a great way to start our day! read more

Doña - Mexican Near Me - Oakland, California

I've eaten here several times and have consistently enjoyed the food and service. Tonight I tried the nachos for the first time and for the first time was disappointed. My problem with the nachos is that they come in a bowl and the mix of toppings is rather soupy, so they fill the bottom of the bow. The chips are on the bottom and the topping is ladled on top, so very quickly all the chips become soggy. The taste is good but I like my chips cripsy. read more

Nice place for lunch. The plates we had are ala carte, but hearty. Saul our server as well as the rest of the staff are very attentive. I had no issues when wanting some modifications for my order Available parking with meters. Check out my pics. I'm sure they'll explain better. read more

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The vibe and atmosphere is amazing. When you walk in, you order and pay before receiving your food, which was fine--although it didn't quite give a full sit-down restaurant feel, even though the food is delivered to your table. The queso and chips weren't my favorite; the cheese tasted similar to canned cheese, and the peppers on top were very spicy. On the plus side, the lime chicken soup was amazing--definitely a standout. I also ordered the key lime pie, which was very tart, but the crust was delicious. The tacos were very good, while the beans and rice were just so-so. The staff who rang us up were very helpful and friendly. Overall, it's a place you may need to have an acquired taste for, but there are definitely some solid menu items worth trying. Also they have outdoor seating. Kid friendly, they also have a full bar in the drinks. Look delicious........ read more

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After reviewing Dona back in 2020 I FINALLY made it in person and they did not disappoint! I ordered the same things on door dash always. The service is good. My chips and cheese are consistently good. The vibe is good. Parking can be an issue but we'll worth the hassle. read more

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Decent food, nice place, good service. The guacamole and aguas frescas are really good. The nachos are pretty good. The place is big and nice with a patio and balcony type area and a lot of seating indoors too. The meat and fish were alright, I've had better but I've also had worse. I think the fish tacos at Cholita Linda nearby are better to be honest read more

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The pozole was so good I can't wait to go back! I also had the green cheese enchiladas and those were tasty as well.

Great place to get a reasonably priced Mexican bite! They have an array of tacos/ bowls to choose from however I note they do not have carne asada. I ordered the fried fish bowl, which had black beans, rice, guacamole, salsa, shredded cabbage, and pickled red onions. The fish was flakey and cooked well. I tasted the barbacoa nachos and the beef was really well done! I'm iffy on the quality of the cheese because it seemed liquid upon serving. What surprised me was the type of establishment. It's a huge restaurant (in comparison to others on Piedmont Ave) with an outdoor patio and upstairs balcony, also a bar, and indoor dining room seating. With all this space, I was surprised to find out that it is order at the counter and self seating. You pick up your own silverware and water from the front of house. While surprised, I won't say it's a bad thing. It's more casual than anticipated, and food prices reflect that. read more

Doña - Pescado Bowl (front) Barbacoa Nachos (back) - Mexican Near Me - Oakland, California

Without fail, Doña is our go to place Friday nights when it sunny out. We love sitting on their sunny patio. We also love their delicious food. Every time, they serve up good quality , decent portion and FAST dishes!!! This time I tried their passion fruit margaritas. It was delicious. I also tried their Fish bowl. The cod was good quality. They were giant chunks of fish. It was just perfectly cooked! I love their staff. They are always friendly and helpful!! read more

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Went on Memorial Day and it was surprisingly quiet. The food here is solid. Had the bowl with barbacoa with refried beans which was good but could have been warmer. The lemonade was excellent. read more

Doña is a seriously tasty, authentic Mexican restaurant with lots of indoor and outdoor seating and a casual vibe. From their weekend breakfast menu, the Chilaquiles Rojos was made of tortilla chips cooked in a guajillo salsa, topped with queso fresco, crema, red onions, cilantro, and scrambled eggs. The best part of this dish was the smoky, thick, flavorful guajillo salsa, balanced out by the refreshing toppings. The Pozole Rojo (another weekend special) was a red chile broth with tender chunks of boneless pork, hominy, shredded cabbage, and radishes, served with tostadas, onions, lime, and a creamy red salsa on the side. My personal favorite dish was Relleno con Hongos, two poblano chiles stuffed with cheese, hen of the woods, and king trumpet mushrooms. The stuffed chilies were served on top of a tomato-habanero sauce, topped with crema, and served with fresh corn tortillas on the side. The tender chilies had an unctuous, umami flavor from the cheese and mushroom filling, which paired perfectly with the refreshing tomato salsa. Overall, the food here was seriously delicious, beautifully-presented, and a great value too! The upstairs patio is perfect on a sunny day, and the service was quick and no frills. read more

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Nasty food, balcony area is filled with rats running around. I asked for my $20 drink to be comped since I had just got it but this was not something that they offered initially. They were pretty nonchalant about the rat situation. I really should've got a refund for everything. A nice aesthetic, but the food was really gross. I ordered a Barbacoa bowl. The meat was good tender and flavorful, but the mixture between the rice and the beans something was off. They only have Fresno peppers, no jalapeños, or Serranos and their salsa taste like tomato paste. They should be ashamed to call themselves anything affiliated with Hispanic food read more

Huevos, Hash, and Oh Guac! Great food, friendly service, and the place is deceptively massive with an upstairs, downstairs, indoor, outdoor seating. Started with chips and guacamole, because that's what responsible adults do when they know they're about to eat too much. Guac was fresh, but the real shocker was the sour cream, which was hands down the best I've ever had. I don't know if they churn it by hand or whisper sweet nothing to it, but whatever they're doing, it works. We then ordered the Huevos Rancheros and the Hash with Poached Eggs which were both delicious. The whole vibe was relaxed, tucked into a hipster-ish part of Oakland that still felt safe and welcoming. Definitely worth a return trip. read more

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First time here was fine because we came when it wasn't busy. Second time we arrived at dinner time on a Friday and there was a line of 50 people in front of us. The food is good, but not worth standing in a 20 minute line for, especially for an order-at-the-counter type of restaurant experience. Also, be advised that the top deck will be full after you order, and you will have to sit inside and/or awkwardly hover over people to try to snag their table right when they finish eating if you want to sit outside or at one of their very few sunny tables at 6pm. An unnecessarily competitive and stressful dining experience for very average food. I would only recommend coming here during non-peak times. read more

Doña - Shrimp taco (which immediately fell apart) and fish taco, both with soggy tortillas - Mexican Near Me - Oakland, California

Went here for a quick lunch before visiting a relative at Kaiser hospital which is across the street from this place. Service was great, food came out hot, quick and was delicious! read more

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Was surprised this was a walk up order and take a number restaurant but I didn't mind just more of an FYI when thinking about this restaurant. That being said it's casual but still nice ambiance. We sat on the upper deck. Ordered the pozole, chips and salsa, and carnitas bowl. The cucumber salsa was unique and fresh. The pozole was rich and filled with meat and hominy. The drinks we ordered were batch (premade) made which also surprised us but they were strong and tasty! Would be back! read more

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If you order a vegetarian burrito it will come with things like sweet potato and kale... Yuck.

We visited Dona for an afternoon lunch on a Tuesday right before Christmas Eve, and the place was surprisingly lively. The restaurant is beautifully and tastefully decorated- modern yet warm and quite large for the Piedmont area, with two floors plus outdoor seating. It's a great-looking space and clearly popular. Parking can be tricky. There's a paid city parking lot right next to the restaurant that feels private but isn't dedicated to Dona. Street parking is another option. We were lucky to find a spot in the adjacent lot. Ordering is done via a kiosk before you're assigned a number and seated, which is efficient enough. Since we had our dog with us, we opted for the outdoor patio, which is pet-friendly and well set up. We ordered the Ensalada Doña, cauliflower tostada, chicken taco, and veggie taco. The Ensalada Doña was a great start--very colorful, fresh, and fiber-rich with avocado and a light lemon dressing. It looked beautiful and tasted good. I'd rate it around 3.5-4/5: satisfying, healthy, and enjoyable, though not mind-blowing. The veggie taco (pumpkin and kale) was an interesting and thoughtful combination. The taco itself was good, but the salsa situation was disappointing. We were given just one hot sauce--something resembling a generic Tabasco. Unfortunately, the red salsa didn't elevate the taco. The chicken taco had similar strengths and shortcomings. The chicken was tender, well-cooked, and the fillings were solid. Quality-wise, no complaints--but again, the salsa didn't enhance the flavors. Both tacos land around 3.5-4/5: good ingredients and execution, but lacking that extra punch. The clear standout of the meal was the cauliflower tostada--an easy 5/5. Beautifully roasted cauliflower, generous portion size, and a rich peanut-style dressing that tied everything together perfectly. It was packed with flavor, well balanced, and memorable. My wife and I shared one, and it was hands-down the best dish on the table. We got Queso and Chips for takeout. It was quite alright as well. Overall: Dona delivers a vibrant atmosphere, great presentation, and solid food quality. Some dishes could really shine with better salsa options and bolder flavor layering. read more

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Doña is beautiful and has a great summer patio, but service and food is somewhat mid. Quality: 4 Value: 4 Service: 3 Ambience: 5 The patio and outside is absolutely gorgeous - it is one of the best outdoor dining spots in good weather. They have some heaters in winter, plus gorgeous lights. Inside is also beautiful! The food is fine. It's not the best carnitas or enchiladas ever. Their fish tacos are excellent. Servings are small for the price, but get, it's the Bay Area I guess? The service and upstairs only bathroom and self serve utensils etc is a little clunky. read more

Always a great spot! I've gone twice in the last two weeks and LOVE their burritos. I've eaten onsite and had gotten food to go, all very good and great service! Check them out! Their patio is dog friendly which is super convenient for my pooch and I, love it! read more

Excellent food, cocktails, and service. Adjacent parking lot is most helpful. We had not been to Dona for a while; but are looking forward to returning soon. read more

Went here on a Saturday for lunch. Cool vibe with the 2 levels, and various indoor and outdoor areas to dine in. The service was good, efficient. We had chips and guac for the table - pretty good. My Pescado Frito bowl was super good. I wasn't sure at first about the fish (was expecting one big piece), but the 2 pieces were perfect, as were all the ingredients in the bowl. And it was a generous sized serving as well. My husband's Pozole Rojo was great. He was excited since he doesn't often get Pozole. He said it was good. Pork was tender. All in all, a great visit! read more

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One of our go tos It has great food, an easy going ambiance (we've taken our kids regularly) and the service is great. I highly recommend the nachos read more

Their cheese apparently is not processed, but it's far from perfect. It ruins what would be great nachos if they used a different cheese. read more

Doña - Brunch Menu 10-3 pm: Vegetable Hash with runny eggs, yum! - Mexican Near Me - Oakland, California

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We came here on a weekend night for dinner. When you walk in, you grab a few menus and then order at the counter. The food is then brought to you. Our food for a table of four came out very fast -- less than 10 minutes. The table ordered veggie enchiladas, mole chicken enchiladas, tacos, and a tostada. It is very clear that they put a lot of thought into the freshness of the food. The corn tortillas tasted hand made and were very fresh. However the tacos could have used more flavor. The chicken was a bit bland while the sweet potatoes seemed in the veggie taco to not be cooked long enough as they were not soft. My partner thought his enchiladas were good but he was hungry very soon after his meal because he felt there wasn't enough cheese in his enchiladas (mainly chicken) and the plate didn't come with rice and beans. The strawberry horchata was also just ok, and tasted more like strawberry milk (at least you could taste the fresh strawberries). The food is a little bit on the pricier side costing about $150 with tip for food and drinks. If the portions were bigger, we would have been more satisfied. But the food is fresh. Maybe it was the things we ordered so maybe we will be back to try other items on the menu. It is nice that this place has vegan options as well as vegetarian and meat options for everyone. The space is large and very nice. There's plenty of seating both upstairs and downstairs. However you don't really see too much of the staff once you've received your food. read more

Doña - Tostada, Veggie Taco, Chicken Taco - Mexican Near Me - Oakland, California

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I had been craving fresh churros for weeks and a friend sent me the link to Dona. I was excited, as they are close to home. So we planned a trip! Nice atmosphere, accommodating staff, and a good selection of fare makes this a new "spot" for me. The fish taco was nice & crunchy, the slaw & sauce wasn't salty, and was just the right amount of spicy! My friend's burrito he stated was tasty as well. So, the churros... very tasty. Hot, crunchy, and tender. I didn't care for the sauces (I like them plain), but having them "on the side" was a nice choice! Thx, Dona! We will see you again soon! read more

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I would give more than 5 stars if I had the option. Plants everywhere. Dog friendly patio. Doña = Chef''s Kiss! I lean more toward a more vegan plant based cuisine and my partner is a Food Snob Chef and we are obsessed. I've ordered the sopa de lima a few times through door dash while struggling with sickness and it saved me. Today we dined in- if you love a cute, pretty, creative ambiance.. this place is for you. I can't tell you how refreshing it was to see many vegan, vegetarian, and no alcohol options right off the bat. I barely skimmed the menu and found several things to order. Service is incredibly fast, food is plated BEAUTIFULLY with divine flavors. The server didn't miss a beat asking if I wanted crema on my dishes (I do not, vegan) and that stood out to me especially. Great service, kind staff. Told my partner I'd like to come here more often, for a drop in or special event. Love the energy here. read more

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This place used to be good, but recently it seems like they just don't care. The last 5 or so chicken burritos over gotten have had chicken pieces that had clearly been on heat all day as they were extremely tough. Given that it's happened this many times for both me and my kids I have to assume it's carelessness. Not sure why I keep going back but I think this is it. read more

Super solid Mexican food here. Love their pozole, even though I prefer green pozole and they serve red here. Love their salads, burritos, agua frescas. Had a friend cater from here for her bday and that was also delicious. There's TONS of seating. A full bar. It's counter service but staff are helpful if you need something. Don't skip this place (like I did for way too long!)! read more

Doña - Pozole - Mexican Near Me - Oakland, California

Super bland food. I was super disappointed with the taste of the food. The gentleman at the cashier was super friendly and tried to help and recommend his favorites. We got the ahi tuna ceviche which was an unbelievable small portion with very basic flavors it needed seasoning, the barbacoa was just shredded beef with no flavor what so ever. The Lima soup was 4/10 at best. The scenery/ambiance is very nice. I'd come here just for a beer up stairs. read more

Doña - Lima soup, guacamole and chips, kids burritos. - Mexican Near Me - Oakland, California

Ordered a burrito to go. They were quick in getting my order to me and the burrito and churros were delicious. The churros were crispy and soft in the inside, loved that they provided multiple dipping options with them. read more