Plant-based restaurant serving food with Mid-West-meets-California flair. House specialties include Nashville hot shrooms, cast iron mac and cheese, cashew mozzarella, and different flavors of pizza. Also has a separate brunch menu with dishes like French toast, frittata, and chocolate tart. Relocated from 2949 Fifth Ave. Open Mon 5:00pm-9:00pm, Wed-Sun 11:00am-3:00pm, 5:00pm-9:00pm. Closed Tue.
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2611 El Cajon Blvd, San Diego, California, USA, 92104
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- Delivery
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- Outdoor seating
- Wheelchair accessible
- Accepts credit cards
- Free Wi-Fi
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Last update on 26 Jan 2025 by DonnaJeanSD
Update business info -
Added by westcornersville on 23 Feb 2017
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247 Reviews
First Review by Mike Weinberg
CeeDee
Points +161
What a fun and yummy place! - Edit
It had been a while since I had been to Donna Jean. I visited the prior location and really liked the food and ambiance. Since then, they have done a bit of a rebrand to become an amazing restaurant focussing on pizza (there are other things on the menu) and are sharing a building with Evolution Fast Food. San Diego has become something of a vegan mecca, literally outshining San Francisco with its diversity of plant-based food.
Read moreDonna Jean is more upscale, with downscale prices and a terrific location. If you like pizza (I know you vegans miss that the most ;-), this is the place! There is such a variety of pies for everyone’s taste. And they do a brunch calzone with tofu scramble (which is what I ordered) which was super yummy. I love a good pizza crust and Donna Jean did a great job on this.
Sadly, traveling alone does not afford me the opportunity to eat all the food on the menu. But, with this last experience and my prior one, I am sure that the rest of the menu is fantastic. Additionally, the service was great and the atmosphere is beautiful. They have outdoor seating that’s heated, in case of May gray or June gloom. And there is a parking lot which makes it easy to visit. Additionally, if you feel more like a burger and a shake, you can just nip over to EFF in the same place.
San Diego, you are doing a great job at vegan and I am grateful that people seem to be showing up for the healthiest, most environmentally friendly and smartest type of food!
Pros: Lovely atmosphere , Fabulous pizza dough and pizza, Easy parking in a fun area of San Diego
Cons: Slightly noisy, Not a fan of heat lamps so I sat inside, They don’t offer espresso drinks
Guest
ChristyMarklingBoring
Points +108
Unbelievaby delicious - Edit
Staff was kind, place was packed, food excellent! Had the Hot Shrooms which were out of this world and not what we expected. Lasagna was the best we’ve ever had. Pizza was level up from “just pizza.” Wonderful experience!
Read morePros: Kind staff , Excellent flavors
Guest
Rikkaa
Points +173
Great pizza and people! - Edit
The food was delicious and prices are OK, our food did take a while but the server was very nice and gave us our cast iron cookie on the house for the wait. Will definitely come back to try pastas next time!
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2025-03-30
Guest
kbarthol9
Points +53
Awesome Dinner w/non-vegans - Edit
Loved this place, everything we had was delicious! Everyone loved the hot mushrooms, the lasagne was u the warm skillet cookie dessert, really treats that are hard to find vegan. House made sauces (we had the pesto and garlic butter) and cheeses were fabulous. Beer and wine choices were perfect. Highly recommend!
Read moreGuest
Tom1973
Points +673
Great pizza and cheesecake - Edit
This review is a little late but I was talking about great pizza and Donna Jeans really came through. Everything about the pizza was great from the crunch of the crust to the sauce to the cheese. The dessert of cheesecake was fantastic and tasted just like I remembered. #Veganuary
Read moreGuest
cherribabe
Points +88
Fantastic food - Edit
The food was delicious. We ordered the Nashville hot shrooms , the lasagna (how could we not!) and the fungazi pizza. Everything was delicious.
Read moreTook two non-vegans with me and they loved it and were very impressed which always says a lot. #Veganuary
Pros: Fungazi pizza - so rich and mushroomy , Hot shrooms (not that hot though, still amazing), Prices were reasonable
Guest
Ellenkm
Points +918
Excellent food! - Edit
Really great food! Place was big- and crowded! Varied menu to suit all tastes. I’m sure non-vegans would love it, too. We caught them right before a move, and I’m sure the new location will be even nicer.
Read moreGuest
jean&joe
Points +17
4 Thumbs Up for Delicious Vegan Food! - Edit
Friendly personable service and the all vegan menu was amazing! We were pleased to learn that they have another near our home in LA!
Read moreJean and Joe give it 4 thumbs up!
Pros: Vegan food, Friendly service, Heat lamps in the patio.
Guest
eszter.csapo
Points +1089
Very impressed! - Edit
Superb vegan restaurant with wonderful ambiance, nice menu and very tasty food. Perfect!!
Read moreGuest
vegvibez
Points +252
Good upscale vegan food! - Edit
The food at Donna Jean was really good! They had a bunch of options and gluten free options as well which was nice. Nice atmosphere, allowed dogs on the patio. Great meals!
Read morePros: Gf options , Patio for dogs, Cute atmosphere
Cons: Long wait
Guest
MMLass
Points +50
Get the hot mushrooms! - Edit
Truly outstanding meal. Started with the hot mushrooms - nicely warm spice but not 'burn your face off.' The badmotorfinger is now one of my favorite pizzas ever. The crust and sauce were superb so I'm sure all the pizzas are great. High recommend. I wish we lived closer to visit again.
Read moreI agree the bathroom situation is weird, but I overheard that they are moving to a new location later this month (Jan 2025).
Guest
CulinaryMedicineMx
Points +85
The best vegan pizza and breadfast - Edit
Great food, service and cheese too #Veganuary
Read morePros: Great food, Great service, Great cheese
Cons: None
Guest
I❤️veg
Points +151
Just okay - Edit
I liked the vibe, but when we were seated at 5:10 and ordered, we had to wait for 1 hour before receiving 3 pizzas. After that, we tried our luck at a single slice of orange cake, and it took 15 minutes. The service was pretty bad, but not the worst. The pizzas were okay, not worth a 1 hour wait but okay. I have to say the orange cake was pretty good. If you really like pizza or are desperate, you should go, but make sure to make a reservation.
Read morePros: The orange cake
Cons: The taste of the pizza, Service
Guest
Lj-ezee
Points +259
Vegan + GF Grandma Pies 🍕 - Edit
Been to Donna Jean’s numerous times. Tried the Badmottofinger, Fungazi, The Widow, Four Horseman & Thunderkiss 65. The favorite is Thunderkiss 65’ with added mushrooms. Delicious Vegan GF pizza! Highly recommend this restaurant!! Great service & chefs cook with care. Fun merchandise for sale too (T-shirts). Recommend making reservations or ordering take out ahead of time because they are always packed with customers.
Read moreGuest
Harryson
Points +56
Good average - Edit
I‘ve been to worse places and better places before, so this is a solid average, but not the top pick as the app suggests. The food was okay, mainly Pizza and Pasta with a few starters. The taste is okay but nothing spectacular. Same for the service, rather slow but still okay, again average. Restrooms could need a make over. I would not come back if I had another option, bonus point for being fully vegan.
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2024-12-12
Guest
PhoKingClassic
Points +215
Tasty pizza - Edit
Very nice vegan restaurant with a cozy atmosphere. Had their pizza and Mac n cheese with the potatoes and breadsticks with pesto as appetizers. Their dough was very flavorful and the tempeh fennel sausage was quite good. I really wanted to love their mac but it was a bit of a miss for me. The texture was off and lacked seasoning.
Read moreGuest
rachelb12
Points +111
Great! - Edit
This might be my new favorite restaurant. The staff was nice, the food was amazing, and the location had a great atmosphere. I can’t wait to go again.
Read morePros: Food, Staff, Outdoor seating
Guest
Dunori
Points +293
Very tasty - Edit
Got the strozzapreti and lasagna. Both were delicious although personally I would have liked a bit more veggies in the former, like equivalent to the lasagna.
Read moreGuest
clarisvegan
Points +114
Pizza Deluxe - Edit
The Fungazi was the best pizza ever! The chocolate chip cookie for dessert was delicious, with a perfect hint of saltiness. I wish I could be there more often.
Read moreVeganDickEnergy
Uuuuff😋 wish i could have tried this too!
Read moreGuest
em1234
Points +37
Must visit! - Edit
This place was amazing and one of our favourite spots while travelling the US recently. We went during the week and they had a really good value offer available - a salad, entree and drink for $30 (+$5 for a glass of wine!). I had the caesar salad and lasagna which were both delicious, and we also shared the skillet cookie (we were advised to order this early as it takes a little time to prepare and it was definitely worth it - so tasty!). We sat outside and the atmosphere was lovely, very relaxed. The staff were very friendly and professional. I hope to return one day to try more of their menu!
Read morePros: The food!, Lovely atmosphere, Great staff
Guest
Plantbaseddallas
Points +250
A great find! - Edit
This is near the Zoo, and parking is limited. We walked here because we could. They accomodated our No Oil request on the salad and the pizza. Desserts were awesome, but did have oil. Cheesecake had less oil than the Chocolate Chip Cookie with ice cream. Will come back soon!
Read morePros: The pizza crust, and the exotic toppings and sauce, Service, Atmosphere
Cons: Would like several more NO OIL options on the menu, Only a few parking spaces
Guest
Drhannahj
Points +3559
So good! - Edit
Made a reservation for indoors, but they have a gorgeous patio too. The pizza was really fresh and tasty, but the skillet cookie was amazing!!!!! Staff were super nice. Parked on the street outside (meter). Definitely recommend!!
Read morePros: All vegan , The skillet cookie!!
Guest
devonvolpe
Points +170
Favorite meal in SD! - Edit
By far our favorite meal in SD. The patio atmosphere was incredibly relaxing for dinner with such friendly staff. We ordered the really good salad (which was in fact really, really good), strozzapreti con broccolini, and four horseman pizza with fennel sausage added. Everything was delicious and we can't wait to come back when we are in town again!
Read moreGuest
DanWilensky
Points +58
Everything was Amazon - Edit
The food was amazing. Friends ordered different pizzas, which I got to taste and they were fantastic. I ordered a pasta dish with broccolini that was absolutely perfect. The waiter was very knowledgeable and gave me a wine recommendation that was perfect
Read moreGuest
emtetu
Points +106
Excellent fresh food - Edit
Thoroughly enjoyed our dinner here. Salads, pastas, and pizzas were all delicious. Their traditional pizza was the best I’ve ever had!
Read morePros: Scratch made cheese , Fresh, local ingredients , Excellent service
Guest
SeanBerger
Points +1563
Maybe it was a bad day - Edit
Donna Jean has the potential to be a standout, but on my visit, it was an exercise in missed opportunities. Maybe I just caught them on an off day.
Read moreThe Good:
The meal’s silver lining was the coffee. Rich, aromatic, and perfectly brewed, it was delicious and hit the spot.
The Average:
The pizza was decent. It had a crisp crust and a well-balanced flavor profile, but it didn't stand out in any memorable way.
The Disappointing:
The “Everything Salad” was underwhelming. The scant dressing left it dry and lacking in the flavorful punch one expects from a well-composed salad.
The Cast Iron Shells were another letdown. The sauce was thick and grainy, and the dish was dry, suggesting that it could have benefited from a bit more moisture during the cooking process. This was especially disappointing given how much potential the dish had to be a hearty, comforting plate of goodness.
The Unfortunate:
Beyond the food, the restrooms were not up to par. They felt neglected and in need of better maintenance. It’s a detail that, while minor in the grand scheme of things, impacts the overall dining experience and leaves a lasting impression.
Pros: Coffee was one of the best cups I've had
Cons: Bathrooms were not well maintained, Salad was plain, Pasta sauce was grainy
Guest
JanetCLimke
Points +40
Upscale vegan oasis - Edit
Excellent service. Lush outdoor seating. GF options; we loved the Trooper pizza, fungazzi pizza, homemade bread with garlic butter dip.
Read moreGuest
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