"Donna Jean is a vegan Italian spot in Sherman Oaks (with another location in San Diego) that deserves extra credit for making its plant-based ricotta in-house and fermenting its pizza dough for three days. Vegans with the urge to devour a cheesy pizza will find peace here, and non-vegans will find a useful spot for casual, tasty weeknight dinners. Most things besides the “Really Good Salad,” which absolutely lives up to its name, fall into hearty red sauce Italian territory. The baked shells are like a comforting potluck mac and cheese, with salty “smoked cheddar” that sticks to the roof of your mouth. Their 12-inch pizzas, extra thin but chewy, are generously sauced. Between the bright lights and white brick walls, Donna Jean’s isn’t the sexiest neighborhood Italian spot, but its creative vegan menu has enough crowd-pleasers to make up for it. Food Rundown photo credit: Sylvio Martins Hot Shrooms The best bite on this vegan Italian menu isn’t even Italian, it’s these Nashville-inspired hot mushrooms. They come lightly breaded and fried, with a craggy crust that picks up the vinegar-heavy hot sauce. There are a few dips to choose from, but the best is the tangy za’atar ranch that reminds us of Chili’s Awesome Blossom sauce. photo credit: Donna Jean Really Good Salad This tastes like an “everything but the fridge” salad when you get the pickled raisins, mozzarella, and pistachios all in one bite. What ties all of these things together, though, (and makes it impossible to stop eating), is the roasted garlic vinaigrette that tastes strikingly similar to chicken bouillon. photo credit: Donna Jean Cast Iron Shells & Cheese It’s just creamy mac and cheese, but vegan. The smoked cheddar flavor is in your face with a strong smack of nutritional yeast, so only order this if you’re into that nutty, cheese-adjacent aroma. photo credit: Donna Jean Four Horsemen Donna Jean’s solid pizzas would be so much better if their vegan toppings had a little more salt. The pesto and ricotta on the Four Horsemen could use some extra oomph, but at least the crispy crust doesn’t disappoint." - Sylvio Martins
