Little Donna's

"When neighborhood stalwart Henninger’s closed 2021, industry vet and Midwest native Robbie Tutleswki and his wife Kaleigh Schwalbe swept in to do the nearly impossible: maintain a nostalgic, lived-in feeling while creating something wholly new that landed on New York Times’ coveted best restaurants list. Little Donna’s is named for Tutleswki’s late Yugoslavian grandmother, whose warmth is felt in the homey decor and constant cooking is reflected on the menu. Think plush sausage- and kraut-filled pierogies, a crisp Serbian-influenced crab pancake, pork schnitzel from local Ostrowski’s Sausage, and warm apple hand pie for dessert. The chef’s signature, thin-crust tavern pizzas are fired to perfection, no doubt thanks to Tutleswki’s decade of work with Chris Bianco. But what really makes it feel like Baltimore is the local love on the drink menu, including a Daddy’s Beer on Ice: a Union Zadie’s lager, Clamato, hot sauce, and lime with a chile rim." - Jess Mayhugh, Eater Staff

"This Fell’s Point restaurant has been buzzy since it opened in June 2022. Step inside and you’ll immediately understand why—if the smell of fresh baked pizza doesn’t clue you in, the charm of the wooden dressers and lace curtains will. Inspired by the chef’s Yugoslavian grandmother, the small menu features pierogies and kielbasa alongside a list of tavern pizzas. It truly feels like a baba’s dining room, and you half expect Little Donna herself to come out of the kitchen wearing an apron dusted with flour, ask you about your dating life, and pinch your cheeks. In her absence, you’ll instead be greeted by an extremely friendly staff happy to recommend one of their amusingly named cocktails—get the Dad’s Beer on Ice, featuring Zadie’s lager from local Union Craft Brewing. Come with a small group of friends and work your way through the whole menu. " - Michele Berry

"This Fell’s Point restaurant has been buzzy since it opened in June 2022. Step inside and you’ll immediately understand why—if the smell of fresh baked pizza doesn’t clue you in, the charm of the wooden dressers and lace curtains will. Inspired by the chef’s Yugoslavian grandmother, the small menu features pierogies and kielbasa alongside a list of tavern pizzas. It truly feels like a baba’s dining room, and you half expect Little Donna herself to come out of the kitchen wearing an apron dusted with flour, ask you about your dating life, and pinch your cheeks. In her absence, you’ll instead be greeted by an extremely friendly staff happy to recommend one of their amusingly named cocktails—get the Dad’s Beer on Ice, featuring Zadie’s lager from local Union Craft Brewing. Come with a small group of friends and work your way through the whole menu. " - Michele Berry

"Though any return trip would hardly be complete without a meal at Little Donna’s, where ice-cold martinis abound and dinner feels more like pulling up a chair in chef Robbie Tutlewski’s childhood home around family-style platters of schnitzel, plump pierogi, pickled vegetables, and thin-crust tavern pies." - Nat Belkov

"A tavern-style restaurant for pizza and pierogies inspired by the chef-owner’s Yugoslavian grandmother." - Jess Mayhugh