Say good-bye, Temescal. After 20 years, Dona Savitsky — the restaurateur and creative mind behind Oakland’s beloved Doña Tomás — will close the doors of her Temescal restaurant at the end of summer to open a new venture: a rustic, brightly-lit restaurant named Dona just down the road on Piedmont Avenue.
The restaurant at will take over part of the space formerly occupied by Chow. The total space, which is two stories, will be three different businesses but Doña will be a large part of the ground floor.
The good news: Doña will serve many of Doña Tomás’ most popular dishes, like ahi tuna ceviche, griddled quesadillas and mouth-watering carne asada, but with counter service and expanded hours — open all day, seven days a week — in addition to a weekday breakfast that includes house-made pastries.
You’ll still be able to enjoy those legendary mezcal margaritas, but at Doña they’ll be available at a larger bar with an expanded bar menu. Weekend brunch will also be served.
Savitsky is opening the new concept with friend and longtime Doña Tomás manager Andee Brown. They’ll take good memories and loyal regulars with them to Piedmont. In terms of why the restaurant is closing, Savitsky said she felt it was time to reinvent Doña Tomás.
“It’s been such a long, wonderful run at Doña Tomás, but the opportunity at the new space gives us a chance for a complete reinvention that a mere remodel would not accomplish at the old space,” she said in an email. “I’m excited for this next chapter and new journey in Doña.”
Doña means “woman of stature” in Spanish, Savitsky notes, adding that she loves the strong female reference of her new venture. Stay tuned for information on when the last day of business will be.