Established by Donna, originally from Persia and raised in Denmark, and Alejandro from Tenerife, the café brought together their diverse backgrounds in fine dining and street food. Opened in 2019, Donna Vegana embraced a concept that blended veganism with high-quality, organic ingredients, aiming to create a café and a community around mindful eating.
The café offers a range of unique homemade drinks, from smoothies, super lattes and kid-friendly hot chocolates, to some pretty great coffee. Popular dishes include sandwiches, wraps, sushi, hot meals and desserts. Alejandro once told me that he develops each dish over a period of time , often even years, before it makes it onto the menu. Donna tells me that their customers frequently travel from all over Mallorca, often introduced to the café through word of mouth, contributing to the strong community feel of the place. Families became regular patrons here , and children even requested to host their birthday parties here.
In fact, my latest visit to Donna Vegana was for a birthday that included both kids and adult visitors. I started with Donna's signature smoothie with red paprika, turmeric, pineapple and lemon. This might sound a little bit strange at first, but I can assure you that it was absolutely delicious. It tasted rich and earthy thanks to paprika and turmeric, yet sweet and citrus. Plus it is super good for us, full of vitamins and anti inflammatory properties.
Next up, I chose Pad Thai with chicken substitute for some added protein. I first tried this chicken substitute at another healthy cafe in Palma and I was pleasantly surprised how "chicken like" it was , both in terms of taste and texture. It was the same, if not better, at Donna Vegana. Thumb sized pieces of "chicken" were lightly grilled and nicely seasoned. The Pad Thai itself was also excellent, with the noodles cooked just right and plenty of crunchy stir fried vegetables, topped with finely chopped red chilli and a few sprigs of coriander. The portion was huge and I struggled a little bit to finish it, but I was not going to leave any of it behind.
Finally, we shared a generously sized chocolate cake with one other friend. The texture of it was somewhere between a baked cake and a mousse, while fruity filling added to the raste beautifully.
Donna Vegana has somehow fallen off my radar over the last couple of years, but I will now definitely be back soon. I really want to try their take on a curry and a few other cakes that looked pretty inviting too.
THE VERDICT
Donna Vegana is a brilliant little place slightly of the beaten track. The food is excellent and evidently prepared with a lot of thought put into it. The service is lovely and the space feels very welcoming for kids and adults alike.
PRICES
- Donna's Smoothie €7.50
- No-Chicken Pad Thai €16.50
- Chocolate cake €6.00
Instagram @donnaveganacafe
Opening hours 9am-7pm daily
Address: Carrer de Chopin, 5, Local 2, 07180 Santa Ponça, Balearic Islands
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