As compared to the bar - stylised, atmospheric, dynamic - the upstairs space at Doña feels somewhat neglected. Artificial red roses adorn the tables, and a few candles create a semblance of ambiance, but with Stoke Newington High Street chugging along in plain view and minimal decoration, the Bar Doña experience of stepping into a carefully curated underworld hasn’t quite travelled up the stairs. However, the restaurant only opened on the 24th of May, and it’s not unreasonable to assume that it might take a minute to find its groove. In the meantime, however, there’s something unfinished about the space.
The menu is relatively simple, and very reasonable. The totopos and bean dip (£6) is generously portioned and arrives quickly, giving us something to work at while we wait for our other dishes. The mezcal chicken skewers (£8) arrive next, and they aren’t my favourite - the “Dangerous Don Mezcal” marinade has left them an unnaturally fluorescent orange, and they taste strongly of spice without actually being spicy, which is a frankly quite bizarre experience. However, three well-portioned skewers for £8 is again pretty good value, if they’re a bit more your cup of tea.
The Doñitas (£6.50) - Honduran arepas filled with creamy beans, avocado & salad - are not at all easy to eat, with the surprisingly crunchy flatbread fighting back against the approaches of simply taking a bite, or resorting to a knife and fork. Maize dough refusing to yield to us, we ended up with what a more pretentious establishment might have marketed as a “deconstructed arepa”, or, more accurately, arepa debris on a side plate. The constituent parts, reassembled as much as possible, were indeed enjoyable, and again very hearty for the price. Based only on the question of taste, this is a dish worth having, but it might be one to avoid if you don’t fancy the hassle and mess.
After the arepa fiasco, the neatly sealed Empanadas (£6.50) were a welcome treat. Guests are invited to choose between chicken, cheese or veggie, and we opted for chicken - a choice with which we were very pleased. Although they were perhaps a little on the dry side, this just gave us the opportunity to focus on our drinks - one classic Margarita, which was alcoholically strong but quite diluted by ice, and one cucumber and coriander Margarita, which was a wonderful choice for a summer evening - to wash it down.
The cassava fries (£6) served with a trio of sauces - from which the guacamole, simple but effective, was a clear standout - visually masqueraded as chips, and it was pretty crucial to get this idea out of your head before trying them, otherwise the chewiness was genuinely disconcerting. Once we tuned into them, these were quite possibly my favourite dish - substantial but not heavy, and a wonderful guacamole vehicle. The Quesillo dessert (£6) wasn’t quite to either of our tastes - it was more lumpy than creamy, and the caramel sauce became a tad overpowering.
Doña’s restaurant is a little rough around the edges, and perhaps yet to find its feet. However, it has the makings of something that could be special - the menu is accessible from both a financial and a culinary standpoint, and if they can transport some of the basement’s energy to the ground floor, they might be onto something special.
