Dona Tomas, a green restaurant in Oakland

Celebrating the graduation of my boyfriend’s sister from Berkeley, we all went to a restaurant in Oakland, called Dona Tomas. I had first heard of this restaurant by watching KQED’s show “Bay Area Bites” which portrays recommendations of restaurants by ordinary people. Dona Tomas is an Alameda County green business, meaning it has complied with green business standards. They also source local and organic ingredients as much as they can.

We entered a homey, Oaxacan restaurant, with a lot of energy and people inside. We waited for about 10 minutes for a table by taking a seat by the bar, fresh mojito in hand.

We were seated at a nice homemade wooden table by the front where we could see the open kitchen. The group started with fresh guacamole and chips and ceviche. I had a cheese enchilada (above) with avocado and parsnip as my main course. The best part of the meal was the fresh baby asparagus, which tasted very fresh and delicately dressed with oaxacan cheese.
Dona Tomas also has a cookbook on authentic Mexican food, well displayed in their open kitchen. I really had a great time at Dona Tomas. It wasn’t a typical Mexican restaurant nor did it feel too pretentious. The atmosphere was welcoming and high energy, with careful attention to details. Dona Tomas is located on 5004 Telegraph Avenue in Oakland.