I just moved to Cleveland this weekend and my mom was in town helping me settle in and we wanted a nice dinner. We chose don's and couldnt be happier with our decision. We sat in the dining room and I ordered a sangria (delish) we got calamari (best calamari ive ever had outside of europe) i got filet and shrimp (also delish) and she got the steak oscar and hasnt stopped talking about how good it was. We also split the chocolate mousse which again is the best ive had outside of europe. Aside from that, our server was phenomenal. he was funny, kind and attentive. When i told him i just moved here he wrote me a list of places in the area to try. i really appreciated this. I plan on bringing my mom back to Cleveland and to Don's for her birthday in October. our total was $135 for all that I listed. Not bad at all considering the quality of the food and the service!
ginamull
Great dinner. All 4 of us loved what we had. Best place to get sea food! I have a pretzel crusted cod, it was delicious! Bourbon Rye manhattan was delicious and don't miss dessert! Sorbet was yummy and the apple pie looked amazing, the gal with us loved it!
nashvillemamz
Extremely loud due to happy hour crowd. We sat in dining room where the dinner menu ($$$) is our only choice. Their bar menu which is very reasonable is only available if you sit in the bar area, which we didn't because the noise was unbearable in order to have a conversation. The food was prepared perfectly- everything delicious. Our waitress was experienced and personable. $148 for 2 plus tip.
AmyG
Patty was wonderful waitress! Food fresh and delicious! Everyone very helpful! Floor by bathroom was very sticky but everything else was amazing! Surprised only 2 single bathrooms. Only one bar in ADA bathroom.
mrotella
Abagail was an excellent server who made the meal perfect from start to finish. The French onion soup is worth the trip! Seafood stew was packed full of the freshest ingredients and definitely filled up my stomach. Excellent cocktails and no rush service made the evening meal perfect
DonJ
grew up on the Chesapeake Bay so was a bit surprised with the crab stuffed trout. On the bay, if we stuffed a fish with crab, it was just crab, no bread OR maybe some crab imperial. My dinner was good, but felt like I was served trout with a crab cake smashed inside. It may be a traditional Great Lakes type recipe, but took this easterner a little getting used to. Rest of meal was just fine. We appreciated the pace of the kitchen as we had an event to go to after dinner and the timing worked out just fine. We will return.
Service was a mess they are clearly understaffed. The bar area lounge noise was loud. Don't go if you are looking for an intimate quiet drink. Dinner was better but the steaks were charred too much for medium rare. The seafood was phenomenal.
melissaschoobie
Perfect dinner before seeing STOMP in downtown. The atmosphere was beautiful! My Manhattan cocktail & white blend wine were spot on!! Loved the calamari with the cilantro lime chili glaze. Shared the Fish Market Salad & it was SUPER fresh! The Nantucket Lightship Scallops with mushroom & leek risotto was out of this world!!!!! Service was impeccable & the chocolate mousse is MUST!!!
Ron Krueger
Service was excellent. The delmonico was cooked perfect but had too much marinade. Bread and desserts were delicious. We asked for a window view and got a window with a huge planter in front of it
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Stuffed Mushrooms, Filet and Scampi, Delmonico Steak
I brought my hand bell choir here last night from St Ignatius of Antioch (West and Lorain) to celebrate our year. We didn't gather at Christmastime, and one of our members was out for months recovering from surgery. As usual, our dinner was excellent - absolutely no complaints. Everyone also took a dessert home. Thanks for providing an excellent meal to celebrate our music year!
My first time here. Everything was totally awesome. From the water to the dessert.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Great Lakes Walleye
The two fish meals, were overcooked, dry and felt like coming out of the freezer or reheated Salmon and Mahi Mahi. Also they were very small portions. The steak meals were slightly better than average.
Octavia Parker
Steak Oscar was terrible steak was over cooked and tough. Even when replaced it was still a tough cut of meat middle well. The whipped potatoes were anything but whipped and extra melted butter did not help they were dry and super stiff and clumpy. Every other mussel was slimy. After two I opted out for fear of food poisoning. My mother said the same. Service was great and Terry tried her best! Even after the manager was to come speak wit us it was just assumed we wanted it off our bill. After 20 mins of waiting for the manager we were told it would come off of the bill and I had to ask for a replacement steak which had no crab and came with the wrong side
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 2
Service: 5
Peris Taylor
So I walked into this restaurant, and there was not a hostess at the stand. A waitress walked up to the stand and said “what do you need”. Which is strange because this is such a high class restaurant, I wouldn’t expect such a response. She then walked away, and then the hostess came to the stand and asked me “what is the last name” I told her the last name and she walked me to the table. My date arrived and walked into the restaurant and the hostess could not find the reservation. she then asked “is it under a different name” “is the name correct” ?After going back-and-forth with my date, the hostess ended up finding her last name and brought her to my table. My waitress wasn’t friendly, She was also sarcastic and was not pleased when I told her I did not like the drink. Although the food was good, the service was not I would not recommend this restaurant to anyone.
Deborah C.
Dons is the epitome of a classic seafood restaurant. It's the perfect mix of classy and casual. I've never eaten in the main dining room, only at the bar, but service from the bartenders is always spot on. The drinks are great and so is the food. My favorite dishes so far have been the PEI mussels, the crab cakes, and the Portuguese seafood stew. Everything is fresh and delicious. Happy hour is awesome too!
I just moved to Cleveland this weekend and my mom was in town helping me settle in and we wanted a nice dinner. We chose don's and couldnt be happier with our decision. We sat in the dining room and I ordered a sangria (delish) we got calamari (best calamari ive ever had outside of europe) i got filet and shrimp (also delish) and she got the steak oscar and hasnt stopped talking about how good it was. We also split the chocolate mousse which again is the best ive had outside of europe. Aside from that, our server was phenomenal. he was funny, kind and attentive. When i told him i just moved here he wrote me a list of places in the area to try. i really appreciated this. I plan on bringing my mom back to Cleveland and to Don's for her birthday in October. our total was $135 for all that I listed. Not bad at all considering the quality of the food and the service!
Great dinner. All 4 of us loved what we had. Best place to get sea food! I have a pretzel crusted cod, it was delicious! Bourbon Rye manhattan was delicious and don't miss dessert! Sorbet was yummy and the apple pie looked amazing, the gal with us loved it!
Extremely loud due to happy hour crowd. We sat in dining room where the dinner menu ($$$) is our only choice. Their bar menu which is very reasonable is only available if you sit in the bar area, which we didn't because the noise was unbearable in order to have a conversation. The food was prepared perfectly- everything delicious. Our waitress was experienced and personable. $148 for 2 plus tip.
Patty was wonderful waitress! Food fresh and delicious! Everyone very helpful! Floor by bathroom was very sticky but everything else was amazing! Surprised only 2 single bathrooms. Only one bar in ADA bathroom.
Abagail was an excellent server who made the meal perfect from start to finish. The French onion soup is worth the trip! Seafood stew was packed full of the freshest ingredients and definitely filled up my stomach. Excellent cocktails and no rush service made the evening meal perfect
grew up on the Chesapeake Bay so was a bit surprised with the crab stuffed trout. On the bay, if we stuffed a fish with crab, it was just crab, no bread OR maybe some crab imperial. My dinner was good, but felt like I was served trout with a crab cake smashed inside. It may be a traditional Great Lakes type recipe, but took this easterner a little getting used to. Rest of meal was just fine. We appreciated the pace of the kitchen as we had an event to go to after dinner and the timing worked out just fine. We will return.
Service was a mess they are clearly understaffed. The bar area lounge noise was loud. Don't go if you are looking for an intimate quiet drink. Dinner was better but the steaks were charred too much for medium rare. The seafood was phenomenal.
Perfect dinner before seeing STOMP in downtown. The atmosphere was beautiful! My Manhattan cocktail & white blend wine were spot on!! Loved the calamari with the cilantro lime chili glaze. Shared the Fish Market Salad & it was SUPER fresh! The Nantucket Lightship Scallops with mushroom & leek risotto was out of this world!!!!! Service was impeccable & the chocolate mousse is MUST!!!
Service was excellent. The delmonico was cooked perfect but had too much marinade. Bread and desserts were delicious. We asked for a window view and got a window with a huge planter in front of it
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Stuffed Mushrooms, Filet and Scampi, Delmonico Steak
I brought my hand bell choir here last night from St Ignatius of Antioch (West and Lorain) to celebrate our year. We didn't gather at Christmastime, and one of our members was out for months recovering from surgery. As usual, our dinner was excellent - absolutely no complaints. Everyone also took a dessert home. Thanks for providing an excellent meal to celebrate our music year!
Restaurantji Recommends
My first time here. Everything was totally awesome. From the water to the dessert.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Great Lakes Walleye
The two fish meals, were overcooked, dry and felt like coming out of the freezer or reheated Salmon and Mahi Mahi. Also they were very small portions. The steak meals were slightly better than average.
Steak Oscar was terrible steak was over cooked and tough. Even when replaced it was still a tough cut of meat middle well. The whipped potatoes were anything but whipped and extra melted butter did not help they were dry and super stiff and clumpy. Every other mussel was slimy. After two I opted out for fear of food poisoning. My mother said the same. Service was great and Terry tried her best! Even after the manager was to come speak wit us it was just assumed we wanted it off our bill. After 20 mins of waiting for the manager we were told it would come off of the bill and I had to ask for a replacement steak which had no crab and came with the wrong side
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 2
Service: 5
So I walked into this restaurant, and there was not a hostess at the stand. A waitress walked up to the stand and said “what do you need”. Which is strange because this is such a high class restaurant, I wouldn’t expect such a response. She then walked away, and then the hostess came to the stand and asked me “what is the last name” I told her the last name and she walked me to the table. My date arrived and walked into the restaurant and the hostess could not find the reservation. she then asked “is it under a different name” “is the name correct” ?After going back-and-forth with my date, the hostess ended up finding her last name and brought her to my table. My waitress wasn’t friendly, She was also sarcastic and was not pleased when I told her I did not like the drink. Although the food was good, the service was not I would not recommend this restaurant to anyone.
Dons is the epitome of a classic seafood restaurant. It's the perfect mix of classy and casual. I've never eaten in the main dining room, only at the bar, but service from the bartenders is always spot on. The drinks are great and so is the food. My favorite dishes so far have been the PEI mussels, the crab cakes, and the Portuguese seafood stew. Everything is fresh and delicious. Happy hour is awesome too!