We drove over a hundred miles to get there. We were almost too late, but got there just before they closed. It was well worth it. I had been wanting to come here for a long while and am glad that we finally made it. Dinner and service were great, and of course the location is beautiful. DRB
Larry Burchfield
This was ouir first time to visit Dondie's under the new owners. It was great. We noticed some new items on the food bar and on the menu also. I usually get at a couple of catfish steaks and mine were cooked to perfection. The ladies in our group ordered The Little Steamboat and they said their fish was very good. We also had two birthdays in the group so we topped our meal in style. The service was excellent. We are looking forward to going back next month.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
BJ Thrasher
The good side of this review: The food and the waitress were fantastic.Now for the reason of a low rating. We live an hour away from the restaurant so we decided to get there a little early which put us first in line. We get in after they open and immediately met with a rude door greater who was apparently upset with our party of 11 not being able to go upstairs because we have a handicapped family member in a wheel chair. After getting that all situated, we all eat (mix between buffets and menu items) and desserts.After the waitress ask how we want to split our check she then gets swamped with an influx of new tables and doesn't return to our table. The bus boy comes and takes a few empty plates. I catch him while he was cleaning another table and then talking to the rude lady from the door, I plain as day hear him say "is it rude to ask them to leave?" While motioning at our table. Come to find out he is not even an employee but the husband of someone that works there. We are very cognizant of this being a busy establishment so we were ready to walk as soon as we got our check but that never happened. This was not our first time here, but I do think it will be our last for very long time. If ever.It is not to much to expect great customer service from every employee of an establishment when a of four is spending upwards of $120+.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 4
Service: 1
debra thrasher
We came to celebrate my husband's birthday and we really enjoyed the food and our waitress was great....however this "good" experience was overshadowed by incredibly rude staff members. Our first impression was the lady at the door rolling her eyes because we had a party of 11 and we agreed to sit sep so we could sit downstairs as we had an autistic family member in an adult stroller. I wasn't entirely sure why she was so flustered as we didnt argue about needing to sit sep. We had finished our food and were waiting on our tickets but our sweet waitress got busy with other patrons who had been seated. We were patiently waiting for her to get a moment to return with our tickets when my husband overheard a gentleman who was clearing our table say, "Im waiting on this big table. Is it rude to ask them to leave?" This is a very busy restaurant with lines always out the door so we certainly would be conscientious and not just hang out but we were at the mercy of the speed of service and hadn't received our tickets yet. The staff was obviously talking about us in front of other customers not realizing we were sitting there only because we hadn't received our tickets yet. It's incredibly rude and unprofessional to talk badly about customers period and especially where others can hear it....I'm super disappointed. I understand it's busy and tensions were high but that's why it's called customer service.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 4
Service: 1
Recommended dishes: Seafood Buffet
Charlotte Potts
Excellent food and excellent service! The best catfish of anywhere. We did the buffet and it was full of choices. Dessert is extra but worth it. Caramel sundae and apple pie were fantastic.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: All You Can Eat Catfish
Theresa Stuckey
Delicious as always! The buffet is amazing. The food is always hot and fresh. They give you your own pitcher to refill your drink. It's so cool to Dine inside of an old steamboat! The place is very clean. The staff is friendly and helpful! Dondie's is a staple of Des Arc. If you're in the area on a Friday or Saturday evening, you simply must stop by!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: All You Can Eat Catfish, Mozzarella Cheese Sticks, New York Style Cheesecake
Shautaqua Aldridge
We got a parking spot closer and it didn't take long to get us seated and the waitress was very nice and professional.The food was hot and good .me and my Husband we enjoyed it. we was out celebrating our 6th wedding anniversary .it was all positive vibes...
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
vickie dougherty
We had the best and sweetest waitress Chase. I ordered grilled fish and was sooooo delicious. My husband had the Buffet, I noticed he had eaten more than he usually does. He said it was so good. I say the new owners have stepped up and showed out. We love Dondies and will continue to be loyal customers. Thank you Ben for satisfying the grilled Fish I had been craving. Thank you Chase for correcting the confusion quickly. ( I'm still not convinced I did or didn't say "grilled shrimp") but you was a Rockstar and got it corrected so quickly. Thank you all !!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Seafood Buffet
Leslie Miller
Love all the buffet selections. Hot and tasty.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Seafood Buffet
Melonie G.
My reason for 2 stars: I have a Sea Food allergy....I asked the waitress if all the food including shrimp was fried in the same fryer/ grease. She said Yes. So, I ordered grilled chicken and baked potato. She came right back and told me they didn't have any one to run the grill. I ended up with the kids Mac & cheese, pretty sure it was out of the blue box. On the bright side , my husband said his catfish, fries and hush puppies were absolutely delicious! If they would have a separate fryer for seafood, I could have enjoyed it as well.
Don't do it. Just don't. Unless your thing is $25 a person for a bunch of frozen then fried food and one decent item on a very small buffet. Our party of 4 arrived 30 minutes before the restaurant opened with a line out side already, good sign, right?! We had the option of upstairs or down (the only buffet is downstairs). Three of us got in the buffet line and the 4th was waiting for a menu because he doesn't eat seafood which this place is known for (what a joke!). By the time the waitress brought a menu and told him they didn't have any ribeyes the rest of us already had a plate of food. Waitress promptly returns from the kitchen with news that they're not grilling at all and the buffet is the only choice! So for $25 he ate disgustingly cheap chicken strips, French fries and onion rings. As for the seafood...NONE of it fresh, all frozen except for maybe the catfish. Tiny fried shrimp, crawfish that smelled rank and mushy peel and eat shrimp. We will never be back! Don't waste your money!
Bettye Graham
This place is a very special place to go and eat with family and friends and enjoy your cooks and waiters making sure that you have everything you need and more... I love this place ??? Love the amazing river view while having my meal ?
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Josh B
I would like to start by saying honestly, I have not been here for over 20 years. It wasn’t due to the service or anything like that, I just moved away and never came back. But we had the opportunity to go back, and it was almost like it had not missed a beat. The catfish had a wonderful flavor, just the perfect amount of salt, and the rest of the buffet was hot and super fresh. The service was great, very attentive, made sure that the table was cleaned off, drinks were fresh. We did get there a little bit early, there is a line that starts up so if you’re thinking about going, think about the time you want to be there. the whole time we were there, though nothing was disappointing at all. We even saved a little room for some magnificent dessert, I don’t even know if I’ve ever had it from there, but I will have it again when I go back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Fried Shrimp, All You Can Eat Catfish, Seafood Buffet
Sam Taylor
The Staff, The Environment and The Food is Amazing. Don't take My word for it, Please try it for Yourselves and You won't be disappointed!!!!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Kim McCorkle
Crab legs, salad bar and fried catfish were very good. Peel n eat shrimp were way overcooked. Very good value overall.Parking: HandyWheelchair accessibility: Ramps
We drove over a hundred miles to get there. We were almost too late, but got there just before they closed. It was well worth it. I had been wanting to come here for a long while and am glad that we finally made it. Dinner and service were great, and of course the location is beautiful. DRB
This was ouir first time to visit Dondie's under the new owners. It was great. We noticed some new items on the food bar and on the menu also. I usually get at a couple of catfish steaks and mine were cooked to perfection. The ladies in our group ordered The Little Steamboat and they said their fish was very good. We also had two birthdays in the group so we topped our meal in style. The service was excellent. We are looking forward to going back next month.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The good side of this review: The food and the waitress were fantastic.Now for the reason of a low rating. We live an hour away from the restaurant so we decided to get there a little early which put us first in line. We get in after they open and immediately met with a rude door greater who was apparently upset with our party of 11 not being able to go upstairs because we have a handicapped family member in a wheel chair. After getting that all situated, we all eat (mix between buffets and menu items) and desserts.After the waitress ask how we want to split our check she then gets swamped with an influx of new tables and doesn't return to our table. The bus boy comes and takes a few empty plates. I catch him while he was cleaning another table and then talking to the rude lady from the door, I plain as day hear him say "is it rude to ask them to leave?" While motioning at our table. Come to find out he is not even an employee but the husband of someone that works there. We are very cognizant of this being a busy establishment so we were ready to walk as soon as we got our check but that never happened. This was not our first time here, but I do think it will be our last for very long time. If ever.It is not to much to expect great customer service from every employee of an establishment when a of four is spending upwards of $120+.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 4
Service: 1
We came to celebrate my husband's birthday and we really enjoyed the food and our waitress was great....however this "good" experience was overshadowed by incredibly rude staff members. Our first impression was the lady at the door rolling her eyes because we had a party of 11 and we agreed to sit sep so we could sit downstairs as we had an autistic family member in an adult stroller. I wasn't entirely sure why she was so flustered as we didnt argue about needing to sit sep. We had finished our food and were waiting on our tickets but our sweet waitress got busy with other patrons who had been seated. We were patiently waiting for her to get a moment to return with our tickets when my husband overheard a gentleman who was clearing our table say, "Im waiting on this big table. Is it rude to ask them to leave?" This is a very busy restaurant with lines always out the door so we certainly would be conscientious and not just hang out but we were at the mercy of the speed of service and hadn't received our tickets yet. The staff was obviously talking about us in front of other customers not realizing we were sitting there only because we hadn't received our tickets yet. It's incredibly rude and unprofessional to talk badly about customers period and especially where others can hear it....I'm super disappointed. I understand it's busy and tensions were high but that's why it's called customer service.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 4
Service: 1
Recommended dishes: Seafood Buffet
Excellent food and excellent service! The best catfish of anywhere. We did the buffet and it was full of choices. Dessert is extra but worth it. Caramel sundae and apple pie were fantastic.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: All You Can Eat Catfish
Delicious as always! The buffet is amazing. The food is always hot and fresh. They give you your own pitcher to refill your drink. It's so cool to Dine inside of an old steamboat! The place is very clean. The staff is friendly and helpful! Dondie's is a staple of Des Arc. If you're in the area on a Friday or Saturday evening, you simply must stop by!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: All You Can Eat Catfish, Mozzarella Cheese Sticks, New York Style Cheesecake
We got a parking spot closer and it didn't take long to get us seated and the waitress was very nice and professional.The food was hot and good .me and my Husband we enjoyed it. we was out celebrating our 6th wedding anniversary .it was all positive vibes...
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
We had the best and sweetest waitress Chase. I ordered grilled fish and was sooooo delicious. My husband had the Buffet, I noticed he had eaten more than he usually does. He said it was so good. I say the new owners have stepped up and showed out. We love Dondies and will continue to be loyal customers. Thank you Ben for satisfying the grilled Fish I had been craving. Thank you Chase for correcting the confusion quickly. ( I'm still not convinced I did or didn't say "grilled shrimp") but you was a Rockstar and got it corrected so quickly. Thank you all !!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Seafood Buffet
Love all the buffet selections. Hot and tasty.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Seafood Buffet
My reason for 2 stars: I have a Sea Food allergy....I asked the waitress if all the food including shrimp was fried in the same fryer/ grease. She said Yes. So, I ordered grilled chicken and baked potato. She came right back and told me they didn't have any one to run the grill. I ended up with the kids Mac & cheese, pretty sure it was out of the blue box. On the bright side , my husband said his catfish, fries and hush puppies were absolutely delicious! If they would have a separate fryer for seafood, I could have enjoyed it as well.
Restaurantji Recommends
Don't do it. Just don't. Unless your thing is $25 a person for a bunch of frozen then fried food and one decent item on a very small buffet. Our party of 4 arrived 30 minutes before the restaurant opened with a line out side already, good sign, right?! We had the option of upstairs or down (the only buffet is downstairs). Three of us got in the buffet line and the 4th was waiting for a menu because he doesn't eat seafood which this place is known for (what a joke!). By the time the waitress brought a menu and told him they didn't have any ribeyes the rest of us already had a plate of food. Waitress promptly returns from the kitchen with news that they're not grilling at all and the buffet is the only choice! So for $25 he ate disgustingly cheap chicken strips, French fries and onion rings. As for the seafood...NONE of it fresh, all frozen except for maybe the catfish. Tiny fried shrimp, crawfish that smelled rank and mushy peel and eat shrimp. We will never be back! Don't waste your money!
This place is a very special place to go and eat with family and friends and enjoy your cooks and waiters making sure that you have everything you need and more... I love this place ??? Love the amazing river view while having my meal ?
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I would like to start by saying honestly, I have not been here for over 20 years. It wasn’t due to the service or anything like that, I just moved away and never came back. But we had the opportunity to go back, and it was almost like it had not missed a beat. The catfish had a wonderful flavor, just the perfect amount of salt, and the rest of the buffet was hot and super fresh. The service was great, very attentive, made sure that the table was cleaned off, drinks were fresh. We did get there a little bit early, there is a line that starts up so if you’re thinking about going, think about the time you want to be there. the whole time we were there, though nothing was disappointing at all. We even saved a little room for some magnificent dessert, I don’t even know if I’ve ever had it from there, but I will have it again when I go back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Fried Shrimp, All You Can Eat Catfish, Seafood Buffet
The Staff, The Environment and The Food is Amazing. Don't take My word for it, Please try it for Yourselves and You won't be disappointed!!!!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Crab legs, salad bar and fried catfish were very good. Peel n eat shrimp were way overcooked. Very good value overall.Parking: HandyWheelchair accessibility: Ramps
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Crab Legs, Fried Shrimp, Seafood Buffet