Don's Country Kitchen‎ — Restaurant in Carlsbad

Me and my family went to don's today and were very disappointed.

First of all, we are reasonable people and this review is not personal.

The place is very small and does not cater to large groups. We had seven and there was no effort to sit us together. In fact, the waitress seemed to be a little irritated by our group. Nevertheless, we sat separate and service was quick.

Once we received our food, things went down hill fast.

One of us ordered a roast beef sandwich and what she got was a plate that had bread, roast beef, and gravy on top. It was a very large portion. The bread was soggy, the roast beef was thin and fatty, and the gravy was disgusting. What she expected was a sandwich.lol. (you should have seen her face. She didn't want to be rude so she tried real hard.) Typically, the gravy is supposed to be a dark brown, but this was light, had a strange taste, and there was small little powder chunks in the gravy because someone apperantly doesn't know how to wisk.

Being a big buscuits & gravy guy, I ordered one order and when I got it, I was really bothered by the taste and texture. I'm not a picky guy. The gravy had a weird flavor, the sausage did not taste like sausage,and the gravy was kind of thick and kind of powder chunky. It was disgusting. I recommend that you stay away from it. I ate some of it but I could not stomach it all. I'm glad I didn't because after that I felt sick to my stomach. (If that's how you Cali people do it but here, you're doing it wrong. Seriously.)

Another one of us ordered a country fried steak. It was covered in the same gravy as the biscuits were and the steak was some store bought steak probably from Walmart.

The fact is, DON does NOT know gravy so I would suggest you people stay away from it.

Other than that, the food was good. Their burgers were good, so was their fries. Their eggs are good, and so are their pancakes and hash browns. Frankly, those are all things that can be had at any restaurant so there really isn't anything special at Don's .

The total cost for our lunch was around 110$.

The waitress tipped herself 16$ without our approval which really upset us. The tip we left on the table was taken back because of that.

If you're looking for a place to have lunch or breakfast just go to Denny's which is literally down the street. Don't waste your money or time. They charge too much and their food is no where worth their prices.

Response from owner:

"Hello, we're sorry to hear that you didn't enjoy your experience at Don's. The sandwich that your party ordered was a hot roast beef sandwich. It's a open faced sandwich that is drench with our homemade gravy. We also have a cold roast beef sandwich if you are interested. And about the gratitude, it is stated in the menu that 18% percent gratitiude will be added to parties of 7 or more. We are sorry to hear that our homemade biscuits and gravy didn't meet up to your standards. Thank you for giving us a chance and have a good day."

My response:

Clearly, the issue can be addressed by clarify that it is an open sandwich on the menu.

The 18% that you charged was unjustified as we were not sat together. You separated our group and then charged us as a party. Moreover, if I knew you were going to charge 16$ I would have walked straight out of there. You are NOT some gourmet restaurant. You're supposed to be a country kitchen.

As I said before, I am not picky. Your particular gravy was hardly tolerable. I know it's harsh what I am saying but the...

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