Don — Restaurant in Greensboro

Japanese cuisine and sushi are synonymous in the imagination of the American public. As such, Japanese restaurants that don’t serve sushi are easy to overlook. However, Don convincingly makes the case that there’s more to savor than sashimi and specialty rolls.

Food at Don comes in a few different categories. In addition to the familiar ramen, there’s ishiyaki (sizzling rice bowls), yakisoba (thin fried noodles) and udon (thicker noodles in a stir fry or soup), each with different combinations of toppings. I’ve had the best luck with the ishiyaki, my favorites being shrimp, red snapper and katsu pork. Each is served sizzling hot, meaning you’ll have to do some stirring if you don’t want anything to burn. A selection of optional sauces allows you to season each dish to your liking and the complimentary miso is flavorful and not too salty.

Other dishes are hit-and-miss. Steamed gyoza are decent, but you can get better down the street. The chicken yakisoba is satisfactorily crunchy and has a good balance of flavors, though the serving size is small. Shoyu (soy) ramen was salty but otherwise bland.

Don’s interior is comfortable, modern and clean. Colorful paper lamps and decorative Japanese wall accent an otherwise dark space. There’s bar seating, though you shouldn’t have any problem getting a table here. Don is rarely ever crowded and service doesn’t lag.

Prices at Don are very reasonable. All entrees run under $10 and appetizers are generally in the $3 to $6 range. You can easily get a filling meal here without breaking the bank.

Don is no Sushi Republic – neither the caliber of cuisine nor the expense are comparable – but it’s a great option for diners who don’t need an expansive menu to enjoy a...

THEY DON'T TIP THEIR STAFF. IT GOES DIRECTLY TO THE OWNERS. This is the main reason why it goes from two to one star. I find this very serious as it is a scam for customers and unfair to their staff. See bottom of review for more details

I had high hopes for Don on Tate Street, but my visit was pretty disappointing. The hot stone bowl looked great at first, but the amount of shrimp they gave me over the amount of rice they gave me was ridiculous. It was not worth the price listed. The food itself was fine but bland. I got the hibachi shrimp don. I had to drown it in sauce to make it flavorful. The freshly cracked egg that cooks in the hot stone bowl was honestly the highlight — everything else felt mediocre.

Service-wise, it was oddly overbearing. Staff kept checking in a bit too much. The check came out almost immediately after we finished eating, making us feel rushed and unwelcome, even though the restaurant wasn’t busy. The older woman who seemed to be the manager or owner was particularly overattentive — it felt more forced than friendly. I appreciated the attempt at hospitality, but it came across as disorganized and pushy rather than caring. Between the poor food balance, uncomfortable pacing, and awkward service, I left disappointed and unlikely to return.

Note about tipping: I was told by someone who used to be a staff member that tips at Don do not go to the servers but instead go directly to the owners. Bad vibes all around, especially with the tip situation. If you do decide to eat here, I’d suggest paying only what’s necessary and being cautious about where your “tip”...

I'm torn between 2 and 3 stars.. I had an early dinner here with my family (husband and daughter) after visiting UNCG. We got seated right away but it took a while for somebody to get our food AND drink orders. No, they weren't exactly busy and had just two other tables with customers. I can't think of a way to describe how we were served as anything other than weird and downright rude, what with the server slamming our plates and bowls in front of us and reaching across literally in front of our faces to get empty dishes without any preamble. I thought at first it was all in my head until my husband made a comment about how "weird" the server was acting towards us. I told him it was probably because I was Asian. (He's white.) He realized that the server, who was, herself, Asian, was being racist towards me when he noticed how much more respectful and friendly and kind she was to the people at the table behind us, all of whom were white. Bad service aside, the food was meh and portions were okay, not generous. Only thing we liked was the burnt part of the rice where the sauces made them sticky and crunchy, lol. No, we won't be...