Dons Seafood- Hammond — Restaurant in Hammond

1 star is a restaurant so bad it actually makes me throw up. 2 stars is a restaurant with no redeeming qualities other than the fact it didn't make me sick. 3 stars I reserve for restaurants with glaring issues but some redeeming qualities but not likely to try again soon. We tried this restaurant four years ago and had a similar experience. First impressions: bad parking. I would be surprised if there haven't been at least a few injuries or fender benders here. Second: no front sidewalk so walking from the back forces you next to the foul smelling dumpsters. Third, fantastic entrance with friendly staff. Fourth, nice decor and pleasantly loud - not so loud to hurt but enough to know people are enjoying themselves talking. Very clean. Now for the food: Expensive. Particularly for the issues. The bread served at the beginning of the meal had oily butter, which might be fine sometimes, but it was excessive. Fries were stone cold in the center, not surprising for the bottom which were on a cold plate, but surprising for the top layer. Hot outside, so the fryer temperature was up too high. First serving of rice for three of the dishes was dried or undercooked , one inedibly so. The replacement was good. I liked the flavor, but it wasn't what was expected for the name of the dish (etouffe - brown gravy vs expected red tomato). The crawfish bisque was also not a flavor type expected as it was too savory and not a blended soup. While good, just isn't what is expected for a bisque. The chicken andouille tasted good even if the rice wasn't good. All that aside, my highly picky nine year old son that rarely eats more than a bite actually finished half his grilled cheese sandwich with fries. My broccoli wasn't mushy and had a fresh flavor, even if a little too on the al dente side for my tastes. What saves the restaurant from a 2 star rating truly is the service. Excellent customer service, nice, friendly, attentive without being disruptive, and swift to replace the undercooked/dried rice dish. Replacement dish was very fast. Perfectly cooked replacement. If the prices were less, I might have upgraded the restaurant to a 4, but we've had consistently lower prices (15-20% less) from other seafood restaurants in the area with better waterfront views and flavor with equally good customer service. Granted, this visit was on a Wednesday night during the holiday season so it is possible that it was just a bad night, but we had similar issues four years ago. Which is why it took four years...

I was traveling with a bus group. We had several tables and several servers. My party was of 3 and we sat in a booth next to our group. Our server was Rebecca. For some reason, her attention was to every table except ours. First, she brought diet coke, not regular, then told the customer it was diet. One asked for sweet tea and received unsweetened. We did not have any utensils. We asked several times, nothing. We all order platters. They all came out missing something. She returned with one item at a time. Mind you, she is still giving the larger table next to us full attention. Still no utensils. I called her from another table and asked her why we weren't being serviced. She said she was serving us, so I asked why we haven't received utensils after asking numerous times. Finally, we get utensils but no spoon for the Gumbo. I asked for a spoon. After some time, she returned with a PLASTIC SPOON AND SAID THEY DIDN'T HAVE ANY SPOONS. I questioned her statement, and she said there weren't any clean spoons. How is this? A restaurant with no spoons. I looked around, and all the other tables had spoons. So, now, after having to get our meal one piece at a time, the food was cold. Afterward, I asked for the manager and expressed my concerns. She started to talk to me in a loud tone. I told her I was talking to her and she should talk to me and not everyone in the restaurant. She quieten down. She said they could have remade my order. I said it took too long to get the first order, and I was with a group, I couldn't have them wait or have to eat my food on the bus. So, I asked about the spoon, and she said they were waiting on silverware that was ordered. I smiled and said they couldn't wash one? She said yes, but maybe she, Rebecca, was trying to get it to me fast. I'm leaving with gumbo down my shirt from the small plastic spoon I was given to eat with. After getting on the bus and talking with people from the other tables, several said they sent their gumbo back because it was cold. I said they were lucky because my whole meal was cold. Other than that, they had great service. I wish we had. Over $100 was spent at our table, and it was all...

7/8/25 updated and lowered review I chose Don's recently because i knew they had several grilled options with steaks, fish, and shrimp. I am trying very hard to avoid seed oils and I remembered seeing several options with butter LISTED in the menu. I was shocked and extremely disappointed to realize it's false advertisement and that they don't actually use butter but margarine. Ingredients are extremely important for diners to know to avoid possible allergens or sensitivities. I expect more from a restaurant that advertises itself as a true seafood house. No alternatives were offered so I chose boiled shrimp without "butter" as it was about my only option. Do better Don's!!

6/30 $150 dinner for 2 with drinks and tip was very disappointing Jacked up oysters were very small but good, my stuffed potato really had no flavor and my green beans were way too sweet. Thankfully my steak made up for the other two. Most people order vegetables and whole foods for a healthier item. I purposefully didn't get the salmon that I considered because it came with a glaze and a sweet potato casserole that I knew would be sweetened. Dissappointed the green beans tasted like they had sugar in them as well. It's green beans, no need to sweeten. My husband's shrimp were extremely difficult to peel and we're basically mutilated by the time he was able to eat them. Not up to par for Don's. We mentioned this to our waitress but of course nothing was done. Offering to comp for a drink or bring fresh shrimp would have been appreciated but...