Don's Sandwich Shop & Deli — Restaurant in Redding

My wife and I began eating at Don's in 1966. Don was the owner at the time. The meats were tender, fresh and tasty. The rolls were always fresh. Business was so good, Don had to double the size of the shop. Lunch time found it difficult to find an open table.

Time passed.

Today, not much is the same other than the location. The quality of the beef has dropped and is tough. I DARE you to find a day when it is medium/ to rare. The rolls are often yesterdays, or older. The quality of the help is a disaster. This is apparent that you can find multiple tables open at any time at Dons. The last straw was recent. We ordered lunch by telephone, to go. I arrived shortly thereafter, as requested, to pick up the order. I was met with indignation, and a LOUD denial by the people behind the counter that they had taken any order by telephone. It was indicated that I could not possibly have placed an order with anyone there, and no offer to fill the order while I was standing there was made. I quietly and gently tried to say, yes, I had just called fifteen minutes before.

I was made to be an idiot. I was imbarassed, and chagrined by the staff. They were loud, and dismissed me without a smile.

If you want quality, inviting staff, and a reasonable dining experience, I suggest you find another place to eat. You can do better than this...

UPDATE: I received a response from Robin at Don's. While I am grateful for the dedication to your craft and your offer, I will happily decline. You and your people are great, the food just wasn't for us. You earned my payment for sure and I wish you all the best!

ORIGINAL: For starters, we took the food with us and ate it later, but it was just ok. We had the Addi Aka Reuben and the Ernie. The Reuben meat was chopped by hand, super chunky, and remarkably fatty. The flavors were ok. The pastrami in the Ernie was good, but the flavors were very mild and underwhelming.

The service was great. They were fast, helpful, and very pleasant. One young lady made suggestions and very cordial. They all seemed really on top of everything and worked very efficiently as a team.

The atmosphere was old and tired, bordering more on an antique shop with a deli. The location is a bit of a head scratcher too.

On the whole, sadly don't think...

The fam and I were feeling up to having sandwiches for lunch and being new to Redding, I wasn’t sure what was around so I did a quick google search and noticed Don’s sandwich shop and deli and am I glad I looked it up!! I ordered four sandwiches, the Addi aka the Reuben, fried pastrami with turkey, turkey sandwich with sourdough and avocado and the Cali was the last sandwich. I can tell you that the Reuben I ordered was fantastic. It was very flavorful and savory. They slow cook the meat in the crockpot for the Reuben. We also ordered some potato and macaroni salad to try. I’m extremely impressed with their food and the homey vibe this place produces. There’s definitely a level of love in their food. The great thing is it’s right around the corner from us so we’ll definitely be back. If you’re in the mood for sandwiches then look no further, Don’s Sandwich Shop & Deli has you covered....