Dons Seafood - Lafayette

Absolutely great place. Warm and welcoming as soon as you walk in. It was very busy, but I only waited about 10 minutes. Jade, my waitress was absolutely great, perfect service, great attitude and personality. I ordered the catfish and shrimp platter (small), and the hush puppies. Hush puppies were fantastic, tarter sauce was the best I've had in a very long time. Catfish was was crispy and delicious, shrimp were perfect as well. Don's will definitely be on my repeat restaurant list. Thank you for the wonderful food and experience.

Always a great meal here! Consistently good food. Damian made sure our service was on point tonight. Also, Kevin putting out THE BEST Old-Fashioned in Lafayette. Highly recommend!!!

After five long years away from Louisiana, walking into Don’s felt like a homecoming—and that was entirely thanks to Shelby, the incredible bartender. From the moment I sat down, she greeted me with a smile so warm and genuine that I instantly felt like I belonged again. Shelby didn’t just pour drinks—she poured heart into the entire experience. She asked where I was from, recommended her favorite cocktails and dishes, and even shared a few local stories that reminded me of everything I love about Louisiana. Her timing was perfect, her suggestions were spot‑on, and her easygoing, friendly energy made the evening unforgettable. The food and drinks were excellent—the gumbo and oysters were everything I’d been missing—but it was Shelby who made the night special. Her hospitality is the kind that makes you feel like family, not just a customer. If you’re visiting Don’s, sit at Shelby’s bar. Whether you’re a local or a traveler, she’ll make you feel like you’re right at home in Cajun country. Thank you, Shelby—you turned a night out into a memory I’ll carry with me for a long time.

I loved Don’s Seafood Lafayette, and you will too! An attorney was sitting next to me on my flight said this place was excellent, and my Area Manager confirmed this place was the bomb. Authentic Cajun dining in a beautiful setting. Full bar, excellent food, plenty of parking, and super clean bathrooms. I was impressed that they have cards in the men’s room that say, “if our bathrooms need attention, hand this card to a staffmember”. I had the charbroiled oysters on the half shell, which comes with some garlic butter toast, which was a pleasant surprise. I also had the shrimp platter which came with a cup of wonderful shrimp gumbo, shrimp etoufee, shrimp scampi, fried shrimp (excellent), crab stuffed shrimp, and jacked up shrimp. Oh, forgot the super excellent hush puppies, and tartar sauce. Everything was excellent. My waitress was very attentive, bar was full, and the hostess did a great job. Very hospitable. I will be back as soon as I can.

The seafood gumbo soup was good, but they seemed to play a plate-sized trick. My large-size gumbo was the same amount as my friend’s order of Medium. The only difference was I have large size plate. His order was in a smaller size plate.

Celebrated a birthday dinner. Order the half dozen of Jacked Up Oysters which were HUGE! Second time trying oysters and these left the impression I was looking for. Also ordered the grilled catfish topped with the crawfish cream sauce. Only problem my potatoes were cold. Other than that everything was perfect! Definitely coming back for more drinks. Strawberry lemon drop perfect amount of liquor very strong just how I like it

Service was good but I think our server was overwhelmed. Atmosphere is pretty. The food, each item was a hit or miss. Seems like a giant has fallen. Seafood Ravioli was bad, Seafood platter was good except the crawfish ettoufee, salmon dinner was good but the mac & cheese was bland, shrimp spinach dip the shrimp is not deveined, the crab claw broiled is to die for delicious The turtle cheesecake & white chocolate bread pudding is nothing special. The bread for the bread pudding is way too thick same thing for the crust on the cheese cake.

Had a great time at Dons. Every single item we tried went above our expectations. Will definitely be visiting again.

Went to Dons last night. Super cute place! We are visiting from Texas and we brought our dog. We needed to find a place we could eat outside, and even though they don't offer seating outside with service, they gave us the option to sit out there and order from the bar. So we decided to try it! We didn't want to get entrees because we had eaten just a couple of hours before. More to have drinks and try a few things. I went in the restaurant with our 5 year old daughter and Ana helped us out. She was very sweet and told us that she would come out to bring us our food. We got a cup of seafood gumbo, cup of crawfish bisque, and a small serving of the chicken and andouille soup. Our daughter wanted the grilled cheese and sweet potato fries. Everything was very good! My husband and I started out with a glass of house cab each, which was decent. But after we tried out food we had the Victorian fashioned and it was delicious. I loved the candy stick it came with! Unique idea. And we drink a lot of 'fashioneds'! Ana was great! We appreciated her being so accommodating. Thank you!

**Don's Seafood: A Hit ** While the service at Don's Seafood was top-notch, the gumbo unfortunately didn't live up to expectations. However, the fried fish and seasoned fries were absolutely incredible! If you're looking for a unique flavor profile and crispy perfection, this is the place to go.

We were walk-ins for dinner and we were not greeted by the hostess, but we were  advised that there were a lot of reservations.  We were seated at a bare table without salt, pepper, or condiments, plus our server did not welcome us to the restaurant. I had the 1/2 catfish and 1/2 red beans and rice with 2 hushpuppies. My wife had the Shrimp Alfredo pasta, which my wife stated was very dry and needed more sauce.  Our server stated they had several customer comments that the dish was too dry but she offered to get more sauce.  My wife said her meal was very good once the additional sauce was added.  My meal was nothing special.  The rice was sticky and there were only two small pieces of sausage in my red beans.  The fried catfish consisted were three small pieces and as mentioned above 2 hushpuppies.  The hushpuppies were sweet. They also serve them as an appetizer.  There is every possibility the other meals on the menu are prepared and visually presented well, but a simple dish, such as I ordered, should set the expectation of good things to come. I have had better prepared fried catfish and red beans and rice at very simple eateries that took more pride in all of their dishes. I also noted that when we were leaving the restaurant their were three employees at the hostess booth and they were discussing a particular customer situation within earshot of us and other customers waiting to be seated.  This was unprofessional conduct, inappropriate behavior, and as the restaurants initial face to its customers a very unskilled and immature appearance of ambivalence.  Hopefully not the appearance or impression the restaurant wants to leave with their customers.  We will not be returning or giving this restaurant a good reference.

It was busy in here on a Tuesday night when we came, which we saw as a great sign, but our food was just okay. We were seated quickly and served by a lovely waitress whose name escapes me unfortunately. Our cocktails were wonderful! I ordered a hot honey margarita and my boyfriend ordered an old-fashioned of some sort and they were well-balanced and strong enough. We ordered chargrilled oysters and the fried seafood combo platter. The oysters were much too dry for our liking. We both like saucy and buttery oysters, with much less cheese than these had. We also ordered some sort of combo fried seafood platter. It was pretty good, so no issues there. We had a nice time as the ambiance was lively, but were definitely let down by the oysters as they were our primary reason for visiting.

We only had 3 days in Lafayette and Don's was first on our list! Missed day 1 because it was over an hour wait- what a great sign!! 2nd day we got there right when they opened. Tried and true for sure!!! Seafood salad is always a good option as well as any fried shrimp or fish. Eouffee was great too but the item you MUST order is definitely the chargrilled oysters. Before today, you couldn't put one near me but we ordered another dozen! ABSOLUTELY PHENOMENAL!!! Ambiance if the restaurant was welcoming and clean. Wait staff super nice and attentive. Definitely on the top of my restaurant lists!!

The service was amazing! Very attentive and the place was packed for lunch. The restaurant itself really could use a renovation. It's clean but just old looking & stale feeling. I had the stuffed grilled shrimp and they were good. The green beans were a little too buttery with bacon for my personal taste but overall tasty! My husband had the crawfish quesadillas and they were good! Yes, I recommend this place!

The charbroiled oysters were pretty decent! Not the absolute best I've had but they were definitely yummy and hit the itch of wanting solid seafood. Friendly and quick service. It was quite busy so this place must be very popular!

The food is always excellent. Don's onion rings are always so tasty. My daughter loves their crawfish etouffe.

Seafood gumbo was okay with only two 2 sides and the atmosphere was good. The waiter was pretty cool. The drinks was good and also the dessert was good.

Great food had some charred oysters and Crawfish étouffée and a couple of great Old Fashions. Our server was unbelievably nice very attentive and she also loved my NY accent. Next time I'm in Lafayette visiting family I'll definitely be back.

1st visit. Beautiful bar (where we chose to be). Nice decor. Very friendly staff. Our seats gave us a view of the overall operation minus the actual kitchen. But we did have front row seat view of the oyster grill which was amazing . Unbelievably efficient staff working together. Now on to the food. Superb!!!!! Grilled oysters were decadent before the delicious toasted bread. Nice touch. Much appreciated. Fried oysters were best ever!!! Went with small. More than enough with coleslaw and salad. Best hush puppies we've had in Louisiana. Crawfish/Andouille Quesadillas were perfectly delicious. Dipping sauce also great. . Plentiful. 2nd visit. The piece of salmon was large. It was well cooked. The sauce was a bit sweet but it was good. The vegetables were a very nice compliment. I asked for Mac & Cheese instead of Sweet Potato Casserole. Very tasty, but lukewarm. The gumbo was good. The picture doesn't do it justice. Boudin balls were tasty. Overall we enjoyed the first visit more than the second. I am sure that is because of the choices we made and should not in any way taken as negative review. We love this place.

Top of our list for places to try in Lafayette and we were very impressed!! The atmosphere is beautiful, our server was amazing and the food was top quality! They even gave me a free dessert for my birthday

Good food! Good Service and nice atmosphere! Shannon, our server, was not only super attentive, but she gave us a bunch of ideas to do in and around town. Hubby had the shrimp po boy and gumbo. I had the chicken fingers (not really a seafood person lol). I'd definitely recommend this restaurant if you're in the Lafayette area.

Seafood is amazing! There is a a variety of menu options that will please every palate Service is quick and waitstaff are friendly and knowledgeable The ambiance is very inviting and friendly Without hesitation I recommend Dons Seafood If you want to give your guests an authentic experience bring them to Dons!

The food was AMAZING, The shrimp Po boy was ALL that. Didn't even have time to take a picture

I had an amazing dining experience here. It's a very warm and cozy atmosphere. The grill for the oysters rock practically greets you at the door. The night we visited, the place was jumping, and the table bussing was way behind. This was killing the wait times and annoying the crap out of the hostess, but once I finally got seated, the service was great. The oysters were on point. I had about a thousand delicious oysters. I will definitely return to this place.

was superior! Loved the vibe and the ambiance. Workers kept everything professional. Food was amazing. My ravioli was awesome. Fav thing id recommend. My ravioli lol

I have had some good food here. I ordered chicken and sausage gumbo delivery twice and all I received was juice. No chicken and no sausage. I do not recommend delivery for this item. Food quality is poor when you do not dine in.

A complete waste of money. I cannot believe how far Don's has fallen. This place used to be good, but I had a fried seafood platter that was way overcooked and largely flavorless. It was like bad drive-thru fried seafood. Sorry, but Don's is dead to me.

Dinner at Dons. We dined here the last time we were in Lafayette. On a Monday night this place was mad busy! We decided to eat at the bar vs a 30 min wait for a table. Shelby, our bartender/server was excellent. Boudin balls were screaming hot from the fryer and very tasty. The hush puppies would have been equally good, but they were room temp. Ronnie had the 1/2 red beans and 1/2 fried catfish. I had salmon, broccoli and sweet potato casserole...not my first choice, but I was trying to be somewhat healthy. Salmon was cooked perfectly, but the teriyaki glaze had a strange taste.

Great! We are from out of town and a local recommended this restaurant and it did not disappointed us! Great food and service. Everything we had was good and I would highly recommend this place to anyone looking for good, reasonably priced food! There were 6 of us and we were all very pleased with what we had. If ever in Lafayette (hopefully Not) I will be back!

Service was amazing. We went on a very busy Friday afternoon during lent and food came out in a timely manner. The drinks did take a little longer to come out but the bar was packed. The frozen margarita was the best but the one on the rocks was very strong. We had the Fried Crab Claws appetizer and they were just ok. Not my favorite (but it's not the time for crabs so it's ok). I had the zydeco shrimp and the mac and cheese and my fiancé had the 1/2 shrimp and 1/2 étouffée with grits on the side as the main meal. We both agree that this is the best shrimp we've ever had. I cannot stop thinking about the zydeco sauce. It has the perfect out of spice and sweetness. The Mac and cheese was very creamy and perfect. The grits were not our favorite. They were a little too creamy for us. The deserts were the best! We shared between four people and had a good bit of bread pudding left over. The ice cream brownie was good, you really can't mess that up. The bread pudding was amazing. The consistency was perfect and the rum sauce was amazing! Overall, love love love the environment and food. Will definitely be returning.

Service, Stood at the bar 10 minutes at 3:00 in the afternoon. Two bartenders too busy chatting to even acknowledge my wife and I. There were half full but not busy.

The oysters give it a 3 star restaurant! The best! Yummy delicious! Unfortunately the crawfish bisque was not great and wasn't a bisque. Basically crawfish in gumbo rue. We also ordered a gumbo bowl and it tasted burned the sauce. We were so sad because the oysters yes where so amazing! I love them! But disappointed reminded me of a chain restaurant. We were visiting Lafayette and were looking for restaurants and we were so excited to try Dons. I can say if you're looking for great oysters come here!!! I would come back but only for the Oysters!

I had a salad and the chicken and sausage gumbo. The gumbo was a bit too salty and I don't think they give you an adequate amount of rice for the dish. The salad was okay. The presentation was sloppy. It was sufficient for a late night eat

After a long day of meetings in Louisiana it was a collective decision that Dons was the must visit spot. It's located in the same parking lot as Sherri. Williams so pretty easy to find. We made a reservation so there was no wait when we arrived. The waitress was very accommodating and the place was filled with laughter. We decided to try a wide variety of options from the menu( crab claws, zydeco shrimp , boiled shrimp and a few other seafood options). This was by far one of the best stops on my visit.

Vey good food, nice atmosphere have been there for special occassions. The food has always been excellent. Family members have enjoyed as well.

Wonderful food is very flavorful and cooked perfectly. Our waiter is friendly and helpful. Drink of Mimosa no cheating on alcohol. Very busy place. Noisy but fun. Ample parking.

Food was exquisite, Ambiance calming and refreshing allowing for an enjoyable meal. The absolute best part of our experience was the service provided by Melenia and of course Gene coming over to make sure all was satisfactory. Miss Melenia, was ever so accomodating , constanting checking on our status and if we required anything further. This was in addition to her making suggestions for enhancing our dining pleasure, and we must say she was "right on" with her suggestions. Don's is fortunate to have someone represent them so well.

DON Done Did It!! Came to Lafayette for the first time to get away & just to relax. Friends brought me here for authentic "boot" food and Don's left no crumbs....literally. That gumbo was the best gumbo I ever had. I was drinking the juice left in the chargrilled oysters my stuffed grilled catfish, just wow. The hush puppies were on point, with a hint of sweet *chef's kiss* corn grits were everything Hell, the damn water was good...if I had to sum it all up, #CajunComfortFood I'm definitely a Texas fan!!

We came here for late lunch on our 1st day arrived in Lafayette. Thought it's like 2pm in the afternoon on a Thursday, there are plenty of tables of people there, mostly retired i guess. We ordered the fried alligator and boudin balls. I had 2 pounds of their boiled crawfish. The alligator is tender, much tender than what i had before. The boudin ball is kinda of meatball but the meat is mixed with a lot of carb. That's not my favorite. The boiled crawfish is fresh, but it taste sooooo salty! Feel like the chef used a pound of salt to boil my 2 pound crawfish. Unbelievable! Nothing can compare with the Crawfish in Shanghai! Oh, i miss Shanghai so much!

Wow. Found this on Yelp heading into Lafayette and was hungry for lunch. Yelp for the win once again. Beautiful restaurant that has been in business since 1934 . Hannah was our server and provided outstanding service . We started off with a dozen gulf oysters on the half shell. Ana order the grilled catfish with red beans /rice and sweet potato casserole as sides. I went with the catfish Acadian ( fried catfish smother in crawfish etoufee on a bed of rice ). Absolutely stellar. It is about 8 minutes south of exit 100 on I-10 , however this restaurant is so good I would drive an hour off the beaten path to get here . Take the ride off I-10 and enjoy a tremendous meal

The food here is great and very fresh. The sever we had was super nice and kind. It felt like an authentic food restaurant they even made the oyster in the middle of the restaurant.

Great spot for good Cajun and seafood. My son had the Catfish Acadian, which was very good. I had the shrimp, which was good.

Really good seafood place. The crab meat Au gratin is fantastic! The waitress was very attentive. The place reminds me of an excellent expensive restaurant chain that serves delicious food! I can't wait to return and try other dishes on the menu.

Good was great but service was even better. Max was awesome. Highly recommend. This is my go to place every time I am in Lafayette and Max made it worth it

So we were traveling from Austin Texas to Destin beach Florida and we decided to stop in Louisiana overnight. We check yelp for recommendations and we found this restaurant. Well, the recommendations were not wrong. We tried the boiled shrimp meal, and the shrimp and grits. Both were amazing. The service was excellent as well. The decor of the restaurant is set up like fisherman's wharf with large sailfish as well as other fish hanging on the wall. The restaurant is very large with multiple rooms and can accommodate large groups of people. I would definitely recommend this restaurant.

Amazing place, oysters were amazing! We had the charbroiled oysters and fresh oysters! So good! The horseradish was fantastic!!! Kade, our waiter was awesome , smiling and very friendly!Great place!!!

So so delicious. Food was awesome, oysters were delicious, and everything came out super fast. Our waiter was awesome and everything came out exactly how we wanted it.

I had the best meal for lunch yesterday at Don's on Johnston. I had the Lunch Menu Seafood Combo. It was perfect. It was a variety of seafood prepared infallibly. I ate everything on the plate -- stuffed shrimp, fried shrimp, fried oysters, fried catfish, shrimp etoufée, Cole slaw, French fries & hush puppies. The tartar sauce is to die for. Wish there were more stars to give it!

Food was really good! I would recommend this to anyone traveling through like us! The food was fresh and light.

Staff was very friendly and food was delicious. We had a party of 5 plus a toddler, our waiter was very helpful with getting us different foods for her. Restaurant was spacious and clean, felt welcomed when entering. Very happy we stopped in.

Love Don's! Had the Catfish Acadian, will absolutely have it again. Perfect service, perfect vibe, check it out!

Never get tired of Don's many choices had Don's last week ‼Had the grilled salmon, sweet potato side , love their hush puppies, try them

I ordered crab claws for appetizer and there was no meat, perhaps wrong time of year? I ordered the shrimp Alfredo and the shrimp were raw, and the pasta was not Al Dente it was hard to chew. Sauce was ok. I expected more from a restaurant in Lafayette.

I like Dons. The food is always good. I go specifically for the crab claws. The last time I went the portion was extremely small and most of the claws didn't even have meat on them. I love Dons but I wasn't a happy camper the last visit. My boyfriend love this spot. Service is always nice and we didn't have to wait long to be seated.

If you are looking for a place with excellent food and service, this is it! It's reasonably expensive. You might pay $24 for a seafood combo but it's a DAMNED GOOD seafood combo! Cajuns usually never go to a restaurant and pay to eat gumbo. We usually make it at home. But this place is the exception. Tastes like I am at a Cajun's house. The wait staff are very attentive and genuinely friendly. I love this place!

Don's is my favorite place to go to in town. We go at least once every two weeks & try and sit by the bar area. I always start with a cocktail, right now the Swamp Water is my favorite and my boyfriend always orders an Old Fashioned. The only part that is a little frustrating (but we've made a running joke out of) is that they run out of the liquor he asks for every single time. We look at it as a sign that the old fashions are just popular & the restaurant always apologizes and finds him a great substitute. Next, we get the Jacked Up Oysters and love to watch them be cooked from our seats. The oysters are always so seasoned and we have our own personal cook (if we don't see him we get sad). Now for a while I was stuck on getting the Fried Catfish because it's always so fresh but I started getting the Marinated Chicken Breast with loaded mashed potatoes . My boyfriend gets the 1/2 shrimp or crawfish & etoufee , and sometimes he does the Jacked up Cheeseburger. Overall, we love the food, drinks, and atmosphere at Don's !

First time eating here! it was sooo good, highly recommend! Max was our waiter! He did an amazing job! Took great care of us!