We want to Don's Lighthouse last week for dinner. We made reservations in case it was busy. They had plenty of seating, so you might be able to get away without a reservation, but don't chance it if your heart is set on dinner here. Especially on a weekend. Service and atmosphere was great. We had a very attentive and helpful server that gave us recommendations and checked on us often. Elegant restaurant that has a nice and fancy vibe to it. Great for date nights and special occasions. We sampled and found really good tasting wines. Made note and will purchase those wines in the future for casual drinking at home. We started with the complimentary bread and butter. Bread has hot out of the oven and tasted fresh. Also very soft. A+ on the bread. Same with the crab cake for an appetizer. Very small portion of just 1 crab cake, but favor was everything you could want when ordering a crab cake. Moving into the entree is where I marked them down on food. The main course of the meal(Steak, Walleye, Scallops) were excellent for all parties of our table. The problem was the sides were very lacking. My red potatoes were undercooked and hard. They just seemed basic with no added flavors. My green beans were cooked properly, but it was steamed green beans with zero flavor. They were just plain. Same with the corn mix. The sides need more flavor whether it's coming from a seasoning or sauce. We finished our meal off with bread pudding. Didn't get a picture of this, but it was tasty. I try bread pudding at any restaurant that offers it and felt this was mostly a flavored bread with ice cream on it. Not much of the creamy pudding to be a real bread pudding. But it was good for what it was. Overall, I do recommend trying this place. Some flavors will be bland while others will be flavor packed. read more

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Don's Lighthouse is an institution and I know people who really love this place. After my third attempt, I've determined it's really just not for me. The food on each occasion has been kind of blasé. The drinks have been better. Two of the three times, the service was lackluster for the price tag. On one occasion, I had to send back glasses and silverware because it was dirty, and my date's setting was also dirty. Maybe they're going through a transition of sorts. I love the idea of it but not the execution. read more

Don's Lighthouse is one of our Top Four go to venues on the West Side. Our last visit was a little disappointing. We go for the seafood, one of Don's fortes. This visit however, entrees did not quite meet expectations. Salmon and Cod were over sauced or or over seasoned, so the fish had no flavor. Brussels sprouts were raw, would have been better seared and glazed. Rice was tasteless. Note to Chef: As far as a good business and attendance is concerned, unexpected cuisine is not a slippery slope, but a steep cliff where repeat customers are concerned. read more

I went here for the first time last week and just about everything was great. The food was delicious. The service was great, but the booths were a little bit tight. I'm not a very large person at all, but it was hard to breathe with how tight I was in this one booth. It made the entire experience painful and really ruined it for me. Next time I go, if I go, I will have to ask for a table. read more

Don's Lighthouse - Seafood Near Me - Cleveland, Ohio

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I've been here twice for prime rib Wednesday specials and I will say the prime rib gives this place a 5/5!!! Not a tinge of grey on the ribeye cap, perfectly pink medium cook. I also enjoy their walleye bites and shrimp cocktail during happy hour at a price that can't be beat! read more

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Don's Lighthouse was a spot that I was so excited to try, but it was a bit of a disappointment. Our service was mediocre. First, we ordered drinks, two French Onion soups, and the Crab Cake. They were very good! The Crab Cake was the star of the show. I was most excited to have the Filet Mignon - I love a good steak and have heard decent things about this place! My date ordered the Steak and Lobster - he said that it was good but not the best thing he's ever had. I ordered the Filet cooked medium/medium-rare with the whipped potatoes and swapped the green beans with asparagus. It looked great, but was cooked to medium well when I cut into it. It was tough to chew and was a bit of a disappointment. Both the mashed potatoes and asparagus were not great either. I would give this place another shot but not any time soon. read more

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Back again for Don's delicious wedge salad. It has the perfect combination of ingredients. We always sit in the lounge and the bartender was very busy yet attentive and friendly. read more

Don's Lighthouse - Wedge Salad - Seafood Near Me - Cleveland, Ohio

I love the cozy vibe you get in there colder months. The bar area with its dark wood plank walls and little white string lights that make you feel like you are on an old ship. The best martini's and burger to die for! I haven't had a bad thing from their menu. Ooh you have to try the salmon BLT, melt in your mouth good! Bartenders talk to you like they've known you forever. Just can't say enough, so great and such a beautiful building read more

Have been here a few times in the past month or so, and the food has been just okay. The inside is very old-school Cleveland and the service has been just fine...but the food is somewhat lacking, especially for the price. First time through we had the fried calamari appetizer along with a Bistro salad (which had way too much dressing) and a French onion soup that lacked any depth of real onion flavor. At our last meal, my wife's fish dish was extremely dry and my short ribs were almost half fat that was inedible. Wish i had better things to say...we may still give them a try for Happy Hour and see how those menu items fare, but we will probably not return for a sit-down dinner. read more

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It's been around for a while. Needs an update. Food is just okay. Bartender Dawn makes great drinks!

They are always consistent with delivering quality food and top notch service. Good pricing in today's market. I have been going there for decades. read more

Great old school charm at the bar. Happy hour is great with plenty of bar seats. We had a group of 9 people and it's not always easy to squeeze into a bar and have good conversation. Huge, tasty martinis!!! We did not go in the restaurant but recommend the bar!! read more

Don's Lighthouse - Jumbo dirty martini hh prices - Seafood Near Me - Cleveland, Ohio

The walleye was pretty good. Everyone seemed pleased with their food. We did have to ask for water and then had to ask for bread and butter after our drinks arrived and food orders had been placed. No glass offered with bottle of beer. White table cloths but you are expected to drink out of the bottle? I guess you have to ask for your glass too. Another reviewer mentioned their bread was hot from the oven? Ours was unremarkable. read more

Food and service combined with the ambience unbeatable combination. I grew up near West 25th and Detroit... since the 60s!

I wanted this food to be so amazing. I have fond memories of visiting this restaurant in the past but this Lu ch service wasn't great at all. I came in around 1pm and this is bar service- not revert busy at all. It took a lot of work to get drink orders and appetizers in. The crab cakes were fresh- good crab meat but very plain without the accompanying sauce. I would have liked for it to stand on its own. I'm always in search of the best crab cakes and the search continues I ordered the fish, shrimp, and fries. The shrimp were humongous and the breading was seasoned well but the food was almost mushy - hadn't cooked long at all. The French fries were my favorite part of the meal read more

If I'm not mistaken, dance lighthouse has burgers on Monday 999 and they are delicious

Absolutely awful experience here for my wife's birthday. She'd always wanted to visit so we came in for her first time. Boy, what a mistake. Literally everything was bad. Drinks, bad. Food, worse. Service, awful. This place needs to go the way of dinosaur and disappear. It's a relic of a restaurant that was maybe good in the late 90's but has long passed its time. read more

I haven't been here in years. I was impressed. I had an excellent petit filet, mashed potatoes, mushrooms & blue cheese with green beans. Our server Chris was the absolute best. Fun, made suggestions and truly made our evening. I will definitely be back. read more

I've lived in Cleveland my whole life and had never been to Don's. We stopped in for a quick dinner and cocktail. They had the filet and lobster tail special that was $10 off making it $55. The lobster was cooked well and tasted good. It also came with drawn butter heated with a candle which is always a nice touch. Our server seemed to be overwhelmed with his section and was not attentive to us. He served us but was not friendly or trying to make us enjoy our dining experience. I was also disappointed by the steak. We ordered rare plus and it came out medium to medium well. It had a great grill flavor but needed a sauce so it wasn't dry. The cut of meat was supposed to be a filet but seemed more like a lower grade cut like a sirloin as it was hard to cut and tough. A filet should be tender and lean, almost melt in your mouth if prepared correctly. I also experienced stomach issues after our visit, which I am unsure if it was related to our food or not. We enjoyed dinner but because of our overall experience, it is likely we will not return. read more

Don's Lighthouse - Seafood Near Me - Cleveland, Ohio

Ambiance was great! Our server was Chris. He let you know what he really thought of the items on the menu. The meal was probably one of the best I've ever had! I had a steak and shrimp combo. My wife has the walleye based on Chris's recommendation. She enjoyed it! We had the bread pudding, again based on Chris's recommendation, and it was excellent! read more

My wife and I had ventured to the west side for a lacrosse game and afterwards one of my friends jokingly said let's go to Don's lighthouse. Doesn't look like a lighthouse but you should try it anyway. So I looked at my wife and she said hell with it let's go! I'm not at all familiar with Cleveland or pretty much anything west of Mayfield Road but the parking lot was easy to get in and out of and it was not busy for a Thursday night. We arrived about 7:50 p.m. and we're promptly seated in the lounge. It was weird they still had the covid plastic crap up that doesn't do anything but to be honest at this point it's nice to cut down on the chatter from adjacent tables. Our server approached us, his name was Eric s. In the world of servers you have good ones great ones and Eric. Eric was neat, tidy, prompt, enunciated had knowledge of the menu and talked just enough. I ordered a diet Coke my wife a glass of wine. My wife got the lobster roll and I got the grilled chicken club. Both of those came with fries however I opted for green beans. After the order was placed in Erica text back and rebuild my diet coke it was in a wine glass almost which was a little weird but glassware choice is a thing with some places. My wife's lobster roll was $25 and came with a very generous amount of lobster. So much in fact it was put in a hot dog roll the kind of look like a wide piece of bread split and she had to eat it with a fork and knife there was that much content. My grilled chicken club was literally right off the grill but it was not a club sandwich in the traditional sense. Chicken breast cheese lettuce tomato onion. The green beans are not something I would ordinarily crow about but it appeared they saute them in just the right amount of butter salt and pepper. Not overcooked and were amazing. Eric promptly cleared our plates and took my card upon request and we were out of there in almost 30 minutes flat. Again I can't say enough how pleasant it is to have a professional server wait on you. One that takes his job seriously makes the dining experience worthwhile. Total amount of the bill was about $57. 10 out of 10 would do it again even with the 35 minute drive to the west side. read more

Amazing food and atmosphere. Terri, our amazing server took excellent care of us. Great lobster and calamari plus yummy desserts

Great happy hour. Efficient staff. It's a nice class setting where I'm gone to straight from the beach or the opera and am comfortable. Mussels, crabcakes, pomegranate martinis. read more

Tough to find a fault with Don's 1. I prefer Monday burger night and happy hour in the lounge. 2. The staff is on it, they just don't make mistakes, and if they do, it's quickly fixed. 3. Drink menu is extensive and high quality. 4. Ambiance is a perfect mix of classy and casual. 5. Overall, wonderful place to eat and drink, would be my first choice for a business lunch or a happy hour with my employees. 6. Can't comment on the main dining room but I would be surprised if it did not have the same quality as the lounge/bar. read more

Don's Lighthouse - Seafood Near Me - Cleveland, Ohio

Great happy hour! Cocktails are good, appetizers are great and always done right. It's our long day, don't feel late Je cooking kind of place. read more

Salmon was delicious, waitresses was nice, but the steak was under done twice, and there was nothing that really stood out. It was a solid meal, but nothing exciting. It was something I could make at home for dinner. And the cheesecake was still a little frozen inside, you hope to come to a place like this to get homemade fresh dessert. read more

It's a big no for me. The chowder tasted like tomato soup with salmon not clams. The bread was moldy and undercooked inside. The shrimp linguini had zero flavor. My lobster was the only good thing but not good enough to come back for it. The only light at the end of the tunnel was our server, Peggy, she was a gem! She's the only reason I'm leaving 3 stars. read more

We came here on a whim for lunch date. The drinks were amazing my husband ordered Rye Old Fashion and I had rum and coke. Both were delicious. The star for me were the beautifully cooked scallops. Everything was delicious, above average, service was extremely timely, and professional. We enjoyed the food. Service was about 3.8. Our host was polite . However she didn't offer any additional advice, menu suggestions or wine pairings. Ambiance could use an update. I hated how they had these beautiful big windows that were covered by dated drapery. It's worth the visit if you're in town. The price point was more aligned with an upscale restaurant. $30+ for an entree. Drinks were $6-$12 for what we purchased read more

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Dons is the epitome of a classic seafood restaurant. It's the perfect mix of classy and casual. I've never eaten in the main dining room, only at the bar, but service from the bartenders is always spot on. The drinks are great and so is the food. My favorite dishes so far have been the PEI mussels, the crab cakes, and the Portuguese seafood stew. Everything is fresh and delicious. Happy hour is awesome too! read more

We attended a brunch at Don's Lighthouse after snagging a reservation online (which is always so appreciated). Located right off the shoreway, many know Don's Lighthouse for its fabulous location on the cusp of Edgewater. Don's Lighthouse crowd skews a bit older. The ambiance feels very old-fashioned. That's not a bad thing, it's just not a super young and hip place. The decor is muted and the atmosphere isn't super warm and inviting. But, the food is good and the service is top-notch. It's a more expensive option for a meal, so know that going in! For brunch, we started with the shrimp cocktail. The shrimp were large and succulent! For the main course, we both had the crab benedict. The dish had great presentation but needed more hollandaise sauce (why does no place ever give you enough hollandaise sauce?). Next time I might try something different from the menu. I loved the large size of the brunch cocktails! It's so nice to see a mimosa in a nice, deep glass and not just a flimsy champagne flute. Those mimosas were strong and delicious! read more

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This place is such a great spot for a date night! The food, the drinks, the service - all impeccable! They dim the lights for dinner service to give you that romantic vibe as well as set a cutesie little crystal candle on your table. We ordered the Maryland crab cake to start, and believe me, it is A CAKE! It is decent enough to split between two people but it is just the one so be warned. It was so fresh and delicious. We also ordered the calamari and ohh, it is GOOD! I'd say some of the best I've ever had and I am a huge calamari fan. I ordered the filet mignon and scampi with broccolini and mashed potatoes - it was cooked to perfection and was melt in your mouth tender. My date ordered the salmon with spanish rice, roasted poblano, sweet potato and the sauce they put on it was divine. I only managed to take the one photo, doh! I always think about it too late. But I snagged a photo of our entrees, which of course were the main attraction. I'd definitely go back here when I'm in town again! read more

Don's Lighthouse - Filet and scampi Faroe Island Salmon - Seafood Near Me - Cleveland, Ohio

Fabulous! It's a step back in time for me when I come to Dons Lighthouse. When I was a kid you came for birthdays, graduation or when you wanted great seafood and that hasn't changed, only just keeps getting better. The bar was packed, with a separate menu of lighter fare and handheld bites, perfect for when you want happy hour with great food. Tonight, it was a party of three, reservations were made and we were seated right in time. Around if drinks ordered, appetizers and soups ordered and HOT fresh bread was delivered. The menu is always spectacular, with Fall in the air you can get a northeast Ohio classic, a clambake or if you are feeling fancy you opt for the lobster bake. I opted for a special...the megatail with garlic mashed potatoes and fresh green beans. Before dinner cans out, I had the Manhattan seafood chowder and it was fresh and delicious. I moved on to the garlic wine clams, perfectly steamed! Now in to the main course...the megatail lobster tail. It was huge, succulent and melted in my mouth, good enough you almost didn't need the drawn butter. Of course I used the butter, it makes everything better. So if you are visiting cleveland, taking your wife to dinner or want the perfect happy hour look no further than a true cleveland landmark...Dons Lighthouse. read more

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First time here after driving past it for year and it didn't disappoint. We started with a nice shrimp cocktail and feisty bread. I ordered the surf & turf accompanied by whipped potatoes and green beans. My husband ordered the Portuguese seafood stew. The portions were ample and dishes were flavorful. read more

Don's Lighthouse - Filet & Lobster (6oz each) - Seafood Near Me - Cleveland, Ohio

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Don's Lighthouse is an absolute delight on all levels and clearly deserves a much higher rating than currently stated. We were treated like royalty since the front door. It was our anniversary and everyone went above and beyond to make us feel special. Patty, our waitress, was a sweetheart, kind, knowledgeable, and a pleasure throughout the whole meal. The setting is ultra cute, almost with a cruise ship vibe, that intertwines very well with the great seafood offers. I am always on "silverware alert" as so many places in Cleveland don't change your silverware between appetizer and entree, which is a shock for us as Europeans. Don's aces in that regard. Now down to the gourmand business that brings you here. The Don's sampler was a very good mix of sea and garden, with shrimp cocktail, corn-enhanced crab cake, and tomato bruschetta. For mains my wife had the Portuguese seafood stew that was delicious (and we're among the handful of Portuguese living in Cleveland, so there you go). I had the seared scallops and they were great as well, love the pairing with spinach, carrot and pine nuts. Don's Lighthouse kindly treated us for dessert with another highlight, the custard-filled chocolate eclair is delish, it's very well sized but you'll be craving for even more. Overall an outstanding experience, Don's Lighthouse may not have the bells and whistles in terms of decor of some other places in town but knocks them down in quality of food and service, well deserved 5 stars and i'm sure we'll be regulars. read more

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I was excited to try the signature plant-based dish at my recent visit to Don's Lighthouse Grille, a great spot situated just south of Edgewater Park on Lake Avenue. I had the Thai Coconut Curry, a beautiful, vibrant, and flavorful dish made with tofu, cilantro rice, ginger, onion, coconut milk, cranberry & apple chutney and garnished with coconut flakes. This dish was everything you'd expect from a well-designed plant-based dish: creamy, hearty, and bold, with bright hints of sweetness. Even our server, who had extolled the virtues of their seafood offerings when we sat down, remarked on how good the dish looked and smelled, and she was right. The team at Don's Lighthouse knocked this one out of the park. read more

Don's Lighthouse - Don's Lighthouse / Inside - Seafood Near Me - Cleveland, Ohio

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Was excited to try this restaurant but ended up disappointed. Went here for the first time for a coworkers birthday, who was equally as excited to try this restaurant (was in her top 5 seafood places to try). We were a table of 10, and were there for 4 hours due to service we we received being so slow. It should be noted that we were one of maybe 4 tables, not including some patrons at the bar, so it was as if our sever intentionally ignored us throughout the night. Our server didn't come by for food orders until well after we were all seated (so about an hour into it). It then took an additional hour to get our meals. From there, the birthday girl received the wrong order (which we didn't realize until after the fact). Her order was then split amongst all of us, which would have been fine and expected, had it been the correct order. It then seemed like an eternity between waiting for our checks, receiving messy desserts that were carelessly thrown into containers, missing crusts, little to no fruit, and then having to wait even longer for our checks to be collected. read more

Came here for restaurant week, 3 courses for $33. The meal was very filling & worth the visit! Our waiter was very kind & speedy with the service. I also enjoyed that we were able to make a reservation for the dinner via Open Table. The Steak Oscar was mouth watering with the mashed potatoes & sauce. The asparagus that came with it was very hard (maybe suggest another veggie if you get this). Overall, it was worth the trip for the food! Ambiance was subpar compared to other Cleveland restaurants. read more

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We visited Don's Lighthouse for Father's Day 2021. We were thrilled to get a last minute reservation. The restaurant was clean and not too loud, considering we sat in the bar area. They have a good menu with many options for seafood or steak. I opted for the Caesar Salad as my starter. The salad was good but the dressing tasted strongly of vinegar. For my main dish I had the 6 oz. filet with whipped potatoes and green beans. I added the homemade onion straws to the top of my meat. The meat was a perfectly cooked medium rare and I thought the potatoes were delicious as were the beans. The filet was in need of more seasoning. The onion straws were phenomenal! The perfect addition! We all enjoyed our meals although the lobster tail my dad ordered was very small. I look forward to going back and exploring the menu more. read more

Don's lighthouse has been a steeple in the City of Cleveland for many years and there's a good reason. The good the service just overall a wonderful experience very enjoyable. read more

Quite enjoyed Don's Lighthouse. I went early on a Saturday night before the dining room was in full swing. The service was great and the food was decadent. The views here of course don't compare to Pier W but it's still a pleasant experience overall. The ambiance is...interesting. The kitchen is open so you can see the chefs hard at work. I'm not sure this adds or takes away much but it's at least noteworthy. The filet & shrimp was filling and the catfish was incredibly flavorful. I'd definitely encourage you to opt for dessert. The smores bread pudding was divine - rich without being too sweet. Complimentary valet also worked out quite well. It's convenient and accessible. Tips are happily accepted, of course. All in all, this is a good restaurant for a nice dinner or special engagement. I do indeed recommend you check it out. read more

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