F.M. Don's in Punta Gorda - Phone Number, Reservations, Reviews

Started with a server that acted like they could care less to be there. Basically just a food runner. Never checked on us or asked how the food was…nothing. Wife ordered the tenderloin that looked sous vide with no type of sear on it. Demi glacé way too salty. She couldn’t even finish it. I ordered the boulliabase which was actually pretty good. Once we finally saw our server we asked him for a box and the check. He looked totally bothered by us. Probably will not return. We are locals. The place was not busy at all.

Everything was absolutely amazing but their filet mignon is OUT OF THIS WORLD!!!

I frequent F.M. Don's for a lunch meeting with a client about every 3 weeks. We were looking for a place to have my daughters baby shower and I remembered they have a meeting room. So, I enquired and the chef was great! We worked on putting a menu together, negotiated the perfect price and I was able to get into the room 1.5 hours early to decorate with our theme. The staff on hand was very gracious and attentive to our party. Of course, the food was amazing! We had a wonderful time and are grateful for everyone at F.M. Don's. HIGHLY RECOMMEND FOR YOUR NEXT GATHERING!

We came to Dinner in the middle of tropical storm Debbie.. when we got there TJ, who became our waiter, provided us with towels to dry off and then continued to treat us like royalty. Or appetizers of chicken livers and escargot were fantastic. My wife wanted to try the goat cheese appetizer and man it didn't disappoint! Creamy hot and with an apricot glaze.... Man we almost could not have our entrees. We took advantage of the 2 for 29 off season specials. The bison meatloaf was delicious and my wife raved over the carrots ,she said they are unlike anything she has had before! She even took a picture of the food! She never does that. Anyway, she is telling me that this is too long of a review but it is worth it! We will be back!

Our first time here, definitely won't be our last! Fresh, delicious food served by an awesome staff Sorry no pics. I had the healthy bowl with grilled chicken. Fresh and the chicken was done perfectly, juicy and flavorful. My husband had the essential burger. Another wow! Fresh, definitely homemade and cooked to order. Great drinks rounded out a perfect lunch. Our server TJ was attentive, informative, and friendly. He really made our dining experience special. We'll be back to try one of there summer specials soon. Thank you TJ for a great lunch and afternoon!

Best Cuban sandwich I've had in years without question. Great service at lunch and looking forward to dinner.

Great food and love the fact you have live music as well!

My wife and I came for dinner and had a great experience. The food was very good, the restaurant is nice, and the staff (possibly owner?) was very pleasant and stood out from other restaurants in the area in a positive way. Great experience all around, we will come back!

Unbelievable that we forgot to make reservations at a neighboring restaurant and decided to talk a walk downtown! No reservations needed here and I am so glad! We had a wonderful meal, great service, and, for a Saturday night, not crowded with loud drunk people! My appetizer was the Crispy Goat's Cheese and oh heavenly walnut crusted goodness I was happy! My meal was the Beef Bourguignon and it was melt in your mouth good! Flavorful and perfectly paired with the smoothest potatoes and sauteed veg. Dessert was an awesome Key lime pie. This is definitely one of my top meals and I will absolutely be a regular there!

Tuna stack appetizer was amazing but the beef tenderloin was even better! Best ever. Can’t wait to go back!!!

Had the beef bourguignon for supper. The piece of beef was tiny and I picked away about half of it because of the fat. I know short rib isn’t the leanest, but cmon $30 for 3 bites of quality? I will say they were tasty bites, and the service was great.

We braved the storms and finally made it to FM Dons tonight! If you haven't tried this place yet, you're missing out. Once I saw the appetizer menu, I knew we had to start with the chicken liver pate. When we visited northern Italy, we would see it on the menu all the time...you just don't see it on many menus here in SWFL, so when we see it, it's a must-have. Paired with their fig jam and crostini, it was amazing! When it came to the main course, we chose the Beef Bourguignon, which was a braised short rib over whipped potatoes and whole carrots. My wife had the snapper with brussels and potatoes. Both dishes were cooked to perfection and I was even able to bring a little bit of the short rib home for tomorrow. Chef/owner Keith and his wife Stacey took the time to stop by the table and say hello...just a perfect evening and definitely worth the drive. We can't wait to come back and explore the rest of the menu!

Father's Day brunch. Ordered a BRUNCH burger. It was meat, cheese, bun. Flavorless. Although , surprisingly enough, it was cooked to the requested temperature. But a brunch burger she be.... brunch? Maybe throw an egg on ot? Idk call me crazy but everything here is always missing something. My wife and I have tried three times and the juice isn't worth the squeeze.

I have not eaten here and only had cocktails but it had a great atmosphere.

Very good... better, actually. I had a chicken sandwich. Tremendous!

First time here and I really enjoyed it.

I enjoyed the food at this restaurant. We had the tuna for an appetizer, and I had the grouper special my boyfriend had the beef Borgenion. Service was excellent. Menu has many options.

This place is awesome! Great food, service & atmosphere

Healthy Bowl with chicken was so good.

It was my first visit.I had an appetizer and it was fabulous.I will return!!!

Do yourself a favor and try this restaurant!! We are not from the area, we live 40 minutes away so I Googled restaurants and FM Dons came up but they didn’t have a menu on the website. We were walking , on our way to another restaurant and I said let’s just go in and ask to see a menu. I could have ordered anything on this menu! I went with the chicken salad on a croissant with a side house salad and my wife who just turned to plant based eating was so excited because there was a plant based entree on the menu. Service and atmosphere was great. Enjoyed our lunch and will drive to this restaurant again

Wonderful meal! Pleasantly surprised at how reasonable the menu prices are, and how beautifully it was presented! Will be going back before our vacation is over!

Great location. Our meeting place. Lunch and dinner.

First time at this place. Healthy Bowl with Quinoa, Farro, Rice and Slaw was missing Farro, Rice and Slaw. In addition, the prices we were charged for our lunch were 75% (!!!) higher than what was posted on their website. Live and learn...

We absolutely love this place! Get the goat cheese app, it’s incredible! The short ribs dinner is a must! The service and the atmosphere are amazing. You won’t regret checking this place out!

What has happened to the food, drinks & service here? Jambalaya was terrible, expensive $28 & delivered cold. Waiter never came to check how our food was. 3 sips of wine on the pour???

I’m only giving 3 stars because the drinks were good. The food was so plain and disappointing. The lamb shank was flavorless. You’ll get more flavor from a can of chef boyardee ravioli. I felt like we were being robbed at gun point paying for the bill.

We are regular patrons there and live in Punta Gorda. We had two guests come into town and went there this past Monday night to have some drinks and get a bite at the bar. We warned our guests in advance that the service isn’t that great but the food is very good and a nice atmosphere.. We arrived at 6:50PM and the bar was pretty full but not four seats together at the bar for four people. Half of the high tables in the bar area were empty but not yet cleaned off so we asked the hostess if we could take one of the high tops to have drinks and dinner. She told me that she wouldn’t have anything available until at least 7:30 and that the kitchen was backed up. I stated that we could have some drinks and didn’t mind waiting a bit for food. She rudely said I already told you the kitchen was backed up and no tables available until at least 7:30 that was 50 minutes away just to clean off a table? The place at that time was not really that busy. Needless to say we left to go somewhere else and our guests commented on how rude the hostess was. They knew we went regularly and stated not good practice to treat regulars that way. I rated atmosphere low also because of the service or lack thereof. We have spent quite a bit there and NEVER again until the owners do something to address their very poor customer service!

This is our "GO TO" restaurant in town. Food is always good.

Our third visit in one week!! what does that tell you, and we have to drive 35 minutes to get there!

I love FM Don's. We have been there a lot since we moved to Punta Gorda 6 years ago and they are almost always great. The best rib eye steak that I ever had was consumed there. However, the last two $42 ribeye steak dinners that I had there were not cooked as I requested. The steak was still good, but not rare. I am always insistent and very vocal about getting a rare steak and to get two over-cooked steaks in a row... well, that displeases me.

If you go to FM Dons, you gotta get the pork chop. The best I've had in the States.

All the dinners were wonderful. I had the salmon and my husband had the pork chops. The server, Kennedy, provided exceptional service. The whole party raved about their meals at the end of the celebration. We’ll definitely be back.

I would say short staffed affected service. They were busy and staff were too.

Waitress left the table in the middle of taking our drink order and didn’t return for at least 20 min. Escargot was saturated with canned garlic. Mentioned it to the waitress and she said that’s how she likes it. Did finish it bc it was pricey. Swordfish did not vibe with the sauce and was bitter. Liver pate, drinks, and salmon were good, as well as beef tenderloin. Although beef tenderloin was cold and portion was tiny. The leek soup was inedible due to the amount of salt (and I love salt). Mentioned to the waitress and she got an attitude. Had to go to the manager to have it taken off and they gave us a free dessert. Tried being nice to the waitress, as we could tell she was stressed, but she consistently gave an attitude back for no reason. I’m sure she had been dealing with drunk idiots all day due to the holiday, but no need to take it out on us. We understand the bad food was not her fault, but overall was a bad dining experience, not to mention, almost $200 for a kid and 3 adults.

I am visiting my parents and they rave about this place. So I called ahead to make a reservation and also let them know that I have celiac disease and an egg allergy. She said she put it on our reservation and just to mention it to the waiter when we got there. When we arrived, the hostess seated us and immediately got the chef, who is also the owner. He came to our table and went through the entire menu of what I could and shouldn’t eat (there wasn’t a lot I couldn’t eat). The majority of the menu is gluten free or could be made gluten free. I was so incredibly impressed by the service. My meal was absolutely fantastic. We got mussels for an appetizer, my husband and I split the Mediterranean salad and I got the Salmon which comes with cream corn which was out of this world. And then subbed mashed potatoes for brussel sprouts (I’m pregnant. So all the carbs for me.) everything was incredible and I was not sick at all! Highly recommend F.M. Dons. Definitely let your waiter know what’s going on and they will take care of you!

The 4 of us each had a different meal. All enjoyed but within an hour I was deathly ill from food poisoning. My wife called the restaurant to alert management that I had the Bouillabaisse and although very tasty it had made be very ill. I have eaten it before elsewhere and love all shellfish and seafood. No allergies here. Now one week later and never a call back from the restaurant. Very poor P R! I am now recovered but it was very bad for several days. One would think they would be concerned too?

We stopped in for a quick lunch and the food was very good, although the service at the outside table was all but nonexistent. I may return as the restaurant is high quality, so I assume poor service was not their normal service quality

Good food, service, and great atmosphere. Patio is wonderful with your fur babies welcome. Reasonable and GREAT portions. I highly recommend this place.

It was our first time eating here. The owners greated us and the head chef/owner came out to discuss the menu with her due to dietary restrictions. They were very accommodating with meal. The waitstaff were knowledgeable. Highly recommend.

What a cute place, charming,, friendly staff, and a delicious Cuban sandwich, they smoke the pork in house, and a nice Caesar salad.

I've always liked this place. We were there for the bar crawl. They didn't have enough staff on the outside bar. When 80 people show up for one team and only have an hour to be there, it needs faster service.

The food is awesome!! The staff are very friendly and the prices are very reasonable!

Always a great experience. Staff is very accommodating.

Live to sit outside and have cocktails 🍸

Went for dinner, several tables outside were open but the hostess asked if we had reservations, we had a friend say we could share her table, that didn't go over well with the hostess or waitress. We said we would like to order dinner and cocktails, with hesitation we were able to stay. Mind you, there were still tables that were vacant. They brought over the tuna tower in which the waiter said it was from another guest who didn’t want it, very weird but accepted it while we waited for our second order. We have been here several times over the past 15 years of living here and never have been treated so rudely before. (I didn't list all that happened) The check came out very quickly to get us to leave I presume. (No discount on getting another person's leftovers or extra rice chips) When did our town become so snoody? Very sad especially after I just read so many other people's experiences like mine.

Took our own fish in these guys do it up right excellent

It was too loud to carry on a conversation but I'd definitely go again because of the food and the service!

Stopped to listen to music, have a drink and appetizers. It didn't disappoint! Had the toasted martini, goat cheese and coconut shrimp. Great band.

Service was great. Had breakfast.. very good but potatoes were overcooked and I asked for English muffins and got white toast instead.

I get the plant based entree, never disappointed. Kudos to the chef.

The food was really good. We sat outside and enjoyed the fresh air.

The whole experience was mediocre at best. The atmosphere, the service, the food were all lacking. It’s a thrown together decor, nothing really special just random. The ceilings are dusty and gross. Our server wasn’t attentive or particularly friendly. Food was nothing special, fries were cold, the Turkey wrap was dry with a smidge of the avocado sauce, the Cuban had a weird taste. The only good thing was the mahi po boy.

They had brunch until 3 pm. The service and food were great, but the music was so loud I couldn't talk and enjoy the friends I was with. We had to talk loudly to hear each other.. we could not wait to leave.. I will go back when there is no music entertainment

Crusty shrimp starter was very tasty and NOT hot.

Always a pleasure to eat here, no matter what you get. Attended a Christmas party they catered as well,🙌🙌

Stop in and try the escargot ! So delicious . Bright and airy atmosphere and friendly staff !

The only place in PG that was open on New years day. Food was amazing and scrumptious.

Fabulous New Year's Eve And could have not been better. The staff went all out And the food was outstanding. Here's Happy New Year's too Everyone who is reading this we hope you have a wonderful year

One of the best we've found in Punta Gorda. Great food & service 😀 12-27-2023 Kennedy is an Outstanding server Food is wonderful, as usual!

No reservations but seated us. Wait staff very accommodating and helpful. Very pleasant experience.

They stole 100$ out of my account after I told them I wanted to cancel my membership ! The owner is a thief !!! Can’t wait to get my lawyer on them!

Very nice place to eat. Upscale from some of the other local places

Live music, good food. We enjoyed our lunch.

Breakfast with Santa, then the Parade. It was a very special day. Reservations were necessary and so worth it. I hear normal hours and menu are good too. Very friendly atmosphere.

Great food! Great service. Goat cheese is phenomenal! Always love Kathleen.

Always a great time and the food never misses.

Went here with a party of 10 for a neighbor reunion. Dinner from sit down to leave was 2 /12 hrs. It was a Monday night. Not that crowded. Drinks took forever, my Swordfish came out cold. 2 other dishes were cold. Told Kennedy our served. She was very apologetic and took my plate for a new one. My wife and other plate was cold also but did not want to make a fuss about it. It took 45 minutes to get are bill processed. At the end of our dinner finally, finally the manager came out to apologize for the payment processing took so long. My meal they complimented but that’s it. The manager should have said come back please , we want to earn your business again. Here’s a free drinks on us or something in that matter. Kennedy was great. She did her best to serve us and tried her best to make our evening stay afloat. I blame the manager for her not addressing our poor food quality at the time it happened. We and our 8 couples will not be back. Better off going to Carmella’s for great food and service

Awesome food, service, & delicious cocktails

Walked in with my wife and 17 month son. Was not offered children’s menu, I had to change my sons dirty diaper on the booth due to the restaurant not having a changing table available? High chair that was given did not have a usable safety harness.. when we got up to leave after poor service. Did not blink.. I expected a lot better.

Stopped by and my husband and I had the best Bloody Mary. The bartender was awesome too. I am really bad with names but we stopped on Sunday Oct. 8 shortly after they opened.

Ben and Taylor the bartenders are wonderful. Great personalities! Food and beverages are great

Great place to eat! Awesome food and service!

I ate two dinners there, and they both were very tasty !

The appetizers are fantastic. We make our meal out of them. Shrimp and grits are also my go to. I can honestly say we've never had a bad meal here. Service is great too

Had a birthday party for my wife. Everything was perfect.

I thought the French toast could have had a crisper finish. There were pieces that did and pieces that had a soft gooey texture. I left the latter on the plate. The bacon was done to perfection. Liked the twist of the Market mimosa.

3 of 4 meals were great. Service could not have been better. Beef tips were superb, but the fish (MahiMahi) and chips lacked flavor and was dry. The coleslaw was also bland.

Great food and service, awesome experience. I can't wait to go back and try other options on the menu.

Ordered short ribs. Tasted like chuck roast. No ribs at all. Not going back to soon.

First time here and was not disappointed. Wife had the pan roasted gulf grouper and I had the prime rib eye. Both were perfect. Service was excellent. We'll return.

Muy mala atención no se si será porque soy latino oh no se pero solo me tiraron la comida y tenia más hielo que gaseosa no se que les paso antes dos señoras me atendieron bien hoy ya no

Food is always great. Love the ambience.

We always have a great time here. I generally go during lunch and sit inside. Quiet, good food, great service. Would recommend.

Nice for drinks and small celebrations

Wonderful. Great food. Great service.

The way the owner treats customers is beyond despicable (you will be asked to move tables if her friends come in). Hopefully when you go to this restaurant you aren't treated terribly because the food can be tasteful but that doesn't excuse the disrespect you may receive because you're not a local or a well known member. Don't ever go for an event, try to go during the slow times.

Enjoyed drinks in the heart of downtown Punta Gorda. Centrally located it has a cool vibe with it's indoor and outdoor bar.

Ordered chicken salad on croissant. TWO chicken rib bones in the chicken salad! I told server to tell the kitchen to check the chicken salad so no one chokes on bones. She shrugged and gave me my bill. The bones were still on my plate. Will not be back

Love this place, very nice! Food was excellent as was the service

Nice ambiance inside. Fri nite entertainment outside. Outside bar counter is ridiculously high. Service is always slow. I'm vegetarian - salads are good & they have 1 heart healthy dish.

The food is great!!! The servers are great, and so friendly it feels like u know them forever great place!!!

Absolutely wonderful place. The food was so delicious and the service top notch.

Hosted a family event for my graduation party and honestly should’ve picked anywhere else. It took an hour alone just to get drinks and 2 appetizers with portion sizes that made the restaurant seem like they were rationing their food supplies. Entrees roll out and my mother was handed the same dish twice, both incorrectly prepared but her boyfriend didn’t even get his food until 20 minutes after all the rest of the table did. A couple of us had foreign objects in our water glasses that weren’t even returned when we brought it to our waitress’s attention. I had way higher expectations for this restaurant especially for this celebratory occasion.

The staff was so friendly, the food was very delicious. The mussels tasted so fresh and that sauce amazing. Unfortunately, I don't live in Florida but I definitely recommend this restaurant.

Goat cheese appetizer was great, excellent service.

Weekday lunch stop. Great service, food and atmosphere!

Went to this place twice the past couple of weeks and both times were excellent. The food is great and the servers are smiling. We got Coconut Shrimp, Chicken Liver (french girl over her) I loved it. We also had the Pimento Cheese and the Goat Cheese. Everything was excellent. I definitely recommend this place. (6 years ago -Jacks) Awesome service, the server was fantastic and smiling. The food was really good, I got the mac nut goat cheese. I will come back for it. Loved it.

Delicious. Can't wait to go back.

I love this spot. We came as a party of 7. Waitress was on point, stayed on top of drinks throughout the night. Dinner was served hot and delicious. Def worth the trip from Cape Coral.