We had been looking forward to eating here for many months and finally had an opportunity. Reservation for 2 at 7pm bar seating. Waited 5 minutes or so to be seated, very cool entrance. Seated and server took drink orders- limited choice Of alcohols - hubby order an old fashioned- bar tender said the only bourbon was legend after he searched- I ordered a lucky lavender. Both were good, not great- we ordered our food in about 10 minutes when they finally took our order, we ordered the biscuits and went ahead and ordered entrees at the same time- venison meatloaf and the burger- she said the chef recommended it medium and I agreed. Biscuits came out in a few minutes- biscuits were good, fluffy and warm. We sat there nursing our drinks and only finished 1/2 a biscuit each- after an hour the bartender noticed we had not ever received our food. Our server did not check again- we told him( the bartender that we were ready to just pay for our drinks and biscuits and leave. He did try to check on the food and apologized and said it was still going to be a long wait We paid our tab, we're never offered the opportunity to take the biscuits that were left. I had observed 3 other couples at the bar have theirs boxed to go without having to ask. Needless to say we left with no plans to return. The male bartender walked us out and apologized and said if you do ever decide to come back- I will pay for your food. He was very nice. A few other observations: [[HIGHLIGHT]]The servers were using a torch to smoke drinks at the end of the bar- with sparks flying everywhere and less than 2 feet away from a gentleman eating.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] [[HIGHLIGHT]]One bathroom of two did not have a functioning toilet.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] [[HIGHLIGHT]]The swinging doors to left of the bar broke while we were there- the bottom hinge came out of the wall.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] They do not serve beer, we're out of 3 wines and out of tea and the New York strip when we arrived. The menu looked great and we sadly will not be reviewing the food. [[HIGHLIGHT]]The interior is very nice- great vibes- just needed a couple of quick fixes to door, toilet, ceiling board.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] There was no service recovery by a manager- no apology, nothing but an embarrassed bartender- who was busy mixing drinks with his limited inventory. Yes, we tipped and the total was 64.67 for 2 drinks and what amounted to 1 biscuit with butter and an hour and a half of our Saturday night. read more

DONS Southern Social - Biscuits with butter candle - Southern Near Me - Hot Springs, Arkansas

Honestly, I had high hopes for this place. The food was horrendous. While the server was kind, the food and drinks took forever. [[HIGHLIGHT]]The ambiance was less than ideal too- very bright lights, an empty dining room, only one server and one bartender working.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] I would give the food a 1/10. The only redeeming quality were the biscuits that came with the butter candle, those were pretty decent. Also, the liquor/wine selection was terrible. No blanco tequila, wine is very minimal. I had a pretty bad Sauvignon blanc.** update. 2 out of the 6 of us, almost immediately after dinner, have stomach issues. Again, the servers were very kind. Food was terrible. read more

I don't even know where to start with this one. We've been coming to Hot Springs for 8 years, we have had some decent dining experiences but nothing that tops DONS. This establishment is a speakeasy and an outstanding one at that. Not only was the presentation phenomenal but the food ...DELIVERED!!. The prices were amazing and portions were large. Music and atmosphere was vibing. We had the pleasure of sitting in their private dining room which was an intimate experience. We couldn't choose on the appetizers so we ordered all of them. Our favorite appetizers in order, the pork belly, fish sticks, biscuits, deviled egg and crab cakes. Favorite entrees was KFC and the burger. The alcoholic beverages were also amazing and strong. We exited the restaurant through an iconic British red phone booth. Touché to the chef and Jaylene. read more

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The food was good but not great [[HIGHLIGHT]]The ambiance in how to get in was amazing.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] [[HIGHLIGHT]]What would make better if you had de or like a speakeasy and maybe big band music[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] read more

Go to Don's! Yes, it is a Speakeasy type of vibe. Reserve, get your password and go! I had the pleasure of meeting Chef Joshua who is a local who went away to Savannah to expand his culinary skills for several years before returning home to Don's and it shows! The food presentation was excellent along with personable service. read more

Apricot butter candle.... It's real butter for your biscuits...need I say more? [[HIGHLIGHT]]Speak easy ambiance I'll keep a suprise.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Make a reservation but they were able to cater to our walk-in. Best meal in my life. read more

DONS Southern Social - Apricot butter candle.... It's real butter for your biscuits...need I say more? - Southern Near Me - Hot Springs, Arkansas

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This was a fine discovery thanks to Yelp. Where to eat in Hot Springs? A town I've never visited before. Yelp had the answer. Photos and review of this recently opened "new Southern" style restaurant were promising. You arrive to an empty looking storefront that doesn't appear to be a restaurant. You are then escorted behind a revolving bookcase to the main dining room, like a speakeasy and you're an invited guest. I sat at the bar while the bartender was working on a smoked beverage. I'll have one of those please, a smoked Old Fashioned. My entree choice, duck, wasn't available but I had a tasty slab of pork belly with some grits and black eyed peas. I've had this style of new southern cuisine in Charleston, Nashville and Atlanta and it was nice to find it on my trip to Hot Springs. Alas, my dessert choice was also not available, but that siding detract from a generally excellent experience. read more

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Good country food. Huge servings, good service..[[HIGHLIGHT]]in an old yellow house with a comfortable feeling like going into the past.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] [[HIGHLIGHT]]But on the main drag on Central Ave.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] read more

What an experience! I wont give away the details but we had a fantastic dinner with an awesome server (shout out to Jen) and would love to live closer to be able to go back. Highly recommend! read more

DONS Southern Social - Devils Egg - Southern Near Me - Hot Springs, Arkansas

Had a great dinner. The experience was wonderful. The place was so nice and we enjoyed the art and decor. We had a try both the biscuits w/butter candle and the pork belly. OMG I wish I could cook grits that good. My husband had the steak and I had the salmon. Both very good. The presentation on the campfire pie was too sweet. Our waitress was the best. She made suggestions and was attentive and so sweet. It was such a good night. read more

DONS Southern Social - Southern Near Me - Hot Springs, Arkansas

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Came to DONS Southern Social as a group and overall had a very lovely experience. TIP: Make a reservation. They were turning people away who did not have them. Do not enter through the phone booth. The entrance is through the gallery on Central. Pros: Overall a very fun experience and vibe. It was fun to walk in through the bookshelf. The restaurant has lovely decor and the tables are suspended from the ceiling which is neat. The servers were very attentive and kind. We were checked on often throughout our dining experience. Also my friend had her 10 month old and they made her a special purée for the baby which I thought was so kind and attentive. The highlight of our trip was the desserts! We got the pie flight and it was divine!! I would highly recommend it also I just loved the window used to present the dessert. Cons: I will say I was not wowed by the food. I expected higher prices due to the upscale dining but I did not really feel like the price point matched the quality of the food. We got the fried green tomatoes, pink cake (salmon), and deviled eggs. I felt they were just okay. I think for the price point I was expecting very flavorful and unique dishes. They were presented well but overall I felt they were just okay. Overall, I would return again and enjoyed my time. read more

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Service was our favorite. They were all amazing people. Our waitress offered to make a key lime martini and it was the best thing ever. The food was great. The place itself was very cool. There was a crazy guy who came in off the street and started the threatening the seating hostess and kind of scaring everyone waiting in the lobby and she handled him very professionally and the cops were called appropriately- but other than that everything went perfect. read more

I wish I could give more than 5 stars!! Don't waste your time going to any other "fine dining" in Hot Springs. DONS is what you're looking for. My finance and I got engaged in Hot Springs and decided to celebrate with a nice dinner and chose DONS. I'm so glad we did. The food was top tier, service was individualized and personal, menu was creative, and the drinks were superb as well. [[HIGHLIGHT]]We also loved the hidden/password-needed aspect upon entry.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] We ordered the biscuits, Brussels sprouts, The Silent G lasagna, the burger, and the lemon cheesecake. All of these were AMAZING, but what really stood out to us was the Brussels, the burger, and the cheesecake. I have never had better food in my life. Even my culinary finance sang DONS praises. read more

DONS Southern Social - Cheesecake - Southern Near Me - Hot Springs, Arkansas

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To be honest it was a let down ... we were seated outside on the patio, next to a very busy street with lots of noise. We ordered four "tid bits", pork belly burnt ends were the best of the four and were very good. The fried Brussels, came out barely warm at all. The fish and chips is a salmon dip with cornbread "chips", it was ok, the crab cake however barely had a crunch on the top and was just mushy. Was just disappointing for my birthday dinner... especially when locals had hyped it up so much. Sorry the photos were an afterthought once we were done read more

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Cool place. My problem is they were out of like 25% of their menu....to include the biscuits. How do you run out of biscuits if they're homemade? The likely issue is that our reservation was at 9pm. One of the main things you have to do as a restaurant is get food and cook it. Missed the first part. Burger was close to raw. The little piggies were tasty but overcooked. Way overpriced for the quality of the food. Don't bother.... read more

DONS Southern Social - Burger - Southern Near Me - Hot Springs, Arkansas

This was the most amazing experience!! It makes you want to take all of your friends to share the fun and fabulous food. My husband had the "Saul" - salmon. The best he's ever had, he said. I had the pasta with roasted duck confit and it, too, was divine. Mattie was a delightful server and the host in the at the front art gallery was extremely personable. Next time we are in Hot Springs, we will definitely be back!! ​ read more

DONS Southern Social - The salmon dish that is on the fall 2025 menu. - Southern Near Me - Hot Springs, Arkansas

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Beat lasagna I've ever had! Smoked duck lasagna and the greens were some of the best greens, and the brioche donut for desert was amazing! The speakeasy experience was cool and had a chance to shake the chefs hand since you get to leave through the kitchen or through [[HIGHLIGHT]]the old phone booth[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]]. Definitely recommend read more

Interesting place but mid food. Definitely not worth what we paid but we tried it out. [[HIGHLIGHT]]Speakeasy with a hidden code was fun[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]], again but don't expect over the top food and it's nearly impossible to find a menu of what they have as they change it so often. read more

Inventive and delicious!! DONS delivers from the moment you go through one of their secret entrances with your passcode and carries on through every course. We started with the Sweet Potato Rolls and Butter, Stuffing Balls, and Crab Cake. All were the delicious! For our mains we had the Fried Chicken, Pork Chop, and the Duck. Everything was amazing but the Duck Confit was special.... Get it! We closed out with the banana Foster's desert and a few dessert cocktails. All of which were delicious and the perfect amount of sweet. DONS is hidden away in Hot Springs as a speakeasy but has to be one of the best restaurants and chefs in the country! read more

DONS Southern Social - Duck Confit - Southern Near Me - Hot Springs, Arkansas

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Let me start by saying that we were really looking forward to eating here, and had saved it for the last night of our trip. The idea of a restaurant in a speakeasy sounded like a lot of fun. At first, it didn't disappoint. Entering the restaurant is fun and the upstairs has a good vibe. Our service was great. However, our table was downstairs... in the basement. It had rained heavily earlier in the day and the basement was musty. The first table they sat us at had mold growing in the ceiling. Things didn't get much better. The menu is excellent but the food is mediocre. The appetizers and entrees were bland. Having said all that, the idea of the restaurant definitely outshines the execution. read more

Absolutely awesome foods. Pork belly and oysters were top three favorites of all time. Steaks were also excellent.

I do not recommend this restaurant. We had a group of 12 from several states. Our server did amazing but the food was just ok nothing special. One person didn't receive their food until everyone else was finished. The owner would not provide any relief on the bill. read more

This place is so close to 5 stars! The execution on the food is lacking and the wording for the menu descriptions need tweaking. The group I went with all loved the unique experience at DONS, but the bottom line is that the prices were pretty high and the menu a bit small to not be getting it near perfect. So let's get into it. FOOD *The burger was stated to come with "truffle steak fries," but my friend who ordered this plate didn't taste a hint of truffle...and neither did I or any one else at the table. My friend was also expecting fries, which was what she was craving, but instead she was served (what seemed to be roasted, not fried) potato wedges. She did say the burger itself was phenomenal! *The KFC plate: the chicken crust tasted and looked over-fried (it appeared to have some burnt parts)...super disappointing; however, aside from the "over-fried taste," the flavor was actually very good and the chicken was moist and juicy on the inside. Plus, it was quite large. The "kimchi" collard greens didn't have any kimchi flavor IMO and were on the blander side, but I will say my friend enjoyed the taste of them, although this puzzled me. And lastly, the Gouda gnocchi had flavor out of this world!! BUT (and I wish there wasn't a "but"!) the texture was very off for both the gnocchi and the cheese sauce. The cheese sauce didn't feel smooth and the gnocchi was almost dry and crumbly on the inside. KFC was close to being an incredible dish. *My friend's pork chop also seemed to be over-fried/burnt. *My sister loved her salmon dish. I tasted it, and the flavors were on point. *The smoked duck lasagna had great flavor and presentation. No complaints there. *The biscuit app was cool with the butter candle. Biscuits tasted good but were nothing special. DRINKS *The Sake drink on their fall drink menu was extremely delicious and very well balanced. *The whiskey cocktail with apple simple syrup and lemon was not as expected and was not balanced. It was brought smoked, which was a nice presentation...but neither myself nor my friend, who also ordered one, was expecting it. I don't believe it was written on the menu. If we had known, we wouldn't have ordered it. So we felt this to be misleading. It was super smoky and tasted like a strong scotch old fashioned. There was NO hint of apple, lemon, or any sweetness. This could very well be a bad interpretation on our part, as we were expecting more of a fall whiskey sour over an old-fashioned. We embarrassingly asked our server for more apple syrup, which she happily did for us. Normally, we'd suck it up and just drink it, but we knew the high price, (which would later include a 33% tax increase). Even with the added sweetness, we still tasted no apple. Clearer menu descriptions would help fix some of that. *The espresso martini was delicious and beautiful. SERVICE *Decent service. Kind server. A bit slow. Overall, very friendly staff. I know this is outrageously long, but I hope the business takes my critiques into consideration, as I have deep appreciation for their craft, especially their attention to detail, quality, and creativity. So big fan of it all. I just wish it was better read more

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Food and cocktails were awesome! [[HIGHLIGHT]]We love the atmosphere.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Make sure to get your reservation for the weekend early in the week. read more

Overall the experience was great! [[HIGHLIGHT]]Speakeasy vibe so finding the place was a little tricky but cool.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Food and service were wonderful. Would've been good to know that the lasagna was going to be a bit spicy but overall we'd def recommend and return!! read more

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[[HIGHLIGHT]]The secret entrance was cool, but the salmon wasn't so speakeasy on our stomachs.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] After enjoying the appetizer of hot biscuits and the apricot butter candle, my friend and I both ordered the Better Call Saul-man, which WAS too spicy after all. Too bad I couldn't call Saul when we were puking up our guts just a few hours later! I did call, message, and email the restaurant, but unfortunately, they say they can't issue a refund without a "verified report"... All that to say, enjoy the experience, but don't order the fish unless you want to be up all night. read more

Nice atmosphere. Love the speakeasy vibe. Unique and delicious food. Our server was very attentive and friendly. read more

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My husband and I went here for a late breakfast. [[HIGHLIGHT]]The atmosphere was quiet and pleasant.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] The service was friendly and great. We both had the eggs benedict. Some of the best we've ever had. read more

The code for the reservation never arrived, the drink menu was severely limited, the food was good but way over priced for the fare. Probably will not return. The service was nice read more

The atmosphere if perfect and unique, the music, Staff and drinks are wonderful. The food is not my taste.

Can't remember the names of the drinks, but husbands was like an apple old fashion and I think mine was called 2433 kind of like a margarita sort of. But we had the smorgasbord, husband had the salmon and risotto. I had the crabby patty. It was probably the best crab cake I've ever had. The food was great. Finished with an after dinner coffee. read more

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The experience was nice, the servers were amazing and the food was ok. The price was above what I experienced. I have no problem paying $500 for a four person dinner. But it better be a $500 dinner and it was not. To note, I would upgrade the meat quality for the steak, it was the highest priced item and tough as a boot. read more

An amazing experience from the entrance to the exit. The service was first class and the food was incredible. Crab cake for appetizer, salmon for dinner and 2 desserts...i need this place to follow me home read more

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