We have tried the bison meatloaf and short ribs, and everything was excellent. Nice ambience, courteous staff.

This used to be my favorite place to eat back when it was Jack's on the Marion. No more! I am not happy with a limited menu for lunch or dinner. I saw a few couples look at the menu, then leave (not good). The menu used to be more varied. I also didn't care for the house wine, sweet for a Pinot Gricio. I exchanged it for a glass of Italian Pinot Gricio. To my surprise, a half glass was $9. Too much for too little. Tonight, we had a great server. His name was Richard. He made us laugh. He was Johnny on the spot with great humor. He and he alone made our evening. read more

A disappointment as our expectations were high. We were excited to try FMD's because we are fans of Chef Keith Meyer from Trabue. Unfortunately, the menu is not the inspired upgrade to Jack's on Marion's that we had hoped for. The menu is fine, as is the food. And the service. The space and environment is essentially unchanged and if you missed the new name on the building, you would just assume you were at Jack's. Simply said, if you liked Jack's, you'll like FM Don's, but don't set your expectations too high if you're looking for a significant upgrade. read more

This is what was enjoyed by my dining group of three: Crispy Shrimp app, Coconut Shrimp app, Chicken Liver & Fig Jam app, two Bison Meatloaf and one Grouper & Grits (which were tasty-yummy). Everything was good and efficient. My "Jack's Relaxer" cocktail was delicious and refreshing. I understand they just changed their name recently. read more

Melody was our waitress and she was awesome. Food was good. We started with the escargot which was amazing. Shared a wedge salad, which was also very good. Ordered the fish and chips which was a bit on the bland side. Definitely enjoyed the experience and the service made it even better. read more

We had dinner here tonight on the last night of our vacation and we were looking forward to a relaxing dinner and a cocktail. We arrived for our 7 PM reservation 15 minutes early and decided to sit outside as it was the first night the air was pleasant enough. We waited about 15 minutes until someone finally came to take our drink order. We mentioned to our server we were going to start with splitting a wedge salad. Ten minutes later, still no drinks and no placing our main entree order and here comes the salads. In the mean time about a dozen loud obnoxious drunk young adults come the outdoor bar and loudly start partying. Who cares about the people outside trying to have a nice evening! Still no drinks and no server. Hubby goes in to ask the hostess if we could see the manager. The owner comes out to see what the problem is. Hello, you don't hear the obnoxious drunks at your bar ruining the outdoor patrons evening? She said thanks for letting us know!! Server finally appears again and obnoxious drunks move on to their next bar. The rest of the evening goes ok as the food was very good. And I have to say the 16 year old hostess had the most brains of the bunch. Very attentive. So, good food, lousy service and atmosphere. Owners apparently could care less whether we were happy. Wouldn't go back. read more

The only regret we have about FM Don's is that we didn't discover it sooner! We stopped in today for lunch and had a wonderful meal. We both had the Seafood Calypso soup, a delightful coconut tomato bisque type soup loaded with shrimp and scallops. I chose the small plate Tuna Tartare as my entree and my husband had the power bowl salad with salmon. Both were delicious! Service, presentation and flavor were all excellent. We'll be back soon! read more

Great restaurant. Food is delicious and service was great. Went with a group of 17 on a Friday night. They were very accommodating. We will definitely be back. Thank you for a great time. Leanne King read more

Nice night out in Punta Gorda. Server was pleasant and good was good. Place is reasonably priced. Filet Mignon was cooked as ordered, vegetables were cooked perfectly. Tuna was good. Coconut chicken was juicy and perfectly presented. Pork chop with shrimp was great. Would recommend this place to travelers. read more

Delicious dinner! It was our Anniversary and anticipated a great evening; we were not disappointed! We had the special $5 marinits and mussels, so very good! Dinner entrees were bison meatloaf and scallops.... so delicious! Dessert of coffee and coconut cake... just luscious! Our Server was excellent! She was there when needed and checked just enough times, very friendly. read more

Chef Keith has F.M. DON'S on a superb track! Four of us dined there last night and were uniformly impressed with the quality of our meals and the attentiveness of the servers and staff. While Perfect Caper has enjoyed "number one in Punta Gorda" status for years, F.M. DON'S is now as good and much cheaper! I had the swordfish. Best I have ever had either dining out or cooking at home! Great work folks!! read more

Went on Sunday early evening. Shocked by how few options there were available. So I decided on the scallops on creamed cauliflower. It came with roasted asparagus, carrots, and potatoes. The scallops were very tasty and loved the cauliflower, however, portion was small. Husband opted for fish and chips at $17 my scallops were $26. We bothe left hungry and disappeared that after food and tip bill was $58. This restaurant was a one and done for us. There are many other better options in Punta Gorda. read more

F M DON'S - Bars Near Me - Punta Gorda, Florida

Slow cooked pot roast on early dinner menu is a must. Try a Jacks Relaxer. Get hangout for locals so it must be good!

Jacks restaurant is a Punta Gorda themed full service restaurant with indoor outdoor dining, full service lounge. I had the macadamia nut grouper and it delicious and huge! Tuna poke was another favorite. Our server Chrisy was friendly and professional & helped narrow down the choice of their large menu. Next door is a martini lounge with the best chocolate martinis I've had. Fun place to people watch , too. read more

See all

Great food at a great price. Our server, Richard made it even more enjoyable. They have an outstanding early bird special and outdoor seating I strongly recommend Jacks read more

Went for dinner around 6:15. They were not very busy. My wife had the walnut & pear salad and the coconut shrimp appetizer as an entree and I had the seafood platter. The salad and coconut shrimp were very good but the seafood platter wasn't much. It was supposed to be grilled but really wasn't. If it looked like the picture listed it might have been good but the shrimp and scallops tasted steamed (no grill marks). The mahi had some sort of grill marks but not really. The crab cake could have had more crab and less cake. Service was ok. It seems to be more of a bar than a bar & grill. Don't think we'll be back. read more

Wonderful service and great food. The voo do shrimp appetizer is fantastic. We had 4 sandwiches and the roast beef was the best of the bunch! I travel here 1-2times a year and one of the best dining experiences I have had. Thanks!! read more

Best food you'll eat in Punta gorda the owner is very dedicated and cooks alongside his employees to make sure every plate comes out to his and the guest expectations read more

I have been to FM dons twice this year. Both meals were delicious. Meals do not come with a side salad so I ordered the ceasar salad from appetizer menu and it was huge, enough to share, just FYI. I have had Salmon, mussels and filet mignon here, all great. Dinner partner had the shrimp and grits which was well done as well. Staff was wearing masks, service this last time could have been better and could definitely have been more friendly. Otherwise very nice meal. A place I would return, hopefully with a different waitress. read more

Holding our client appreciation gathering in the banquet room was a huge success! All the clients were raving about the wonderful food and atmosphere of the restaurant! The service was excellent and we look forward to doing many more gatherings at Jack's! read more

My husband and I love coming in for a drink or two and appetizers. Nick is an amazing bartender and always remembers what we drink! The food is really great. I recommend the Tuna Tartar! It is amazing!!!!!! Great atmosphere, great service, amazing food!!!! read more

We called for a reservation for 10 and got a table within 10 minutes. Cassandra was friendly and very competent. The food was delicious. One person in our group said his steak was the best in Punta Gorda. We are all so happy we chose this restaurant for our supper read more

My husband and I love Chef Keith's offerings, so we were thrilled to finally have time to go to his newest place, FM Don's with our friends. This location in downtown Punta Gorda is right in the heart of the downtown which brings it's own nice vibe,especially; if the weather is nice enough to eat outside. The menu choices all sounded delicious and were reasonable priced. It was really hard to choose! We chose the liver pate and goat cheese appetizers to share. Delicious start and fortunately we had enough time to digest them before our meals came! Two of us chose the red wine beef short ribs, (one of our favorites from his other restaurant) one the pork chop and one the lemon roasted chicken. They were all scrumptious with beautiful presentations and left us wanting to come back to try one of his other offerings. Our waitress did a terrific job serving us which is always a plus. We are definitely looking forward to returning again soon! read more

I have enjoyed 2 dinners and recently tried the Sunday brunch. All were delish! I had the very best corn muffin I have ever tasted. I also purchased 3 scones to go......heavenly! Chef Keith Meyer and Chris Evans, you have a winner!!! Jan read more

That was the best swordfish I've ever had! The staff is friendly and Chef Keith came out to wish us a happy anniversary. Outstanding establishment. read more

Great dinner Taylor was an excellent server we will be back and ask for her again prices were good for outside seating

I am giving this place to stars because the music was good and the escargot appetizer was excellent. Otherwise this was not a good experience. The service was poor and very unattentive. The prime rib was like rubber and had no flavor and the potatoes served with it or undercooked and had no seasoning at all. Ask for horseradish sauce and butter to try to add some flavor to the meal and had to ask three different people before getting anything. It is also overpriced for a poor meal. Save your money dine elsewhere and come here for a drink and some music read more

I have been to FM Dons several times and always had a positive experience. Last night, I was there with guests from the East Coast. The service and communication from servers and management was extremely disappointing. When bread was requested along with the mussels, the waitress snapped they were out of bread. When we shared that was disappointing, she walked away and returned 5 minutes later with white bread and said she just baked it. When we brought this to the manager's attention, she thanked us for the feedback and walked away. Needless to say, after building the place up to my guests, I was extremely disappointed. read more

Excellent service, excellent prices and superbly excellent food and serving sizes! Highly recommended!!

My husband and I have eaten here many times and have never been disappointed. The food is always great! The service is great, the atmosphere is great. Perfect for a casual date night or a mid day lunch... FM Dons always delivers! read more

Last night we had their twice a month I believe It is dinner special - a 3 course Lobster dinner. It was terrific - the started soup - corn chowder was the best ever, lobster was yummy and the cheesecake dessert was wonderful. read more

Sunday brunch 1/30/22. Bartender 0, Food 4, waitress 5 = 9 (average=3 stars). Arrived mid afternoon to an extremely crowded bar with no masking. Restaurant hostess told us it would be a 15-20 minute wait to be seated in the restaurant. We asked if we could have a drink in the bar while we waited..we sat at a 2 top & was ignored the whole 15 minutes we waited. 5 minutes after we sat down a couple came in & sat at a 4 top near us. The gentleman waived at the bartender & she brought him a beer & took the ladies drink order. The bartender came back with her drink & then went back to the bar to retrieve a menu. The bartender passed by us again to take their food order, never acknowledging us nor making eye contact. We were never waited on in the bar After being seated in the restaurant 15 minutes later our experience was better. Food: when asked by the waitress (Denise) if our food was okay my husband replied that the waffle was stale tasting & without requesting, Denise brought him a fresh hot waffle. He said the chicken was delicious. I had the crab Benedict & the eggs were perfectly cooked. Note: the price for the crab Benedict was $3 more than is listed on the website - $20, not $17. Surprise! Our waitress, Denise, deserves 5 Stars! We may chose another restaurant next time we are in PG due to the bartender's treatment. She needs some customer service training!!! read more

The evening started out very nicely. Waitress was smiley and bubbly. Prime rib was cold and she graciously got me a new dinner. She did make an error on pricing. Everyone makes a mistake. She offered us a dessert. We just wanted the bill corrected. $8.00 well what we found out they upped the prices for New Years Eve. I specifically asked her if the salads were included. She said yes. She had to get a manager to come talk to us. The manager acted like we were criminals. The bill was corrected and thrown down on the table by the manager. We were totally ignored after that and neither the waitress or the manager came to total out the bill. Ok. Very honestly,the meal was nothing special. Skimpy at best. read more

Walked to FM Don's after walking out of TT's Tiki Bar because of the horrible service. We were seated immediately, had drinks and menus in minutes. Our group ordered a burger, the Cuban sandwich, coconut shrimp, tuna tartare and the asparagus and burrata salad. Food arrived quickly, and everything was excellent. The coconut shrimp was hot and crispy, and I'd eat the chutney that came with it with a spoon. The Cuban was reported to be the best ever, the tuna tartare was fresh and beautifully textured. The star however, was the asparagus and burrata salad. Field greens, crisp asparagus, artichoke hearts, prosciutto, cherry tomatoes, and a good sized burrata, all drizzled with balsamic vinaigrette and a fresh, light pesto. I would have been happy to pay $18 for it, but it was 10 bucks, an almost unbelievable bargain. We'll be regulars at Don's. read more

Just had a super lunch special of swordfish over green salad; service staff was friendly and attentive to every need.

New to the area, decided to take my family out to a local business, my server was Tammy by far the worst service ever, when asked for a manager, all the red head did was duck my table. My wife and daughter were extremely hungry and tired, seem like the server had no idea how to put our order in. It took 15 minutes just to get out drinks then another 25 for my daughters tasteless macaroni and cheese... then at 50 mins still no entrees and after asking numerously times to speak to a manager, I decided to threw cash down for my drinks and the uneaten macaroni and cheese, and walk out. On my way out I saw the manager, I thanked her for her horrible service, she didn't even give me the slightest apology. Honestly this establishment deserves 0 stars! read more

I don't know how any of these positive reviews could be authentic. The salsa for the chips came right out of a can or jar and tasted like cheap ketchup. The chips didn't even have salt on them-completely flavorless. The spinach and Artichoke pizza was one disgusting greasy mess on a previously frozen excuse for Flatbread. The fruit plate had rancid pineapple on it. The fish wasn'teven completely unfrozen in the fish taco. The waitress took away the uneaten food without asking any questions and charged us the full price. The manager was nice and tried to accommodate my gluten free friend. But I came hungry and left just as hungry. read more

New owners have really taken this restaurant up a notch. I've been several times over the last couple of months, have tried new items each time, and have never been disappointed. The new menu features some delectable bites, and the flavored are spot on delicious! I would highly recommend Jacks on Marion! read more

Went with a party of 4, and was cordially escorted to our table by the hostess, who also professionally addressed our drink order. When our server arrived with the drinks it turned out that one of our diners didn't like the selection, and the manager was very helpful, highly professional, took charge and exchanged it twice, before the person was satisfied. We were able to make our dinner selections. When they finally arrived the Seafood Platter had rice instead of the sweet potatoes ordered. After the meal I asked the server for a dessert menu, which was only forthcoming when after 10 minutes I went up to the bar where she was entering an other order for another party and asked for the menu which came 5 minutes later. This sort of mishap occurred again when ordering coffees where one of the persons received it and not the other. Overall the food was good, but the individual service was misdirected at best or amateuristc at worse. As I had a longtime observing the operation of the staff, it appeared that they were being utilized in a rather arbitrary fashion with each server not having a clearly defined station. I may in the future stop in for a drink during dinner time to observe whether the situation has been resolved.... Michael P. Kerwin read more

First time at F M Don's great food ! Our server Cheryl was very attentive to all our need I would recommend this restaurant. The new look is very nice softer love it. read more