Captain Don’s
421 Friendship Rd, Harrisburg, PA, 17111
Captain Don’s Menu
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Address :
421 Friendship Rd
Harrisburg, PA, 17111 - Phone (717) 695-6191
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Opening Hours
- Tue
Specialities
- Takes Reservations : Yes
Delivery : No
Take-out : Yes
Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
Parking : Private Lot
Bike Parking : Yes
Wheelchair Accessible : Yes
Good for Kids : Yes
Good for Groups : Yes
Attire : Casual
Ambience : Casual
Noise Level : Average
Alcohol : Full Bar
Outdoor Seating : Yes
Wi-Fi : Free
Has TV : Yes
Waiter Service : Yes
Caters : Yes
WE SERVE THE FOLLOWING STATES
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Tim C.
We were on our way to the Hibachi Grill next door for lunch when we saw that Captain Don's had finally opened so we decided to stop in and see if it was worth the wait. The inside was pretty much what you would expect including a massive crab in the middle, which was quite amusing. We ordered two cocktails which were slightly pricey for their relative strength and size but were enjoyable. Our appetizer, the coconut shrimp, was definitely the highlight of the meal in terms of taste and it came slightly slow but since had our cocktails already it was not important. For my main I had the Catfish Po'Boy and my girlfriend had the Fish Tacos. I was happy with my sandwich, exactly what I expected, and was a great choice for lunch. The fish in the tacos was quite good but the toppings were a bit bland. The quantity though was excellent for the price. Finally the service was a bit slow but this seemed to be completely due to the kitchen. The wait staff and hostess were very polite and attentive even when it started to get busier. It took us a bit to get our check but that was only because it seemed that all of the food for our waiter's tables came up at once because we noticed him making multiple trips from the kitchen to each of his tables delivering food. Overall it is definitely worth a try and I would be encouraged to go back if they start to run some during the week specials.
(3)Mary K.
Went there for dinner, the restaurant wasn't full but it took 20 min for us to be seated. So sat at the bar while we waited for our table and the entire time the bartender was cursing a storm at the other employees When we we're finally seated it took 30 minutes to get our appetizer to us, we ordered oyster which was fine and fried calamari which was under fried and soggy 45 minutes after getting our appetizers we finally got our entrées the steam pot was fine but definitely overpriced and I ordered the surf and turf I ordered a med steak, I had to send it back because was was rare, and the lobster tail was shriveled and dry Overall our experience there was ok, everything felt long and drawn out, the waitress was ok but the food was mediocre at best I would not go back
(2)Joey P.
Great friendly staff. Top quality ingredients and a nice taste of eastern coastal flavors. Tip top!
(5)Sophia D.
Amazingly delicious. Our waiter ( name art or guy ) was extremely nice. One of the best waiters I have ever had in a restaurant
(5)Sarah A.
Tried to eat here but the service was so slow. We waited 20 minutes with empty tables galore. The entire time there wasn't a busboy in sight and the hostess bused a single table. Didn't even get to try the food.
(1)Sophia N.
Called to make a reservation for 745, only to have to wait for 2 parties in front of us. What is the point of making a reservation for then?? Needless to say, we walked out and went to Lancaster Brewing Company.
(1)Zygote E.
Need to try their hybrid, Asian Cajun garlic sauce. Absolutely excellent! Blue crab platter is a great deal. Service by Corbin was excellent. Will be back for the all you can eat seafood which includes lobster !
(5)Shawn P.
My husband and I got a rare date night and had been wanting to try Captain Don's. We had heard good things, so we ignored the negative reviews on their Facebook page. That was a mistake. We arrived and were seated immediately. Our waiter came over and was very friendly. We ordered mussels as an appetizer. They came out and I looked at my husband with doubtful eyes. They were covered in a marinara sauce and what looked like Kraft Parmesan cheese. They were just okay, taste wise, but two were unopened, which screams laziness to me. And, that's gross, as those mussels were dead before they hit the water. One even had a large hole in it's shell; something the cook should have seen. I had the two crab cakes, hush puppies and broccoli as my main course. The crab cakes were not seasoned at all and were very bland. I had to ask for tartar sauce. The hush puppies were just chewy balls of dough that were luke warm and had no flavor. The broccoli was just drenched in butter and was undercooked. My husband ordered the Scampi with scallops. The scallops were cut in half on the dish and it was spicy! Who makes spicy scampi?! He said it was just so so. We left, disappointed with the meal we just paid $80 for. I then wrote a review on their Facebook page. Well, Captain Don, himself, replied in an extremely unprofessional manner. He said that I was lying and had told our server that the food was great, which I did not. He also said that mussels get overlooked when they're in a heavy sauce and it's to be expected. He also took offense that I said it was Kraft parmesan cheese on the mussels. He later deleted that offense, as I'm sure he realized I was correct. I know my food. After a response like that, I will NEVER be back to this restaurant and will be shocked if it's still there in a year. Please save your money and eat somewhere else.
(1)Michelle P.
DONT WASTE YOUR MONEY! The entire experience was a joke! Service is terrible and we watched people walk out the door. Waitress forgot everything. Spent our entire meal reminding her what we asked for! Not once!! But over and over! Seafood was cold, beverage orders were wrong. No napkins and out of crab crackers and the restaurant isn't even full! Never again. Bleeeeck!
(1)John K.
This place is so so. I'm betting it won't be here next year. The food was good. The ambiance is very nice. Has a nice deck area. I only gave this two stars because the prices were too high, the portions were way too small and the service was not the best. My first draft beer was warm. They were out of the second beer I wanted to try. We had to flag down our waitress twice to get some service. The po boy shrimp sub was all bread. I actually counted only eight small shrimp on the sub roll. It was good, just lacking My wife got the steamed crab leg platter. It had only one crab leg cluster, two small red potatoes and a corn on the Cobb. She said it was all good. Just not much to it. This is not a terrible place, but I probably won't be back. I think red lobster is probably a better value.
(2)J L.
I went to Captain Don's on a Sunday evening with 7 adults and two babies, specifically for the AYCE lobsters. We all loved it! Our server Corbin was friendly and worked very hard to bring everything out to us quickly. He did a great job. The seafood was fresh, very good and not overcooked like it always seems to be at many of the chains (I'm looking at you, Red Lobster!). It wasn't cheap, but the deal for AYCE lobster really can't be beat. They had a nice craft beer selection as well. I can't wait to go back!
(5)Mike I.
pennlive.com/food/index.… Closed to rework their menu and some other things hopefully. Hope they can work out the "kinks" and reopen better than they were.
(2)Wesley M.
First off, I am writing this review during our visit here so I capture everything correctly. Didn't read any reviews before we came. Did not have a reservation, and came in at 510pm. Was surprised that there were many seats open. The hostess had a hard time, however, deciding where to seat us. When she asked if a high top table was fine we said yes, and the waiter immediately seated us in a different section. Seated now and it has been almost 10 minutes and finally the hostess came over to ask if our server has gotten our drink order yet. She was happy to take the order and drinks came out within a few minutes. While we were waiting the couple behind us got up and left for some reason. Ordered the Clams in garlic butter for an appetizer and also ordered steamed crab and Clams for the wife and snow crab bucket for me. What continues to amaze me is the apparent total lack of leadership on the floor. There is no quality control. The hostess looks to be trying to fill in the gaps in service but she can't do it all. So the table behind us that arrived about 10 minutes ago were just served their entrees. We are still awaiting our appetizer Appetizer arrived and is not too bad. A bit salty but garlic butter is good. Attached a picture. Place is now beginning to fill up so well see if they can improve service. Main Course arrived and I was pleasantly surprised that the food was pretty good. The shrimp were nice sized and not overcooked, the crab was seasoned appropriately and tasted clean and sweet. Definitely gained another star for that. The corn on the cob was also nice and sweet. Alas, the service for us has not improved, at least for our table. We have had to stop the server twice for drink refills, and we were left to fend for ourselves when it came to throwing away the crab spoils. Other tables were given buckets. From entry at 5:10 to bill paid at 7pm we did not ever feel that the staff, other than the hostess, we're concerned about our needs. So overall, we have a restaurant that looks to be imitating Joe's Crab Shack in its menu, but was able to create decent dishes. If it wasn't for the poor service this would be an occasional drop in for dinner place for us. The service, however, killed any chance I'll come back. This place is in desperate need of a management team who can run both the front and the kitchen to smooth the service flow and keep their customers from walking out.
(3)Brian R.
Food was mediocre and the service was a little slow. Order of crab legs seemed a little light. Okay option if you're looking for some average seafood in the area. Menu had dessert options, however, they didn't actually have any desserts. Probably won't go back.
(3)Debbie V.
I wanted to wait until we completed our dinner before my review. We called for reservations for 530- arrived at 520pm were we sat within minutes. We were very concerned when we sat down that they did not have the 44.95 buffet as stated when I called. We did not see a buffet! We were sat at the table with 2 menus places in front of us. We continue to look around as we waited for our server. We thought about getting up and leaving because this was not the typical buffet setting. Server came over as asked for our drink order and asked if we would like the AYCE BUFFET. At that point I asked where it was and if we could see what was on it for this price. She explained that she gives a slip of paper and we check off what we want and she brings it to us. Hmmmm much different but ok.. We will go with it.. Not very busy.. Food came to us fast and COLD!.. Left overs from day before I believe!! Our first choices- raw oysters (6). Ate 5.. 1 was not good- bad bad smell should have never been served to me.. MD Hard shell BLUE crabs (2).. Cold and very dry inside..and they might have been legal by a cm.. Clams- received 2- very cold and server stated new one were being made.. Ribs.. Cold no sauce and very dry.. Shrimp- very good and not cold!! Scallops- some were cold and discolored as they looked like the boiled instead of broiled!! Some warm and good! Corn on cob.. Very over cooked- tasted like it was reheated.. Tasted like canned corn on cob!! Maryland crab soup- lukewarm but good! Crab legs-very cold, hard to crack, meat very dry!! After we decided to eat a few of the items we decided to order more of the above in hopes it now was very busy and the food may be hot!! So we ordered clams and crab legs!! This time they were warmer not hot but tasted much better.. But not 44.95 better! Bill total 101.00 tip with our ice teas +15.00 not waitress fault =116.00 with very bad upset stomach/ bathroom issues for both of us with in 20mins after we left and 2 hours later can't leave home because we need bathroom!! WILL NEVER RETURN.. Health Food inspection needed!! May call myself!!
(1)Elliot M.
I had gone in when it originally opened was bad: A bitter tasting off-color crab cake? Complained to the wait staff and was told the chef "just made it". I said that might be true; but I asked if he could find out how long the crab had been sitting around before it was formed into a patty. Switched to fried clams; just like the tasteless little things from the supermarket freezer (Anyone remember Mrs. Paul's) and just as cold. Based on the current reviews it's clear the "I never worked or ran a restaurant" owner learned nothing from when he had to shut the place down the first time.
(1)Ashley C.
Saw the giant crab and figured we would give it a try. Staff is friendly but a little disorganized. Place was not very full but it seemed like they were running around a lot in choas. After a long wait for very few people in the place, got the food and it was delicious! Dozen crabs were cooked perfect. Husband's steamer pot was also delicious. The good food made up for the slow service. Hopefully, they will get the bugs worked out and get faster so their service is as good as the food.
(3)Gabriel B.
I just want to start with I've been here twice and the previous experience was also bad but I was giving it another try, I went there for Father's Day with a couple of friends of mine. We arrive and are told there is about a 15 min wait, which ok that's no problem we will just go sit at the bar until our table is ready. 45mins pass and no table, the bartender had to argue with the owner because we needed to be seated and we had been waiting a while. Finally get a table and sit there for about 15-20 mins before we even get a waitress assigned to us. Ordered the 45$ all you can eat, to find it they are out of oysters, scallops, and crab legs.... (Which was the reason we came) that would of been nice to know an hour ago when we arrived. The waitress goes on to keep pushing us to get other things off the menu like the steam pot or a lobster meal... Clearly it was stated what we were there for and she just kept pushing it. I am not one to ever complain, but this was by far the most horrible experience I've ever had. We went to Joes K Brew house which is a couple miles away, the service was great the food was amazing. I am glad the Captain failed us because we found a better restaurant that we will continue to go to. Do not waste your time here, Go straight to Joe Ks and you will be happy!
(1)Shara E.
Ok, we were really hesitant to try this place due to all the reviews. But we eat out a lot, and are pretty bored with other places, so we decided to chance it. We were greeted and seated immediately. Server came within a reasonable amount of time. Drinks came promptly, and they make one hell of a dirty vodka martini. Waiter recommended Wednesday night special of 5 snow crab clusters (about 2 1/2 lbs) for $24.99 even though it was Thursday. When I pointed that out, he said it didn't matter. Calamari appetizer comes. It's greasy, WAY overdone, and extremely salty...and we love salt. It was too much for even our tastes. My crab legs were cold, but done well. They had some sort of garlic butter on them, which was delicious. My son's kid mac and cheese was really good. Hubby was happy with the quality of the crab cake, but didn't like that it had celery in it. It took forever (and me asking) to get another drink. Had to ask twice for water. We were asked while we were still eating if we wanted boxes. Unfortunately, there was a party of 6 seated after us...and we heard SEVERAL of the same things told to them that other reviewers mentioned. The ticket didn't print out for some reason, is it ok if your food comes at different times?, etc. I felt bad for them, especially since they had nice lobster tail dinners. Which brings me to price. In a word, EXPENSIVE for what you get. Still deciding if we'll come back. They could be a gold mine if managed properly. I'm not sure they are. In terms of choice of restaurants, you could do much better. You could also do much worse than this.
(2)Daniel G.
Mediocre at best. They are still fairly new and up and coming, so I guess I will have to check them out at a later time. The prices are a bit steep, but maybe they will level off as they become more established. Overall I would say that they have potential but they just haven't reached it yet.
(3)Tracy L.
To say the least , our visit there tonight was a HUGE diappointment. WHO IN THE WORLD ONLY BINDS A 4-5ONCE CRAB CAKE WITH JUST MAYO N SHALLIOTS!!!??? No one that knows how to cook seafood. Service was bad. The bartender had the bar , tables in bar area,and a couple of tables in tne "main dining area" and did a very good job. So what is wrong with that pic? Oysters on the half shell were served, awful. Told my boyfriend only order those n soft crabs during the months that have the letter R in them . The only descent thing we had was a LB of steamed shrimp for 19.99. Will we ever go back, HELL NO. First rule of thumb, paid the check then told our unattentive waiter what we thought. They should do more research into MARYLAND STLYE COOKING N STEAMING N SEASONING before they advertise.
(2)Jackie G.
Excellent made to order seafood restaurant. Will definitely come back. Everything was delicious!
(5)Johnny C.
This is not a fast food restaurant. If you want fast food... go to Sheetz next door or the Hibachi buffet. Long John Silvers is out on Jonestown Rd. This is a cooked to order seafood restaurant with some additional sandwiches and entrees for those stubborn folk in your party that just won't eat seafood. (Their loss. More for me.) I've eaten here 4 times. I'll eat here many more. It's not perfect. It's new. They are working out the glitches. Small things are at issue. Remembering the sugar when you order iced tea. There's been some inconsistency in the flavor of the cole slaw... not bad, just comes out different each time I've eaten there. The onion straws have been a bit greasey. I'm not sure this is the place I'd choose when I really want a burger. I had the black n' blue burger which had a good flavor but was a bit dry. If was as if they use 90/10 burger or even leaner. Nice char on it, however. The large brioche buns they use came into their own here and was DELICIOUS with the burger. The large crab decoration is a giggle. Otherwise I like the interior. I like dark wood. I liked it when it was the diner and I liked it when it was the Italian place. So sue me. One evening, my companion has the seafood mac n' cheese. Now this is a tricky thing. Macaroni and cheese is a VERY personal thing. The type of cheese, consistency and even the variety of pasta can affect your "like" of the dish. But first and foremost let me say there was a LOT of seafood in the dish. No shortage there. The consistency was rich and creamy but not thick or dry and chunky. That might turn some people off. It thickened as it sat and cooled. Cheese had a nice bite. But for me it was a bit too much bite as it hid some of the seafood flavor. So this dish is a really personal dish. But I wouldn't be afraid to try it . . . unless you only eat velveeta mac. Cause Velveeta it ain't. The seafood itself has been delicious. Oysters on half shell have been incredibly fresh and sweet. I suspect from shape of shell they are farmed. Don't quote me. I've had them twice. I actually got my dining partner who has avoided eating raw oysters for over 50 years to try them. She's a convert and now loves them. And she understands the difference between GOOD oysters and the slimy stuff from the grocery store.. ewwww. My companion's lobster was sweet and perfectly steamed, as were the shrimp and clams in the steamer pot. Not a rubbery clam in the bunch. Corn on the cob was delicious - bread&butter variety. My favorite. My crab leg clusters were equally as good. Companion ordered an extra half pound of colossal shrimp steamed - 6 gigundous beautiful shrimp. Lightly seasoned so as not to cover up their natural sea taste. She dipped them in her remaining butter just like they were little lobsters. And while we're on the subject of seasoning. Their seafood is lightly seasoned. Just a bit of "old bay" style seasoning or crab boil. It doesn't overwhelm the natural flavor. Thank you. I appreciate that. I actually enjoy the taste of seafood. I don't look to cover it up. You can get a shaker of seafood seasoning to add if you prefer yours masked, as well as salt and pepper. I'll take my food slightly undersalted to the heavy hand in fast food restaurants. YOU CAN ALWAYS ADD MORE! The day we had the po' boy and the soft shell crab sandwich was during the first week they were open. The flavor of the seafood was good but it was overwhelmed by the bread and toppings. The flavor was so delicate. I'll order the oyster fry next time and it would be wonderful if you offered the softshells in a simple fry or platter as well. Staff is friendly and still shaking out the protocols. But all you have to do is ask and they make it right asap. None of my food came out cold.. unless it was supposed to be, i.e. lobster roll. So I'm not sure what happened to Adrew P.'s meal. Their prices might strike you as a little high. I wish I could have rated them 21/2 dollar signs. The prices are more along the lines of 14ish for a sandwich platter and then for the high end seafood dinners.. we're talking $39-$45, like the surf and turf or the whole lobster. And for this area, they are higher than what we are used to in an "everyday" type of restaurant, which is what i classify applebees, and ruby tuesday and such. But the seafood is worth it. I really hope they can find a good customer base to keep them going cause I don't want to lose them. So if you had a bad or less than happy experience with Captain Don's, please come back in a little while. See how things shake out. But if you like the kind of food they serve at those chain restaurants - overfished, overseasoned and frozen - then by all means, eat what you like. Footnote: I very rarely drink and haven't had their beer or cocktails. Just fyi.
(4)Linz G.
Where to begin?! We arrived at Captain Dons around 5:00, put our name down, and went and sat at the bar to order a drink and pass time. While seated at the bar the bartender griped continuously over being short staffed. After 30 mins of waiting for a table the bartender literally got in the owners face telling him to get us a table that he was seating people that were coming in before us and we had been waiting for a table for a long time. This tells me no matter how hard the staff try and do their job, they have no leadership whatsoever. The bartender was clearly standing up for us, but why should the staff have to do that to the owner?? No matter how good of staff they put in there Captain Dons will never succeed with, Don, the owner "running the place." Shortly after the owner came over and said his apologies and said "I didn't realize you wanted a table, when people sit down at the bar that's where they normally want to stay." How he didn't understand, us giving our name and specifying we wanted a booth and him telling us it would be a 15 min wait.. is beyond me. Once seated we sat at least another 10 mins waiting on a waitress. We all locked eyes on the owner and he realized he did not assign us a waitress. When she came over to get our order, she took our drink order we decided to go ahead and place our order for food since we had already been waiting so long. We went to Captain Dons for unlimited seafood Sunday for $44.95. When we tried to order at 6:00 the waitress informed us they were out of almost everything except for blue crab, and shrimp. When we asked how you run out of food on an unlimited day she said "well technically not ran out but the oysters were too much of a hassle shucking all day so we took those off the unlimited menu for today. Everything else we're out of and we maybe have 4 ribs back there." She told us to instead, get the biggest steampot and then for $5 more we could add something to make it a larger meal if we wanted that much food. I then asked why we would pay $44.95 + $5 more when it's their fault they are out of food. The waitress then said "well you could just order the lobster that's what most people do." My response back was "why would we pay for the lobster plate when on Fathers Day you get a free lobster?!" I have to say she tried but failed miserably. After all that hassle we got up and walked out. Thankfully Joe K's Brewhouse steampots came to the rescue, we gladly paid $39 for the steampot and it was well worth it, we had a wonderful Fathers Day dinner!
(1)Joe A.
I've been to Captain Don's twice. The first time was a good experience with the exception of a bit of a wait once we were seated. The food was good and our server was friendly. We went back the 2nd time and brought another couple with us. Two us got regular dinners and the other two got a dozen large crabs. The two dinners were just as good as last time, but the crabs had a problem. When the crabs were broken open a lot of fluid came out and the meat was slimy. Occasionally you get a bad crab and toss it to move on the the next and that's what they did. When they both pulled out the next two crabs the problem was obviously with the entire dozen. We waited forever for the server to come back and when we did we told him there was a problem. He said he'd get the manager and for a while there I thought he just left and went home. While we waited I grabbed another crab and cracked it open to check things out. It was pretty evident the were under cooked. When the manager or owner returned he at first played it off like there was nothing wrong until he opened one himself. I really didn't like his approach to handling the situation by trying to make us think we didn't know anything about crabs. He finally offered to take them back and recook them, but the other two of us had finished like a half hour before so we figured we'd just head downtown and get the other two some food there. They went back and got our bill. When they came back with the bill they said that technically we ate 5 of the 12 crabs so we should pay for those. I was so offended and pissed, but I paid him for the pile of uneaten crab parts that littered the table anyway. If a place if going to call you a liar when you clearly provide evidence that they made a mistake it's just not a place I need to return to.
(1)Bill K.
A great place! Loved everything we had so far- lobster rolls, fish tacos, PEI mussels! Will be back for sure! Reminds me of a cool place you'd find at the beach that all the locals go to!
(5)Nikki C.
Restaurant is very short staffed. Our waiter had way too many tables but truly attempted to take care of them all. This restaurant definitely has potential but is lacking in management area. My husband and I ordered the all you can eat seafood. The food didn't come out all together, but a little bit here and there. Despite the service not being the best, the food had a great taste. If you can handle slow service, this place is not bad at all.
(4)Jennifer 'Snead' S.
The food was 1/2 and 1/2. The fried shrimp were delish, but can you really go wrong with fried food? The hushpuppies were nasty. The cole slaw was good. The spicy crab dip app isnt good, but the firecracker (?) shrimp was good & very similar to bang bang shrimp from bonefish. It took FOREVER to get a server, and then forever to get anything. :( And there was hardly anyone there. Super friendly staff, just very slow. We got to sit outside which was nice. Very kid friendly. I would go back, just nothing to rave about.
(2)