We were vacationing in Jenner and wanted to get something to eat on our way to Guerneville. Â We saw Don's on Highway 116 and thought we'd give it a chance. Â My wife and I ordered breakfast. Â I got his homemade corned beef hash and she got the buckwheat pancakes. Â Perfect home-style, comfort food. Â His wife made us a couple of excellent Mexican mochas, just what we needed to start the day. Â Don and his wife are a great couple, very warm and welcoming. Â Their dogs were a laugh riot. Â The chocolate lab met us at the steps and walked us to our table. Â We ate there on Wednesday and went back again on Thursday before heading home. Â It's a great breakfast spot with local color.
Review Source:I was on the way between Bodega Bay, and Guerneville and seeing people walk down from the deck with their leashed dog, made me decide to eat something there.
With my dog on leash I walked up the stairs and was immediately bombarded by constant protective barking of some small dog running around up there and warning us that this was his/her place.
There were 2 big dog pillows on the deck and I tried to grab a table as far away as possible from those pillows, hoping to stop that dog from being territorial. Some woman told him/her meekly to be quiet, but to no avail. It was following us and kept yapping.
Then a chocolate lab came up and kept sniffing my dog's butt. Sure, that's what dogs do. But he wouldn't stop and my dog started getting uncomfortable, since he was on leash and couldn't 'defend' himself, while the lab was off-leash and kept following which ever way my dog turned.
I went up to the guy with the grill and said that my dog really isn't so comfortable with dogs that won't leave him alone. He told me that I have no business being there if my dogs doesn't like other dogs. I told him that my dog is perfectly behaved, but the problem is that these 2 lose dogs aren't under control and are bothering him/us.
He told me to get the hell out, which I quickly did.
Having a dog, I'm always happy if a restaurant/cafe allows guests to bring their dogs with them. My dog is on-leash and well-behaved. But it's not fair to have badly behaved dogs off-leash and expect others having to tolerate that.
With 5 hours to kill before a wedding reception I strong recommend Don's Dogs.
I had the Stardog which is a Louisiana hot link smothered in chili and coleslaw. Dog was nice and spicy. The coleslaw had pineapples in it which I was leery of, but they were not over sweet and were quite nice. Both the slaw and chili complemented the dog nicely. It was worth the 7 bucks.
Cashier ask Don- can we substitute the Salmon Burger with a beef patty? Don said- They call that a Hamburger. LOL
I have never given a bad review yet, but this place was awful. The hot dogs we ordered were cold, and so was the bun which also was stale. The salad was from Costco, and the coffee was bitter. The prices were very high for what they were selling which was basically warmed up Costco food. We were very disappointed after reading these reviews.
People seemed friendly, but this was just not worth it. The place we noticed has been for sale for over a couple of years, and I guess that it  too is overpriced. Theres not much in this little town, and it's sad to see. We used to like the Pink Elephant, but that, and other business's have closed for good. What a shame.
Don's Dogs and more Cafe is really the place to be in Monte Rio. Don has Great food prepared fresh on his awesome hot rod griddle and and the best Coffee and espresso around. (It's better than the coffee served in the Grove...)
top top off this great establishment it's very dog friendly, people friendly, has free wifi and amazing service. In my opinion it is the only place worth eating at in Monte Rio.
What a funny, quirky place this is. After a long night of serious drinking with my husband, a greasy breakfast was definitely in order. We know nothing about Monte Rio and there's some place called the Pink Elephant, but damned if could find it (maybe it really is a pink elephant) and Don's Dogs is right there and when you're as hung-over as I was this a.m., the fact that they serve breakfast and were right around the corner from where we stayed, it was a winner.
I'm pretty sure Don was the guy at the Cadillac grill (seriously, it's the front end of a car), and pretty soon he's grating the potatoes for my corned beef hash and soon enough I had a big old pile of hash and fried eggs swimming in a bit of grease on my paper plate. Now it wasn't the best breakfast I've ever had, but the service was friendly, the Locals eating there were happy, our dog joined the crowd of other dogs... and yes, the grease hit my liver (who thanked me later for the help), and my world was once again spinning the right direction.
My husband ordered a breakfast burrito and said it was "pretty good". Yeah, but he added Tabasco to it not realizing they'd already put hot sauce inside... that's what you get, dude.
So yeah, the food wasn't the best, but it was generous in portions, cooked up fresh, and by golly, that quonset hut was mighty convenient this morning. Next time we go back, I'll have an eponymous dog since that must be what they specialize in.
if you have dogs this is a MUST! If  you don't it's still a MUST! There is a dog park attached to the cafe so you can sit and enjoy your meal while they run around in the fenced area (like an acre) and get their energy out. The out door seating is great. We had a burger and there were so many to choose from. Mine tasted great and was cooked perfectly. And they also have free WiFi! great place to relax and soak up the sun.
Review Source:We happened upon this place while looking for lunch while on vacation w/ our dog. Â We all had a great time. Â My wife and I eating hot dogs and drinking beer and our dog playing around in the fenced area. Â Just perfect, the owner is so friendly and so are the other patrons. Â Next time we take a vacation in Sonoma Cnty., we're definitely making another stop here.
Review Source:We were late getting to Cazadero Music Camp for Lunch so we stopped at Don's. Â I got a grilled hot dog with sauerkraut that was pretty good, although I have a stomach ache now, maybe the stress of traffic or maybe the kraut. Â My wife and daughters had the chile that was absolutely disgusting. Â A brown soupy mixture that I hope was out of a can, if not, whoever made it from scratch should be banned from the kitchen. Â Oh yeah, it was national hot dog day and so they gave us some free cookies, which were also lousy. Â Avoid the chile and you should do allright.
Review Source:We made it a point to stop here for lunch and made sure we'd come on a day that it was open. Brought the dogs with us because we knew they were welcome. The lab welcomed us and escorted our dogs into the yard, but I think he was a little cranky and wanted out. Owners very welcoming. We had a hot dog and a pulled pork sandwich with coleslaw and potato salad. The pulled pork was very generous in size and I only ate 1/2 of it. Hot dog was good, the salads weren't anything to write home about. Noticed the CHP sitting with the locals as well. I noticed the business is up for sale; hopefully that won't change the atmosphere around here.
Review Source:Stopped by here today because it looked like a fun, funky place to grab a bite, I ordered the the Cuban which was great, my wife ordered the ..uh..Costco corndog which was probably microwaved...also the potato salad was most likely from the warehouse as well...stick to the grill and you should be happy..Don is outside grilling at his hot rod bbq while his wife Susie was taking orders, nice quaint place...
Review Source:OMG. Â Had I known this place was open Wed.-Sun., I would have been here every single day! Â Yes, I know... hot dogs aren't probably the best thing for me to eat while I am pregnant... but I thought I could just splurge for 2 days.
We only knew they were open when we drove by on Thursday (getting back from Guerneville) and saw the lights on. Â
Came on a Friday. Â The owners are totally cool and sweet. Â They have two dogs that hang out on the patio (who welcomed our dogs, Oakley and Rustee). =) Â Dogs are even allowed INSIDE the place (so the boys didn't have to stand outside with the dogs while the girls went in to take a look at the menu). Â SO cool!
All four of us loved everything we had. Â I had the Polish sausage with cole slaw, hubby had the pulled pork sandwich, sister had the Cuban sandwich and her bf had the hot links. Â Good food all around. Â We also had the mango slushy... OMG... delicious and addicting. Â Very cheap, large portions... WAY BETTER than Flavors Unlimited in Guerneville.
Came back on Saturday... cuz it was just that damn good. Â I couldn't resist and had the Polish sausage with cole slaw again. Â This time I requested sauerkraut also. Â They grill the sauerkraut on the flat top! Â I've never had grilled sauerkraut before. Â It was hella good. Â The cole slaw was homemade and delicious with bits of pineapples in it. Â Good cole slaw is hard to find and theirs was damn good. Â Hubby also had the pulled pork sandwich again, and I ordered a second one for togo (my dinner). Â As his pulled pork looked so good... I had to have some! Â The pork was overflowing the sandwich, full of flavor with a hint of vinegar. Â Perfect. Â That's how I like my pulled pork. Â Everything is heated up on the flat top outside. Â I'll upload a photo of his grill... it is unique.
They have a large deck/patio for dining outside and a huge fenced in yard for the dogs to run loose. Â (We didn't take advantage of this as we rented a riverfront house with 1 acre of land... so our pups had plenty of land to run on already.) Â
This place was within walking distance of our vacation rental. Â Perfect place to go chat with locals, eat good food and hang out with your furry babies.
Better hurry and check them out before they sell their place!
PS. Â And the local sheriff eats there too. Â He was quite impressed that Oakley sniffed but left the dog biscuits alone!
If there were 6 stars, I'd give it 6! This is a great little cafe at the back of the Monte Rio Theater. You can sit out on this nice back deck overlooking the river, play with the owner's dogs, listen to the locals make fun of the 415 area code, sip surprisingly good lattes, and eat downhome food. We went there for breakfast and it was freaking awesome. I hear they have mean hot dogs as well. The grill is out on the back deck, and this biker (i think the owner maybe?) cooks up the food. A super nice woman works behind the counter. This was the kind of place that made me want to move to the river! Highly highly recommend :)
Review Source:Nothing much to add to what the others here have said -- friendly place, excellent hot dogs, nice coffee... We had the grilled dogs with sauerkraut, which were excellent, as was the accompanying lemonade; the staff made us fell welcome and the experience was much more enjoyable and pleasant than I'd expected (I'm not actually a huge hot dog fan, so this was a surprise for me). The place is pretty small, though, and I suspect it gets pretty crowded on nice days...
Review Source:Best coffee on the River - it's Peets! Â Love the coffee there, plus incredible hot dogs, brats and sandwiches. Â Don and Suzi the owners are very friendly and I go there just to chat with them. Â They are like a couple of old friends you haven't seen each time you see them.
Don's Dogs is a great place, it reminds of a lot of the bar Cheers, because Don & Suzi know everyone's names and they treat you like family when you arrive.
They are a fixture in Monte Rio and with the new deck (and covering) it's great year round to sit out and look at the beautiful scenery around. Â If you are into beef, you must try the Kobe Burger and need a quick breakfast that is good and cheap - stop here.
The dogs are so great, I've stopped in for a fix at the Movie Theater without seeing the movie!
Update: Â The new Suzy Melt is great - and you can try it with Buffalo for those watching the calories!
Hot dogs are great! I stop for lunch occasionally and am delighted that Don puts the dogs on the grill. Nothing can beat the taste of hot dogs on a grill! Nice couple running the Cafe. Always have the local Highway Patrol or Sonoma County Sherriff's Department to share a friendly conversation with. Their dog is fun to play with too, kicking the ball is great!
Review Source:Can't go wrong here. If you're on a trip and passing through, discover the psyche of a local whom already knows the pleasant enjoyment of a hot dog from the Rio Cafe. The Spicy Cajun and the Chicken Apple sausages are homemade by their friends! Though my longstanding favorite is a Polish. I guess I'm just old fashioned.
All in all a solid 4 stars. If you're one for novelty, this is screaming your name. From it's cylinder shape, to the quirky characters, the Rio Cafe is all that and a bag of chips...Priced at around $4.50
One of the best places to go for coffee on the river, especially on a beautiful sunny day. Â They serve Peets coffee and use a real espresso machine for your custom latte or whatever you like. Â They make great breakfast fresh (my personal favorite is the egg, cheese, and sausage in a croissant ) or of course the world-famous Don's Dog for lunch. Â They serve quarter pound dogs including polish dogs, chicken apple sausage, cajun hotlinks, and more. Â They even have fresh warmed sauerkraut for your dog if you like it! Â The cafe has a large and welcoming deck that is great to sit and sip or eat and bask in the sunlight and breeze. Â Plus they have free WiFi so you can bring your laptop or use your iPhone to check your email!
Great local find, and a Mom and Pop joint owned and run by Don & Suzi, the movie theater's owners!
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