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    Turtle Lake Refuge Cafe

    4.5 (13 reviews)
    Closed Closed

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    TURTLE LAKE REFUGE CAFE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Classy
    Quiet
    Outdoor seating
    Dogs allowed

    Recommended Reviews - Turtle Lake Refuge Cafe

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    Front of the Cafe
    Dr. Cija E.

    What a beautiful and refreshing experience we had at the Turtle Lake Refuge Cafe today! This is one spot I didn't want to miss while visiting the area we look forward to moving to soon! Great spread today! Love all the staff and locals we spoke to today! We also got to enjoy petting the furry friends there visiting as well! Great experience! Love the mission and purpose! Many Thanks!! ~ Dr. Cija Ebeling, Ph.D.

    Madeline S.

    My girlfriend and I were visiting Durango from San Antonio, TX and were delighted to find this gem of a spot. So often do we find ourselves questioning the source of our food and how it's prepared (especially as it relates to food allergens such as gluten, animal byproducts, refined/processed sugars, unproductive oils, etc.) but here we did not have to. Open Tuesdays and Fridays from 11:11 AM-2:22 PM, we walked around to their back patio (twice!), sat down, and were presented with beautifully pre-determined fresh meals consisting of a beverage, soup, salad, entrée, and dessert for a suggested donation of $15. They have select merchandise available for purchase and treats available onsite and at Durango Natural Foods Co-op. This is a great option for the health-conscious/gluten-free/vegan/raw and I look forward to coming back! Pictured are two of the meals we had. The first consisted of a pineapple wheatgrass ginger juice, a lemon mellow root soup, a salad with balsamic vinaigrette, a veggie pesto, and a coconut fig bar. The second consisted of a wheatgrass juice, a creamy shiitake nettle soup, a fresh salad with a sesame dressing, cabbage tacos, and a banana chia pudding.

    Banana Strawberry Sundae (with house-made banana ice "cream" and granola)

    Lovely gem a short walk from downtown Durango, in a residential neighborhood. All food served is both vegan and raw. The food is fresh, healthy and pleasing -- cleansing even. The location is the back of a residence. On this summer day, tables were set up outside on the patio, in the shade, next to an herb garden. The ambiance was relaxing and peaceful. It's an interesting concept. There's a set menu that changes each day, and all guests are served the entire set menu for the day: a green juice, a salad, a soup, an entree, and a dessert. The "suggested donation" for this complete meal is $15 plus tip. Given the freshness of the food, I think it's worth that. The challenge is to remember that it's only open two days a week for lunch, and you may not be able to know what you'll be getting until you arrive since they don't seem to update their social media with the menus regularly. When I visited, they served a comfrey-wheatgrass lemonade, green salad with lemon vinaigrette (lettuce picked that same morning), a cold parsley-zucchini soup with cashew cream, and a nori roll stuffed with seeds, mircogreens, and topped with an orange sauce (which reminded me of an citrus salsa), and a banana-strawberry sundae. The high points for me were the nori rolls and the sundae. The nori rolls were absolutely delicious, due to the sauce. They were flavorful, well-seasoned and savory. The sundae consisted of house-made vegan banana "ice cream" with fresh granola and whole strawberries -- it was fantastic on a hot day, with a nice crunch from the granola topping. It was a real treat! The soup was interesting and refreshing -- very mild, but just a tad bland. It felt like a palette cleanser between the salad and main course. I'd have also liked a little more tangy bite in the salad dressing, but it was okay, and the just-picked greens were delightful--the barely-there dressing allowed the freshness to shine through.

    Vegan cabbage taco, gazpacho & microgreen salad

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    Photo of D P.
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    9 months ago

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    4 years ago

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    9 years ago

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    8 years ago

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    7 years ago

    A hidden gem. Delicious food that makes the body and mind feel good. I always leave feeling relaxed and content.

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    7 years ago

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    4 years ago

    unless you like vinegar and everything tastes the same and little kids wander around and touch everything... well, I'll pass. I tried.

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    8 years ago

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    Switchback

    Switchback

    4.4(259 reviews)
    0.2 mi
    $$

    I hate to inform you that if you're reading this, the Switchback has closed to be rebranded to a…read moredifferent restaurant. However, we had gone on its closing day and had some great tacos, salad, and ramen. Their birria is rich and meaty with a touch of cinnamon and was awesome as a ramen and taco. Service was efficient and drinks were cold. Guess I'm just writing this to keep my Yelp numbers up...

    We were *so* looking forward to Switchback, after reading just a few Yelpers share their thoughts…read moreabout this place! Brought the parents and man, Switchback did not disappoint. If you are a lover of well done birria, this is your place. Craving authentic Mexican food? Yep, this is your place. We started with their chips and salsa. I think you can tell a lot by the salsa at a place. Lemme just say, I was so very happy! Their salsa wasn't too chunky, not too thin and they are not afraid to season and add some heat - but hey, don't worry it wasn't too hot if you've got a dad like mine who isn't a fan of "too much spice." Such a good omen. I couldn't decide which marg to try so ordered a flight. Best decision ever. Even as I write this, I'm still hard pressed to choose a favorite. They were all so good. Add street tacos, quesadillas for my mom, elote cob, and switch fries for my dad and we were all happy campers. The flavors were obscenely good. Staff were amazing and stopped by to make sure we were always taken care of: fast and friendly. Best combo ever. The place is also super cute! Loved the bar and simplicity of the concept. Switchback has a quiet elegance while be so very casual. Perfect in my book.

    Photos
    Switchback
    Switchback - Mexican corn

    Mexican corn

    Switchback - Colo-Rada

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    Colo-Rada

    Steamworks Brewing Company - Blackened Tuna Bowl*

    Steamworks Brewing Company

    4.1(1.6k reviews)
    0.1 mi
    $$

    I don't know if it can be seen from the photo or not how colossally burnt and hard the chicken…read morefried steak was. To her credit, our kind waitress had the kitchen quickly make me a new one, but honestly it was still borderline inedible. This time, due to the salt. Not only was the meat heavily salted, but the breading was overly salted as well. I couldn't even taste the meat or the breading (or even the potatoes) because it wasn't a giant plate of salt. I ate all the broccolini, a few bites of potatoes, and a few bites of steak. I hate that all restaurants, because of patrons and their salt-conditioned palates, serve the most sodium-laden monstrosities possible. I didn't feel good eating it, I didn't want to eat more than a few bites, and I left the restaurant full of regret for the bites I did take. On the plus side, the beer is exceptionally tasty, and my kids both enjoyed their meals. We are leaving tomorrow and so we won't be back, but I wouldn't be back otherwise as well.

    Went to watch the final FIFA World Cup game. We had 13 and they were great to hold a table for us…read more It's a pretty big restaurant with a great beer selection, along with mixed drinks and wine. They also had tons of TVs which was great. Food- 4 stars Service- 5 stars Ambience- 4 1/2 stars Our server (I think Isaac?) was fantastic. He was super busy but always took care of us. We all ordered drinks and some food items. The spinach/artichoke dip was a bit heavy and overcooked. You def could not dip your chips in it. I got the poblano chx fried steak. It was good but also a bit overcooked. Some folks got burgers and pizza and they all said it was fine. Go for the service and drinks!! Fun atmosphere. Sorry- it was too crazy trying to get pics.

    Photos
    Steamworks Brewing Company - Main bar

    Main bar

    Steamworks Brewing Company
    Steamworks Brewing Company - Loved the mug

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    Loved the mug

    636 Main Ave - Wacky cheesecake.

    636 Main Ave

    4.2(673 reviews)
    0.2 mi
    $$

    I just flew in to Durango with my family, and today just so happens to be my 19th wedding…read moreanniversary. We had found ourselves on a waitlist at some "fried stuff with cheese" restaurant down the street, which nothing at all looked appetizing to me so I vetoed. Got on Yelp, found 636 well rated nearby and the menu looked wonderful. Got here to a healthy amount of patrons and warm ambiance/atmosphere. Service was great despite me being an annoying tourist. I tried every dish we had plus the hot rolls, which have a buttery pimento dip. Everyone agreed that the food was spectacular. Of all the things to love about 636 (which there are many), my favorite is that when I mentioned our anniversary to the lady, she said "Oh! I'll get the anniversary confetti!" Hilarious and endearing. I love Durango already, and 636 made such a great impression. Thank you!

    My wife and I made reservations at 636 Main for ourselves and two friends who came into town to…read moremeet up with us while we were traveling through Colorado. We were seated on the patio and it took quite a while for our server to greet us. Once she did, she brought water and took our drink order. She returned with our drinks and said she would be back to take our food order. We had plenty to talk about while waiting, but she repeatedly walked past our table to attend to other tables without stopping. Eventually, I had to stop her and let her know we were ready to order. My wife and our friend's wife both ordered a pasta dish with sliced steak and spinach. My friend had a salad with salmon and a bowl of soup, and I ordered the filet with potato lasagna and spinach. As the evening went on, it became breezy and chilly. I asked another server if the patio heater could be turned on, and someone came over right away to help, which we appreciated. When our meals arrived, everything looked excellent and tasted very good. The food was definitely the highlight of the evening. Unfortunately, our server only stopped by our table once during the entire meal to check on us and it was lien she was in a rush to leave to table. We spent a long time waiting to see if she would ask whether we needed anything or if we were finished. It wasn't as though she had to go out of her way to reach us--she walked past our table numerous times while serving her other tables. Because of the lack of attention, I once again had to get her attention to let her know we were finished and ask for a dessert menu. I ordered the Dubai Chocolate dessert to go after she highly recommended it. Unfortunately, it did not live up to the description once I had a chance to eat it. The chocolate flavor was very mild, and the crunchy layer on the bottom was not particularly enjoyable nothing like a Dubai Chocolate. Overall, the food was excellent and deserving of praise. However, for a fine dining restaurant where both the food and drinks come at premium prices, the service fell well short of expectations. Great meals can make for a memorable evening, but attentive service is an important part of the fine dining experience, and unfortunately that was missing during our visit.

    Photos
    636 Main Ave - Main dining area.

    Main dining area.

    636 Main Ave - Surf n Turf

    Surf n Turf

    636 Main Ave - Patio seating is where its at

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    Patio seating is where its at

    Turtle Lake Refuge Cafe - vegan - Updated August 2026

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