Carver Brewing Co. — Restaurant in Durango

Carver Brewing Co has a really nice and welcoming feel when you walk in. It’s right in downtown Durango, and the weather today is cloudy with a bit of windchill, perfect for sitting inside this warm pub.

I’ve been here a few times before. I usually end up in the back room or outside patio, but this time I asked to sit at the back bar. A friendly, experienced bartender greeted me right away. She was training someone who was only on their second day. I tried small samples of two beers: the Jack Rabbit Pale Ale and the Westie Bestie Double IPA. The Double IPA was strong but smooth, which felt right for a busy day filled with college events with my kiddo.

After that, I already knew I wanted to have their Powerhouse Porter, one of their main beers.

While I was sitting there, I watched an experienced bartender showing a new bartendar around, where everything was and how to take care of the bar. It reminded me of a Jedi Master training a Padawan.

Then I got a call from two families who we met at the college and wanted to end the day with my family. They picked Carver’s without knowing I was already here!

Since the place was getting busy, I asked the bartender if she could help me save a table for eight people coming in 15 minutes. She told me to use her name as a secret code (I called it that). When my family and friends arrived and said her name, the hostess was confused at first, but checked with the bartender who said, “Yes, it’s all ready.” We were seated right away.

Our drinks came fast, food was ordered halfway through our drinks, and it was served at the perfect time. The food was okay, nothing special (except for the Pretzel), and our entrees were hot and fresh.

If you want a place with quality beer and a comfortable place to hang out, Carver’s is a...

We visited twice during our four day trip to Durango and were impressed by all of the waiting staff who dealt with us on both occasions. It's a lovely venue and and we enjoyed the draught beer that had been recommended to us by a member of staff on our first visit. It was busy both times we visited and always looked busy when we passed by.

Unfortunately the food on our second visit yesterday was a real let down. I ordered the shrimp tacos and the dish was almost entirely cold. I'd never eaten cold tacos before so checked with staff that it wasn't a cold dish by design. I was assured that it was supposed to be a hot dish and they quickly replaced it but unfortunately the replacement was also cold, with only the beans now having any warmth to them. The rice and the shrimp were still cold.

My wife didn't eat all of her own meal as she was concerned about it given the issues with my meal. But I did receive an apology and the tacos were taken off the bill.

We paid our bill and tipped as usual as it wasn't the waiting staff's fault and they have always been great in our experience. No doubt this was just a one off, but it was disappointing to return a meal for being cold and have it replaced with...

Grabbed dinner on a Tuesday while visiting Durango. The place was busy and bustling. A few pros and cons: Our server wasn’t very friendly and forgot a few extras we asked for, but the food came out really quickly and was decent. The lager beer is really good and worth a try - it won a few awards at GABF, which is notable! The homemade root beer is a cool add on the menu, but the two we got were very flat, not sure if that’s usual or not. Flavor was good, though! They were out of the special Buffalo chicken wrap, which was surprising and a bummer, as two of us were planning to order that. We asked for a the burgers medium rare, and our server told us they were smash style, so all were medium, but all four came out very well done, almost over cooked. The Caesar salad is really good though, lots of parm and a good amount of dressing. Just a heads up, the kids grilled cheese was served on dark rye and included Swiss, which was tough for a picky kid eater - would have been better kept simple with American on white, knowing most kids won’t appreciate the special twist. We’ve had better food and service in the past when dining here, so maybe it was just an off...