The Best Durango Steakhouse
...or Two

Looking for a Durango steakhouse? We’ve tried several. And we have our favorites. The two we like best are reviewed below.

There are probably more places where you can get a steak than just these two, but these two seem more like a “steakhouse” than the rest. So go ahead and give them a try.

Then let us know what you think! Use our Rate the Food survey to add another review to either of these restaurants in Durango (or any others you’ve tried). Thanks for the input!

Sweeney’s
1644 Animas View Dr.
(right at the junction of Hwy. 550 & County Road 203)
Durango CO 81301
970-247-5236

Of all the restaurants in Durango, this is a must-try-it stop if you’re going to visit Durango. The food is superb, the service friendly and prompt (they have “team-wait-staff” so someone’s always checking to see what you might need), the atmosphere cozy and rustic.

Sweeney’s Grubsteak began life as a house with a store in front that sold turquoise jewelry and the like. Bought by Terry Sweeney and friends in 1972, they promptly tore things apart to create their vision of “fine food and spirits”, to go with atmosphere. It opened on St. Patrick’s Day, 1973.

Inside this Durango steakhouse, old barn wood covers many of the walls, and each dining table (or small group of tables) sits in its own little alcove of sorts, giving you privacy and an intimate setting, perfect for anniversary dinners. My husband and I gladly partook of this atmosphere for our 20th anniversary dinner in July 2006.

The food ranges from typical to unique: prime steak cuts, fresh rainbow trout (among many seafood choices), calamari (southwest style), frog legs and quail! Terry told me personally, when I spoke to him after dinner on our December 2006 trip, that “he likes to have fun”, and that inspires his choices for the menu. (Yes, he’s there nearly all the time, making sure everything’s running smoothly and his customers are all happy.)

When we finally took them for the first time in December 2006, my kids tried the calamari and quail (all of us had to taste the quail), and it was delicious!

While this may be a Durango steakhouse, the salad, which comes with every entrée, redefines the word salad in a spectacular way. Made to share around with all your dinner mates, lettuce and greens make only the tiniest portion of this delight, served in a gigantic wooden bowl.

Broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini and yellow summer squash, green peppers, tomatoes, cabbage, carrots, cucumber, jicama and sunflower seeds complete the incredible array. Four fresh dressings complement the fare.

Served with the salad is a selection of warm rolls, from poppy seed to rye to sourdough to caraway. They also have a full wine menu, and several scrumptious desserts. We sampled the four-layer, mountain chocolate cake (made mostly of chocolate). One slice was large enough to serve four of us!

The prices are what you’d expect for higher class dining, but I didn’t find them exorbitant. Quite the contrary. For a Durango steakhouse (in “the boonies”, shipping-wise), the prices are quite reasonable. The entrees run from $20-35. We pay more for that at some restaurants in “the big city” at home!

If you’re visiting Durango, you have to try this Durango steakhouse. And if you live here, don’t forget an occasional visit, too! You’re sure to impress your out-of-town guests, bringing them here.

Reservations are a good idea, especially in the peak seasons during the summer, the ski season and near Christmas.

The other Durango steakhouse we love is the Ore House. Like Sweeney’s they serve delicious cuts of prime beef for reasonable prices. One of my personal favorites comes wrapped in bacon.

They have (if I recall rightly) a salad bar with plenty of great choices, to begin your dinner. And the side dishes that accompany the entrées are always tasty, too.

This is a small establishment. But only in the size of the building. The service is small-town friendly, and the food always superb. We haven’t been there in the last couple visits, but we’ll have to put it back on our list for the next trip, I think.

You may want to make reservations here, too, during the busier seasons.



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