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“Good, BUT....”
Review of The Kennebec

The Kennebec
Ranked #1 of 2 Restaurants in Hesperus
More restaurant details
Restaurant details
Good for: Groups, Romantic, Business meetings, Local cuisine, Special Occasion Dining
Dining options: Lunch, After-hours, Breakfast, Dinner, Reservations
Description: The Kennebec offers an atmosphere of casual elegance in warm, comfortable surroundings. We serve Mediterranean inspired cuisine, focusing on local and seasonal ingredients. We feel a memorable meal encompasses excellent cuisine, creative stimulation, good wine, and the company of friends!
Reviewed July 27, 2024

Excellent food & service. The only reason I didn't give 5 stars is because there were quite a few spider webs at the entrance and one in the corner behind our table. I don't do bugs. But the food was very good and the service was outstanding. We will go back but I'm hoping the spiders will have been dealt with.

Date of visit: July 2024
    • Value
    • Atmosphere
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    • Food
Thank T B
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Barbara Helmer, Owner at The Kennebec, responded to this reviewResponded September 5, 2024

Thank you for your review and feedback. We do have monthly pest control services. We are in the mountains and spiders are quick to claim space indoors to seek refuge from the heat during the summer months. We purposely don't spray inside to avoid chemicals near food or where we grow our fresh herbs outside. We will be on the lookout for any webs inside.

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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC
Reviews (352)
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1 - 5 of 352 reviews

Reviewed July 21, 2024

What a nice surprise! Outstanding meal on our last night in the canyon. Great wine selection too.

We had the filet special and the halibut special. Both were delicious, but the halibut was knock-your-socks-off fantastic! For dessert we had the chocolate custard. The portion was enough for both of us to have several bites and then I finished it the next morning with my coffee! Also, it came with a homemade biscotti that was really good as well. Still crunchy after a night in the fridge on top of the custard!

Would absolutely have gone a second time, if we had more time!

Fantastic service too!

Date of visit: July 2024
    • Value
    • Atmosphere
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    • Food
Thank Staci T
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed July 12, 2024

We were there in July 2024 for our 4th time. In the past I have given good reviews. I hate to say it here, but I was not impressed this time. Why? Well, first they post something like “allow 2 hours for good service”. We allowed close to 2 hours for “Not Good” service. Whenever we asked about something (a couple of times) we got “It’s coming”.

1) It was close to an hour before we got served (not our main course)
2) The servers (or whatever they are called), just lacked the friendliness that you expect in an establishment like, theirs. Matter of fact, a couple of times, they made us feel like we were squatters.
3) So, the food comes. I get served an overcooked dish. Nice tough, overcooked salmon.
4) Oh boy was it noise. We heard ever word said at a table far away. ECHO!

At this time, if I go back up to Durango, I will be looking at other establishments for food. There is a saying, “once bit, twice shy”(no punn).

Message to the owners: Check out your staff. Now if the staff are owners, consider selling.

Date of visit: July 2024
    • Value
    • Atmosphere
    • Service
    • Food
Thank P M
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed June 16, 2024

The service was absolutely terrible. Super slow, we had to constantly call for attention of waitress, and ask several times for sonething. I asked for medium rare prime rib, it came medium, I returned the plate and they told me it was last prime rib of the night. We had waited so much that ad to eat it as it was already too late. The kitchen did not admit any fault, said it had been propermy cooked, although lady in charge admitted it had not properly been cooked, but at the end no apology, no recognition of terrible service, even charged for the bread.Definetely not worth to get out of your way in Durango to go to this café.

Date of visit: June 2024
    • Value
    • Atmosphere
    • Service
    • Food
Thank Marialuz V
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed June 7, 2024 via mobile

Nowadays you have to make a dinner reservation first before going to the restaurant. It took considerabel time until we were asked if we wanted something to drink. The menu is for everybody, meat fish or salads. We had the chicken which was good. The desserts are huge (to our European standards) so we skipped that one.

Date of visit: June 2024
Thank HaMo1822
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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