The Turtle is truly exceptional--easily one of the finest dining experiences you will find anywhere in Texas, not just Brownwood. Mary has built something very special here. The food is world-class: thoughtfully conceived, beautifully executed, and consistently excellent. You would normally have to travel to Austin, Dallas, or Houston to find a restaurant of this caliber--and pay significantly more. The fact that Mary delivers this level of quality here, and does so consistently, is remarkable. Everything is cooked to order, exactly as it should be in a serious kitchen. This is not fast, mass-produced food--and that's the point. If you value freshness, precision, and quality, The Turtle delivers every time. The bar is equally outstanding, and one of my favorite places to sit and dine. This is an ideal place for date nights or when hosting out-of-town guests you truly want to impress. The Turtle impressed my hardest-to-please food critic, which says everything. For me, it has become a regular favorite--one of Brownwood's absolute treasures. Go for the food. Stay for the ambience. #thebar read more

Food was amazing! Loved the salmon. Service was spot on! Locally owned and a must stop when in town.

Though I wouldn't necessarily call it inexpensive, it's ALWAYS delicious! They have a nice menu selection, ambience & great service! Definitely not fast food because everything is made to order! Have a drink & enjoy visiting until your meal arrives. Table will be mostly silent once that lovely meal is placed before you! Great place for small birthday or other celebration parties! A must try for Brownwood!! You'll be back! read more

Last weekend we traveled to Brownwood so my wife could enter an art show. Several of our friends decided to try Turtles. So they say they're slow as really good food takes time. Slow is an understatement, it to 1 hour and 45 minutes to get our food. It was cold and there was absolutely nothing outstanding about it. Enough said? read more

Let me start by saying, the service staff, building, and ambiance at The Turtle were delightful. We arrived for our New Years Eve dinner ($95++ per person) and were seated by the kitchen next to a screen with a draft. We were immediately served our first course, before we even received our table water! We asked to be moved, because of the draft and the undesirable table, and were seated in the bar area, which had a great vibe, with excellent music. Our server brought our water and first course over with us, but failed to bring our napkins and flatware. We had to ask. We were not offered a drink, we had to ask. Before we even received our cocktails, the second course was served, French onion soup, very good. We ordered a bottle of wine. The entire time we were eating, the bartender was rushing around acting like she was "very very busy" but yet, she was only mixing drinks about 1/every 5 minutes. When she emptied a bottle, she THREW it into a trash bin that must have had other bottles in it, because it caused a loud crash each time and was rather alarming. Our server came around very seldom, but was very courteous. We had to ask for water each time. I overheard one server on the phone tell someone they were "very busy and could they call back later". I would think they would have said "come on in, we have tables and food"! The scallops were marginally good, the green beans and mashed potatoes were cold. The GIANT pork chop was good, but very dry. The bartender began cleaning up and readying to close (loudly) (it was after 9) and some ladies came into the bar area and asked for a drink with Baileys and she replied "im out of Baileys", then she brought them drinks with Baileys?!?. They were very confused. . I will say, they management probably needs to work on educating the staff on service more about sequence and SLOW DOWN. All in all, it was ok, but not worth the $ we spent. read more

The Turtle Restaurant - Comfort Food Near Me - Brownwood, Texas

I cannot say enough, good things about Mary, her food, her ambience, her vision, or the turtle! Our visit with her in January was beyond amazing! In spite of this post being made so many months later, I can say, with full confidence that if you do go to the turtle And you have Darcy as your waitress, you will no doubt have an amazing and memorable experience! And the things that Mary has for sale are quite cute as well. read more

So, wow. We drive through Brownwood exactly once per year on our way to Vegas from the Austin area. We've never ventured downtown bot we wanted something different and an adult beverage. The Turtle was everything we could have wanted. First, the service was great. We got here early and had the bar (the Enoteca) to ourselves. In addition to a great wine selection, they also had a good selection of gin, vodka, and whiskey/scotch. But let's talk food. Because that's why you're here, right? They have a wide variety of potstickers, and we tried three of them...the pork/shrimp, the duck/bacon/corn and the cheeseburger. All house made. All unique. And all really good. For dinner we had the ribeye and the chorizo goat cheese cappetelli. Both were really, really done well. And dessert was amazing too. The Turtle is amazing. Don't pass it up. read more

The Turtle Restaurant - Lemon lavender Gelato (house made) - Comfort Food Near Me - Brownwood, Texas

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Excellent quality food. The service was not the fastest but was good. It is located in the downtown area and has a nice feel to it

We stopped in Brownwood for a weekend and stumbled across this gem. The food is delicious! Service was great. Quaint dining room that has a classy flair, but casual is comfortable It's one of three Turtle "food boutiques." I don't know what they serve on the dinner menu, but the lunch options are not your typical sandwich deli items. The ham and Brie with fig was delicious!! The portion size was generous and if you're a fan of pickles, the pickle spear is a large quarter dill spear and it was so good! You can also enjoy their adjoining gelateria and wine bar. read more

The Turtle Restaurant - Ham & Brie with fig. - Comfort Food Near Me - Brownwood, Texas

Such a charming place to eat. Wish I would've had more of an appetite to have a dinner entree but settled for a salad and wasn't disappointed. It was fresh and tasty and went perfectly with the sourdough bread. Opted to add the oil & vinegar which paired perfectly. The bread was the "wish I could sink into its warm goodness just to eat my way out" good. The ambiance was great and the waitstaff so friendly. They also have a gelato place and bar next door if you decide you need a little more after dinner. Would definitely recommend! read more

The Turtle Restaurant - Mixed greens salad with sourdough bread - Comfort Food Near Me - Brownwood, Texas

Excellent friendly service, great freshly prepared food, unique dining experience with nice music in the background. My wife had the Chicken Marsala which she raved about and I had the beer battered cod that was so hot from the fryer i had to b give a few minutes to cool a bit. For appetizers we had the Argentine beef empenads which were als fresh from the fryer! Everything was fresh and incredibly delicious! We highly recommend The Turtle! Outstanding lunch experience! We will definitely be back! read more

Excellent salmon dish. Quality food at reasonable prices. I'll go back next time in Brownwood.

Great atmosphere and great food. The service was also very friendly. I left feeling satisfied and well fed. read more

The Turtle Restaurant - Delmonico style Ribeye - Comfort Food Near Me - Brownwood, Texas

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We just enjoyed a delicious meal, refreshing libations, great service by Shiann and Creative Cocktail Craftwork by Josh, and great dinner conversation with a returning friend with deep Brownwood roots! ,‍ Note: As a bonus, we got to visit with some of our regular SM&D guests from Austin. They were in town hosting their #visitbrownwood friends! A great night and the perfect way to end our work week/begin our weekend! #allroadsleadtobrownwood read more

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Service was top notch. Friendly and informative. Very nice ambiance for Brownwood. And the food...I chose the Filet of Salmon Curry. Delicious is an understatement. Excellent hits the mark. And for desert, Apricot Bread Pudding balanced the outting. I look forward to eating here again. My thanks to my waitress, Lindsey, chef, Austin, and the bartender, Shannon. read more

The honey pecan chicken was amazing!! Highly recommend stopping in this restaurant for dinner. read more

The Turtle Restaurant - Comfort Food Near Me - Brownwood, Texas

Wow. I liked the menu so I was excited to try. The brussel sprouts and Delmonico ribeye were amazing. The steak was full of flavor and seasoned perfectly! I'll crave it for a long while. Whoever created the menu rocks! Only 4 stars because the server is very inattentive uninterested. No drink refills, never checks on you (there was only 2 tables). A lady manager walked by a lot, but never made eye contact. I wanted to compliment the meal. Oh well, no worries, I don't need to be coddled. read more

We were in Brownwood for business and needed a lunch spot that was quiet and relaxed plus good food. This is exactly what The Turtle Restaurant provides. Right on the front door it tells you that it is "Slow, Fresh, Food" The three days we went there we had the same server, the only one there, and she was taking care of everyone. Yes it took extra time to get drinks and our order taken but we were prepared for it and the wait is worth it. We tried the Fried Duck Bacon and Corn Wontons and the Truffled Parmesan Fries for appetizers and they were both delicious. I had the Lindsey Burger the first day and the Hot Ham and Brie with Fig the next two days because it was so good. Meals come with house made Tornadoes which are spiraled potatoes deep fried on a stick. They are great! The restaurant also has a Gelateria and a Enoteca attached. It was chilly while there so we didn't try the gelato and we never did make it back for dinner service but we did see the menu and it looked really good. Plus they have a very extensive wine list. I can't recommend this place enough! read more

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I checked Yelp for the best lunch spot in Brownwood. This place was the top of the list. It's Brownwood, so I walked in with extremely managed expectations. The food absolutely blew me away, exceeded many meals I've had in Houston and Dallas. I had the roasted cauliflower with shishito peppers and the curried figs and chicken. Both were best in class. Highly recommend if you're in town! read more

The food and service were excellent. They accommodated opening early for our family meal.

Service was good and attentive. Food was good but pricey. Brussels sprouts appetizer was great. read more

Passing through Brownwood, we looked at Yelp reviews and saw The Turtle Restaurant. What an explosion of flavor! The restaurant has food that you would expect to find in a big, I mean really big city. Like New York or San Francisco. There are Korean dishes and Indian dishes. It is all fresh and flavorful. The service is great. Definitely not Texas or Texican food. If you're tastebuds are craving something new, consider this gem! read more

The Turtle Restaurant - Bulgogi on rice cakes - Comfort Food Near Me - Brownwood, Texas

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This restaurant has one of the best dishes I have had in such a long time, along with terrific service! The Del Monico Ribeye was amazing! Cooked perfectly, along with the sauce flavorful wine cream shallot sauce! read more

The Turtle is an eclectic little restaurant across the street from City Hall. The menu lists a variety of cultural dishes from around the globe, all crafted with prime ingredients and artfully presented. They boast an amazing assortment of spirits, liqueurs, and wines to accompany your meal. I even found a spectacular Norwegian aquavit on the list. Reservations are a good idea, as this place is popular in the evenings, especially when the Lyric Theater has an event. read more

The Turtle Restaurant - Burger and tornado fries - Comfort Food Near Me - Brownwood, Texas

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el restaurantant esta ???nada del otro mundo! La comida super cara , el piso del local estaba sucio y el servicio fue de 3 Estrella! No lo visitaria nuevamente! la empanada cubana no tiene nada que ver con una empanada authentication ! read more

I ordered the honey pecan chicken and it was excellent. My husband ordered the peppered steak and it was just ok. Service was excellent. Our only complaint was the cocktails were really expensive. A small margarita was $20! read more

First take when you walk in is building has a cool vibe. We actually entered the bar area - and there was a side room with what appeared to be quite the wine selection. So, let's have a look! Excellent choice of wines - Italy, France, California and then some. Bit in high end but worth it - the ones we had (Bordeaux and Cabernet) were quite good. They do have a special drink of day may be worth trying though not for us today. On to an appetizer. We had the Brussel sprouts which were fantastic. Crisp outer part with inside just right. Not bitter and a tangy lightly sweet sauce drizzled on. For the main dish, the Lamo Sataldo - a Spanish Asian fusion dish was full of flavor. The rice with some kinda olive from who knows where was great! Finally on to desert. The bread pudding by itself was ok but the brandy and apricot butter bring it home for a delicious desert. As for service, Our server was very attentive and enjoyable to talk to. read more

The Turtle Restaurant - Brussel Sprouts. - Comfort Food Near Me - Brownwood, Texas

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We were visiting Brownwood for the solar elipse and found this restaurant almost by accident. We had one of the best meals that I'd had in a long time and definitely in our visit to Texas. I had Butternut Squash Mezzaluna. Others in our party had Chicken Parmasan, curry chicken with figs and poblano peppers, and a flambeed peppercorn steak with an outstanding sauce. The wine, recommended by the owner, was an amazing white from Italy - Orvieto. The atmosphere was pleasant and relaxing - perfect for enjoying a delightful time. We would come again, for a second meal, except you are closed on Sundays! We loved it. Highly recommended! read more

Very good food. Enjoyed the Rueben sandwich a lot. Gelato is not my preference but still good. Take them for their word at slow good food. Underline the slow down and enjoy the time. read more

The food is delicious. Our waitress was pretty fabulous! She was hostess and waitress and server and busser. The ambience is truly exceptional. Not a place to be rushed. Know that coming in. You are in for a treat. The best part is the amazing flavors on the menu. We started with an Italian margarita skillet. My husband has German and I had a delicious peppercorn steak. We finished off with a bread pudding. read more

Great service and food. Friendly service with a nice ambiance. Location is downtown, and great for couples.

Had a good experience at this restaurant. About the only nice dining in this area. The wait staff was friendly and attentive. I had the Brussels sprouts and the lamb and it was prepared well. Nice size portions for the price. They had a good wine selection as well. My coworkers had burgers that they said were pretty good. They had a variety of what looked like tasty food and by the way that my food tasted I would believe that it was. read more

Meals, experiences, events, people...all can be described via a cornucopia of adjectival bon mots. Each, however, may most effectively best be described by a single, carefully chosen word. So, in that vein, I will simply say that The Turtle is "exceptional". It is a gem in an otherwise field of zirconia. I happened across this establishment in an all out effort to discover the one place in Brownwood that stands apart. Treasure found! An impressive scotch, bourbon, gin, and wine selection immediately sent me into a maelstrom of wonder. I flipped through the spirits menu, excited and eager. Then, the bartender, Halle, casually informed that there were many bottles on hand that were not listed on the menu. Needless to say, the next ten minutes were spent lazily perusing the shelves near the bar as I sought out the hidden stash. As for my meal, I opted to go traditional and ordered the BBQ Swiss burger. It was served quickly, hot, and so juicy. My mouth has had a few other amazing experiences but this was easily top ten. I had them add some Gorgonzola, which transform the sandwich into that which is only spoken of in whispers. The accompanying chips were just right. Halle crafted a special gin martini for me. The first sip soothed my soul. The rest gave me faith in humanity. Let's just say that Halle was sent from above to be a purveyor of fine beverages. She was a definitive bonus to my evening. Lastly, I must mention that fine owners have a passion that transcends their field. They defend what fuels them. They stand up for peers in their respective industries and keep the bar high. Mary has created something of such a deep-seated value in The Turtle that it should be mirrored by much larger venues. It won't, though. And that, my friends, is why you MUST lend an hour or so to this small town oasis of excellence. Wink at Halle. She'll know it's from me. read more

What a lovely dinner. Wide range of dinner options. Everyone got something different and each plate was amazing. This is why I dine out. Nice job!!! read more

Super fresh, high quality food. Highly recommend. Variety of flavors offered on the menu. Worth every penny!! The service was amazing. Expect to wait for your food, as it is made fresh. Enjoy the company at the table with you, and the atmosphere. read more

Food was ok. But service was so slow. We waited over 2 hours to get our food. Many people walked out. Said they only had 1 chef on this Friday night. Would try again, but at a less busy time. read more

So the Turtle is definitely true to its name. Service is extremely slow and that's definitely something you should plan for. My drink was fantastic and the bread loaf was great. I wasn't to into much else of the food and sadly we ran out of time so had to dash after the appetizers. Would try again with more time! read more

The Turtle Restaurant - Comfort Food Near Me - Brownwood, Texas

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Fine dining at its best. Mary is chef extraordinaire! I love the lamb. Called Kafta!! Deliciousness! Mouth watering now, lol! If you haven't had a chance to grab a gelato, do it! So good!!! read more

Disappointed by our Tuesday dinner. My mom was in from Arizona and we went to dinner expecting the same quality of food as in the past. My mom had beer battered cod that was way overcooked. The waitresses' comment was that it was better than being soggy. My wife's chicken Parmesan was under seasoned. I hope this was just an off night. read more

Everything you order is worth the wait! Great wine selection, a great ambiance and curated entrees are among the benefits of this restaurant. Enjoy! read more