To caveat, I'd give 4.5 stars if possible. My husband and I were visiting AK for pleasure & some work - and before heading home we wanted to go to a restaurant that had fresh seafood options. Orso was one of the few nicer restaurants in Anchorage that was open on a Sunday so we headed there after a very long day out at Seward. We arrived around 7:30pm. It wasn't super busy so we were seated immediately. Our server suggested some drink options based on what we liked (me: gin; my husband: bourbon). They were very good. We got the calamari appetizer - I loved the artichokes and thin lemon slices added in, plus both fried and fresh calamari in the dish. I got the Parmesan crusted halibut and my husband ordered the halibut with diavolo pasta. Both were very good. My dish came with asparagus and mushroom risotto; the risotto was pretty salty but still good. The fish was cooked well and I enjoyed it. Overall we had a very nice dinner at Orso, and I'd recommend if you're looking for a more special dinner. As I mentioned it was later on a Sunday so not busy - so the atmosphere was pretty quiet and the ambiance was cozy. read more

We saved this place for LAST on our Alaska vacation, and I am SO glad we did! Hands down, this was the BEST restaurant I had the pleasure of visiting in Anchorage. Everything we ordered was absolutely scrumptious. The flavors alone?! MOUTHWATERING. Every dish tasted like thought and care went into it, and I would recommend this place again and again. But what really made the night special was our server. She had to be one of the best in the city! This was my birthday dinner, and she made me feel nothing short of special from beginning to end. Even when it was time to leave, the hospitality continued. They boxed up our leftovers for us and took extra care packaging everything because they knew we were traveling. That small detail meant so much and earned them even MORE brownie points with me. The food, the flavor, the service, the hospitality--10/10 across the board. The PERFECT way to end my Alaska birthday adventure. I'll definitely be back whenever Anchorage brings me this way again! read more

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Reservations Required! It says walk ins welcome but only at the bar. You need a reservation for dining. We ate at the bar. We had an odd waitstaff ( he repeated himself quite a bit, he forgot about us, he brought us waters after we already had them, he asked us if we wanted to order or food after we ate, and we wanted to order dessert but instead he brought us our check). The whole encounter with him was odd. The chef special was not good. They put pickled raw veggies on my salmon and that's all I could taste. It was also under cooked with the skin on it. Chicken Parmesan was delicious. Luckily, hubby shared his meal. read more

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This place is always the absolute best. The service on this particular visit was about a 7/10 but the food more than made up for it. Beautiful setting. You could dress up nice or show up in jeans. Really in Alaska there's no place that you can go where jeans aren't acceptable. The Osso Buco is so delicious! There is not one thing I would change. Been ordering this meal since 2013. The calamari is the best calamari you will have in all 50 states. You can take that to the bank. Don't overlook this downtown favorite! read more

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The restaurant decor is very nice - I would say rustic but moderately upscale. The chicken parmesan was tasty and had a pesto sauce, but overall was a bit too salty. Portions were generous and it was nice that there were vegetables mixed in with the pasta. The burger and fries were also solid. Nothing over-the-top but an all around decent restaurant. read more

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Trivia: Known in Italian as risoni and kritharaki in Greek, this pasta in its correct spelling is just one letter different from the name of this restaurant. I have two big complaints: 1. The first is the biggest. I ordered a salad to start and the lamb as my main course. I was only maybe a quarter of the way through my salad when my main course arrived. I just didn't think a place like this would need me to specify I wanted to enjoy the salad and the entree, separately. 2. The service experience was poor. At three separate times I was brought meals that weren't mine and were, instead, meant for other people at the bar. But NO ONE was sitting next to me. They were several seats away. Each time my entrees were brought they were rather forcibly placed, clattering both times. I had to wait and then specifically ask for cutlery. Altogether, I was only impressed with the food. And even in that area, I felt a salad that boast English cucumbers would have something other than just a few tiny pieces. But the Lamb osso buco was phenomenal. Tender and superbly tasty. The accompanying olives and tomatoes were fabulous. It paired terrific with the Sangiovese! read more

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Stellar service! Super fun staff! Food was amazing. Risotto was "ok" but I'm picky with that. Seafood pasta and the chowder was to die for! read more

Orso - Seafood Gemelli - Italian Near Me - Anchorage, Alaska

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Service for our large group was caring, and frequent, albeit on the slow side due to the large group. I went through several glasses of water and soda before the soup arrived, and more in between before the entree. I had to gingerly go down the long flight of stairs with the bum knee (thank you railings!) to the restroom as a result). The salads and chowders were all well received. The bread appeared popular but was not replenished. The butter was thought to be yummy with honey. I also didn't pick wisely (and honestly several gals in the group felt the same). The ones who opted for the filet were super happy. It was tender and juicy! The chicken parm looked fabulous. Servers took great care of our teammate with an allergy. But the ones who thought, hey, when in Alaska... and opted for salmon were disappointed. It was more than "lightly peppered" as advertised, too much so as a result for me and another gal, and too dry (maybe overcooked?) for all. Tried to suffice with the polenta (meh but it's healthy, right?), and ate all the asparagus and veggies to fill myself up. I think I ate more than most of the other gals, whose plates were returned nearly untouched. Mini Desserts were preordered, with choices of a chocolate torte, crème brûlée, and tiramisu. Lots of leftovers were being offered for takeout, so I took some to the bosses who stayed back at the hotel. One loved their tiramisu and the other loved their chocolate. One co worker said the brulee was ok. The service and venue are great, the bread, salads, and soups were good. Their hand crafted beverages looked good on each reorder, envision espresso martinis, etc. Worth another visit to try another entree if I have time this trip. read more

Orso - "Not so lightly peppered" salmon on polenta and grilled asparagus topped with salad greens and onions - Italian Near Me - Anchorage, Alaska

When in Alaska one has to eat King Crab. After doing some research we settled on Orso. Very yummy food, according to our server we got a good variety of what the restaurant has to offer. Each dish was different and excellent, albeit the ravioli was essentially fancy mozzarella sticks. Not a lot of crab for the price, but it is market price after all-- hit or miss. Overall the vibes were good, the food tasty, a very memorable experience for us. read more

Orso - Dessert - Italian Near Me - Anchorage, Alaska

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Absolutely delicious! I had the parm crusted halibut. It had a nice crust on the outside and the halibut was flaky and moist. It came with a spinach and mushroom risotto and asparagus. The only thing I wasn't impressed with was dessert to go. I'm thinking it just wasn't made to travel. read more

Orso - Parm crusted halibut - Italian Near Me - Anchorage, Alaska

What happened? Returned here, first visited in 2008, to a dull, sparsely seated shell of what it used to be. Food was cold. What happened Orzo? You used to be so good!! read more

Orso is unquestionably a fine dining restaurant and experience offering unique old style interior features to deliver a high end experience. The price point is $$$$ and in Anchorage that can be important to dining decision. The service was informed to the menu offerings but reserved and somewhat rigid. They were out of quite a few menu offerings but what we ordered was good. It would be difficult to say if I would go back or recommend this restaurant base on the price/service/experience. read more

Awesome restaurant! We really enjoyed our food. The atmosphere was great and service was excellent. We especially loved our waiter JJ, who gave us lots of recommendations. read more

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Here for a work trip and found Orso on Google. Excellent service from Mark tonight. For the most part, they have a team approach to taking care of the table, which is really nice. The music was good (playlist) while the food was pretty much "to die for". I ordered the fig salad, the filet w.the seafood skewer, a cappuccino, crème brûlée for dessert. Omg ima bust Excellent food and service. This is now one of my favorite Anchorage spots to dine at; I'll be back!! read more

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Food and wine were very good. Service was great. Unfortunately, It seemed very overrated and very over priced. It was so loud and crowded. We went to every single cafe and restaurant twice during our trip except this one because it was so expensive. We shared the vegan risotto and the chocolate cake. We both had a glass of wine and it was over $100. It was filling, again very good and the most expensive meal I had in Anchorage. read more

Food was good, nothing spectacular...but good. Felt ignored by the server. Never checked in after serving the meal. We had 4 in our group and everyone's drink from the bar was pretty bad. Whiskey sour was dive bar quality. I ordered an elderflower martini, it was not good at all. Someone else got an extra dirty martini and it did not taste right at all. I would have told them all this myself had anyone asked or followed up, but that never happened. Unfortunately the whole experience for me over shadowed by poor service and bad drinks. read more

Ah yes, the dreaded three star review... it wasn't horrible but it wasn't anything special either. After dining at Orso twice in the last few weeks and having the same server both times, we've decided to take it out of our rotation for the foreseeable future. While I do like that it's a bit quieter and more intimate than nextdoor at GB, it's not enough to keep us coming back. Most recently, our four top table was so small we struggled to make room for appetizers, cocktails, wine & dinner, even when they weren't all on the table at the same time. A few weeks ago, we were there to celebrate a birthday. The appetizer flight is now being served oddly, each item stuffed into small dishes, rather than a single platter or the tiered way it once was. While I almost always order Osso Buco on a menu, it didn't wow me at all. The odd addition of raw whole grape tomatoes was a bit weird to boot. Most recently, a steak wasn't even warm enough to melt the compound butter on top. This was brought up to the server and somewhat shrugged off. He later offered up a dessert; however, after being unimpressed with the meal, we decided to go elsewhere for drinks and dessert. The service... both times while our service was somewhat jovial, he also comes across as though he's on drugs and a bit snarky at times too. Our guest was concentrating, trying to find something on her phone and didn't hear the server ask a question, but I responded... under his breath he made comment about the electronic rectangle being more important. While I'm not a fan of being on the phone at the table, it was relevant to our conversation going on and his rudeness was noted by me and my husband. All in all... we didn't feel like it was what it once was, being a favorite of ours and felt disappointed with both of our recent visits. read more

Orso - Happy Hour... Cranberry Margarita and Line 39 Red Blend - Italian Near Me - Anchorage, Alaska

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Excellent. Highly recommend. Prawns stuffed with crab + Pasta and a nice fillet steak. Large portions couldn't eat it all but very good. Zachary was the server and he did a great job. Thanks! read more

Orso - Fillet with peppercorn Demi-glaze, garlic mashed potatoes, asparagus, zucchini and yellow squash - Italian Near Me - Anchorage, Alaska

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Food was excellent as was the service, we were double charged on our bill 15% tip for 6 people but only sat 4, we again tipped but was caught by one in our party and quickly removed. Always check your details when paying. read more

Chowder and salmon were delicious. Great vibes for a nice dinner just service was a little slow. But just maybe off night. I like em!

Reservation for 7 PM. It's my birthday. Things start great. Hostess seats us and hands me a birthday card. What a nice touch. We are sitting upstairs. 14 tables up there. Only 6 including us are occupied Two waiters plus food runners plus bus service. Point is the wait staff is NOT swamped. Order drinks and apps. Ordered the appetizer flight which includes calamari fried ravioli and steak bites with polenta. Apps arrived before the drinks. Drink isn't what I ordered Sorry we're out so we substituted for you. Hope you don't mind. It's about 720 or so. Could we have plates for our appetizers please I ask the guy. That took over 5 minutes as I watched the waiter pick up plates from various places around the room Apps are quite tasty. Place dinner order I order the special. 15 minutes later waiter comes back. Kitchen says we're out of specials. Order the halibut instead. Drinks are empty it's after 8 now. Couple is seated next to us. Waiter try's to sell them the same special he just told me they were out of. They order drinks. Waiter comes back. Bar is out of the liquor needed to make your drinks Dinner arrives Waiter sits the tray of food down on the folding stand and wanders away for over 5 minutes Still no drink refills Waiter comes back and serves food. Would you like another drink? Yes please. Another 20 minutes before drinks arrive. We are mostly done. The halibut is okay. A little overcooked and my risotto was cold. It probably died in the window as the waiter wandered around doing whatever Anyways 2-1/2 hrs wasted and 256 dollar check for this sad ass service Really too bad cause the food is pretty good. I won't be back though. Not wasting my time with service like this read more

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I walked in and sat at the bar where I was greeted by two bartenders who were very helpful in choosing my selection. I got an espresso martini and they let me know that they made it with fresh espresso. I then asked what was the best thing to get on the menu and I was recommended so many things. I'll let them know this traveling and that I walked to the restaurant and then I just wanted something light. They were so helpful and accommodating. I enjoyed a few few cocktails, a glass of wine, and a phenomenal chicken Parmesan. End of the night with some Sambuca and it was absolutely a delight. read more

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Came here with my partner for a dinner out and left with pretty mixed feelings. The food was genuinely good, no complaints there, but the front of house experience left a lot to be desired. When we arrived there was no one at the host stand for a solid five minutes. Other staff walked right past us without so much as a "someone will be right with you," which set a pretty uncomfortable tone right off the bat. We eventually got seated, but even with the restaurant being pretty empty it still took a while before a server showed up to the table. Our server wasn't rude or anything, but the energy was just completely flat. It felt like he could not care less about being there. Sodas got refilled once the entire night. Between being seated and appetizers, and again between appetizers and our entrees, he was basically nowhere to be found. The thing that really got me was being asked if we wanted boxes while our plates were still full and we were just sitting there having a conversation, never once offering to top off our drinks until we finally asked. It's a shame because the food really was solid and the restaurant itself has a nice warm vibe to it. ORSO clearly has a lot going for it and on a different night with more attentive service it could easily be a 4 or 5 star experience. For now it's hard to rate it higher than a 3 when the service makes what should be a really nice dinner feel like an afterthought. read more

Glad we made a reservation. Place was 90% full at 6pm on a Sunday. Staff was super kind. Sangria mocktail was reasonably priced and delicious 10/10. Seafood gemelli was 10/10. 4 shrimp, 3 scallop, some salmon + rockfish. Pasta was not overcooked (some would say undercooked if you're used to Boston Pizza). Sauce was plentiful but not swimming. Bread in top was meh. Friend got the salmon. Was well cooked. Asparagus was super raw and too thick. Lots of olives. Overall wonderful place to eat. read more

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Overall, the food and service that Orso was good. The food was generally tasty, but seemingly like most Alaskan restaurants most of our fish dishes were overcooked. That said the rockfish entrée was cooked to perfection and excellent. The wait staff was extremely friendly. My only gripe besides the overcooked fish was that the service was slow. read more

Food is top job. Orso's and service is a pride of Anchorage. One of the best restaurants in the area. Russell Jones Eagle River

Food was good! Crab was over priced in my opinion. I paid 78$ for a 10 oz portion. Chamomile Arnold Palmer is not worth getting but the rest of the food was good. Don't recommend eating close to bed time all the food we got was heavy and make us all SO full! read more

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One of the best meal at Alaska ,the service was above and beyond! The food was amazing, Salmon here is fresh and tasty ..totally different from regular groceries store . Halibut is buttery and juicy ,Alaska crab is fresh and good not salty at all. read more

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Food, drinks and service were great. Booked a reservation for our 50th anniversary. Have celebrated in the past there, and so pleased (as with many other comparable restaurants) a celebration dessert on them. After two drinks, salad, entrees, soup, desert menu. We chose to split the Pistachio cake (eh). When the bill came, no mention of a celebration, no comp the dessert, anything. Disappointing Orso. You have been my " go to" restaurant. No longer. Only 8 people in the restaurant / and bar on an icy, snowy, low visibility evening. We came in for a special evening special from Eagle River. We both felt let down. Server was great, and still got a generous tip. read more

Will get to the food later...but the (women's) bathrooms have heated seats!!! Our server was fantastic, very friendly and attentive. We started with the crab cakes and they were delicious. My only thing was that the sauce was a bit too spicy for my pallet, but I am a baby. I had the linguini but had salmon instead of chicken. It is not a traditional type fettuccini flavor, but it's super delicious. My husband had the filet and he said it was great and cooked perfectly. For dessert they gave us a piece of tiramisu on the house for our anniversary which was so nice. We would definitely come back again. read more

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Theme is over sweet - fig walnut salad didn't need a sweet dressing and likewise the tomato chutney . Halibut was fresh and delicious although risotto was overpowered by cream read more

Orso - Walnut fig salad - Italian Near Me - Anchorage, Alaska

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After a long day of traveling, our guide listed this as a higher end italian, and she was spot on. The menu had many local specials along with some many other choices to satisfy the palate. Full bar amd wine list. Dined on chicken paremesan, shrimp, cod, Filet and ribeyes. Though a bit more fancy, still a casual laid back atmosphere. 0 waitstaff was great. Enjoy!¹ read more

Orso - Very good cab - Italian Near Me - Anchorage, Alaska

First of all - probably a good idea to make a reservation here! We did and were glad, it was consistently full in there. That being said, the space felt very intimate and polished, despite there being all full tables! Our food was good. Being vegetarian, we asked for the chicken fettuccine without the chicken and it was delicious! Only problem we had was that our waitress was incredibly pushy. She was nice, but very overbearing. read more

Orso - chocolate torte - Italian Near Me - Anchorage, Alaska

I dined here for the first time in October 2023. Very nice ambience The service was very good, excellent martini and I had the orange pistachio halibut which was very nice as well. I would give it 3.5 stars, but since I can't do that on yelp, I will round up to four stars. read more

Orso is BACK, and their bar seating is still one of the best spots on a weekend (or any night!). We love to slide into a bar booth for some Glacier Brewhouse beers, and a few appetizers under the swimming pool polar bear. The service is always second to nine. The staff are beyond friendly and attentive, and the food comes out quickly! We love the ciabatta, calamari, and antipasto plate. You can't go wrong with this lovely spot downtown! read more

Orso - Antipasto and ciabatta - Italian Near Me - Anchorage, Alaska

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Food is delicious, dining atmosphere is on the quiet side, easily able to have a conversation, we had a nice meal, good cocktails, didn't feel rushed. Easy parking on the street right outside. A bit pricy compared to similar restaurants in town. read more

Great food and beers at this Anchorage staple. Fabulous service and easy reservations.

Like the phoenix, the Lazarus, the zombie, or even the Jesus: Orso is back from the dead! I barely got to visit Orso pre-pandemic, but I liked what I saw/tasted. Orso feels even more upscale than before, with prices to match. However, you won't really feel ripped off. One thing it has in common with the pre-pandemic Orso is that all of the dishes are very RICH. If you ate here a few times a week, you would be on the highway to GOUT. Abbey got the chicken and I got the lamb. Both were rich and bursting with flavor. My dish was almost a little too rich for me. The flavors were VERY bold with lots of salt and fat. The beer selection is mostly from Glacier Brewhouse, which is definitely the weakest point. Glacier Brewhouse, like Moose's Tooth, has food that is way better than its boring beer. read more

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Long overdue review! The food was so delicious that my mom and I ate here not once, but twice, during our trip to Alaska in May. We stumbled upon Orso after doing some shopping downtown and shared some appetizers in the bar. Service was excellent and the food was just what we were craving. Our second visit was dinner in the dining room for our last night in Anchorage. Again, outstanding service, especially since they were so kind to split our shared salmon on individual plates. Not all places do this so we were happily surprised. They also split the glass of wine we ordered. My only wish was that we could have eaten there a third time as I really wanted to try so many items on the menu! read more

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Amazing king crab dinner tonight. If you're looking for a different drink try the Gold Rush. Also the pistachio amaretto cake was great. Dave at the bar was awesome too. Top notch experience read more

Orso - King crab - Italian Near Me - Anchorage, Alaska