This was the worst dining experience! We had reservations at 7:30 for a party of 12. We arrived and the restaurant was 3/4 full. We waited 45 minutes for acknowledgement from our waiter and then another 30 for drinks and and then another 20 for appetizers. Our waiter disappeared for 15 minutes while our drinks sat at the bar. We got our mediocre appetizers and ask several servers for a refill on our chips and never got any more chips. Wr placed our order for dinner and ask for more chips while we waited but we never got any more chips. While our king wait for dinner , We were all out of drinks and couldn't find anyone to take our orders for more drinks. You would think they would want to sell more alcohol!! By 9:00 our food wasn't here , our chip bowls were empty and our drinks were empty. Terrible experience. I suggest you find somewhere else for dinner in Anchorage! The food finally arrived it was terrible. We sent our cold, over cooked tacos back. read more

I'll save you some time...I really didn't enjoy the food, but the restaurant is in a great location and is very nice inside. Really, my visit to Tequila 61 was just mediocre. I was shocked. My wife loves the place and I had such high expectations. "Andrew, you will love their tacos. They are the best!" she said. "We can go get Wild Scoops afterwards!" she also said. One of those was true [hint: We got Wild Scoops afterwards]. I tried several of their tacos, none of them impressed. 1) The soft corn tortillas were [seemingly] stale and flaky. I couldn't even pick up the taco without the food breaking through. 2) The menu does a great job "selling" the food to the customer. Everything sounds amazing until you pop the chicken in your mouth and realize it tastes like they boiled it then sprinkled taco seasoning all over. No seasoning whatsoever. To top it off, the place is not cheap. When my wife said we were going to eat mexican food, I was ready for a hole-in-the-wall restaurant, a $5 meal and more chips and salsa than I could imagine eating. Nopeeeeeeee! Instead we walked into a tastefully decorated restaurant - a mix between urban contemporary and delightfully rustic (perfectly Alaskan!). But with that great ambience came a disappointing price tag. It was certainly not a $5 meal and I wasn't full either. Service was nothing to brag about. Just thought I'd mention it. Clearly Tequila 61 is striking a chord with part of the populace. I suggest giving them a try. If you don't like them, never return. If you do (which I hope), then you found a great spot to eat that is nearby some tourist hangouts and a public park. read more

We went here on a Friday night. Not too busy. After looking over the menu we decided to order a couple appetizers and tacos. The sweet potatoes chips and guacamole were good. Not great. The veggie tacos were pretty dang good though I must say I am not one who loves tacos. The seared beef appetizer was great. Overall the place we very nice and the menu interesting. read more

I absolutely love this place!! If only this place opened sooner while I was still Anchorage...but at least I was able to try it when it first opened. I don't think I am a very picky eater but not many places in Anchorage will get higher than a 4stars from me...but this place really made me fan. The service was spot on and so was the food. We came here probably two weeks after it opened for a birthday dinner/ going away dinner for me and between the three of us..we pretty much tried almost everything on their small plates menu. We had: -Guacamole with sweet potatoes chips- I love sweet potatoes and the sweet potatoes chips were delicious but nothing too special about the guacamole. -Sushi Mignon- Definitely one of favorite dish..just love the texture and the smokey taste of the filet mignon. You will definitely be impressed by it. -Sashimi Tapas- Not one of my favorite because the bread was just too hard -Oysters on the half shell- Nothing special...I kinda regret not getting the grill option -Carpaccio- This was decent...but like before..did not like the hard french bread strip it came with - Thai rolls- My friend loved this dish and I thought it was good too...but I've had better versions of spring rolls. - Scallops- This is definitely on the top of my favorite dish. Not only does it looks cool..it actually tasted so good too. We actually had fun roasting our scallops as if it was a marshmallow =] But my favorite part of the dish is the risotto that was with it. -Duck al pastor tacos- This was decent.. nothing to spectacular about it..I prefer the shrimp tacos more - Jicama shrimp tacos- I like this because I like coconut shrimp and their jicama tortilla that they use with this dish is good For dessert, we had the mexican brûlée and the brownie de abuela... Both were a bit too sweet for my taste and I am not a very big fan of chocolate...if I knew the mexican brûlée was chocolate based too then I would've gotten a cheesecake instead of one of those. Now on to the drinks/cocktails part....They have a good variety and I only tried four of their cocktails and i would say their El diablo is the far my favorite there. Overall, I think this restaurant is a great addition to Anchorage and if somehow I ended up having to come back to Anchorage for some reason then this will be my meet up spot. read more

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The food here was spot-on! There isn't a menu item that could possibly disappoint. What a nice addition to the Anchorage finer food scene. I knocked it down one star because my date ordered a little lettuce with her tacos and was lectured about how that was not "authentic". Excuse me? Still a good choice. read more

I haven't tried the food here, but their horchata cocktail is delicious! This review is mainly for the bar area. I met some random dude at Sub Zero that recommended it. We ended up having drinks at this restaurant. The staff was very attentive and took care of me while here. The guy I didn't enjoy the company of. He was a little odd, in a 'my beliefs are truth!' sort of way. He asked me what my favorite children's cereal was. I wouldn't even call it a blind date, just the meeting of a random person who bought me a drink. A friend of mine and I were supposed to meet here. We have yet to.Anyway! My review will be updated as soon as I try their food. read more

We stopped in on New Years Eve for a quick bite and were quite surprised at the relaxing atmosphere to go along with the great food! We sat at the bar which was a pleasant experience. read more

My boyfriend and I are avid fans of fine dining, but the options in Anchorage are limited. We discovered Tequila 61 on their 'secret opening night' all the way back in March (I believe?). We walked in seeing that it was open and curiously asked to be seated. They happily sat us down, talked us through the menu, and explained that that night they just wanted to get people's honest opinions- as they were doing a 'pre-opening' to get an idea of what locals thought. We had drinks and dessert (their brownie sunday). Everything here was on par since day one. The staff are well-trained, friendly, and efficient. They know what's available and are quick to get your order to you. The bartenders make their drinks spot on and their drink selection in and of itself is so unique and absolutely worth stopping in for. Enjoy something sweet? My all time favorite drink is their AK 47- a mixture of lemon, strawberry, and bubbly wine flavors that is so worth getting drunk over. But the food- ugh the food. Guys, this place is IT for gourmet food in Anchorage. No reservation needed, but this place does tend to get a little busy with larger groups- so if you're coming with more than 5 people I suggest calling ahead of time. The menu is pricey, but everything about the food you're given is worth it. The presentations are spot on- colorful, innovative, and truly what you'd expect for the hefty dollar amount your putting down on your meal. Their popcorun shrimp are to die for with a sweet flavor and sesame seed crunch. I've tried at least half of their menu. It features a very unique twist on Mexican cuisine. You'll find both seafood, white meat, and red meat options. They have unique tacos- my favorite being their 'coconut shrimp taco'. Almost everything on their menu has a mix of savory and sweet flavors- which is something that originally deterred me. For instance their 'land and sea' platter features a fillet minon steak topped with cheese and sitting flat on a warm pineapple slice. Pineapple, cheese, and steak? That couldn't possibly be good- right? I was pleasently suprised- no, blown away, by the immense flavor combination. It was unique and something I never expected I would absolutely fall in love with- but everything about the food at this place is worth diving into. The atmosphere, once again, takes a 5 star rating. The place is clean and well-kept with a unique upscale western feel. Barnwood floors and table tops are accented with dark black metal table legs and black leather seating. There are an array of whiskey barrels in the center of the resturaunt, built into the wall- adding a unique but beautiful touch that I felt really fit the feel of this place. Be prepared to spend a little more than usual at this establishment. Both times my boyfriend and I have gone we've dished out around $150 for appetizers, a main course, and a dessert (as well as one or two drinks). You get your dollar's worth though, so don't be hesitant to make a special evening of this place. Absolutely worth it. I'm sure we'll continue to be regulars to this place way into the future. Tequila 61 has quickly become our favorite downtown Friday night fine dining eatery. read more

Tequila 61 - Mexican Near Me - Anchorage, Alaska

Just ate here, and I must say it was fantastic. Interesting menus, both food and drink. It's 'Tapas', so in our group of 5 we got around 7-8 plates to share, and it all amazing. The sashimi tartar was the the highlight for me, and the carpaccio as well. Really nice vibe inside as well. I hope this place continues to thrive, as Anchorage needs more spots like this! Only reason to not get 5 stars really is prices for small plates are a bit much. The ingredients are top notch - fresh, and prepared with real care... but don't mistake this for a place to get cheap eats. This is a date night/place to impress for a business dinner. If they can find a way to make their menu a bit more economical, yet still stay true to the quality and atmosphere - this place will blow up! read more

Really delicious drinks at this restaurant! I would highly recommend the happy hour drinks. They food was good. They have a variety of offerings including contemporary tacos and other mexican dishes. Not the biggest fan of the sauces on the food, as they seemed to be too salty and overpowered some of the food. On the other hand, the way that the food is written has you mouth watering. Great ambiance, look and feel for a gastropub and certainly a good place to go out with friends or even just for a drink. Would certainly go back for a drink or two! read more

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I had been dying to try Tequila 61 since I saw its Instagram page launch. So I was pumped when my husband took me here as a surprise for our anniversary recently. We sat by the bar and I was impressed that the mixologist/bar tender checked every drink in a sanitary way by inserting a straw in the drink, capping the top with a finger, and dropping a taste in his mouth. Seriously, that quality control shows dedication to his craft. A beer list on the drinks menu would be helpful though. I didn't even see that they served beer until I saw the handles behind the bar after I had already ordered a cocktail. The duck tacos were so good and they came presented very nicely in a little silver stand. I have to come back for their reduced-price Taco Tuesday for those. The chipotle crepe was pretty good too, but not as good as the tacos. We were disappointed that the sashimi appetizer (not my fav) was served simultaneously with the entrees. This was supposed to be a leisurely anniversary dinner but when the app and entrees came out at all at once it made for a more rushed vibe. The brownie was decent. Also bonus points for adorable mini milk cans of cream served with the coffee. read more

Some friends had been here before and absolutely *raved* about this place, so my husband and I joined them one night. The wife made reservations, but that wasn't necessary as there wasn't a wait (though the place was quite crowded). Our waitress was great, though her name escapes me. She was just the right amount of attentive. She briefly forgot the rest of the group's drinks (just by a few minutes) probably because I distracted her by asking for a sample of beer. I wanted to stick with just beer/wine, because YOWZA the price of some of the cocktails were way more than food! As a starter, I ordered guacamole with the sweet potato chips to share. The other couple got some sort of shrimp ceviche. The waitress had the server-foresight to bring extra chips for us, as the regular amount that comes with the order was not enough for four people, so that was much appreciated. Though I am largely a vegetarian, I have been *~*~bravely~*~* (lol) attempting to try salmon because well, it's pretty much as ubiquitous as rhubarb in this place, so I wanted to see if it was something I'd like. I ordered the salmon tacos and I inquired if the salmon was wild Alaskan salmon. The waitress confirmed it was, and that it had just been freshly caught and delivered that day. That helped with my negotiation of my morals. At least the little salmon wasn't farm-raised in a tiny pond. My husband ordered a chicken mole (e with an accent moh-lay, not mole like the Austin Powers moley-moley-mooooole), a word which confused him and his taste buds. But for $20-ish dollars, his plate was FULL of shredded chicken and other tidbits, which I think was really worth the price. There was a LOT of chicken. He had a struggle finishing it, but good boy, he got it all down his gullet. The tacos were tiiiiny, I guess since they're intended to be an appetizer, but those three tiny salmon tacos plus an embarrassing amount of sweet tater chips and guac was substantial enough for me. Before tip, our bill was $53, which IMHO isn't that bad. I think I would like to try some of their fancy drinks later, as it seems they are quite the place to be for tequila-based deliciousness. Some additional takeaways -- * The beers were listed as $5.50 on the menu, but we were charged $6.00 each. Now, I am not one to quibble over a literal dollar, but this is not the first time in Anchorage that I was given the usual excuse of "oh that's an old menu, sorry." No, that's being lazy and dishonest with your menu distribution and you should honor the price on the menu, no matter the size of discrepancy. Our waitress took our bill back to adjust it and we received our adjusted bill -- with no changes. That was a little more than annoying. * It is very loud. Do not expect to have an intimate, quiet date here, because you are going to be competing with the on-site DJ and the rabble from all of the other patrons. * It is not kid-friendly, which is a great relief for those of us who want to go to an adult-oriented place and not be "delighted" (and I say that with sarcasm) with the screams of kids that really do not need to be in fancy gastropubs and bars. Please, don't bring your kid here. Get a babysitter. read more

First and foremost, this place is amazing! So happy that Anchorage has a nicer Mexican restaurant (no shade to Las Cabanas) downtown. I have been several times, and always appreciate the service offered by the employees. The drinks are very good, a little expensive, but that is okay. It is worth it for the experience. The food is delicious as well, smaller plates, but good all around. I usually order the carnitas and get a margarita. There is a DJ on the weekends, so it has nice hip feel to it. Always a recommendation. read more

Wow...I was blown away! I sat on going here for 2 weeks because I looked at their menu online and they want about $14-$16 for a cocktail. That's a bit pricey in my book. The Crows Nest has cheaper cocktails. But I bucked up and boy am I glad I did! We had the the bruchetta, the jicama shrimp tacos the brownie for desert and a couple cocktails. Everything was fantastic! Our waitress was upbeat fun and entertaining. Our food came quickly. We ordered more shrimp tacos to go. It was better than I ever could have imagined. The location in great for a downtown restaurant. If you go down the hill on E st. There is a parking lot off to the right and it's a short walk up the hill. It's only $1/hr to park. Overall I was very please with everything. I will be back for sure. read more

Tequila 61 - Mexican Near Me - Anchorage, Alaska

Excellent fresh tasting tacos and the drinks are well made. I personally had the carnitas and the halibut with the smoked Manhattan and I can enthusiastically recommend all three. read more

Clean nice looking place. Food is presented nicely. We walked in early lunch, like just opened, one other table. Took a while till anyone came by with water. Once we got going food came out fairly quickly. Got some guacamole, which had a bite, but the chips stone cold. Husband got tortilla soup said pretty good. Then I got the mushroom tacos. Which were very good! He got the baked potato which he was not impressed with. I must say it was really pretty. We asked for the check twice after sitting waiting to flag down our waiter. There's now 4 other tables with people. read more

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I wasn't a fan until I finally ordered the right things: Jicama shrimp tacos, Elote chowder, Horchata cornbread. The Elote chowder is soooooo delicious! Beautiful decor, except for the fake plants. I wish they served pitchers of margaritas. read more

I have been here a good dozen times before but it has been since time since I have been. The menu changed but the food is still good. My main complaint is the drink menu changed but I just ordered a classic margarita but it was terrible. Like lime and water. It was gross. Never had that happen before. Would never get again. read more

Been there 3 times. The first was a wonderful experience with awesome libations! Time #2, their POS system went down (internet issues) and NO ONE was able to pay with debit/credit; only by check and cash. We were lucky and had a check available. Time #3 was just so-so with great drinks but the food was lackluster. I'd go again but I wouldn't say you MUST go there if you're a tourist. read more

Can't even comment on the food. The front desk staff was ridiculously disorganized. Had a 7:45 reservation showed up at 7:38 and was asked could we wait the 7 minutes because they were busy. Working on a walk in table of 12. They asked us to wait outside. 27 mins later we were still outside as they worked with the table of 12, seated another walk up of 3 immediately and the two more reservations. When I confronted them and asked for the manager the two younger front desk employees said it's not our fault, we didn't know you were there. I said you were standing right here when I came in and she actually said that doesn't mean i was listening. When the manager arrived the more senior employee tried to say she thought she sat someone who looked like me while the younger was whining he yelled at me. Total chaos and disorganization. We left and had great experience elsewhere. Don't waste your time. Good location. Not much else. read more

I quite enjoy the bar at Tequila 61. The classic margarita is on point. Nice mix of sweet and sour perfection. Even though I've been drinking these in the middle of Anchorage winter, they still bring me to the beaches of Mexico. I just tried their tacos last night for Taco Tuesday. The blackened salmon tacos were delicious, perfectly seasoned, and paired with crunchy onions and tangy sauce, these tacos are worth coming back for. We found the Baja tacos to be a bit disappointing. The fish was meh (fried rockfish); would be better with a different batter, or way more sauce to make you forget that you don't love the fish. I'm sure that I will be back to try more tacos on their menu! Can't beat $7 on Tuesday. read more

Oh man what a place. Who knew that you had to go to Alaska for such good Mexican food. Only in America !!!!! Food where you can taste the individual ingredients!! Plus I just want to be like the manager, have four tooth necklaces . Not many restaurants I can say that about. read more

Loved the tacos and margaritas! Vegetarian options are good. Alaskan white beer was awesome as well. The ambience is classy and good music read more

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Arrived at 630pm on Saturday, seated right away. Great food and good service. Tried several small plates and the tamarind shrimp, very good. Scipy Margarita very good :-) ... did I mention good service... that doesn't typically exsist in Anchorage. read more

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What a fabulous & fun place in the middle of downtown! It definitely adds some variety to the Anchorage food scene! We had a terrific time there. I suggest making a reservation. We had delicious guacamole for an appetizer and some great drinks. Dinner was overall pretty good. The ceviche could have been a little more tender but the flavor of all the other dishes were wonderful. Our waitress was awesome & helpful. She made sure we were well taken care of. read more

Tequila 61 - My shot of tequila, Don Julio. And a Piel Morena drink (mescal). Delicious! - Mexican Near Me - Anchorage, Alaska

Delicious!! Great Mexican food was what we were looking for and we found it here. Easy to get a table but we were surprised more people weren't enjoying this awesome spot. Would definitely come back when I'm back in anchorage! read more

We tried this place last night. The service wasn't fantastic. It took a long time each time the waiter wants to bring anything to us (except the check of course). My friend and I we both ordered duck conflict tacos. Actually, we ended up with this because there were several items in the menu we wanted to order but they were out. Anyway, we ordered the duck tacos and they were spicy. On the menu there wasn't anything mentioned about how spicy it is. It was three shredded duck with salsa and pickled stuffs. In one of my friend's tacos there were pieces of bones which she couldn't finish hers. After she told the waiter about the bones he didn't do anything (even apologizing). Anyhow, among all the good places I tried in Anchorage, this one is the worst place I've been to and I never give it a chance again. read more

Great food. Cool atmosphere. They also make great drinks. It's a good place to go with group, if you can get a table. Don't go with more than about 6-7. They have small plates, but it's a cool tapas type. Presentation is very modern. read more

We had to wait a bit to get into this Mexican place too fancy for chips and salsa.... When we got some salsa on the side of our food, it was not salsa. It was some kind of tomato purée with slight flavor. I don't think the server knew what salsa was. Chips were also so stale if you smashed it on the table it would just fold rather than break. Servers with attitude and doesn't seem to want to take orders nor payments lol it took almost a length of a Netflix show to get our tiny portioned food. Which was ok at best. read more

Tequila 61 - Whatever this was - Mexican Near Me - Anchorage, Alaska

Me and friends went and their food was awesome. The wait staff was friendly and attentive. I had the carnitas tacos the meat was flavorful and the tortillas tasted fresh like they just made them. The salsa they had for them was one of those that heat build just right. My friend had the the vegetable dish which was excellent the veggies had great flavor of being roast over an open fire that brought out their flavor. And we had the strip ceviche for appetizer, was small portion but they were worth it. read more

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Went in here two weeks ago and the food and service was amazing. We had bees visiting the area in vacation and were hungry for Mexican food. We were not disappointed! The tacos were so good and the cocktails were also! If you are hungry for Mexican food definitely head to this place. read more

Overall not a good experience, super slow service, incorrect orders and soggy food. Maybe they were just having a bad night, but not a good first impression. read more

Easily one of my favorite restaurants. First time here and any expectations we had were blown away. We came on Taco Tuesday with no reservations. The wait time was less than 15 minutes. The hostess and wait staff were so nice and welcoming. We all ordered cocktails from the menu and they were delicious as well as beautifully presented. Definitely one of the better mixologists in Anchorage. For appetizers we ordered the jalapeno peppers and calamari, both were breaded with a spicy flour and nice and crispy. Tacos on Tuesdays are all 50% off, which was an added bonus. I could go on and on about these amazing tacos. All of them were served a little different and hands down the best tacos in Anchorage. The pork carnitas, coconut shrimp, carne asada, and breaded rock fish. Amazing!!! If I had 1 criticism at all, it's that the dessert selection felt small, however, I believe they are seasonal and change it up. But the desserts that we ordered were very good as well. read more

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Delicious food,great atmosphere, just seems like a good place to eat if your really hungry. Drinks are a bit pricey,it gets pretty packed, but if you find a seat it will be worth it. read more

Gotta say the concept is pretty cool. That being said they do need to do something with pricing. I get it, Alaska has always been a place that tends to have higher prices. As one of the other reviewers stated the Popcorn Shrimp are to do for and the drinks are pretty damn good. Not knowing what their ultimate goal is probably impacts my "star" rating. If they are gonna go for the Sullivan and Club Paris style offerings of smaller portions at a higher price then by all means. If not, lower your prices. I want to go back but the prices will probably preclude the frequency of my visits. Service was ok, not bad, just seemed like they had a lot going on at the time. Kinks will be worked out I'm sure. I will return in a month to see what has changed, I'm not meddling, I ust know what I like and can affiord. Good Luck read more

Love the atmosphere and food & drinks were great , service was a little slow but all in all great place !

I've been here a few times and they never disappoint! The drinks are always amazing and the tacos are really good! I'd been meaning to come back to try some things I hadn't tried before like the duck tacos (which I'm not seeing on the online menu anymore, I hope I didn't miss out). This is definitely a first stop once the shutdown is over. read more

Loved the space. The service, food and drinks were outstanding. We just had a few small plates to tie us over, but everything we had was very good, interesting and flavorful. It's one of the best meals we had in Anchorage- surprising it was a mexican place. read more

I travel to Anchorage frequently for work and entertain clients for dinner often, which means I have been to most of the great restaurants in town. Tonight I went to a place I have never been before, Tequila 61, and it has now become one of my all time favorite restaurants in Anchorage. The decor and vibe of the restaurant was inviting, comfortable and extremely fashionable. As I made my way to the bar to eat, every table I passed had plates with amazing looking food on them that smelled delicious. I ordered the Al Pastor tacos and Berry Salad, both were unbelievable!!! The service matched the food and decor, which was top notch. As an added bonus, I met the owners, Jim & Serena two locals from Anchorage who couldn't have been nicer and more accommodating. I am very glad I gave this new place a try and will definitely be coming back, with clients next time, on my next trip to Anchorage!!!! read more

Tequila 61 - Great Dinner at Tequila 61 - Mexican Near Me - Anchorage, Alaska

For a Mexican food lover like me, this place didn't have anything special. Food was just ok, except for the guacamole that was great! The staff was very weird, pushing a little bit too much to be "cool". But we had a great time during our family diner. read more