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    Whale's Tail

    3.3 (65 reviews)
    Sat 4:00 pm - 2:00 am (Next day)
    Sun 4:00 pm - 11:00 PM
    Updated 3 months ago

    Services - Whale's Tail

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    Date night!
    Nathan B.

    The lounge style environment - - - 4 stars. - nice chairs - stellar jazz - great Malbec - small, but solid draft selection Food - - - two, maybe three stars. The chicken tacos tasted like the chicken came from cans of chicken. The tortillas has a weird, bland taste...its like they weren't fresh or the toasted them too long on a weird grill. The spicy ramen was super salty! The egg and cabbage was a nice touch. The calamari was the best thing we tried and the sauce that came with it. This is the only thing I'd recommend. The portion did seem a tad small for the price. I'd definitely come back here for the ambiance, but I'd eat somewhere else.

    burger
    Andrew H.

    Some people chide the ambiance of the Captain Cook and its many eating establishments. I am NOT some people. I love the ambiance of the Captain Cook! While I would never stay here, because I live a mere 5 minute walk away, it is the #1 hotel I'd recommend staying in for those visiting Anchorage. It's unique. It's historic. It's got a cool, dark, rustic interior. It looks like you're on a freakin' ship except you're not eating sea turtle for weeks on end, rationing out grog, hallucinating that manatees are mermaids, and generally fighting scurvy. The eating establishments that lie within? I'm not so sure about them. Like the hotel as a whole, I LOVE the ambiance/interior of the Whale's Tale. It's dark and it's classy and it's only smidge pretentious. This is where you take someone "for a drink" that you want to impress...and maybe do other things with at a later date/time. IF YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN. They also have a "self-serve" wine bar. You buy a card and then you can go use that card to get wine at various taps. It's like putting a quarter in a gumball machine. BUT THE ADULT VERSION. Very cool. But. I'm a beer-swilling ruffian. Not to worry, as they have some very unique stuff on tap like a smoked beer from 49th state brewing up in Healy (super-rare!). The prices are a bit high for drafts, even for Anchorage, but that's to be expected at a hotel bar. But, the food here: is just OK. It's not bad, but it won't blow you away either. It's similar to the food at neighboring "Fletcher's" except it's a tad cheaper and a tad less inspired. I got a burger, and it was alright. The fries were disappointingly luke-warm. I like my fries to be SUPER HOT so this made me frown. The food is, more-or-less, high-quality SYSCO faire. Not bad, but not something you shout from the mountaintops either. If you go here, just go for drinks. Eat somewhere else.

    Erica C.

    This is a nice little spot to come grab a glass of wine and relax, but I don't really think it's all that great. They do have cool wine dispensers where you can purchase a wine card and pick and disburse your own wine. But the wines are a bit overprice for what they charge for each pour and they don't really have a great selection. Food wise, it was okay. I had the mac and cheese which was pretty decent. They have a wide range of appetizers and even a cheese plate. The cheese plate didn't come with any crackers which I didn't like. Instead, it came with these small pieces of cut up toast. I would probably prefer going to Crush over Whale's Tail.

    Alma H.

    It's a very nice place clean and very attentive staff. They do have live entertainment depending which night you go. I'm giving it 3 stars. Every time I've ordered food something's always a little off. Once I ordered the cheese platter everything was good but the pistachios were stale. First couple of times I ordered oysters the were fabulous then one time not. Last night I ordered calamari the menu describes it having the tentacles and rings when in fact it looked more like fingers strips. They were greasy from not allowing the excess oil to drip off before serving. Then I ordered the avocado tomato salad that has very little avocado. I really like this place but the food could certainly improve.

    Wine bar selection on the south wall.
    Dawn Dolly G.

    I love the Captain Cook- and I love the classy small unique bar that can be found inside, and to the left, of the main entrance door; Whale's Tail. This classy little bar has low ambiance lighting, a corner fire place, booth seating (for small groups), large table seating (for big groups), and small comfy chair corner seating for more intimate couple experiences. The place is always clean and rarely crowded. Some weekends it can get relatively loud, but most of the time it's a quiet and calm atmosphere that's great for a relaxing girl's night out or a romantic evening date. My boyfriend and I go here about once a month and almost always sit in the back corner seating on the left side of the restaurant. Comfy chairs, candle-light lighting, and a warm fireplace close by. Perfect. The staff are always prompt, friendly, and professionally dressed. They know their menu and the drinks perfectly. I've never asked a question they couldn't answer or made a request they couldn't complete. Drinks are always served very quickly and menu items are as well. They do tend to put quite a bit of alcohol in the drinks, but it isn't always consistent. Some drinks are much lighter than others- which I suppose is probably just a difference amidst bartenders. Personally, I come to this place for the wine bar. You can purchase a wine card through your waiter/waitress and then grab a glass and go around to multiple different wine vending machines, choose a bottle you'd like to try, and pay for a glass (you can also decide how full you'd like the glass). I have a wine card that I use all the time and I love it. It also never expires- so if you're visiting Alaska and purchase the card you can keep it until you come back and use it again without it expiring. The menu is mostly small fine items. I order the cheese plate almost every time I come in and it's by far the best cheese plate I've had- ever, at a wine bar. They feature three different cheeses, gourmet crackers, fresh strawberries (with a chocolate and strawberry sauce), fresh blueberries, pistachios, and dried cranberries. I'm not sure what kind of cheeses they use, but they go with all kinds of wine perfectly. They have a green marbled cheese, a white cheese, and two soft versions of blue cheese (although I'm not sure what the difference is between each of them). SO delicious and well-worth ordering with your wine, even if it is a bit pricey. They also have other unique options like sweet potato fries, calamari, fish tacos, and even a burger. I love the ambiance of this place. I love the wine selection. I love the cheese plate. I love the professionalism of the waiters. I love having a place that I can dress up in Anchorage and not look out of place. I love the fact that it's quiet. I love the dim and romantic lighting. I love the comfy seating. I don't have a single complaint about Whale's Tail. By far my favorite place to visit on a Saturday night in Anchorage.

    The best nachos that exists in anchorage.  It's the curry chicken for $12. They deep fry wontons for the chips.
    John K.

    The food is great, the atmosphere is one of the classiest in anchorage, and the wine is innovative....the two things I might want to criticize is that they seems to be short staffed all the time ...and its a bit pricey. However, this is still my favorite place to just chill on the weekends.

    This dated back three months ago

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    3 months ago

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    1 year ago

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    1 year ago

    Tijana is charming, professional, wonderful server. Shared her Serbian culture. Great dinner experience.

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    2 years ago

    This is perfect date night or girls night out! Always great music and drinks! We love the vibe!!

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    6 years ago

    First time there, wonderful food and drinks, attentive service, and great ambiance. A bit pricey but worth it!

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    8 years ago

    We had the best time here. Fresh oysters, wonderful martini's and sangria, and small plates. We really had a fantastic time.

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    8 years ago

    The bartenders were on point...they had saxophone act was str8...then the (Saturday) dj came thru and ripped it

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    Crow's Nest

    Crow's Nest

    4.0(329 reviews)
    0.0 mi
    $$$

    We recently went to The Crows Next with a total of 7 people, and the atmosphere, food , and service…read morewas impressive. We started with oysters snd and a few salads and soup. The oysters were some of the best I've had! I ordered the scallops as well as two others and we thought these were Gordon Ramsey approved!! My spouse had the Mahi and he said he wouldn't order it again said it was a little fishy. Others ordered the grilled pork chop and the plates were pretty clean when finished so I would say excellent. We shared a couple bananas foster with ice cream and then topped off dinner with the cafe Diablo which is always a treat. With most of us happy with our meal I would say it was a 4 out of 5! Highly recommend coming here for a special occasion.

    Stopped into Captain Cook Crow's Nest on a Friday night right before Valentine's Day, and wow, busy…read moreis an understatement. We were traveling for business and trying to squeeze three people into the bar area, so we knew it might be a bit of a challenge. We eventually made it work, but service took a while to get rolling. That said, once it did start, it got really good. Our server FraniP did a great job. It took a little bit for her to engage and warm up with us, but once she did, she was attentive, friendly, and made the experience feel much more welcoming. Food-wise, we were impressed. Two of us ordered the burger and it was honestly excellent--made with a blend of ribeye and tenderloin, and you could taste the difference. Really well constructed and flavorful. I went with the mushroom soup and a Caesar salad, and both were solid choices; fresh, satisfying, and better than your average "safe" menu items. The cocktail selection was also strong, but the smoked old fashioned was way too sweet. It needed to be toned down on the sugar to let the bourbon and smoke shine through. Overall: great food, great drinks selection, and a good bar atmosphere.. just be prepared for a slower start on service during peak nights.

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    Crow's Nest - Inside

    Inside

    Crow's Nest - Valentine's Day 2023 Menu - Soup - Olive Oil Poached Goat Cheese / Golden Beet / Truffle Honey / Pink Peppercorn

    Valentine's Day 2023 Menu - Soup - Olive Oil Poached Goat Cheese / Golden Beet / Truffle Honey / Pink Peppercorn

    Crow's Nest - The Elmer T.  Great price too.

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    The Elmer T. Great price too.

    S Lounge

    S Lounge

    3.5(2 reviews)
    1.0 mi
    $$

    S Lounge is a bit of a surprise. It's attached to the most notorious and shady motel in town (bum…read morebum BUUUUM!!!! Travel Inn). At the bequest of a friend, we bopped around town and this was one of his requisite stops. When I realized where we were, I shuddered. Truly, the Travel Inn makes motels in the 3rd world look luxurious. I was not optimisitic about the bar. I was surprised that the S Lounge is a moderatley pleasant dive bar/concert hall. The bar has a smallish stage and dance floor for live music events. There's a cover charge, so that keeps the rif-raf that abound in the neighborhood out. The crowd was mostly goofy but well behaved college kids. Drinks were okay, snacks were okay, the bar was clean enough. Although I REALLY wanted to complain (because did I mention how horrible and ashamed the Travel Inn should be of itself? It's a scourge to humanity!) but I really couldn't. I'd go back if the right band was playing. We happened in on a women's empowerment fundraiser thingie, so it was mostly angry lesbians singing badly. But it was a novel experience and we enjoyed ourselves well enough. I'm going to have to revisit this place to see how it stacks up over time. Check it out. Post a review. I'm really interested to know what other people's experiences will be.

    This place is a dive bar, but if you like dive bars, it's a pretty solid one. I've been there…read moreprobably a dozen times for shows, and consistently enjoyed the venue. It's relatively clean, staff is pretty friendly, and the drinks are reasonably priced. They've had some pretty interesting shows there, and a good crowd usually turns out. While it is in an area of town frequented by some pretty shady characters, the people I've encountered in the bar have mostly been regular non-shady Anchorage folks.

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    S Lounge
    S Lounge
    S Lounge

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    Whale's Tail - tradamerican - Updated May 2026

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