I'm from San Antonio m, Texas so I have to say I'm kind of snobby about Mexican food. My friend wanted tacos badly so we decided to give the restaurant a try. Really welcoming and I liked how the bar area is central to the dining area. I ordered the halibut tacos with rice and beans. It was really good except the fish needed salt and the veggies on the bottom make the tacos soggy and they fell apart easily. I recommend the veggies on the top so the corn tortillas can handle it. And toast the tortillas. The rice was good and I liked the toasted flavor. It was a solid place to go. The staff was so friendly. read more

Garcia's Cantina & Cafe - Halibut Taco Platter - Mexican Near Me - Eagle River, Alaska

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First off I will say that the service was prompt and excellent! It was our first time to Garcia's restaurant. I have had the mini chimis from the food truck and really liked them so I thought it would be a perfect lunch place. Unfortunately the food wasn't very tasty. Everything tasted a bit off - the steak fajitas, the quesadilla, tiny tacos the meat was flavorless and my beloved chimis had an off flavor. To me the steak fajitas almost tasted a bit of teriyaki to them, which I wasn't a fan. We were really bummed and my partner mentioned we could've made it at home and it would've been tastier. I have to agree with him. The prices were pretty good too despite the rising costs of everything read more

Ordered the taco salad with chicken (pick up order) and I have to say it was the most flavorful, delicious dinner I have had from there recently! Kudos to the cooks. It wasn't busy so the meal was ready in 15 mins. read more

Family favorite for many years. Neighborhood feel with great variety. Appeals to the whole community. read more

Garcia's Cantina & Cafe - Hungry bear - Mexican Near Me - Eagle River, Alaska

Stay away and don't trust whoever is in that kitchen. Our food tasted strongly of cigarettes; like the beans literally were like chewing on an ash tray. Couldn't eat any of it and took all night to try and get the taste out of our mouth. Never eating here again - don't do it! read more

I came here to celebrate my coworkers birthdays and the restaurant was amazing at accommodating a large group of us, especially since they do not take reservations. The staff was super friendly and always made sure that we were taken cared of considering they were pretty busy and we arrived during the awesome dinner rush time. The ambiance of the restaurant is very lively! They had live music playing which really brought that added zest to the celebration. The drinks were perfect!! The Cadillac margaritas were yummy..definitely no complaints there..I had more than one and two..so yay! The food was really good..I ordered the mini chimis..since I've heard a lot of great things about it. It definitely lived up to the hype! I loved it. It was perfect! Everything was excellent and we had a great time! I will definitely revisit Garcia's..next time with my family. We all had a blast! Thanks Garcias for a great experience. read more

Garcia's Cantina & Cafe - Basket of Mini Chimis - Mexican Near Me - Eagle River, Alaska

Great service! We had the Lolapalloza for two people. Definitely serves more than two people. Their signature drink, El Matador, was delicious and hit the spot after a long day of hiking. Our bartender/server, Ty, was awesome. Thanks for hosting some Texans tonight. Margarita was not My favorite, but that's okay. read more

Garcia's Cantina & Cafe - Lollapalooza - Mexican Near Me - Eagle River, Alaska

Mini chimis are a staple and good overall. A safe bet is to go with the fajitas. As far as Mexican food goes, coming from a person who lived very close to the Mexican border, the Mexican food here isn't comparable. I'd say overall is a 5 out of 10 for the Mexican food specifically. However, they make up for it with their fun atmosphere! They normally have bands play, and everyone is having fun and some people even get up and dance! There's homemade tequila is fantastic! however, for a single shot is extremely expensive, sadly! However, on the same token, the house margarita comes in a tall glass and isn't the best. However, if you do some drink menu exploring and ask for a large bowl glass they will give it to you. We have been here over a dozen times, and in general, our service has always been good. With all these factors considered, I would give this place a four out of five for a Mexican place in Alaska because of what I have mentioned so far, and I have to be realistic, this is pretty much as far away from the southern border as I can get So bring your friends, enjoy the music, get up out of your chair, and have fun dancing the night away! read more

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October 15th 2022 Wife and I drove from Anchorage to eat here. Food and service was great! I had the Carne Asada Enchilada platter. Was very delicious. They have sweet tea too! lol read more

Garcia's Cantina & Cafe - Carne Asada Enchilada platter, $18 - Mexican Near Me - Eagle River, Alaska

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Mixed experience here. My food was great, I enjoyed the carne asada fries, I had no complaints about them. My husband and his brother were less than impressed about the el pastor though. It was definitely too sweet, as if they added too much juice to the base than tomato and it didn't balance. They did offer my husband more tacos of the meat he did like, so I gave back a star for that. The waitress was sweet and eager to make our experience better when my husband mentioned the el pastor. The restaurant was surprisingly busy for what I felt like was a regular night. I'd like to give this place another try but not eager to get there anytime soon. read more

Service: The Service here is always good. Cost: Average. Not super expensive. Ambiance: Don't bring children on Friday nights. Outside of that fast family meal spot. Eat and run. Food: Not great just not gross. Advice: For fast family meals this place really works. Your kids won't complain so I keep coming back. read more

Have always enjoyed Garcia's. I used to go to the ones in Phoenix and Scottsdale - always great. But on Friday, June 27, I was at the one in Eagle River, and had a really terrible meal. How do you ruin a cheescrisp? By having cheese only around the outer edge of the tortilla and the bottom so hard and crusty, a knife didn't work. Showed it to a server and she blew it off as the cheese bubbling off. There was also live music that would have been enjoyable if the volume had been much lower. read more

Food was good authentic Mexican food. We had a great Server, he was great, even though they were busy, he brought our food and drinks quickly to us. Nice environment, we will definitely go back next time we are in Eagle River read more

This place SLAPS!! On all fronts. Atmosphere, people watching, food, chairs, etc. They have an extensive menu so it might be helpful to take a peek before you go. The chairs are fun, roll, and swivel. There was a live band on the day we went and it was so fun listening to them play old/country hits that we all loved. People were even dancing! I would come back here just for the atmosphere more than the food. read more

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Went here on a Thursday, plenty of parking. Didn't have to wait to be seated. There was a live band playing. Food was very good. Pretty good Mexican spot. Reminds me of home which is cali. Super cheesy. Personally I prefer soft tacos vs hard taco shells, but it was still good. Had a blended margarita which was really good. read more

Garcia's Cantina & Cafe - Combination plate, taco with enchilada - Mexican Near Me - Eagle River, Alaska

For rating on a bell curve, 3 stars is good and they deserve a 3-3.5 stars... I'd come back for a Tex Mex fix (I'd give El Pastor a try for tacos though!) The complementary chips and salsa was welcoming. I like the crisp of the chips but the mild salsa was only okay... It's not addictive like other places. Didn't try their spicy one though. I ordered the steak fajita quesadilla menu labeled as "favorite". The 3.5 stars comes that the fajita and meat part is very flavorful but it's not very evenly distributed. The guacamole was a little brown and tasted like mashed avocado. My partner ordered a chimichanga...I tasted the shredded beef only and it wasn't special. The side of rice was a bit dry. Service was great... Our waitress brought us soda refills without us asking and service was surprisingly prompt. But if you're covid conscious, they are not. I was a little surprised to see no workers with mask on (omicron timeframe) as this is significantly different than other businesses I've been to recently. I mean, honestly I do take my mask off as soon as I sit down and if I'm good I keep it on until I place my order but still surprisingly nevertheless read more

Summary: If you want a cheap tasting, unauthentic 'Mexican' flavor, just save your money and grab some hard shell tacos from Taco Bell (which make me gag). I do NOT recommend Garcia's and I will not be going back. Gross. Food: we ordered the queso, some mini chimis (what they are known for), and some mini tacos. The queso was just inedible gloop with spinach in it. I could barely get it to pour out of the container it came in-on its way to the trash. The mini chimis had a lot of potential until I bit into them. The inside was Luke warm at best. Clearly they were pulled from the freezer then put in the fryer but not long enough. The chicken in them tasted weeks old--Costco chicken that is a week old tastes better. The mini tacos were the most American hard shell tacos I've ever seen (think Taco Bell). Old stale beef with stale shells and somehow the shredded cheese was even stale. Service-the service was fine. Ambiance-if you enjoy Taylor swift as background music and an overcrowded eating area (the chairs literally are touching each other when they're not occupied), then you've come to the right place. If you want decent Mexican food try Chepo's. Or any of the other places in town. I imagine Garcia's must make a mean margarita to keep their business afloat. I love the concept of serving odd man rush beer-an eagle river brewery. I love the concept of serving locally sourced meats. Those last two concepts are the only reason this has earned two stars instead of one. read more

This place is pretty good considering the options in Eagle River. I have found that the Mexican food selection in the Anchorage area in general has not been the greatest. Is Garcia's the best Mexican food I have ever had? Nope. Is it a decent choice to fulfill a Mexican craving? Yes! Is it one of the better options in ER? Absolutely. The look of this space is very nice. It is well decorated with cool murals on the wall. The bar seating in located in the center of the space, and tables in areas around the outside of the bar area. Service is prompt, friendly from the host to the food runners. The complimentary chips & salsa come with 2 types of salsa that are both very flavorful. I was impressed by the spicy salsa. The menu has a nice variety of selections, but I will say that the entrees are pretty pricey. My husband ordered the carne asada tacos, and I ordered carne asada enchiladas. We both thought our meals were fairly flavorful. The carne asada was seasoned well, and tender. The avocados, and veggies were fresh. Overall this place is decent. The food isn't the most authentic Mexican, but it has decent flavor. I will warn that it is overpriced for what it is. It is also one of the better dining options in Eagle River. read more

Garcia's Cantina & Cafe - carne asada enchiladas - Mexican Near Me - Eagle River, Alaska

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Don't remember much except the environment was wonderful and the queso was muy delicioso!! Big serving sizes, too!!

I first went to Garcias around 2003 and I had an impressive experience. The atmosphere was energetic, the temperature of the crowd was upbeat, the overall cleanliness and quality of the restaurant was excellent, and the food was top notch. After moving away for many years, I still recalled my memorable experience there. However My return was decidedly disappointing. It obviously showed signs of looking rundown and was bordering dirty. The overall atmosphere was kind of hodgepodge - no consistency in the look and feel of the restaurant- kind of like 2-3 other places merged into one. The staff were friendly but kind of awkward and seemed unsure of themselves. The food was mediocre and didn't seem quite fresh. The bathroom was pleasantly passable and sanitary. My 30,000 foot observation is they seem content to let the business run its course and let it crash and burn until they retire. It could revitalize itself if they acquired fresh management and an invested into a remodel. Until then I most likely will not return. read more

I love y'all but this kind of out the ordinary. I wish I say "tacos" it's automatically assumption is carne Asada or at least ask what kind of tacos. I could have got these at taco bell.. also, uncooked ground beef.. read more

Garcia's Cantina & Cafe - Mexican Near Me - Eagle River, Alaska

An Ode to Garcia's Hot Salsa A dip of deep red with spicy white dots Enhanced spicy flavor but not overly hots A partner to deep fried tortilla chunks A friendship involved with so many dunks A subtle hint of chipotle and maybe some salt To be paired seamlessly to a drink of hops and malt. Servers start with the mild version salsa cup Ask for the hot style, don't be a newly born salsa pup. After the chips, add it to the main course of tamales and tacos Sprinkle it all over the enchiladas and nachos Don't judge the salsa by this terrible ode Go to Garcia's for liquid red gold read more

Mini chimis are a family favorite! We haven't had anything we didn't like here, Service has always been great. read more

We did an order of 4 meals to go, along with a $12 large order of chips and salsa. For $12 they gave us a half a bag of stale chips and less than what would have been one bowl of salsa if we were eating in the restaurant. We asked for more salsa and were rudely told no. We later discovered that we received no dressing for our salad. A call to the manager resulted in two small salsas the size of the dressing container -- which we had to drive back to the restaurant to pick up. The nachos had a good quantity of toppings and were tasty. It caught us off guard that the chicken had large slices of celery, the Mexican rice had peas and carrots, and the salad came with shredded iceberg lettuce. The service while making our order was friendly and helpful, but the pickup service was awful at first and barely acceptable when we had to go back the second time. This was our last visit to Garcias and we would never recommend it to anyone else. read more

I ordered 5 shots for our table and I was charged over $70. Watch out when you go here ...

A little backstory, my best friend from childhood is visiting and she wanted to go to Garcia's for nostalgic reasons. I haven't been for a long time for several reasons but decided we of course wanted her to experience it again If that's what she wanted. Wish I could say we weren't disappointed, but we were. We sat at the table for ten minutes before the hostess that seated us dropped a basket of chips and dish of salsa on the table.... when I say dropped, I mean dropped. She filled the water too and seemed quite put out. We waited... waited and waited some more to be acknowledged by the server. It wasn't busy, it wasn't even dinner rush time yet, so this was very disappointing. We ordered drinks and dinner, which all came out in a fairly reasonable time. Beans and bean dip were terribly dry, chimichanga was soggy, enchiladas were okay and chips were the one thing we all agreed were good. We were mostly there for the fried ice cream, it was her favorite back in the day and it was okay as well. Still like the chewy outer crust but the entire thing was completely covered in whipped cream and a terrible presentation. The kids ice cream had to be remade, since it was incorrect as well. There was a horrible smell that we all picked up on early on when we sat down and it would randomly get worse, come and go a bit as the time progressed. It was quite gross to experience with dinner and I have to say, it's probably about time to replace the carpet in there or something drastic to rid the smell. The men's room was pretty foul from what my husband said, filthy and smelled horrible. We'll stick with our regular joint in town for Mexican food from here on out... which we did the following night and everything was spot on! read more

Getting ready to fly back to Seattle and had to try more menu items. Same great friendly service and piping hot, tasty meal selections. Decided to try sampling Garcia's authentic enchilada and burrito platters before heading to the airport. Mission accomplished!! read more

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Garcia's....what can I say, it's a great place to grab something as simple as a cold beer or dine in and enjoy a multitude of delicious items from the very well put together menu! One of the great things about this place is the staff, they are great people who are known to go out of their way to make your experience a great one! read more

Good food and service. The rice and beans were a surprise on my plate... but I am at a Mexican joint.... why would I anticipate anything different? I expected my chicken chimi to come by itself. It was cooked to perfection though. The fried ice cream is really good too. I'll definitely be back. read more

Garcia's Cantina & Cafe - Oops, I inhaled it. It was a chicken chimi. - Mexican Near Me - Eagle River, Alaska

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They have yummy margaritas and an extensive menu! A fun place for large gatherings or birthday celebrations.

I had the Chicken Especial Chimichanga, and it was pretty darn good. It comes with a jalapeno cream cheese that goes great with the chicken. The portion size is definitely hefty, I don't think I would be able to finish a chimichanga in one sitting. . . . the only thing is, it's kind of plain. It's pretty much just a big ball of chicken in a tortilla, which is good if you're looking for volume of food for the money spent, but kind of boring about halfway through the plate. I like the mini-chimi's here more than the full size chimichanga's. I'll have to try something else next time. read more

Garcia's Cantina & Cafe - Chicken Especial Chimichanga - Mexican Near Me - Eagle River, Alaska

10 of us got there when they opened at 11:00 am on Super Bowl Sunday. They accommodated our group quickly and divided our checks with no problems. I ordered the Chili Verde $14.50, and a Corona $6.50. The food was good. The service was good. The price was good. Easy four stars. read more

The most visibly dirty restaurant that I ever experienced. Plates were dirty, everything in the restaurant is dirty. Would definitely never go back. read more

I've been here several times and I feel like I'm always just paying for a giant pile of vegetables with two little pieces of chicken in it. There are flies all over the place too. read more

Yuck yuck yuck Started with the sweetest, most artificial peach margarita ever. I couldn't drink. Sent it back. Moved into dinner and ordered steak and chicken fajitas. The steak was incredibly tough. There were maybe 3 tidbits of chicken. And one shrimp. I barely ate one and gave the rest to someone else. Complete waste of $21. Had a band at 9 pm. So loud you couldn't hear yourself think let alone have a dinner conversation. Packed. People dancing. Super strange for a restaurant. Will not be returning. The manager or whoever the guy was at the front / host stand was adorable. Only saving grace of this place. read more

Food was fresh, hot, and tasty. They give enough food that me and my mom split the taco platter (3 tacos that you can mix and match). The inside feels more like a sports bar rather than a Mexican restaurant, which would make it a great place to come and watch games. They have a decent beer and liquor selection, and they didn't skimp out on the tequila in my margarita either. My only complaint about this place is just that it was a little worn and dirty. Our table wasn't very clean (watermarks and crumbs), our booth seat had a giant rip in it, and one of our menus had smeared dried sauce on it with a hair stuck in it, but other than that everything else was great. read more

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Tag Line: "...TexMex... it is what it is" Background: came out here for a quick bite and it was fairly good. The staff was COVID cautious, the scenery was vibrant with good music filling the air, and most importantly the food was worth the wait. The staff was very attentive and very accommodating. My chicken was dry and and my rice was over cooked, hence the three star, but this place is worth the try. A little bit out of Anchorage for tourists to reach and a good local place to get your TexMex needs. The provided chips alone were worth the trip to this place. read more

Garcia's has been our go to Mexican restaurant in Alaska for 30+ years. The food is always fresh, hot and wonderful. The pollo fundido and mini chimis are must haves, make sure to ask for the hot salsa. The staff are friendly and attentive. One of my favorite restaurants of all time. It's one of my first stops every time I come back to town. read more

Garcia's Cantina & Cafe - Pollo fundido - Mexican Near Me - Eagle River, Alaska

Food is meh at best, but thats not the worst part. Never in my life have I felt so insulted, as when I was brought a clear margarita in a friggin water glass... just because I'm a gringo doesn't mean I deserve such disrespect. Yall this place is a sack of farts. read more

For Tex-Mex this place can be good. However, the restaurant remains as it has been since the 80s and the service can be so-so. I can say that your food always comes fresh and hot, and the chips and salsa are decent. The bar is similar to a sports bar, but there is also a lot of space in the restuarant to enjoy a family meal. This is a staple place in Eagle River. I was recently there in 09/2020, and they have kept their doors open during COVID. They had great outdoor seating set up, and staff were all wearing masks. The cleaning of the tables was great! While the food is so-so, it is unique in some ways (in my travels I haven't found another that is similar), and you know what you are getting into when you are a local. read more