I've been here a handful of times over the years, each time spaced out quite considerably from the first and each experience has been significantly different. Perhaps now they've set a predictable baseline? I went to Whale's Tail the other night, and the time before that had been over two years ago where we had some mediocre apps and hideously overpriced drinks (someone in our party got a chintzy lemon drop for FOURTEEN DOLLARS??). But a recent mid-week visit was pleasantly surprising. A friend and I met up for some wine and snacks. We didn't want to bother with the self-serve wine dispensers, so we opted for house wine which was just fine. We ordered the fries (mixed potato and sweet potato) and the pretzel bites with smoky cheese dipping sauce. The fries were great, and luckily they had sriracha on hand to accompany the tasty spuds, but I could have done without the pretzel bites. The pretzel parts were salt-less , flavorless spongy discs that were just vessels for carrying that tasty cheese sauce. I could have done without the pretzel bites. The dessert churros with the spicy chocolate dipping sauce were okay -- the interior of the churros were far too mushy and soft, with an undercooked taste, and the chocolate sauce was hardly spicy. I couldn't detect any strong presence of spice, but this is coming from a person who'll squeeze half of a bottle of sriracha into a bowl of pho, so maybe I'm not the best to render an opinion. But if you're expecting a kick of spice, it's not that strong. Service was also stellar, there's no question about that. I enjoyed it, but I'm still not sure if I'll come during a busy time of the week. It was kind of nice to have a quiet bar spot to visit and not feel rushed nor feel like I had to compete with a loud environment. I'm sure the element is a lot different during the weekend, but for now, I'll stick to their fries and house wines during the off-peak hours. read more

Double Date Night at the Whales Tail, but husbands and wives were excited. And thoroughly disappointed. We went on a Saturday evening, and there were more staff than customers the entire time we were there, which is a great indicator. Concept of the bar is neat, I won't describe it again. Management of the bar is quite dismal. Employees standing around and chatting rather than doing their jobs. I get it, we do most of the work. But food took a long time to deliver. Water refills were difficult to get. I wanted a full glass of one wine, but there was only a "taste" size left. So I asked someone to change the bottle and he told me to just get the taste, then he would replace the bottle, then I could get a full glass. With the way the public area is managed, I'm afraid to think about how the kitchen is ran. Prices were reasonable on the wines, not good, but reasonable. If the service wasn't horrible, this could easily become a regular spot for us. But until I hear it's under new management, we won't be back. read more

Terrible service (we were one of only 3 tables), cold food, incorrect orders, overpriced. If you want a great place to eat at the Hotel Captain Cook go to Fletcher's! read more

Instantly felt uncomfortable, expensive drinks, bad server who would get mad if we went to the bar to order drinks because he was too slow and had a bad attitude immediately. read more

I wasn't really impressed with the Whale's Tail, but the atmosphere was nice and there were a lot of people on a Friday night. The service was just okay. Our waiter was nice but it seemed like our food and drinks were taking way too long. The drinks were overpriced for the quality and the only redeeming factor would have to be the food. I probably wouldn't go here again. read more

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

We had a reservation but they would not let us in because our kids are under 21. The guy at the counter told us that we had received an email informing us that they do not accept anyone under 21. I checked the confirmation email I had received, which did not mention this, but he continued to insist that we had been informed and should have known better. This was so absurd and the guy was so rude I could hardly believe it. I cannot comment on the food or service, but based on this experience I would recommend to stay away from that place. read more

The wine bar is a neat idea...but UNREALISTIC! I didnt like it and you have to buy cards then pick your wine and you always end up with extra money on the cards!!! Its a scam !!! The menu is ok, but way over priced for what they have. Also it was really loud...The bartenders didnt seem to give us any attention and seemed more focused on $$$$$$ I will not go back. Two stars for being clean read more

Whale's Tale was surprisingly uncrowded for a Friday night at 8pm, and we were able to walk right in and get a table. The main appeal is the ability to sample a large variety of wines in small pours, which you do by loading a card (like you would for the laundry room-in increments of $10 or $25) and inserting it into the machine. Our server was friendly and prompt, and the busboy brought over a carafe of water immediately, and without a request, which is awesome. With $50 on the card we were able to sample many different wines (mostly reds), and the selection was varied and somewhat uncommon (I'd only had 3 or 4 of the wines I saw). I love that there are appropriate glasses available and that you have the autonomy to pace your evening. Once we had a wine we both preferred, we ordered a bottle and Cameron (our server) displayed perfect wine service and even did the pour test despite us having sampled the wine :) We ordered food, and from a rather eclectic menu we chose fried PB&J (warm, slightly strange, but delicious), and the sliders (yummy, but I got them on lettuce instead of buns which made caloric sense but very little culinary sense). Smallish portions, but we didn't even finish them, as the highlight was the wine. Cameron brought us more each time we emptied the carafe, but otherwise left us to our own devices (which was exactly the right "read" on our table). The table cloths are paper and there are crayons about, which is perfect for taking notes on the wines you prefer (or don't!) and/or doodling (old enough to drink, young enough to like coloring). As it got later, the bar filled up more, and it was a mostly older crowd, but the ambiance was lovely and while the company I kept may have influenced my feelings about this, I'd consider it the perfect place for a nice date! :) While we ended up getting 2 bottles and ordering food, you can get by pretty inexpensively if sampling is your main goal. read more

Food was ok. Wine tasting interesting but expensive. Service was awesome. I enjoyed myself.

great atmosphere. very modern and tech savvy. There may not have been a big enough bar to meet the demands of a Friday crowd, but the staff were very polite And energetic. great DJ for the night and the drinks were spot on. read more

stopped in while staying in the hotel for our honeymoon. Saturday night and moderately busy, but didn't get any service after 20-30 mins of waiting and even switching tables to a different area of the bar.. waiter served table next to us without acknowledging that we were there..finally left in disgust to get room service. read more

The oysters were very fresh. Delicious. They were accompanied by a vinegar sauce on a bed of salt. The grilled Kobe beef sliders were really good as well. The spicy mini tacos were way too salty. The wine vending machine is very cool but pricey. Great first date place. Bring some $$ read more

Atmosphere is nice. But drinks are expensive. And stay away from anything with milk or cream in it. It will without a doubt get you sick. I know of 3 people who have gotten sick from their drinks. The bartenders need to check out some expiration dates of the products they sell. read more

Had an amazing experience first time here and it will definitely not be the last service was excellent,food top notch,prices reasonable what more can you ask read more

When I think wine bar, this is not what comes to mind. This seems more like a wine cafeteria. A novel experience - yes. An empty experience - yes again. I think most vintners would be horrified that this is how their product is metered out to patrons. This is just embarrassing for the Captain Cook and better left to Las Vegas style venues. As you enter, the first contact is a fairly muscular one at the door with silent ID check similar to an airport TSA agent. Nothing even approaching a welcome mat. Next at the bar, no bartender to be found for a while. When they do surface, you're directed to the self-serve, vending machine wine dispenser. Essentially, the message is "its over there, have at it." The bartender doesn't seem to need you and they seem to expect the same. If you enjoy wine, sitting at a bar and have some relationship with the staff, I suggest avoiding this place and supporting this bizarre limited service concept. It is sad to experience since I live here and think highly of the Captain Cook hotel. read more

The particular bartender we had was obviously not happy to be there that night. Another bartender had broken a glass, and a shard made it into the drink that he served to my friend. When she brought it to the bar's attention, all they asked her was if she'd like to buy a new drink to replace it. At the bare minimum I would expect a replacement drink. I can get over a mistake like glass being served, but the staff being rude is a no go for me. read more

Fantastic atmosphere and service. The wine on tap is a can't miss. Try any craft cocktail and prepare to be impressed. My sister and I came back here after we realized another local establishment really wasn't what we were looking for in terms of anchorage on a Friday night. We ended up having a great time and conversations to match. Highly recommend! Ask for Eric and Darwin. You can't go wrong. read more

Staff was nice but told us the wine card was $10 but it was really $11 and the cocktail drinks were mediocre at best. Overall, don't recommend. read more

The food was so so, the drinks fine, but we were there on a Friday evening and the live music was too loud to think over.

The Whale's Tail is well worth a visit for anyone In the area. The service was unprecedented, the atmosphere cool and comfortable and the wine sampling concept, brilliant. I'm from NYC and visited The Whale's Tail on a short trip to Anchorage. It will be my first choice bar/bistro/social establishment on my next visit! read more

I will say one thing - it's a pretty damn good idea. It's a self-serve wine sampling bar. Now, just because it's mostly self-serve, that does not mean service needs to be bad. I went on a Friday evening and it was relatively busy. Our host could not have looked more bored or displeased being there... not a great entrance. And then it's just a little... dingy? I am not sure. It's like the wine dispensing machines literally got 95% of their remodeling budget and then everything else was given a second-class treatment. It's like they are trying to put a really classy wine bar in kind of a dumpy dive bar? Also, since you have to be 21 or over to get in there, I thought the crayons and the paper table covers were a little weird. I have seen other restaurants have "adult activities" on the table while you're waiting, but this was a little strange. I purchased a $25 re-loadable card and tried a few wines. That whole process was really cool. But the service was atrocious! We ordered food, and then our server forgot our water, forgot our silverware, forgot our condiments and then forgot to give us back our card. I think if it look like a duck, walks like a duck and then quacks like a duck - don't try to put a fancy top-hat on it. Just leave the dive bar a dive bar and open a classy wine bar elsewhere - but mixing the two? That's just wrong. read more

We decided on The Whale's Tail for the starting point of my friend's bachelorette party this weekend and couldn't be happier with the way they took care of us! Ashley was our server and she was phenomenal! I showed up a little late and stressed, she had a Maker's Mark Manhattan in my hand within 10 minutes. She also took great care of our large group that was all over the place, from dancing to moving seats every 20 minutes. Food and drinks were fabulous as always! Thank you Ashley. We appreciate you. read more

Food was good. I'd rank it a 3.5. Only if you want appetizer size meals or snacks. Service was terrible. 16 minutes seated before the waitress even took our drink orders. 18 minutes after that to get our initial drinks. So 34 total minutes to get drinks. This is the second time I've been here and received this type of service. I like the concept of whales tale, but the execution is totally off. read more

We went for appetizers & drinks. Spendy but worth it. Everything was top notch & some of best service in town.

The fish and chips were not the greatest. The fish was very bland. The salmon sliders are excellent. This is a fun place to go.

Is is possible to give negative stars? I had an art opening and was treated with complete disrespect. The night of my opening the staff gave away my tables that were reserved, I approached them very politly understanding they were busy...I waited over two hours for them to even bring the problem up, or bring over a number of other tables that were empty... they brushed me and my party aside and avoided the problem. Then we finally after 3 hours got 3 tables put together with no help from staff, people in our own party had no choice but to take it upon themselves to fix the problem... I was fine with it because I was excited to have an art show, and had worked had over 9 months day in and day out to present a wonderful amount of work to show. Then I get the bill, and payed it...not knowing they gave the same check to my husband for the same drinks (120.00) which should have only been 60.00...when I called about it they made me feel like a criminal for even asking to have it fixed... Then it was time for me to pick up my pieces after the art show...low and behold one of my pieces broke the night before and I was never called about it or even informed something had happened. The only way I had found about the piece is I went into the office and found it in a pile of recyclables bent and ripped up... When I asked them about it they once again brushed me aside not wanting to even apologize or own up to the fact that they were delivering terrible service. If I were an artist in Anchorage I would defiantly think twice about ever putting your show up there unless you want mistreatment, and disrespect for your art work. I would defiantly rather go to Fletchers if I ever decided to give the Captain Cook any more money... read more