Garcia's Cantina & Cafe - Mexican restaurant in Eagle River - 11901 Business Blvd #104, USA

We’re still on the hunt for the best Mexican food in Alaska… because it can be hard to come by, but Garcia’s did great today! We went in for lunch on a Saturday and it wasn’t too busy. The server was attentive and kept our table stocked with warm chips and salsa (2 baskets worth) throughout waiting and our meal. Thats one criteria for a good Mexican place… free chips and salsa 👏🏼 . The food was pretty good! Nothing to freak out about, but it was flavorful and yummy. Just what we expected. Plus they have a cheaper lunch menu that we ordered off of and were full and satisfied. My big Chimi platter was only $15 which is a good deal I’d say. Overall great experience.

So to touch on my 2nd visit. The food was by far worse. Everything looked off, tastes of burnt offering. I left my original below for fair measure. Well let's start with atmosphere. One cannot have a conversation at the table as the overall noise is well over necessary. And the decor is nit conductive to a family but more to a bar setting. Now the food, sadly I was served burnt food. Visually a off putting demonstration of poor standards. Putting that aside, flavors unfortunately took up the burnt aroma. What flavors that did come through weren't terrible so I would go as far to hope that under normal conditions it would be good. Service was not professional or well trained. Again more of a bar then a restaurant. Although I will not be returning, I have no doubt the many alcohol drinkers will.

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!

Sept 23rd 2023 Second time eating here with my wife. My ENCHILADA TRIO with beef, chicken and cheese Enchaladas were delicious. Plenty of food on the plate and comes with rice and beans. They have sweet teas well.

One of the best restaurants in eagle river. All of the staff are friendly and super helpful and the general atmosphere is warm and welcoming. There is live music sometimes and they provide a beer truck at events around town. The food is good but not the world's best. But what it lacks in flavor is made up in quick turnaround and large quantities for a reasonable price. Definitely an eagle river staple!!

This is an enchanting place with a very nice staff but frankly our most recent visit was disappointing. We ordered first and got our food last - admitted it was a big group - but it was obvious that it had been under a heat lamp for awhile and wasn't good. The waitress was OK, but the lady cleaning the tables was the BOMB! She made sure we had water, our tables had all the elements to properly enjoy the meal. I will say I loved the interior decorations - this is a great themed restaurant with the potential to be better.

This is the most welcoming place in Eagle River, AK! Friendly faces, authentic food, warm atmosphere ... IM A FAN!!

Awesome portions for the price. Delicious food. Will be coming back.