Reviews of Orso (Restaurant)

Scott Kelly

Great Alaskan Seafood. Love the crab legs, a local favorite!

M Silva

Best meal in Anchorage! The crab was amazing!

E

Good place for authentic AK seafood. Not cheap put worth it.

Aspen Knight

Orso is an outstanding place to have dinner. The wooden decor is on the high-end side. The staff is professional and quick to our needs. I ordered the seafood mac & cheese and the seafood chowder; both are super rich & delicious. They also have an excellent selection of drinks. I highly recommend this place.

Lyssah Van Baalen

In my opinion this is the place to go for fresh Alaska seafood in Anchorage. I've been here twice now, and it hasn't disappointed either time. It's located right downtown Anchorage, easy to get to with metered on-street and nearby paid parking lots. It is usually a busy place in the summer, so while it is possible as a walk-in, your best bet is to get a reservation early. It is a quality restaurant, business casual attire feels most appropriate. There are two levels to the restaurant, the kitchen and small tables are on the first floor, and more tables on the second floor. The dinner menu has small plates, appetizers, soup/salad, and main courses. The size of the portions is very good. I had a bread appetizer, a bowl of chowder, and a salad and it was a lot of food. The food itself is well made and fresh, the appetizers and small plates are appropriately sized. The wait staff was attentive, I wouldn't say it is the most kid or family-friendly restaurant, it appears to be more geared towards intimate adult get-togethers. As far as seafood, they have Alaska salmon, rockfish, halibut and other staples, all recently caught. Their wine list is decent as well.

Shirley Lui

Wow, simply amazing food! Fresh ingredients and wonderful sauce! I will come back when I visit Anchorage again!!!

Brandy Howard

It was pleasant to the eye and had a decent menu. A little spendy, but it feels like most of Anchorage is. I had a harvest salad and seafood mac and cheese. Everything was well cooked and delicious.

Jim Kelly

Really liked the atmosphere here. I enjoyed my hot food the whole meal. I was also very impressed when I saw a bus-person let a senior hold his arm. He walked her to her table very patiently like he walking his own Grammy. A place you wouldn't be embarrassed to take a first date to.

Colin Schembri

Fantastic meal here. I would highly recommend the polenta appetizer. It's so good they should make it a main course. The calamari was fantastic as well.

Joel Johnson

Food was outstanding. Clam chowder was a standout. Atmosphere is loud.

Jeff B

The food here was some of the best I had in Anchorage. they have a sister restaurant right next door in can bring food from that restaurant into this one. The flourless torte is a must-try.

Samantha Byrd

The service was excellent. The atmosphere isn't really conducive to a quiet conversation, but I also went after work. I was disappointed with the food and the drinks, especially considering the cost. My appetizer was smothered with parmesan and there was little flavor to my cocktail. My date ordered the lamb shank and enjoyed it, as well as 2/3 of his whiskey flight. The dessert was yummy, but not particularly special. I would go again, but order from the seafood menu.

Ru Tec

the best shrimp and grits i've ever had and many good dishes to choose from. a little spendy but good food. kinda disappointed they limit some of the brews thou.

Nectar King

Great tasting, small quantity.

Matthew Bigman

Solid Alaskan cuisine with good cocktails. A bit pricier than it should be, but a fun date location

Tom Borton

Best in the area. Needs a bigger space but good

Greg Bem

Server was a bit overworked so understandably robotic, but very clearly had his act down in terms of handling the demand. Really cute little restaurant that feels casual but offers fancy dishes. Would highly recommend trying all of the small plates, if you're in a part of three or more, and splitting a main. Also recommend the creme brulee--super good and unique.

Michael Hall

Great service and food is superb! Enough said!

Mike Swinson

Good food. Fast service. Friendly staff. They have a happy hour with half price food and drinks between 3-6pm

bishakha chakraborty

Their crab stuffed rockfish is absolutely delicious!

Jarek Halat

We sat in the bar area without a reservation and without having to wait. The chicken parmesan and mac and cheese were amazing!

Kunal Phapunkar

Oh it was best night we had in Anchorage when we visited this place. Our 1st anniversary. We booked through OpenTable app. And as we entered this place we were instantly in love with it. The ambience is good. The people working here are really nice and friendly. Our waitress Sharell (I might be spelling it incorrectly) was really friendly and also her food suggestions were on point. Appetizers - We enjoyed fried Calamari in appetizers, Delicious. Main course - I ordered chicken parmesan and my wife got Sockeye Salmon and everything was amazing. Quick thing, the Salmon was actually cooked skin-on which resulted in few bones, but other then that everything was just exquisite. Desserts - We ordered Creme Brulee for dessert and it was out of this world. Also, it was on the house as it was our anniversary. The drinks - My wife had Moscow Mule and I ordered Smoked old fashioned and it literally had smoke coming out of it. Awesome presentation. All in all, what a great night.

Llama Rama

Delicious food. The service did not match the prices.

Rachel Mach

Excellent food. Each thing we has was fantastic. The Serloin tips were amazingly tender. The Rosemary Potato Bread comes with a great tomato chutney. I could eat the Crispy Cauliflower every day and be happy. Their harvest salad was lovely. And I think their margarita was probably the best I've had this year. Lastly the prices were absolutely reasonable especially for the excellent quality. We're definitely going back.

Bene C

Have gone a couple times, for lunch at the bar and dinner in the resturant. Have not been disappointed yet. Foods good.

Vivian Jones

I enjoyed this restaurant. My husband and I had the seafood deviled eggs (two orders, 2 eggs each order), seafood mac and cheese, lamb shank, and chocolate torte. For drinks we had long island ice tea and baileys on the rocks. The food was delicious and the drink was tasty but not strong. We wished we had more time in Anchorage to eat here again. Definitely a good place to eat if you are looking for good food and do not want to me disappointed.

Melissa Cookie

The bar was a tad bit squished but I expected that on A Friday night. The drinks were amazing the appetizers were a disappointment for size for taste they were delicious and creative.

Michelle Mitton

A very good restaurant, lovely location if you can get parking. Every meal I've had here has been good though I've never liked their dessert options. More northern Italian cuisine I think rather than your typical Americanized meat and pasta dishes.

Alan Chin

This place is right next to the super popular Glacier Brewhouse. It has similar prices but we didn't feel the food quality was worth it. The crab legs in particular weren't too fresh

David Ransom

So far, everything is great

Jim Noss

So many good options! Make sure u get reservations.

Keri Wittwer

Food was amazing, drinks, alcoholic, were very good, service was good. I had the mac and cheese which was so good. I also had a blood orange margarita. Yummy!

Cameron Stevens

Healthy options and a great wine and beer list. Tapas style and best for sharing with friends however there are solo options too. The service was great and the quality of the food was superb.

Moli Baker

Orso is one of our favorite Anchorage restaurants. Fantastic cuisine and accommodating staff. Love the beet appetizer and chowder for a smaller portion meal. Prices are reasonable too!

Bruce Owens

Nice family environment. Staff was great and the food was top notch

Joshua shumen

Great food and cocktails.

Jeremiah Cruit

Great food, nice wine selection and friendly staff.

tom dooley

Nice atmosphere and good bar food

Peter Knowles

Great meal, great service(Tiffany), king crabs where so wonderful, ate in bar but treated with respect and extra effort by Tiffany to please us. She rocks. Definitely would eat here again.

Samantha Harris

Good food, fun environment. A great spot for happy hour and appetizers.

Chelsea Graf

Fantastic wine selection to complement deliciously prepared food. All topped off by a team of absolute professionals dedicated to making their guests feel welcome.

Miles Gibson

Best lamb I've ever had

L. Dean

My waitress was AMAZING, but the kitchen was behind. Didn't serve us our entrees for 90 minutes. Way to long.

Kylee Hickok

Been very disappointed the last few times I've been there. Rude service in the bar. Ordered the flank steak entree and it was a micro portion if steak, overcooked, overpriced and underwhelming. Most of the people in my party were not impressed with their entree , either. Just a general lacklustre for the price. The apps were decent and our dinner server was really nice and attentive. I'll wait a few years AGAIN before I give them another chance.

Simon Carpenter

I’m not sure how this place isn’t rated higher. We were impressed by the food we had. We took advantage of the Happy Hour small plate and appetizer specials before having dinner at 5:00. Everything we ordered was devoured. The service was great too. We highly recommend the black cod. Goodness! It was SO good! We split it, so the picture below is just a half order of the black cod entree.

Tyler Hill

Great food and service

Ananda Thompson

In first entering, there is an overwhelming odor of bad fish. I know this smell since my husband is a charter boat captain. Since we were invited by friends, otherwise I would have never chosen this restaurant. The menu is very small and is mostly seafood. So my husband gets the chicken parmesan, toughest piece of chicken ever. I had a bite and was so upset that I didn't have a paper napkin to spit it out in. I got the calamari appetizer as an entree and I suppose it was the best thing on the table even though it was mediocre. Desserts were all brought at different times. Just a big huge fail. I will never ever ever eat at orso again.

Cherrie Blackwell

Food was good. Pretty pricey though. Portions were a touch small.

Nathan W

Came here with some friends for a weekend dinner, place was not overpacked. Overall one of the finer dining I've experienced in Alaska. The food was pretty good but not brilliant. I tried the lamb shank, which from my observations was the most popular dish. The lamb was good but nothing to rave about, however I will return to try some more dishes.

Deb May

Delicious, great service.

Pamela Hayward

Dinner was delicious!! King crab leg did not disappoint and the halibut was cooked to perfection. Service was spot on, all servers engaged in conversation with us. We were seated very close to the line, the chef and team obviously love what they do. The experience is one we will remember.

David Lombard

Truly an excellent restaurant. The Panzanella salad and Seafood Chowder were both outstanding. The Seafood Mac & Cheese was creamy and filled with chunks of fresh seafood--bring your appetite for this one. Grilled Sockeye was beautifully prepared with fresh vegetables. Seared Black Cod wrapped in prosciutto was flavorful, with a lovely smoky taste and well prepared vegetables. All told, an outstanding meal.

Conce Rock

Tasty selection of Happy Hour appetizers and local brews, especially the cheese, roasted veggies, and flat bread board. Excellent service, too! Lovely downtown location.

Marcin O'Brien

Great food.... great service!!!

Ruth Willard

Great food and has vegetarian menu

Rob Weathers

Last night in Anchorage. Light dinner, small plates. Shared: roasted garlic cambozola, seared crab cakes, Orso chowder, panzanella salad, baked seafood mac&cheese.Just outstanding!! Dessert was creme brûlée, coffee, port. Everything was perfect!. Service was outstanding!!

James C

Delicious food.

Travis Rogers

Great service and a warm atmosphere. The food was good but I would have to say the Tuscan Chicken Fetucini tasted almost indistinguishable from chicken stroganoff. Wasn't what I was expecting but not entirely disappointing. The vegetable medly that came with the salmon dish my date ordered was a bit buttery as well.

Eric Townsend

Cocktails and bar food were great. Friendly service

Henry Robinson

Very nice place with good food I gave it a lower rating because I am not that interested in seafood and it had limited non seafood options.

Tyzer Smith

Seafood Mac and cheese was amazing! I think making reservations would be a good idea here, however we got in pretty quickly so it probably depends on the time and day. Great atmosphere as well

Charles Davis

Service great food not

Deniz Yar

Order the halibut, I'm extremely particular with my food and this restaurant served up the best halibut my entire trip to Alaska! Still has me drooling a week later! (And I rarely order fish meals) The deviled eggs and a side of king crab rounded out the perfect dinner!

Mark Boryta

Good and service are wonderful!

Thad Hunter

Incredible Alaskan seafood and a full menu of delicious food. Extensive wine list, creative cocktails and local beer. Great atmosphere for a romantic dinner or intimate dinner with friends.

Thomas Edwards

This place is amazing. The food is delicious and comes out in a timely manner. This was my first time here and my server Brian definitely made my experience here worthy enough of a review. Thanks Brian and Orso. I will definitely be back again.

Amy Agidius

Tasty plates. Perfect service

Jared Larson

Always great food. Friendly staff. The management is great.

Chance

This is a great restaurant. Our meal was awesome!! Waitress was very knowledgeable in everything from food to wine. We sat in the bar and it was great!!! Thanks for the great atmosphere and setting. Albuquerque, NM. Safe travels

Simon ohlmer

Good food and good service, a little bit bad presentation of the food but still good.

Les Long

Great food, kind of pricey but I thought even with the higher prices it was a good value.

James Mellon

Awesome food and service

Matt Dull

Really good food! We had the crab stuffed rockfish and blackened halibut, both were great. Crab cakes were also delicious. We ordered the cauliflower appetizer and that was my only semi-negative. It had great flavor but seemed a little under done. All in all it was a great meal.

Paul Nath Sr

The food and beverage is first rate and the staff is the best

Athena Schreur

Food was good, and service was outstanding! Good wine selection and cozy atmosphere!

Amos Page

Amazing staff food was okay not the best for what I paid though

Jennifer Russell

A large group of us were in town for business and pretty much ordered everything on the menu, it was all wonderful! The must trys are the blood orange Cosmo, calamari, stuffed rockfish and crab legs, I'm salivating thinking about it. Great restaurant!

Sue Nuti

Extensive wine list. Good small plates. Excellent dinner menu. Service above 5 stars.

Per Harald Pettersen

The burger was good, Great selection og beers. Craft beers. A bit high prices

Courtney Jones

Worst meal in Alaska. Crab cakes with no crab, terrible service. It’s like they don’t even care

김은섭

Good service, good food and place to go

Sara Moore

Excellent food and service. Ate upstairs...enjoyed the meal very much

Hilmar Maier

Seafood chowder and lamb shank were great

Tana Klunder

Had wonderful service and great food!!

Tim Jones

Ordered the shrimp and grits, it was delicious! The pomegranate IPA was top notch.

Laura Shack

Service was very attentive. Waitress was terrific. Food was out of this world. The Alaskan King Crab legs were worth the money!

Alicia Huminski

Dined at Orso’s tonight and I have to say that it was the best service I’ve ever had at a restaurant! My hubby and I went there to celebrate our anniversary and Nick was our server. Right as I sat down he was on it! Perfect service from start to finish. The way he talks and presented the menu made our whole evening an experience. He treated us so well and not just us, but he gave all of his customers at other tables the same positive and wonderful service we received. He found out that it was our anniversary while we were eating (he noticed the cards we exchanged, we never mentioned it was our anniversary) and he brought out a card to us for our anniversary. It was the fact that he thought of something so simple like that card that really blew me away. I hope his manager sees this and let’s him know that he made our anniversary even more special and we will ask for him specifically next time we eat there. Truly a remarkable and genuine person!

jairam amrith

We only had drinks and appetizers but loved the atmosphere and the quirky waiters.

Ronalda angasan

Service was great. Food was small portions

mark bogue

Do not go to this restaurant if you are hungry. The portions are very small. $32 for maybe 8oz salmon, three pieces of asparagus and three tiny potatoes. The food was good, not great. The prices were a little high for the portions given.

Lynn Ingalls

Food decent and service good. A little pricey. Overall a good experience. Don't think it was the greatest.

cora griffin

I loved the food that my table had ordered. Chef Ricky came to our table and was very professional on regards to our meal. His staff did a fabulous job on our food. No waiting time. Definitely recommend to others and will dine again.

Scott Shaver

Menu looked expensive for dinner. Just went for a beer, great atmosphere.

1 UP

Good food, excellent service

Cpt Kincaid

first off the burger was an off the menu item that was from a sister pub next door, second off when I ordered my burger I ordered raw onions, shredded lettuce and sliced pickles and cheese, I got cooked onions and very sweet not sliced pickles that were the size of a half melted ice cube and no cheese.The bread is good and homemade but the meat itself wasn’t as good as expected. The fries were not good and were soaked in garlic and covered with Parmesan which is not what I expected, they put so much garlic on it., it was spicy. Would not recommend and I would not return.

Gideon Crowell

Good service, food is mostly what you would expect for happy hour.

David Maddison

Go to F-Street Station around the corner instead! Orso looked amazing and has a great atmosphere- too bad the bar service was too ignorant to accept an Australian Driver’s License as proof of age - the first time and I’ve travelled to almost 70 countries. I mean, I was able to see a doctor and get prescription medication in Alaska, set up a Walgreens account to get my script filled as well as check into my Alaskan Airlines flight without a passport but ordering a beer seemed too outrageous. When I asked if that’s typically the case, the waitress said that it’s ‘it’s in the book and she’s happy for me to check it’. Embarrassing and a bad score as a result as I sit here enjoying my glass of water at the bar...

Vincent Thrutchley

Good food and good service.

Lisa K

Ordered the king crab, my husband ordered the sockeye salmon. Cracked my first leg, it was a few thin threads and crumbly. Cracked another, the same. Very surprised- $76 bad frozen crab... Waitress quickly replaced it with delicious juicy leg's. Had the rosemary bread with tomato chutney & garlic hummus- mmmm. Crab cakes were tasty. Husband enjoyed his dinner as well. Would go back!

Cheyenne Reiman

Literally one of the best meals we've eaten since we arrived in Alaska! All 5 of us in our party were super impressed with the food and our waitress could not have been nicer. Such a great experience all around! Would definitely recommend!

Clinton Chan

The silver king salmon was delicious and a good sized portion. Crab cakes were good but a bit cold. Service was very good and the bartender would check in often to see if I needed anything.

Van Watkins

King Crab was really good. Other food ok. Service was good and nice atmosphere.

Blupeterb254 B

Great place to eat and enjoy. $$$

Karen Maskarinec

Our party of 4 ordered 4 different seafood dishes - and all 4 of us were delighted with our meals. Four out of four is pretty good odds. The flights of Alaska-distilled gins and vodkas were really nice, too.

Jacob Stone

A bit pricey but it is the best food in town! The steak was amazing!

Kirk Byron

Steak was good pasta not so much haha

Debra Weinberg

Disappointed....not our first time here, usually awesome, but tonight- our Anniversary, they dropped the ball. Our food came out rare (we ordered medium well) and blood ran all over my plate, into my side dishes, which soaked them in blood. I lost my appetite. Then, unlike last time, they did not acknowledge our anniversary. Long time before I go back.

Crystal Klein

Celebrating a birthday! Great food & drinks. Hubby got the lamb sank, AMAZING! I had the ribeye, YUM!. A couple bottles of wine. Desserts were incredible. Tiramisu & bread pudding. We will definitely be going back!

조현석

nice food nice server

Alicegop Keeler

Fantastic atmosphere. Food is artistic. Not cheap but delicious. Good beer and cocktail selection. Special was a grapefruit martini, I came back the next day to have a other one.

Jessica Carter

The food was so good! Can’t remember which pasta dish this was but there was a lot of seafood in it and it was really saucy. The salad vinaigrette was delicious as well. Would highly recommend this place.

Jay Gardner

Moderately expensive, but great upscale dining option in downtown Anchorage.

angela ramirez

Great appetizers, cocktails, amazing burger and our server was fun! We had a great time and will be returning!

Dana Bush

Excellent food and service

D C

Good food, friendly staff, lovely interior. Chowder and King Salmon were quite tasty.

Sergio Alberto Leao

A Bit Pricey, but good Definitively for a Diner.

wesley breshears

Went on the spur of the moment with my fiance. Was one of the most pleasant dining experiences I've had. The food was perfect, literally and so was the service.

Rodrigo Rigor

Realy good food, great selección of wine

Joe Walk

I came here to get a good meal as a reward for finishing my move. It's a pricey place, but the staff was fantastic and the food was delicious. Would recommend for special occasion dinners, or date nights.

Taylor Wilson

Delightful atmosphere and wait staff, I had the lamb and the chef has done it perfectly

Ryan Stafford

If you're in downtown Anchorage and you're looking for fine dining then you can't beat Orso. The Orso signature dish is the Orso Lamb Shank. The Orso Lamb Shank is the only entree that has never been removed from the menu since the opening of the restaurant in May 2000. Our server Sharay S. was absolutely excellent! I suggest asking for her table on your next visit. The Orso restaurant (6,000 sq. ft) contains two floors that seat 190 people with a bar on the first floor. The second floor is often reserved for private parties, however also used for public seating. The restrooms are on the first floor behind the stairs. I've been told the women's restroom has heated seats. Orso (Italian for "Bear"), also known as "Ristorante Orso" was developed by Glacier BrewHouse owners Chris Anderson and Bob Acree in 1999 according to the article written by Melissa Devaughn, Alaska Daily News, Sept. 15, 2000. Ristorante Orso officially opened in late May 2000. The former occupants of the property was the Imaginarium. If this review was helpful please click the Like button. May 2019 (1) Harvest Salad: $8.95 (1) Panzanella Salad: $7.95 (1) Crab Stuffed Alaska Rockfish: $25.95 (1) Orso Lamb Shank: $34.50 (1) Orso Ale Blonde: $6.50 Tax: $0.00

brenton johnson

Chicken parm was decent, chicken itself was slightly disapointing. The noodles were very good. Other dishes from party included crab cakes and tenderlion tips. Three of us ate, we overall had a 4 and (2) 3 ratings. Service was a bit dry. Overall it seems like a nice restaurant with food that would be considered above average.

Mike Lopes

The crab legs are out of this world

Mike Pack

Great food and great sevice

CA G

One of my favorite restaurants, I almost always get the BlackBerry basil lemonade cause it's awesome and if you haven't tried the baked mac with seafood then you haven't lived lol. The restaurant is clean, the staff is great; it's a good place to relax and eat good food. It is downtown so if your going to orzo shop some parking lots for good prices before you go or you could be paying higher prices on lots that charge too much.

Formalities

This food was amazing compared to what i grew up around

Sherri Austin

Best dinner we have had in quite awhile...definitely in Alaska!!

Aaron Fletcher

Delicious food, small portions, family friendly

Caleb Scoville

It was excellent food! I wish the halibut would have been prepared better but it was great. Glacier Brewhouse and Orso are next door to each other. Both have great food all around. Here’s the difference we mainly noticed. if you want a warmer atmosphere, friendlier more helpful staff go to Orso. If you prefer a more energetic (louder) place and service doesn’t matter as much go to BrewHouse ( obviously for larger beer selection also). Both have great food.

Lacy Ellis

Delicious food. Definitely get the chowder!!

Jeffrey Summers

Stuffed rockfish was great. Nice atmosphere

David Norwood

Pricey and portions a bit small.

Tony Wielgosz

Great food and service

Brian Francis

Excellent atmosphere and tasty food

Kristin Mabry

Five kinds of fresh fish! Superb service!

Pamela Smith

King crab legs were excellent! John was an excellent server. Definitely recommend.

Chris Terry

The food and service was excellent!

Joe Buckwalter

One our favorite "special date" night establishments. Top notch service we received from Reese.

Chris Morgan

Calamari was bad. Jamie, the bartender, was very rude. Left early before having dinner due to this. People like this should not be working in hospitality. Bad way to end alaskan holiday.

Nick Gardner

Everything was perfect, especially the halibut and seafood Mac n cheese

Joshua Browder

Just a really good place to eat. The calamari was so good I couldnt form words for 15 minutes.

Rich Hyde

Good food, need me staff

Lili Gulsby

Pricey. Not great food for the cost

Arezu Taghvaei

Amazing food, and great customer service.

Mickey Noel

Fantastic food, excellent service! Had a memorable visit and intend to return.

Matt Schildgen

Great food, but massively expensive. Best baked mac n cheese dish I have ever had, but also the most expensive. Unless dinner for two without alcohol is $70 everywhere in this town is was way overpriced. We got the cheapest appetizer and only 1 soda. Fresh halibut and salmon sounded good too but i didnt feel like spending $40 per entree. We got really really good food and great service, but would definately save it for a rare splurge night if we lived here.

Nancy Salazar

Excellent service and very good seafood.

Chel-SEE Curry

Amazing! We went on a sunday and it was quiet which was really nice.Our server was Nick was great, he really knew the menu and the rest of the staff was super polite and friendly. My favorite was the cambozola and the potato bread appetizers! Will definitely be returning

Dewitt Mcnutt

We had three dinners in the six days we were in Anchorage so that should confirm that we enjoyed the food and ambiance. It is also very convenient to the Atwood Concert Hall. The Halibut can be prepared simply grilled with fingerling potatoes and broccolini or prepared with bacon and bok choy. We enjoyed them both! The Harvest Salad is our favorite - with quinoa, red onion, roasted yams, Brussel sprouts and pumpkin seeds! All of our servers were friendly and accommodating - reservations easy to make with the Open Table ap

Debra Lopicolo

Awesome food....great server...