Jalapeno's Mexican Restaurant — Restaurant in Alaska

My family chose Jalapeño's to celebrate Father's Day, wanting to treat my dad - a Vietnam War veteran who's spent his life serving others - to a special meal. While the hostesses and serving staff were wonderfully attentive, our experience was sadly overshadowed by food quality issues and an uncomfortable interaction with the owner. The Food: Inconsistent Execution The restaurant's recent upgrades create a pleasant atmosphere, but the food didn't match the upgraded surroundings. I will preface this by saying during a previous visit, I noticed my enchiladas arrived lukewarm while the plate was hot - something I chalked up to an off night. Unfortunately, history repeated itself on Father's Day when my dad’s plate came out warm, but with noticeably cold food after the first bite. None of the other dishes came out cold; my sister’s tacos freshly made, and my protein bowl, while not exciting, served its purpose. The names of the dishes I’m unable to recall and the online menu is not updated to reflect these new dishes. The Unfortunate Interaction When my dad, always polite, mentioned the temperature issue to our server, she promptly responded and brought back a new dish. Unfortunately, this second plate was not much better, and our server escalated the issue to the owner, Gilbert. He approached our table with an air of impatience, his posture rigid and expression closed off before we'd even finished explaining the problem. Rather than leaning in to understand the concern, he physically recoiled, crossing his hands in a condescending stance that immediately created an uncomfortable atmosphere. His response insisting "the food was done twice" per our request- came across as a rehearsed deflection rather than a genuine engagement with our feedback. What was most striking was his complete failure to follow basic customer service protocol. At no point did he: • Inquire if there was anything else he could do to improve our experience • Even acknowledge that serving cold food might be unsatisfactory His tone carried an undercurrent of annoyance, as if we were being unreasonable for expecting a properly heated meal at full price. The interaction lasted less than a minute, but in that time, he managed to communicate that our satisfaction was not his priority. It was a masterclass in how not to handle customer concerns - dismissive, unapologetic, and utterly lacking in professionalism. Observations on Preparation While many restaurants use some pre-prepared components (which isn't inherently bad), the recurring temperature inconsistencies suggest either improper holding or reheating methods. The flavors weren't bad, but the execution made the meal feel like it wasn't given proper care. Silver Linings The FOH staff members - from hostesses to servers and bussers - were absolute gems: warm, professional, and clearly dedicated to treating customers with respect. Final Thoughts As someone who wants to support local businesses, I hope Jalapeños can address these issues. Veterans like my dad, and all customers, deserve both quality food and basic respect when concerns are raised. With some attention to kitchen processes and customer service training for ownership, this could still become the great neighborhood spot it seems to want to be. The real shame is that this could have been such an easy situation to salvage. A modicum of grace, a simple offer to make it right, even just the appearance of caring would have transformed the experience. Instead, his approach guaranteed that cold food became the defining memory of our visit. In the hospitality industry, how you handle mistakes often matters more than the mistakes themselves, and in this case, the owner's response did far more damage than the kitchen's error ever could. It should be made known that when we asked our server to pay our bill, she told us that our bill had been taken care of. Kind of a minute afterthought given what had just happened but alas, it was appreciated. To the Staff: Thank you for...

This is an updated visit to the new location. A million times improved. Decor, audio and general atmosphere is spot on perfect. Service is great, food is not plated any better, smells walking in are fantastic, food is flavorful and well prepared. Keeping a small and impactful menu keeps wait times down and experience positive. A great adventure for those whom just love great Mexican food. Well done Jalapeños. Leaving the original review up for reference..

So as I nearly always do, I'll start with the Atmosphere of dining room. Multiple tables that haven't been cleared. And we have been in for 10 minutes and they have clearly spent more time waiting to be cleaned. Music is tad loud, conversation is going to struggle. Table is sticky and furniture is in disrepair. Likely was a great looking restaurant when it first opened. But you can't overlook the lack of upkeep. As our order arrives, my first impression is looks good. Basic plating and presentation. The aroma from the plates is pleasant and inviting. The reality is the 3 enchiladas plate had about full cup of sauces to much. Should rename the dish swimming enchiladas. The chicken enchilada was tasty as was the beef with tomatillo sauce. The main unfortunate enchilada was the cheese. Just a rubber clump. They clearly used a cheese predominate blend. Not a good taste or mouth feel. The next time I will exclude that one. As for the Adobada tacos, seasoned great. A strong dish. So my final thoughts are this, if your not OCD, and enjoy Hispanic flavors then this is sure bet on a...

I’m very bummed to even be leaving this review. I’ve been coming to the Eagle River Jalapeños for years and it has hands down been one of my favorite restaurants in the state of Alaska. Heck, I’d drive all the way from Mat-Valley for it even though we have plenty Mexican restaurants in the area. In the past, it was always a 5 star experience. I will say with the new location though I’ll give the entire experience 1 star. What was once a very fun ‘hole in the wall’ atmosphere is now a common basic ‘finer dining’ experience. The seating before was very private and secluded with authentic fun chairs, now is traded for an open awkward layout where everyone can see you. They definitely traded their quality of food and drink, for their ‘finer dining’. Previously it was very fast service, we were in and out quickly but would still linger and hang out with our drinks. It took over an hour to get our food and it wasn’t even busy. My BIGGEST complaint though is the margaritas. They were TINY!! I’m used to a goblet of margarita and was given a cocktail martini sized margarita that was half a$$ed. Very disappointing. The quality of our food was subpar to what once was, as well and the quantity. We used to get so much rice and beans and got a child sized amount. I understand wanting to upgrade location, but don’t trade that for the price of the experience. So very disappointed, I will be sticking to the...