Judy's Cafe - Cash Only, Rude Servers

When you listen to people from the Hillside area of Anchorage they rave about Judy's Cafe.  Judy's serves breakfast and lunch and is only open until 3p on weekdays and Saturdays.  It is open until 2p on Sundays.

Judy's is different than most restaurant, or most places of business for that matter, in that it only accepts cash.  While there is an ATM on the premises, it is very inconvenient not to be able to pay by debit or credit card...or even check.

The food is fairly good homestyle cooking, and it is one of the better diner style restaurants in Anchorage.  Having said that there is a big drawback...which I will get to later.

On my most recent, and final visit, I had a bacon and mushroom omelette and a 1/2 order of biscuits and  gravy.  The omelette was good, but the biscuits and gravy were sub par.  The gravy did not stand out.  It was drab and needed plenty of Tabasco to make it tasty.  The biscuit itself was just plain.

My biggest gripe with Judy's is the service.  I am used to being greeted warmly and serve in a courteous and pleasant manner when in any restaurant.  I would like to say that I have only ever experienced bad service once, but I have been to Judy's three times, and have never felt like my business was appreciated. Judy's Cafe needs to work on their staffing in a big way.

I am amazed that so many people rave about Judy's Cafe given that the service is so poor.  Have we all just gotten used to bad service and rude waitstaff.  I hope not.  Judy's stands out, but for the wrong reasons.


Judy's Cafe:

Address - 11620 Old Seward Hwy

Phone - 907.349.5500

Website - on facebook

Reservations - None.  It can get very busy on Saturday and Sunday mornings.  Get there early, or be prepared to wait, or go somewhere else.

Overall Recommendation - The food is good, but the inflexibility of payment and the often rude waitstaff make it easy to pass this hot spot by.

La Mex - Home of the Grande

La Mex is one of the better known Mexican restaurants in the Anchorage area.  They are famous for their  margaritas, which are good, but I am more into food, hence the blog.  With that said, La Mex has a full bar and is not too bad.


We started simple enough with the spinach quesadilla appetizer.  It was pretty good, but when combined with the hot salsa that came with the complementary chips, it was excellent.  The spinach quesadilla is a spinach tortilla with cheese and spinach filling.  Simple, but tasty.


For dinner my wife had the Seafood Chimi.  A chimi filled with shrimp, crab, lobster and white fish sautéed with tomatoes and onions and spices. Finished with fresh sliced avocado.  She was please, and it looked and smelled good.


I had the La Mex Burrito Deluxe.  It is served topped with a cheese sauce, shredded lettuce and house dressing.  The cheese sauce and dressing did not do much for me, so I asked for more hot salsa and topped it with that.  I guess I would say the burrito was fine, but the salsa was very good.


I don't mind sauces and salsas on dishes, but when I have to do it to rescue the dish, that does not say much for the dish in the first place.  The cheese sauce that came on the burrito was drab, though the rest of the burrito was fine.  The obligatory rice and refried beans completed the dish, and they were also fine.


A mixed meal to say the least.  I think I will stick with other Mexican restaurants from now on.




La Mex:


Address & Phone - 2550 Spenard Road, 907.274.7511
                              8330 King Street, 907.344.6399


Website - homeofthegrande.com


Reservations - Very large dining rooms in both locations.  You are probably safe not making reservations, but on Friday and Saturday night...it might be a good idea.


Overall Recommendation - La Mex is a good Mexican restaurant, not the best Anchorage has to offer, but good.  If it is nearby, and you have a hankering, stop in.

Gwennie's Old Alaska Restaurant

I have been eating at Gwennie's Old Alaska Restaurant since I was a teenager.  My high school team used to go to Gwennie's for breakfast every year whenever our team was in Anchorage.  When I began coaching I would bring my swimmers back for the same breakfasts, but since I moved to Anchorage, over 12 years ago, I have only been to Gwennie's a couple of times.  I went back recently for an evening breakfast.

I went on a Friday evening, around 7p, and there was plenty of seating available.  I was in the mood for dinner, but as soon as I saw the eggs Benedict, with crab meat instead of ham, I knew I was going for the breakfast.  I had a big appetite brewing, so I added the 1/2 order fo biscuits and gravy.

The flavors of the crab eggs benedict were good, but the textures were a bit off.  The english muffins had no crisp to them at all.  In fact, they had the texture of having been soaked in water before being put in the dish.  Combined with the natural texture of the crab and egg....it was a bad combination.  Texture matters.

The biscuits and gravy, however, were quite good.  There was just the right amount sausage and pepper in the gravy.  The biscuits had good texture, and although I could taste that they were a little heavy on the baking powder, they were better than most....and they went great with the Hefeweizen that I was drinking :)

All told, the food is not great, but there are bits of memorabilia and Alaskana all around the restaurant.  I must confess, I think the place is pretty cool.  It might be worth your try.


Gwennie's Old Alaska Restaurant:

Address - 4333 Spenard Road, Anchorage

Phone - 907.243.2090

Website - www.gwenniesrestaurant.com

Reservations - If you are going with a large group, you will want to call ahead.

Overall Recommendation - Going to Gwennie's is more of an overall experience than a dining experience.  If you are looking for great food, there are better choices in Anchorage.  If you are looking for a filling meal with plenty of Alaskana and history surrounding you, this is your place.