The Marx Bros Cafe

Phenomenal experience. My husband took me here as a belated Christmas date. We got all dolled up and went out for dinner. What gal doesn’t love that?
The Caesar salad is worth all the hype. As an avid Gilmore Girls fan, I got the biggest kick when they added coddled eggs to the dressing. If you watch Gilmore Girls, you know exactly what I’m talking about!
EMILY: Oh. Well, Caesar salads can be extremely unsafe if they use bad eggs.
LORELAI: Get something else.
EMILY: Of course, if they’re coddled, it would be fine. Do you know if they coddle the eggs here?
LORELAI: I have no idea.
EMILY: You don’t know? You come here every day.
LORELAI: Why don’t you ask Luke if they’re coddled?
EMILY: Oh, he’ll just say they are. I’ll have a Cobb salad. What are you going to have?
LORELAI: A Caesar salad with extra uncoddled eggs on the side.
The Marx Bros. Café: 1. Luke’s Diner: 0.

Visited the Marx Brothers over their 36^th anniversary so the menu was set. It was a very nice relaxing meal and all four courses were great. Everything at this place is freshly made. The duck sausage and venison tenderloin were well prepared, seasoned, and cooked perfectly. The history of the restaurant and the owners is also just awesome. We’ll be back!

It’s debatably* the fanciest, nicest restaurant in Anchorage.
I have been meaning to visit since I moved here, but never quite got around to it.
I finally fixed that a few days ago.
I dig the ambiance; it’s like being in Grandma’s cottage. The walls are adorned with memorabilia from years gone by. You can tell this place has some history.
I ordered the lamb chops, rare. (because that’s how you do lambchops) They were perfectly cooked and the portion was spot-​on (too often places like this serve micro-​portions). I dream about these chops.
My dining mate ordered the filet mignon, also rare. It wasn’t what either of us would categorize as rare. Reluctantly, she sent it back. (neither of us like to be difficult about things like this) They were very embarrassed and replaced it with a delightfully rare steak. There was no hassle, just an apology and a snappy replacement. We were both insanely impressed.
Why not five stars? The beer selection. I don’t expect the world from a restaurant like this, when it comes to beer. I get that most folks want wine with their fancy faire. BUT, would it hurt them to have at least one beer that’s brewed in Anchorage? All the beers on the menu were bottles from Alaskan Brewing, a very large brewery in Juneau. Beer that you can get in just about any state in the US. Why not add some local flavor to the beer selections? I feel like Anchorage Brewing would be a perfect fit for this place.
*maybe not, I feel like this is equivocally the finest fine dining spot in Anchorage. I know not everyone will agree.

Neighborhood gem
We were in Anchorage for a few days before our cruise and we went to the Marx Bros Café to celebrate my father’s birthday. Although we had a reservation, we had to wait for awhile but one of the owners entertained us with stories of the history of the neat old house. He also tipped us off to the Yukon salmon which was a marvelous suggestion. Our party of 6 ended up sitting in front of the picture window which was a lovely table. The maitre d, servers — all the staff were attentive without being pushy. We ordered the yukon salmon which was fabulous as well as the filet mignon which was also quite good. The wine list was pleasing and my dad selected his favorite for a birthday toast. Dad ordered pineapple upside down cake for dessert — mediocre — but the restaurant brought out a carrot cake as well which was a real winner. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves — only downside was having to park 2 blocks away and it was raining when we finished.

A beautiful night for an 8 o’clock dinner at a romantic little cottage originally from 1916. Quite a contrast to the huge restaurant and brewery on the same block. Of course a house is made up of several small rooms. Ours had 4 tables, only one of which had diners at our arrival, but three of the four tables had parties when we left. The hostess, maître ‘d, servers and preparer were attentive, pleasant and always kept the water glasses full. The wine list is good and by the glass selections are not over priced. The rest of the menu and specials are at the top of the range. They are know for their classic Caesar salad prepared at the table. It was almost perfect, but had too much garlic for our taste. It appears 3 pieces of garlic is one too many for both of us. The bride had the filet mignon which she said was excellent, but not among the best she has had. I had the rack of lamb which I wanted medium, but came out with 3 ribs, done medium rare. It was in a very good sauce and over polenta which is not my favorite. I have to say that about this restaurant, too. Although, some may remember that if you say the magic word, the duck will come done and give you $ 100. If that happens, you can get a good meal.

Worst dining experience in Alaska. The head chef is rude, unpleasant and a real jerk. I have dined all around the world and have never been insulted more by an employee than the chef at this place. Give your money to one of the many places in Anchorage that actually know how to treat customers.

The food is excellent, but not inexpensive. Staff members are friendly, but service was on the slow side. The downer is that there are too many tables squeezed into the small dining area resulting in being uncomfortably close to other diners and too much noise to enjoy conversation.

Terrific — been here 40+ times in the last several years.
I have sat at every table in the place, I have brought my staff here for Christmas dinner, brought friends here for my birthday, for New Year’s Eve a couple times in a row now — and it has always been top-​notch service, incredible food consistently, and I always feel like kind of a big deal when I walk in.
I recommend the appetizers — oysters, the seafood mousse is GREAT, and then follow it up with the Caeser salad — if it’s you & another you’ll probably want to split the entrée by that time.
Can’t say enough. Find a reason to go here at least two or three times.

Food was great… Service? Well, kinda lacking… Ordered a second bottle of wine and waited about 20 minutes — until we had to remind the server that we ordered wine… Then, ordered dessert — and waited about 30 min! Great food, but speed it up!

Went here for my birthday dinner, the service was excellent, the food delish, and overall the experience was nice. It was not cheap but the food was fresh and very good. The restaurant was very small, it was a house at one point and the room we were seated had four small tables. It was perfect for a special night!
We had the crab cakes as an appetizer $ 17: it was 3 small cakes with some coleslaw. I think these were some of the best crab cakes I’ve ever had, they tasted like they were fried but they were light and amazing. The coleslaw was pretty good too.
We split the hot spinach salad 9 $ it was tasty — prosciutto, shaved parmesan, and some balsamic vinaigrette
I had the loin of new zealand venison $ 39: it had a lingonberry-​port demi-​glacé, braised red cabbage and spätzle. It was very good the venison was not too gamey and the cabbage and spätzle matched nicely.
My date had the filet minion $ 39: it was a small cut of good beef, some mashed potatoes, a few carrots and asparagus stalks, and some grilled mushrooms — it was very good as well.
The restruant also gave us a strawberry sorbet for my birthday ?$: it was on par with the rest of the meal and delish had some huge berries and the sorbet was perfect.
The only things I don’t like about the place was the initial cramped feeling I had when entering the door and being seated, and the fact they didn’t have any alcohol on the menu. After a min or two I relaxed and the environment was nice, there was also a vet nice wine menu and the selection do beers was decent as well. Good food, good service, and a good night out!

No sign of the original owners on the night we visited (despite what other reviews and their website say). The staff was certainly very friendly and attentive, and the place is small so quiet. We had a reservation but didn’t end up with what I would consider a nice table (we were near the door, staring at a lonely single guy, not the view or the fireplace). I had the filet and it was a nice piece of meat but no seasoning at all other than a pat of butter on top. Accompanied by green beans and a hard, square piece of potato gratin. My husband had the scallops — a better choice. We shared the infamous ceasar salad — it was good and fun (nice show) and worth it. Overall I was disappointed — a nice place, friendly staff, but very expensive and the food didn’t live up to my expectations.
Since its Anchorage no one was really dressed up, which is fine.

the atmosphere is charming, and we truly had great, attentive service.
im not buying in to the «best restaurant in Alaska» thing, though.
the food was SO close to being amazing, but the seasoning fell short. it’s disappointing, because they have the right idea for sure… it’s just the execution.
the calamari appetizer? watery and weird. our salads– surprisingly light for a spinach salad (i was hoping it would be more hearty, like creamy and warm and bacon-​y) but it wasn’t bad, just not what i thought (not their fault!). my salmon was really bland, and my husband had rabbit. he said it was good but the story ended there. we finished it off with chocolate mousse, which was fine. maybe trying a little too hard with the presentation, but who doesn’t like chocolate?
our bill was $ 140, and we didn’t buy any alcohol, just sparkling water. we’ve spent that kind of money on better, but also on worse.
if we visit anchorage again, we will be skipping this place. been there, done that. thanks!

So we have been here twice and no complaints. Excellent attention to detail, service perfect, the sommelier was as always gracious! This is magnanimous and greatly gifted restaurant. I will say that I do a original Peking Duck, that destroys theirs! Living w/​a Chinese family growing up says I Win! Sorry you can’t cook Peking Duck! It was embarrassing! Had no Peking Duck reality!

the best restaurant in Anchorage Alaska. the menu is prepared in an outstanding style and class. whether its seafood or steaks,
they do amazing things in the preparation of their food. their desserts are made on premise are absolutely beautiful and tastefully done

I brought my wife here for a special birthday dinner.
Yes, it was expensive but the entire experience was incredible. Thirty years in and yes, one of the owners, and original Karl of the Anchorage Brothers Marx, still greets you at the door. He donned an apron and prepared our Cesar salad table side and chatted, adding to the general Marx brothers experience which is like dining at a the home of an old friend, if you happen to have a friend who is a masterful chef with an amazing wine cellar. The service was perfect, attentive and personal but not invasive.
My wife is in a wheelchair and the dining room is tight but accessible. Restrooms are upstairs, but we knew that going in, and given that this is a converted town house, I won’t knock them for that.
A special experience and worth it.

Marx Brothers was «Meh. I’ve experienced better» 2.5 stars.
Let me start off by warning you that the items listed on the menu here are not correct. I went in with Risotto dreams in my head, but that wasn’t on the menu.
This is a very cute little house that has been converted to a restaurant. I really liked the feel of it.
I went with the scallops. They were a little rubbery so I didn’t finish the dish.
I really wanted the Caesar salad. The cart with all the fixings looked amazing and I had heard about it from co-​workers, but I wasn’t allowed to get a side order of Caesar salad. It comes in a large bowl based on how many people are at the table, requiring a minimum of two people.
The table next to me caught two bees in their glasses of wine. We were cracking up about it, but it was also odd to have bees flying around a nice restaurant. Everybody was checking their glasses before they could take a sip since another bee could be taking a bath in the sweet nectar of white wine.
For dessert, I had three different sorbets in one cup. Very flavorful and yummy, smooth without chunks of crystallization. Loved it.
The waiter seemed annoyed to have a table of one seated in his section. He would walk straight past me, then turn around in the opposite direction to walk off after seeing the table next me, making it impossible for me to respectfully catch his eye. I was having to call out «excuse me, excuse me!» to ask for carbonated water and to ask for bread and to place my order. I wanted wine, but this was early on in the game before I realized I’d have to shout out at the guy to get anything done and I gave up on it. He set down my bill without asking if I wanted dessert, so he had to pick it back up when I did order dessert. And, of course, he huffed when I asked for a copy of the itemized receipt.
The 6 top of bee-​catchers next to me did not experience this. he was fairly attentive and professional with them.
If you are a couple or small group, this sounds like a good place. If you are by yourself, don’t bother.

Sensational but very dear. Definitely a splurge. Be sure to get the chef-​prepared Caesar’s Salad.

Lovely place which is converted from a little townhouse. Have been wanting to try this place.
Recommended dishes:
5 stars: Halibut cheek served with black bean sauce and salmon roe: To die for! Succulent chunk of fish prepared with delicate flavors. I’d go back again and again just for that dish.
OK dishes:
3.5 stars: Seared foie gras served with tart lingonberry jam, caramelized nectarine and apple infused balsamic vinegar: It is slightly overcooked, so the texture wasn’t «melt-​in-​your-​mouth».
3.5 stars: Grilled Kodiak scallops with lobster saffron sauce and house made spinach pasta: Gigantic meaty scallop. I didn’t like the dish as much because it’s too salty.

We came here for our 5 year anniversary while on vacation in Alaska. The atmosphere and customer service were great. We started with the crab cakes and famous Caesar salad, prepared table side by Van. It was delicious! The halibut and rockfish were also superb. This is a great place to go if you celebrating a special occasion.

Loved this place — it’s a converted townhouse, so it’s got a rustic charm. We got a table toward the back, and I could face the backyard where they grow their own vegetables.
Started with the caesar salad, which is made at the table. From start to end. Awesome. Fresh and flavorful.
Got the halibut which was excellent.