Añejo Restaurant

A loud, busy place that feels high-​energy when you walk in. We had the tableside guac and while it was delicious, it was super salty. We ordered another for the table and it was better. The service was OK, but not stellar. The margaritas are a bit on the small side and they’ll definitely try to upsell you on more drinks. It was OK, but I’m not sure we’ll go back again soon, as it was so loud our party of 4 could hardly hear each other at the table.

Absolutely amazing food and even better selection of Tequila. The ambiance and clientele change markedly between happy hour and the evening but that just makes for even more of an experience. Wife and I love this place and even make a point to take out of town guests whenever possible

Having lived in San Diego I have been many to a Mexican restaurant. And while I have been here once, I definitely appreciate how Añejo prepares the guacamole. Very fresh and it’s made table side. Cool.
The margaritas as previously stated by fellow Unilocalers are outstanding. I chose to order the Ahi tuna niçoise salad and while it doesn’t scream «Mexican» per say, it was perfectly prepared paired well with the hot sauces offered.
The ambience is energetic and «bustlily”(I know it’s not a real word). And be prepared to be a loud talker. Because it can get packed in there.
Overall, I’ll go back there again but perhaps I’ll sit outside next time though!

The best Guacamole I have ever eaten!!! And those tacos weren’t too bad either.
Had pork, chicken and beef tacos on the corn tortillas and they were delicious! All fresh, shredded meat, very well seasoned and juicy.
The waitress was knowledgeable and kind– really made our first experience a great one!

I went to Anejo with my friend on April 23^rd… I have been to Anejo quite a few times and have always had good experiences which is why I didn’t give them one star. If this was my first time visiting I would never go back.
I ordered the Coconut Chili margarita and it was so spicy that you couldn’t even take a sip without guzzling water, I love spicy things and have a high tolerance for them. I assumed that someone accidently went a little heavy handed with the chili so I let me server know and asked if it was possible I could have it remade. He offered to have them mellow it out for me. He brought it back and it was pretty much all lime juice now… No coconut flavour at all. So I decided to go back to one that I had had just before and on another night. I ordered a cucumber cilantro margarita and when it arrived I knew right away it was made with gin not Tequila… Our server hadn’t been to see us in a while so I let another server know and she said to me «they would never put gin in a margarita unless you requested it» … So then a manager comes over and pulls out a stool and sits down and very patronizingly tells me he heard that I sent back 2 drinks now and made me plead my case for why. I explained to him that the Coconut Chili to which he said «they don’t call it the chili margarita for nothing» True, I said, but I tolerate spice really well, and even if I was one of those people who didn’t like spicy things and had ordered it by mistake that doesn’t really scream great customer service. Then I told him how my cucumber cilantro margarita had gin in it. He said no it wouldn’t but it’s possible that there was some «gin residue» I was picking up on when they use the same shot glass. My friend asked him to sample my drink. He had a sip and said yes, it does have a gin taste, but stuck to guns that it wouldn’t be gin in the drink. I then had to ask for them to just take the drink off my bill as I was cutting my losses. By this time we had been waiting a long time to just get a drink. More than that, the way that we were treated with such sarcasm and skepticism while apologetically explaining why the drinks weren’t drinkable was such a horrible experience– it was embarrassing!
Instead of believing their customer and having a quick word with the bartender they were extremely stubborn and downright rude… It’s so strange to me that a Mexican restaurant would put gin in a margarita, and then stand behind that like there was no issue. I would think tequila and margaritas were their specialty.
Such a bad experience, mistakes are TOTALLY forgivable. The condescending and rude «service» isn’t.

Just a heads-up…I had booked a reservation 2 weeks prior to us attending last night. We arrived 12 min’s late as we were coming from out of the city limits. They gave our table away after 10 min’s without any notice to us about this policy when booking (oh they called our home number) or else we wouldve used our cell number. They did find us a spot after a bit of resistance. Please make people aware of this policy… our friends who own a couple restaurants/​pubs that were there with us said this policy was unreal and they would never impose such a small time to hold a table. Be aware.

Tacos, tacos, tacos… get the tacos. And I must say the portion size of the taco is HUGE. Normally at these ‘upscale’ Mexican places you sacrifice some content for quality when it comes to tacos, not here. This place is now in my Mexican Calgary rotation with Native Tounges.

As far as happy hour deals go, this place is right up there. Between the magical time of 3pm — 5pm there’s a bunch of tasty and cheap tacos and margaritas to be drunk.
What’s the deal? All of their 1 oz (1.5 oz?) margaritas are $ 5 (normally $ 8 — $ 9ish), bottles of beer are $ 5 (normally $ 7 — $ 9), tacos are half price for $ 2.50 (normally $ 5) and tequila is half price (usually $ 10ish and up). And if you want to double your margarita it’s $ 10. I asked.
The margaritas are delicious. My favourites were the Mezcalarita (smokey) and the Classic (yep, no need to mess with this one by adding any other flavours). The Chilli Coconut was pretty tasty too, although actually quite spicy!
The tacos are pretty good, I recommend getting them with the more authentic corn tortillas. The server recommended the wild boar, and this was a good choice! Definitely a good deal at $ 2.50 each.
I came here on a Friday afternoon just before 4:30pm and the place was PACKED. And loud. We couldn’t have much of a conversation but a fun atmosphere. I managed to get a table for two that was free til 6pm just by turning up, but I’d highly recommend booking ahead of time on their website (
).
They were also totally slammed. It took a while for someone to come over initially and then to flag them down later on. The drinks also took a while to make for each round, so be sure to order your next one each time your drink arrives to save you looking sadly at your empty glass.

This place is even better than Tacofina in Gastown, Vancouver. Sooo frickin’ good. Suddenly I love Mexican food. We shared some fresh guacamole made at our table, then I had a 3 taco combo — chicken, pork, and snapper. It was delicious! This restaurant had a great interior with dark colours, Mexican artwork, and lots of natural lighting. Next trip back to Calgary and I’m having lunch here again.

A friend and I decided to stop in to check out the much-​lauded «halfy hour» specials from 3−5pm daily at Añejo, which I definitely think it lived up to in value and drink quality. We ordered 2 margaritas: a mango (at the suggestion of the server) and a guava (at the suggestion of my craving for tropical fruit), to start. The scotch-​sized glasses were unexpected but for the $ 5 margarita special, especially potent but still very easily drinkable (actually 1.5oz or 45ml of tequila to those of you that have properly metric-​ified yourselves).
Secondly, we had to try the half-​price tacos. I had 3 flour tacos with chicken, the smoky adobo pork, and the favourite of the night, the barbequed wild boar. The waitress also recommended the snapper but we’re not big on seafood. The tacos were pretty filling as they were quite meat-​heavy, so after 3 I was feeling pretty satiated! The flavours were good but I did find the chicken tasted either a little gamey or freezer-​burnt. Might have just been the batch. However the wild boar tacos heartily redeemed the chicken ones. Delicious!
My recommendation for dessert has to be the churros, which we split (2.5 each). If you’re not familiar with this common Latin-​American dessert you should google it ASAP. The insides of the churros were perfect — eggy and moist like a honey cruller from Tim’s, but the outsides were sweet cinnamon crunch. And you know if it’s served with warm dulce de leche that it’s going to be fantastic.
Overall, I liked the location and interior decoration, and will definitely come back again to work my way down my margarita bucketlist. I’d highly recommend making a reservation on a weekend though because it seemed steadily busy.
Transit access: 5 stars! For transit commuters and responsible drinkers, there’s a bus stop serviced by buses #3/​17/​419 immediately outside and across the street. For non-​drivers this is a great option as the #3 runs almost every 10 min and connects with the ctrain downtown within 10 min as well.

You will not go wrong with the amazing cocktails, ceviche and tacos they serve. Oh and the atmosphere is fantastic as well!

I went here on a Saturday with a group of friends for their daily «halfy hour» from 3 – 5. The value during halfy hour is great! Our server was helpful and friendly. We had a great time trying out all the different margarita flavours and tacos. They have a wide selection of cocktails. My favourites are the guava and chili coconut. The tacos are pretty basic though. I wouldn’t order them for regular price. Overall great spot for an afternoon date.

First time going to this place. I love Mexican and we wanted to check it out. It’s got a cool vibe. Busy, loud, cool decorations. I had an original margarita, we shared guac and tacos. Good margarita, decent guac, average tacos. The wild boar tacos were the best!
The service was a bit of a bust. We had a waitress who was training so it wasn’t the greatest but she tried hard. She had another guy training her. We asked him about ice cream options but he never came back to tell us so we just got the bill and left. Go here from 3−5pm to save $$$ at happy hour.

Best value for money in the neighborhood! Loved it. We have a terrific time.
Best Margaritas — the real ones!
Authentic dishes. Ingredients are fresh. Portions are generous without being enormous.
Our servers were friendly, helpful.

Come to Anejo if you are looking for a fun ambiance and a good margarita. Don’t come to Anejo if you are looking for good, authentic Mexican food. The tacos are just OK, but taste mass produced. Happy hour is the only time i will seek out a visit to Anejo, after a horrible experience this past summer in a large party. We visited with 12 people for a birthday and were forced into a set menu, that included massive bowls of dry quinoa and overcooked protein. The food for the set menu was actually quite terrible. The service was also sub-​par, i tried to order an individual margarita and the waitress told me «its so busy that if you don’t order jugs of margaritas» (which FYI are about $ 100 each). «the bartender won’t have time to make you a single margarita for about 30 minutes.» Our table was not impressed we were pretty much being told that we couldn’t each order different flavours– but that we had to order one jug for the table.
Long story short– i’ll return over happy hour for a $ 5 chili coconut margarita– which are fabulous– but won’t be spending an evening dining here again.

Fun Night with my girls! Fresh made at the table guacamole– delish, cheese on fire– da bomb, shrimp, pork and beef tacos-​to die for… Thx Anejo!

Hey! Guess what?! You like tequila! No really, you do.
Possible responses:
1. «Yeah I know I do, Dale. Tequila is the best!» = Go straight to the food section, or better yet, just go straight to Añejo.
2. «No way! I drank it back when I was 18. Tequila is what you buy to punish someone for having a birthday!» = You, my friend are in for an *agave education. Read on.
The first thing you’ll learn by some time at Añejo is that tequila isn’t bad. Bad tequila is bad. Good tequila, however is very very good. Simple right?
It’s smooth, it’s drinkable, and it’s downright delish!
Another thing you should know is that you don’t have to shoot it, in fact you shouldn’t. Throw away the salt and the lime (unless you’re making a margarita) and enjoy a tasty tequila cocktail (including margaritas) or get yourself a nice sip-​able tequila and just sit back and enjoy. I’m sure that in their over 100 types of tequila they have on hand, the bartender will be able to find you something you love.
Cocktails!
This place loves margaritas and after a bit of time here, you’ll love them too. When it comes to margaritas, they have 10 to choose from. Sit down, you’re going to be here for a while. My favs are, in second place, the Chili Coconut: Blanco tequila, triple sec, coconut syrup, habañero and citrus. In first place, The Mezcalarita Basically a regular margarita but like I just taught you that you love tequila, this one finally taught me that I love mezcal. Mezcal, Triple Sec, Agave syrup and lime. The smokiness of the mezcal adds some delightful complexity to the beloved margarita while still maintaining a bunch of its more refreshing, drink-​them-​all-​day-​in-​the-​sun qualities of the margarita.
Food!
It’s been a while since I’ve eaten a full dinner at Añejo, but I remember quite enjoying myself. It’s high end, foodie style Mexican fare. The table-​side guac is good for any occasion. Especially occasions where you want guacamole!
*Agave — a succulent plant with rosettes of narrow spiny leaves and tall flower spikes. It’s what Tequila is made from! Yum!

Drinks were a 4star, food a 3 star and service a 2star. Fun margaritas –the chili coconut marg is spicy fantastic. The tacos were good. Not crazy good… but good. It would be nice to have salsa or guac for them. Service was horrible. We waited 40 mins each time she left for her to return and almost an hour for bill. Strange all her upsell efforts but no real effort in service.

As a native Californian, I can definitely say I’ve experience much, much better and not shelled out $ 100 for two people. That being said, the guacamole was okay but bland, and the décor and service were good.
The food however, was really bad, poor, gross, you name it. My friend is still not over his shock from the bill. We should have gone to Towa.

First try, was quite decent. The drinks are unique (ask them for Margaritta advice) and the food was tasty.
I couldn’t find anything wrong with the service either, definitely going back to perform further studies!

Went to Añejo last night in some Mexican craved madness. Oh-​my-​Gawd (Janice from ‘Friends’ voice), soooo good!
I’m vegetarian so, the fact that they had corn tacos was so exciting for me! Eee, and they were delish.
We also got the guacamole to start and they literally make it fresh in front of you. I am so pleased with everything. The service was awesome and quick. The environment was also lovely. Really cool dark set up.
5 stars!

This was a belated birthday dinner for me and enjoyed it immensely. We sat on the main floor which was a not too busy when we arrived but was quickly filling up. The hostess let us know that a large group would be taking over the entire area (3 hours to go) and if we were still there when they arrived they would find us space over by the bar. I’ve been known to linger but 3 hours seemed unlikley. This did explain why we could only get a 515 reservation though. Our server was fantastic. Explained the specials, made some recommendations and mixed up a mean table side guacamole. What stood out for me with the guac was the cilantro. I’ve never had cilantro in guac and it lent a nice fresh bite to a dish I thought I knew. D. had the bison tacos and I had the crispy snapper tacos. We did a little mix and match and both were awesome. The snapper was well cooked but moist and the tempura batter nice and light. The slaw and dressing had a great tang that really complimented the fish. The bison taco was kind of like a shredded beef taco but different… well of course its bison. It was lean, the sauce was flavorful and the purple slaw and corn gave everything a nice a crunch. The only drawback to our evening was the table. We were seated a tall table for two on the main aisle whic is also narrow with 4 banquet tables right beside it. The closeness to the banquet tables was painfully obvious when two women arrived to join two already at the table. Everyone stood up to hug and greet each other all right in front of our table. It interruped our conversation and was as if they were joining us. I appreciate you may have close quarters and have sat at my fair share of tiny tables that you have to pull out to be seated at but this was just too close and thought I was next for the «air kiss». I never like tall tables because I am short and my legs are often not long enough for my feet to rest on the rail of the chair. This means my feet dangle and I end up feeling like a little kid and the big kids table. It also means my feet end up going numb. I would definitely go back as the food and service were great. I would just ask for a low table next time.

Passing by so many times, and it seems very packed; finally got a chance to try on last weekend. As what I thought, the food was just okay.
The place is very nice, I guess that’s why people enjoy spending time there hang out with friends. For me it’s more like paying for the good atmosphere, but not the food.
I ordered Tuna Poke for my lunch, lacking of flavour, very flat. Especially I had a good one at another place today, big comparison.
I was thinking if I should give 3 or 2 stars. But since I do not think I will go again, so I gave 2 starts (places with 3 starts I may go again).

Since i am not a social drinker, i take advantage of their Happy Hour for their tacos, the tacos are great, especially the Fish. I have been there 3 times and had a great time everytime, great service, great food, and from what my friends say, great drinks. The one dish i noticed while i was there on every table was the Guacamole, i had it all the times i was there, they mix the ingredients in front of you, fresh and tasty, i will for sure go more often, as the experience was always good.

Añejo may translate as «aged» but you could not find a more youthful atmosphere.
You walk up to this restaurant and you know you’re in for a treat. Not only are all of the patrons happy and outgoing but it’s obvious that the staff are having a great time as well. When you have the perfect trio of tacos, tequila, and great company how could you go wrong? I managed to get my party to order all of the kinds of tacos so that I could sample them all. I was impressed with all of the tacos. They were all uniquely flavored and filling (you only need three). I am not a huge fan of battered fish in tacos, so I would recommend either the chicken, beef, or pork and you won’t go wrong. Also, the staff provide great service and are very nice.
If you’re not already ordering the guacamole you’re making a terrible life choice. Made right in front of your eyes as you drool over how delicious all of the fresh ingredients look. The chips they provide are the perfect delivery system for this tasty substance.
Do you like spicy foods? Do you like really really spicy foods? Okay then you need to talk to the staff and get a bottle of their homemade hot sauce. This tasty sauce is hot enough to spice up your tacos and provide that little extra taste that you didn’t even know was missing.
Dessert time: You don’t need any more food, get tequila! Grab a shot of that delicious coconut flavored tequila and keep the night going.
If you like Mexican, you can’t dislike Añejo because then you’d just be wrong.

Wow, what a crazy cool, fun, fiesta of a spot! You know a place is great when you can’t stop thinking about it, telling others about it and looking forward to being able to return. The room itself is chic and comforting all at the same time. It’s very rare to find a place that has got soul, a funky vibe and adorned with wickedly fun throw pillows that make you want to curl up with your rhubarb margarita and stay awhile!
The food is just fantastic! Everything I tried was so fresh, so flavourful and so surprising for a snow covered, Alberta resto. I guess anything is possible! I highly suggest going in for dinner or even just grabbing a drink at the bar. The tequila list is fantastic and the phenomenal servers and bar staff will get you in a sunny Mexican state of mind before you know it!
Viva Anejo!

Our waiter was awesome… initially. The way he described one of the drinks when we sat down was so enticing, both my friend and I were immediately sold on it. As well as the second drink, even though it wasn’t as delicious (but still tasty!) as the first. While the margaritas in other places in town may be bigger, Añejo scored points for quality.
But then as the night went on, he started to disappear more frequently and by the time our meal was over, might as well have changed in to a red and white sweater and called himself Waldo. We were constantly scanning the restaurant for him. I was on the fence about ordering the Strawberry Rhubarb margarita for dessert (since none of the desserts at Añejo are vegan, which, no surprise there… but if you’re going to tell people on your menu to ask for the vegan options, actually having options would be nice), but since he took so long to come back; my food had settled and I no longer wanted it.
Also, when he brought out our chips and salsa, he also brought out the 3 salsas that are meant for the tacos. Neither of us realized this initially, and just assumed he’d bring out more salsa for the tacos. But nope, that was it. Not a terrible thing, it just made the main course of the evening kind of bland and dry, and since he kept disappearing; we couldn’t ask for more. As for the tacos themselves, since I wrote my last review, they’ve changed the veggie tacos to black bean. Instead of fried strips of tofu, you now get raw black beans. They’re not bad, would be great if they had both tofu and black beans, and the black beans had a bit more flavor to them, but they’re okay. I’d get them again. The corn tortillas seemed a little undercooked, but I’m glad they’re available.
So… again, on the fence. This was really more of a 3.5 star visit, would’ve been 2.5 if the other staff weren’t so awesome and kind of made up for our friendly, yet absent-​minded Where’s Waldo. Drinks were great, salsa is delicious, though not spicy (in terms of heat) at all. Probably need a third visit to seal things for myself :).

We took advantage of a rare sunny weekend this summer and sat on the patio. This restaurant features a menu with more appetizers, shareable and small dishes than main courses. Given the slick yet relaxed festive atmosphere of this place, the focus on less formal dining makes sense here. The significant twists on traditional recipes mean this is neither a cheezy Tex-​Mex fiesta house, nor a traditional Mexican restaurant. And it works.
We ordered 4 non-​main dishes, and I must say they were all really good. This merits 4 stars right off the bat. Freshness and craftsmanship are at the forefront, evident in the fine preparation and artful presentation of the ceviche sampler, and of the tuna «tartare». The use of capers in one of the ceviches was a pleasant surprise that worked well, as was the tequila compressed watermelon in the tartare, which comfortably straddled the line between savoury and sweet. None of the three ceviches (containing 4 types of seafood) was overly acid, sweet or salty, and the extremely fine dice of peppers/​herbs/​flavourings made every bite consistent.
The third dish was a pozole (pork and full kernel corn grit soup). This preparation was quite non-​traditional, including mushrooms, chorizo sausage and cheese, but definitely worked as a whole. My only complaint would be that many people would probably like to add some heat or acid to this soup. A simple improvement would be to provide a small side of lime wedge and a cute tiny bowl of chilli sauce.
The final dish was a Mexican «fondue», which is served in a hot mortar made of lava rock (the traditional «molcajete»). Here some showmanship is on display, as the bubbly cheese is mixed with the mushrooms, sausage, etc. tableside, then served with warm tortillas. Simply delicious, though it might have been nice to have the option of cilantro (this herb was noticeably absent from all dishes, which would probably add an extra star for some people, but not me).
Maybe the mains may be good too, but they are quite pricey… the dishes we had provided a nice variety, and I think were reasonably value for money. If you can arrive before 5pm, you can get your happy hour margaritas for $ 5, which also eases the pain. The refreshing margaritas do stand out as a beverage choice, as they have a large variety of flavours, made with real ingredients. For tequila aficionados, there are more available here than you can shake an oversized molonillo at.
While our service was in general quite good, one area for improvement would be consolidating or at least guiding people through the many menus. We missed the separate taco menu completely (which is also not on the Web site), as it was lost in the shuffle of the tequila and drink menus, «What’s fresh» menu, and regular menu. Be sure to find them all! I guess I’ll have to come back…