anejo

worst mexican food in town, i asked for a huarache , in mexico that is an oversized sope, and i got pizza crust out from the freezer to the microwave, with chicken topping, it didn't taste good, no fresh sour cream or salsa. very boring and over price. we original ordered a molcajete but after 10 mins, we were told they were sold out. the rest was empty, a lot of servers, mine was friendly, kind but really slow!

walking up to this restaurant is confusing as the door is not very obvious. once inside, we were greeted and shown to a table. the atmosphere is nice. the brick behind the bar and on the far wall are great focal points and help create texture in an otherwise dull and boring gray room. i couldn't help but notice the air vent above the curtained doorway from the kitchen was filthy. we waited 10 minutes for our waitress to come and ask us if we wanted to start with water. after we said yes, she ran off without taking our drink or food orders and came back 5 minutes later with glasses and a bottle if warm water. no ice, not even chilled. we then placed our drink order and i watched her go back and forth from the kitchen 3 times. she gave our drink order to the bartender 10 minutes after we gave it to her. it was easy to see as this restaurant is open concept and you can see the bartenders making your drinks. once the drinks finally hit our table, i had to ask her to take our food order. we were starving when we got there and had already waited 25 mins. she seemed surprised that i had asked her to order, as if i had asked ahead of schedule. she took our orders. we ordered the ginger coconut shrimp to start (very greasy, little coconut flavor and bland sauce with a hint of cilantro), crispy red snapper tacos (easy to tell they do not have a fryer dedicated to fish because you taste the deep fryer. very greasy fish like it hasn't rested after frying. the pickled cabbage fills half of the taco and is soaking wet. menu boasts avocado but its only avocado sour cream and very little at that. by the time you get the tacos and dress them with the selection of 3 salsas you have on a side plate, the tacos are soggy and fall apart as you eat them because a soft tortilla shell can only take so much moisture. the salsas are great though. very flavorful.) and the posole (this is a classic mexican soup, yet it is not listed as a soup on the menu - it's under entrees. very great chili flavor but lots of fat chunks where little pork was present. it is served with a bowl of house made tortilla chips - i'm assuming house made but it makes no difference, they were stale). i would like to point out that before we were seated, a table of 4 were seated next to our area and no one approached them once up until the time when we received our food and they got up and left. a second table also came in and waited 10 minutes with no service and left as well. confusing because there were about 20 staff in the place, two managers and the owner. the owner chose what tables he would visit and ask about service which means 4 or more at the table. i don't know how they expect to stay in business when not one if their staff or managers seemed to care that tables weren't getting timely service or no service at all. yes, they have an extensive tequila menu and presence as its all laid out on display above the bar, but their margaritas are hardly worth $7.50 for two and a half ounces of fluid that is served in a glass full of ice. it's more like a martini made mostly of line juice served in the wrong glass and a sticky glass at that. how hygienic. very little alcohol presence in the margarita. the diablo caesar on the other hand is good. it's different being that it is made with tequila instead of vodka or gin but they didn't even clean the celery garnishes before putting them in your drink. dead, dried on leaves and dirt were under the stalks.

i think this restaurant will be a flash in the pan and unless you are going just for the tequila menu, it isn't worth recommending. the food and service are not anything to rave about. original joes down the street has infinitely better fish tacos. two thumbs down - for two tables walking out after no service, slow service, bad food and overpriced drinks. if you still decide to go after reading this review, i hope you're a patient person because you're going to need it.

if you want mexican do not go here. but if you like spandex, crummy food over priced tequila and wait staff with an attitiude - its your kind of place.

it's a real shame a good mexican resturant would be a welcome addition to the area.

terrible service. on a quiet afternoon, all the staff stood around and did nothing. we asked for service, and the server response was "sure, i'll get someone". then 3 other servers passed by without helping. i left and won't go back.

worst mexican food in calgary
i had high hopes but the only positive thing i can say about anejo is the atmosphere, our server was brutal, made countless trips back and forth to get her note pad which didn't help in the end anyway when she missed out on our appys.. tried to recommend wine but did not know the menu or have any opinion... the food. the tacos were so so nothing special, fish was deep fried and quite disappointing, we ordered the black bean and corn soup, it was uneatable, way too salty could not eat more then 1 spoon full. if you are looking for good mexican food & service try somewhere else, anejo was prob the worst i have ever had.

i have good and bad things to say:

- service was very slow, they brought out some chips and salsa on the house to make up for it
- guacamole was amazing! made fresh
- they don't give nearly enough chips and salsa with your order (think dish the size of what most side ketchups come in and a small bowl of chips)
- tequila mac and cheese was really good
- tortilla and black bean soup was good
- rib eye was ok. the corn tortillas would not stay together so you couldn't eat it like a taco. had to eat with fork and knife. not the most flavorful either
- not a ton of vegetarian options on the menu. i was surprised you couldn't get vegetarian tacos
- salad was bland but did use nice fresh lettuce and carrots

overall i might go back for drinks. it seems like one of those places where not much will improve because they will make money due to the amazing location and trendy theme for socializing and drinking regardless of the food and prices.

if you want good mexican food, this is not it.. like everyone else, i was very excited for this restaurant to open. i have been and lived in mexico various times and i am married to a mexican, so we had high hopes for this restaurant and felt it was going to be a great addition to calgary.

we went the first weekend it was open and again, like many, i thought the ambiance was great. we had to wait 45 min to get a table for four, but i did not expect any less for the first opening weekend. as soon as we sat down, our experience at anejo started to get worst. it took our server 15 min to get to our table to take our drink order, as soon as he took it he ran off before we could throw in a few appetizers.
i definitely agree that the margaritas are great, but when we finally got our food, it was beyond disappointing. we order the scallop and shrimp ceviche which i cannot understand how someone thought that was ceviche. first of all there was only enough "ceviche" for one bite, and it consisted of one whole shrimp, and one piece of scallop, with a little lime on top and one or two slices of avocado not what i really know as ceviche..

we went ahead and order the beef, chicken and fish tacos. i was staving at this point but was willing to forgive as tacos are my favourite food and i was really looking forward to them. the taco experience was just as bad as the ceviche. all three of them where dry and bland and they where definitely in need of sauce on that meat. for the first time, i could not finish my share of the tacos because it was jsut dry shredded beef or chicken, on top of cabbage on a cold hard tortilla. the fish tacos where the best, but i have to admit, it is hard to mess up deep fried fish..

overall the food was not impressive at all and the service was beyond slow. we were there for at least 3 hours and had four margaritas, ceviche, and tacos. if you have ever been to mexico and had a real taco, don't waste your time or money.

interesting place. living in mission, i'd been watching as the space had been getting renovated in anticipation of anejo making it's appearance. would it be another great place to add to the list of great food choices on what's becoming "restaurant row"? having been there last weekend, i have to say i'm still unsure and will have to give it time to grow into itself.

the decor is bright and colorful . .. . but honestly a bit crammed in and tight for seating. almost felt like we were close to sitting on top of one another, with as close as the tables are, and how little passing space there is in the aisles between tables. i have to agree with another reviewer: the decor has way more of a mediterranean feel to it, than mexican.

my bud that was with me for the meal, and who is a bit of a margarita snob, has had better and more authentic margaritas elsewhere in calgary. the food was decent -- not alot of choices, and seemed to be more a fusion of mexican and regular fare. didn't try the tacos . . . . maybe next time. i'd probably give this place a bit of time before going back, and seeing then if they have some of the 'kinks' worked out.

añejo is a good idea poorly executed.. the food was overpriced and, at best, faintly mexican. misspelled items litter the menu. the servers were not knowledgeable about tequila or mexican cuisine in general. many of the mexican beers were out of stock, and, finally, the desert was an amorphous overly rich cake that had to be served in a bowl.

in spite of the above, the restaurant did have a very good ambiance. the decor was tasteful and well done. i was especially impressed by the lighting. the music is also a briskly chosen appetizing mix of mexican folk songs.

ultimately, if you're looking to have a few relaxed drinks in a classy bar (and not eat authentic mexican food) you do worse than añejo, but you could also do much better.

the sauces were so insanely fresh you could taste each flavor intensely and it really made the tacos pop. wow. i cannot wait to dine here again.

great food. went there for lunch, had the guac to start, it's $12 bucks but it's definitely worth it, as it's the best i've ever had at a restaurant. they make it at the table, so you see how fresh it is. for my meal, i had the tacos, i told the server i really enjoyed spicy food so she brought out a few more sauces for us. the tacos were really good, and i had some of the guac in them. great restaurant, great service. i'm glad i didn't listen to the other reviews. i would definitely go again.

be positive!. i do not understand why people have to be so negative? doesn't anyone remember what their mother used to tell them when they were little? "if you do not have anything nice to say then you shouldn't say anything at all."

i'm really surprised at the negative reviews coming out! i had a very pleasant, delicious experience this evening. casual night with friends. the drinks were really spectacular, very flavorful. the verde salsa was the best i've ever had. the guacamole was a new level of fresh. the coconut shrimp were tastily understated. tortilla soup was full, not watery. the service was very print and friendly without being invasive. all around a wonderful experience. i will be back.

anejo sucks. the prices are way higher than other places, the food taste like everything except mexican food, the tequila selection only has american and unknown brands, only one or two are genuine good tequila brands, i paid $14 dollars for a poor little shot of don julio when the bottle cost $75 at the liquor store , the best part ...the menu. they dont even know the names of the plate's, beer's or tequilas it's all wrong (alfabetically), it's too bad that they call themselves mexican restaurant when the owners doesn't have any idea about the real mexican taste. i'll never go back.

from the decor alluding to their travels, to the contemporary cuisine transcending typical restaurant fare, the owners of anejo have successfully brought an authentic mexican experience to calgary. it is extremely busy on weekends so it’s best to go during lunchtime when it’s less crowded. ole!