Restaurants in The Interior
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A
Lemongrass
Ignore the out-of-the-way, strip-mall setting - Fairbanks' best Thai food and most gracious service is found here.
reviewed
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B
Pump House Restaurant
Located 2 miles from downtown, this is the best place to turn dinner into an evening, or to enjoy a great Sunday brunch. A pump house during the gold-mining era, the building is now a national historic site. The atmosphere is classic gold rush; inside and out there are artifacts and relics from the city's mining era. Steak, seafood and wild game dominate the menu, and you can also enjoy a drink on the outdoor deck while watching the boat traffic on the Chena. The MACS Blue Line goes by here.
reviewed
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Chicken Creek Café, Liquor Store & Saloon
In retrospect, naming Chicken 'Chicken' was a savvy move: Nowadays, folks flock here for 'Go peckers!' coffee mugs and 'I got laid in Chicken' ballcaps. Profiting the most seems to be the Chicken Creek Café, Liquor Store & Saloon , on a spur road 300 yards north of the bridge. Their gift shop is extensive, the saloon has hats from every corner of the world, and the café, unsurprisingly, features lots of chicken on the menu.
reviewed
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Brower's Café
This beachfront structure was built in the late 19th century by Charles Brower, an American whaler, and features whaling antiques inside and an oft-photographed whale-jawbone arch out front. Nowadays it's Barrow's best burger joint (with about 10 varieties), and hosts what's almost certainly America's northernmost karaoke night.
reviewed
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C
Morino Grill
This cafeteria-style establishment in a barnlike structure beside the visitor center is the only eatery within the park. It has burgers, paninis and small pizzas, as well as seafood chowder and reindeer stew. When we were there it was a madhouse, and staff were in a less-than-pleasant mood.
reviewed
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Pepe's North of the Border
Co-located with the Top of the World Hotel, this 'northernmost Mexican restaurant in the world' has achieved renown thanks to the tireless Barrow-boosting efforts of owner Fran Tate. The food is decent, but it's the tour group-oriented antics that make this a surreal experience.
reviewed
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Two Rivers Lodge
A high-end lodge 16 miles out on Chena Hot Springs Rd. Its rustic décor, complete with bearskin rugs, is in keeping with the natural setting. Steak, seafood and poultry are the focus, with mains like almond-coated halibut and pheasant with apricots.
reviewed
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D
West Rib Pub & Grill
At the back of Nagley's Store, this is a good place to soak in Talkeetna's live-and-let-live vibe, rubbing shoulders with visitors and locals alike. It's got burgers, salmon and halibut, plenty of craft brews, and, if the sun's shining, outdoor seating.
reviewed
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Panorama Pizza Pub
Comparatively new but already beloved, this Carlo Creek eatery offers good beer, burgers, and pizza pies with names like the Vegghead and the Runnin' Chicken. You get a discount if you're staying across the road at the Denali Mountain Morning Hostel.
reviewed
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E
Gambardella's Pasta Bella
Gambardella's Pasta BellaThe place for Italian food in Fairbanks, with luscious pasta dishes, pizza and homemade bread. There's an outdoor café that's a delight during Fairbanks' long summer days.
reviewed
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F
Talkeetna Roadhouse
This venerable, colorful establishment has the best breakfasts in town. Half-orders are adequate; fulls are mountain-sized. The restaurant also doubles as a bakery, cooking up giant cinnamon rolls in the morning.
reviewed
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Arctic Pizza
Huge portions of tasty food are dished up at the buzzing pizzeria on the 1st floor, while you'll find something like a fine-dining Italian restaurant upstairs, with wonderful views of the Arctic Ocean.
reviewed
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Buffalo Center Diner
Across from the IGA, this is certainly the town's busiest restaurant and would be your standard roadside diner save for the emphasis on local buffalo products. Try a bowl of buffalo black-bean chili.
reviewed
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Steese Roadhouse
At the time of writing, just about the only culinary option in Central was the unappealing Steese Roadhouse, where, despite half-hearted service, locals crowd the bar to bad-mouth the government.
reviewed
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G
Big Daddy's Barbecue
Claiming to be the 'northernmost southern barbecue, ' Big Daddy's has great beef brisket, ribs, and pulled pork with all the down-home fixin's. There's live music Thursday through Saturday.
reviewed
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Bub's Subs
Among Denali denizens, no eatery is better loved than Bub's. When we were there they were closed for renovations and locals were palpably depressed. Thankfully, they've since reopened.
reviewed
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H
Café Michele
Talkeetna's fanciest restaurant with international cuisine that takes off in Asia with dishes like coconut-curry rice, then suddenly jets down to the US South for a romping jambalaya.
reviewed
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I
Overlook Bar & Grill
Way up on the hill over Glitter Gulch, the Overlook gets raves for its view and beer list, but razzes for slow and haphazard service. It does steak, seafood, pasta and poultry.
reviewed
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Wildflower Café
This new entrant to the Talkeetna culinary scene is doing well with yummy burgers and large wholesome mains served on a large deck that's a perfect perch for people-watching.
reviewed
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229 Parks
South of McKinley Village, this excellent restaurant manages to be both epicurean and ardently environmental at the same time, emphasizing organic and locally grown foods.
reviewed
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J
Lynx Creek Pizza & Pub
Owned by Princess, this Glitter Gulch fixture has a small pub with log-cabin atmosphere and a nice outdoor patio. The pizza wedges are sizable and the taste is tolerable.
reviewed
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K
Pad Thai
In a sunny shack next to the Marlin bar, this is among the most popular of Fairbanks' many Thai restaurants. For dessert, try the fried banana with honey and ice cream.
reviewed
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Fast Eddy's
Perhaps the most famous eatery on the Alcan, big and bustling Fast Eddy's is a step above your average diner. It seems everyone who drives the highway stops in here.
reviewed
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Thai House
Come here for some of the best Thai dishes in town, including eight vegetarian selections. Don't order anything 'blistering hot' unless you have a cast-iron stomach.
reviewed
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Osaka
Located diagonally across from the Top of the World Hotel, this place has pretty good all-American breakfasts, plus sushi that even Japanese tourists approve of.
reviewed
