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We've compiled the best of the best in Fairbanks - browse our top choices for the top things to see or do during your stay.
This hole-in-the-wall eatery elevates Thai cuisine with local produce in the summer from area farms as well as dishes featuring fresh Alaskan seafood. The creamy curries and crispy fresh rolls here earn plenty of kudos from Thai-food-obsessed Fairbankseans. Prices are slightly higher than other Thai spots, but the attractive interior and delicious food are worth it. There can be a wait for a seat during the dinner rush.
Beer lovers should definitely make the 10-mile trip from town to North America's northernmost brewery. Several Silver Gulch brews can be found throughout the state, so be sure to check out the rotating specialty brews served only at the restaurant. The brewery is in the Fox Roadhouse Building; head upstairs to see a preserved section of the old roadhouse's exterior. Free brewery tours are available in the summer; call ahead for times.
Fairbanks is famous for its number of Thai restaurants, and many locals consider downtown's Thai House the city's best. The food itself is complex, flavorful, and exceedingly fresh. Ginger fans may want to head straight for the Ginger Lover, an aptly named dish with warm, robust aromas. Vegetarians will find deep satisfaction from dishes such as the green curry tofu, with zucchini, peas, and basil leaves in just the right proportions.
Salmon cooked over an open fire with a sauce of lemon and brown sugar is a favorite at this indoor-outdoor restaurant in Pioneer Park's Mining Valley. Guests select their main course—Bering Sea cod, prime rib, and snow crab are other popular options—and pick up sides, salads, and drinks at separate stations in this food-court-in-the-forest setting.
It's hard to believe the forever-in-motion staffers at the Cookie Jar can squeeze in the time to provide such friendly service, but they do. Don't miss the French toast made from sliced cinnamon rolls, but if you're not in a breakfast mood, don't worry: the menu includes everything from salads to coq au vin.
Located just north of the control tower of Fairbanks International Airport, this place combines Alaska's love of airplanes with the universal love of pizza. Grab a paper menu from the waiting area, circle your preferred toppings, and a made-to-order pizza will be ready in minutes from the 625° wood-fired pizza oven. Window tables at this second-story restaurant overlook both runways and the floatplane base.
No one in Fairbanks puts fresh chopped garlic to better use than Geraldo's, which has gourmet pizza, seafood, pasta, and veal dishes. A painting of Don Corleone hangs on the wall, and Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin provide background music for this cozy and often crowded spot near Wedgewood Resort.
Jack "Ivory" O'Brien used to deal ivory and whalebone out of this open and airy bar-restaurant tucked into the gold-rich hills of the Goldstream Valley on the outskirts of Fairbanks. These days, it's an Alaska-style sports bar, where you can choose from a dozen-and-a-half pub grub appetizers, followed by sandwiches, burgers, pizza, or entrées such as chicken Dijon and Alaska king crab. Musher's bibs hang in the rafters alongside the Yankee pennants.
The seats in the dining room of this extended log-cabin building are perfect for cooler weather, but the huge paddle-up deck dotted with firepits in the summer is the real draw here. The menu is mostly salads, sandwiches, and seafood, but the chance to enjoy the views over the Chena River and the landmark "Love Alaska" sign is what keeps diners coming.
Alongside the Chena River, this 1930s mining pump station–turned–restaurant claims to be the northernmost oyster bar in the world. A grizzly bear in a glass case stands sentry here over a room full of Victorian-era antiques, and in summer you can enjoy the evening sun on the deck out back by the river.
Don't go to this wood-walled dining room expecting great variety, but you should go if you have a big appetite and are hungry for prime rib, lobster, prawns, or king crab. There's also a good salad bar, prompt service, and homemade bread that comes with every order. The "Turtle Cut" serving of prime rib, advertised as a "medium portion," weighs about a pound.
