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Most restaurants fly in fresh salmon and halibut from the coast. Meat-and-potatoes main courses, pastas and pizzas, and pub fare dominate most menus, but an increasing number of both ethnic restaurants and establishments serving healthier fare have opened in and around Fairbanks in recent years. The food isn't the only thing full of local flavor: Alaskan pride runs strong, so expect to see snowshoes, bear hides, the state flag, and historic photos incorporated into restaurant decor. As for attire, even in the most elegant establishments Alaskans sometimes wear sweats or Carhartts.
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.
This classic car hop sits right where the Richardson and Alaska highways converge. It's all-American road-trip food—think burgers, fries, and ice cream—but the sunny patio next to Sullivan's Roadhouse provides a nice spot to unwind. It's cash-only, but there's an ATM on-site.
Rocket scientists from the nearby Poker Flat Research Range gather for hearty pub grub at this cedar lodge, as do mushers, snowmachiners, and local families (including the owners, who expanded the bar so much it consumed their cabin). The eclecticism of the clientele is matched by the decor, which includes bear skins, exercise bikes, and a John Wayne memorabilia wall. It's a great place for a burger or a bowl of chili after a long drive, and it offers simple overnight accommodations too. The rooms generally have a double and single bed, a sink, a television, and Wi-Fi. The toilets and showers are down the hall. Most of the thousands of Christmas lights at the lodge stay up year-round.
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.
Not the greasy fast-food joint its name might suggest, this relaxing place serves surprisingly interesting cuisine. Portions are sizable—that prime rib dinner will induce a nap—and the variety provides welcome relief from the roadhouse burgers served by most Alaska Highway restaurants (though there are plenty of burgers here, too).
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.
