Fairbanks hotel recommendations for August

Thanks for the info guys. Does the Fred Meyers sell dry ice?
I don't think they do. I got my dry ice at Arctic fire and safety. They make their own on site I believe it was quality stuff. Not the crap you get at many of the grocery stores. If I remember right it was a ways away from the hotels though. Not a problem for me as I drove up instead of flying. When I went up last year I stayed at the Rivers Edge resort before my hunt and Pikes Waterfront afterwards. Pikes was really nice other than the gobs of cruise ship tourists that would come up by bus and stay there. Riverside had a great restaurant next to it called Chena's Alaskan Grill.
 
Pikes. The Bar next door (can’t remember name) post caribou in the Brooks Range hunt brings back great memories.
 
Pikes. The Bar next door (can’t remember name) post caribou in the Brooks Range hunt brings back great memories.

I ate all that after coming back from a 10 day hunt a few years ago. Seeing your post made me realize I might have pics of the food from that place.
 

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If you have the time and a car, Turtle Club for prime rib. It's a bit of a drive.

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I'm unlucky. We visited The Turtle Club several years ago to enjoy what was reputed to be THE best prime rib dinner in Alaska. We both ate 1/3 of our meat and agreed it was time to go down the road. We ended up at Silver Gulch. I still want to go back to Turtle, but I'll probably have the cheeseburger, lol.

The bar/restaurant next to Pike's is called.....Pike's. Same name and same ownership. I've eaten at least 40 or 50 times in there. The food is pretty good with some of it downright excellent. Their halibut fish & chips (with a cold draft) is a winner for me.

Chena's Alaskan Grill: I've been there twice. The first meal left 4 of us with stars in our eyes....what a great evening and wonderful food. 6 of us went there after the 2019 hunt and I think I had the best of it. All the other 5 guys had problems with their food. I actually felt embarrassed about enjoying mine. At least the wine was perfect!

Brewsters: Most dependable and unpretentious pub-style eatery in town. Great sandwiches.

Chena Pump House is my longtime personal favorite for a big dinner. We've had some genuine FINE celebrations there and I can't recall ever walking out disappointed...just lighter in the wallet for sure.

Pike's Lodge: Everyone should stay there at least once. Great atmosphere and plenty of hunters around. Adjacent to the airport so you might hear some planes at night. The rooms with 2 beds are about half (if that) the size of a Sophie's suite and priced a little higher when I checked.

kTDRbokl.jpg
 
I'm unlucky. We visited The Turtle Club several years ago to enjoy what was reputed to be THE best prime rib dinner in Alaska. We both ate 1/3 of our meat and agreed it was time to go down the road. We ended up at Silver Gulch. I still want to go back to Turtle, but I'll probably have the cheeseburger, lol.

The bar/restaurant next to Pike's is called.....Pike's. Same name and same ownership. I've eaten at least 40 or 50 times in there. The food is pretty good with some of it downright excellent. Their halibut fish & chips (with a cold draft) is a winner for me.

Chena's Alaskan Grill: I've been there twice. The first meal left 4 of us with stars in our eyes....what a great evening and wonderful food. 6 of us went there after the 2019 hunt and I think I had the best of it. All the other 5 guys had problems with their food. I actually felt embarrassed about enjoying mine. At least the wine was perfect!

Brewsters: Most dependable and unpretentious pub-style eatery in town. Great sandwiches.

Chena Pump House is my longtime personal favorite for a big dinner. We've had some genuine FINE celebrations there and I can't recall ever walking out disappointed...just lighter in the wallet for sure.

Pike's Lodge: Everyone should stay there at least once. Great atmosphere and plenty of hunters around. Adjacent to the airport so you might hear some planes at night. The rooms with 2 beds are about half (if that) the size of a Sophie's suite and priced a little higher when I checked.

kTDRbokl.jpg
Sorry to hear Turtle Club was bad. It was excellent the 3 times I've been there. I liked Chena Pump but didn't think it worth the money.
Will probably stick with Pike's Resturant in the future unless I can avoid Fairbanks altogether.


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Sorry to hear Turtle Club was bad. It was excellent the 3 times I've been there. I liked Chena Pump but didn't think it worth the money.

9/10 time The Turtle Club is great but I have been there when the Prime Rib is subpar., but the Truth is there isn't a restaurant in Fairbanks that I've been to regularly that always produces good food.

For after hunt food recommendations I would say:
* Turtle Club
*Pump House
*Lavelles
*Big Daddy's BBQ
* Ivory Jacks
*Silver Gulch

That's not a full list but they are the places that I visit the most.
 
I can tell you where not to stay and that's 7 gables Inn! It is an old frat house, and its smells as such. Ill be in Fairbanks 8/16 staying at either sophies or pikes if anyone wants to grab dinner and a brew.
 
Cookie Jar for breakfast, with Family Diner another popular spot. My little downtown gem is The Crepery.
 
Does anyone know if Sofias has a freezer and a place to leave extra baggage while out on the hunt?
 
Either you ate there right after your hunt or you need to get out more! Pike’s is fine and they do have an airport shuttle. I’ve even had the shuttle take me to AK air cargo without any issues. I’ve had more poor experiences with hotels in Fairbanks than good (usually travel there last minute and have to take what I can get). Both Best Western Plus hotels, Pikes, and Sophie have all been safe bets.
On my arrival day, I remember ordering a fruit and yogurt tray to the room and I couldnt finish it it was so big. Coming out of the mntns, I had dinner there. Seafood combo that had the biggest, most delicious shrimp and knig crab legs I ever ate. Now to your point, I was half starved to death and down 20 lbs from the 11 days in the bush so a bag of breaded dog sht would have tasted good. LOL. The buffet in Coldfoot was a spiritual experience also!!
 
The shortest walk from Pikes to Fred Meyers is north along Hoselton Rd (road in front of Pikes),
underneath the Parks Hwy ~1.5 miles with little traffic. You should stop by Alaska Raw Fur on the way to or from Freds. Safeway is across the street from Freds and open 24/7.

Freds and Safeway has had dry ice in the past summers, Arctic Fire & Safety another source for dry ice is in southeast Fairbanks on 30th Ave, about 10-15 minute drive from the airport. Arctic Fire is open Mon-Friday 8am-5pm only
 
They usually do not have dry ice come Sept. They quit stocking it for winter. FWIW I left fairbanks with my caribou meat not even fully frozen in a fish box and it arrived in Phoenix, Az still ice cold. I stayed at Pikes and it was great, but they do not have a freezer for your game meat. I spent 24 hours in fairbanks on the back end of my hunt. I got a bunch of ice and trash bags front the front desk and packed it all around my meat. I then left the meat on the patio of my room during the day and before I boarded my plane I transferred my meat into a new meat box and sealed it up. It worked perfectly. Pike's bar is pretty solid, but after 10 days in the bush, I was not too picky. Beer was cold and the sunday brunch was all you can eat.
 
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