Local Cuisine, Spirits & Markets

© Chelsea Davis

Our little river city has debuted onto the cuisine and spirits stage with flair and

flavor. We have breweries, distilleries, corner coffee huts, specialty food trucks and loads of dine-in, drive-thru and take-out eateries and restaurants that assure no one goes hungry. Many restaurants utilize local produce, meat and seafood in their recipes. Savor Alaskan comfort foods like grilled salmon, king crab and reindeer sausage alongside home-grown Yukon gold potatoes and sweet garden-fresh baby carrots. But Fairbanks’ eclectic palate has also given rise to cosmopolitan cafés featuring sushi, Vietnamese, Indian, vegan, award winning BBQ and Thai food…Fairbanks is wild about Thai—as proven by the well over 20 Thai food restaurants in the area.

Made in Fairbanks

Homegrown small businesses turn Alaska produce into for-sale items such as Alaskan jam, honey, seasonings, mustards, vinegars, baked goods and sweet treats like Hot Licks Homemade Ice Cream that uses just-picked wild blueberries in their super premium ice cream. Fairbanks is also home to four coffee roasters including the artsy and welcoming McCafferty’s, awardwinning Alaska Coffee Roasting Co., North Pole Coffee Roasting Company and Lifeline Coffee Roasters. Other “Made in Alaska” items sold in the Fairbanks area include Alaska Native arts and crafts as well as creations by local small businesses and artisans. Unique wood bowls, gold nugget jewelry, hand-sewn textiles, knives embellished with wood and antler and more. Whether you’re looking for the perfect souvenir to remember your journey or gifts for friends and family back home, you’ll find authentic, eye-catching wares here in the heart of Alaska.

Breweries

With beers named after quintessential Alaskan items like ptarmigan, the northern lights and brown bears, the brewery scene in Fairbanks is strong. The small-batch, small-town focused HooDoo Brewing Company, named after the Alaskan mountains bearing the same name, takes the phrase “the ART of brewing” totally seriously. New kid on the block Latitude 65 Brewing Company converted an old athletic club into an inviting space serving up delicious beers and tasty ciders. Housed in an attractive, renovated historic roadhouse, Silver Gulch Brewing & Bottling Company is home to original, great tasting brews. Rounding out the Fairbanks beer scene are the cool and quirky Midnight Mine Brewing Company and the laid-back Black Spruce Brewing Company while the 49th State Brewery is just a hundred miles down the road in Healy on the way to Denali National Park. You can also sample creations from many of these local breweries at restaurants, bars and tap houses in the area.

Distilleries

Summon the spirits with a visit to one (or more) of four amazing distilleries in the Fairbanks area. Ursa Major, whose name means “great bear,” uses barley from Delta Junction to craft exceptionally smooth spirits including Fairbanks Sourdough Rum (Alaska’s first rum), Summer Harvest Gin and their flagship Long Winter Vodka. Historic Fairbanks City Hall has never looked so good with Fairbanks Distilling Company setting up shop to serve delicious high-latitude, ultra-premium spirits made from Alaskan-sourced grains, berries, potatoes and more. Hoarfrost Distilling features hand crafted alcohol infused with local berries and produce and offers its flagship Crystal Vodka by the bottle. Arctic Harvest truly embraces the phrase “farm to table” as they grow all the grains used to make their highend spirits on a beautiful family farm.

Farmers Markets

Fairbanks’ everlasting summer sunshine creates amazing growth, making the local farmers markets extraordinary. Northern farmers attest that produce tastes better because of the climate—cool nights make the vegetables sweeter and more delicious than those grown in warmer climates. Find tomatoes, potatoes, carrots, cucumbers, zucchini, lettuce and more at seasonal markets and brighten your day with a beautiful locally grown bouquet. You’ll find home-made goodies and fantastic food trucks and stands to make sure you don’t go hungry. Artwork, jewelry and other gifts adorn the market stalls where you’re sure to find the perfect keepsake to remind you of your visit to the land of the midnight sun.

Fairbanks’ brewers learned how to thrive in such a remote location. Much like the residents of the town, nothing seems to be holding them back. Hudson Lindenberger, author and journalist

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Downtown Association of Fairbanks