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Chena's Alaskan Grill

3.6 (203 reviews)
ModerateAmerican
Closed 4:30 pm - 10:00 PM

Chena's Alaskan Grill Photos

Business Info

CHENA'S ALASKAN GRILL ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Moderate noise
Dogs allowed
Good for kids
Good for groups

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Recommended Reviews - Chena's Alaskan Grill

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Bar
Cynthia G.

The best part of the experience was the bartender, he's is an absolute delight. He helped me pick out all the best menu items and I had the most delicious meal. [[HIGHLIGHT]]The atmosphere is bright, the lights are set to daylight and then the picture windows let in all the light.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] [[HIGHLIGHT]]They have deck seating but it was raining so I sat in the bar. Very comfortable and casual with wonderful food and staff.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] The wine was perfectly chilled and brought out the best in my meal. One of Fairbanks finest

09.01.23 exterior
May A.

Dinner by the banks of the Chena River in Fairbanks AK We saw this restaurant off the highway one morning on our way to Denali National Park but they are only open for dinner between 5:00p to 10:00p so we planned on dining here on our last evening in Alaska. The restaurant is located on the gentle banks of the Chena River on the grounds of the River's Edge Resort cottages. We didn't have any reservations but when we walked in we were led to a table promptly. The place had a casual and comfortable ambiance inside. There was a sign on the front door in relation to being short staffed posted but we had Nikolai as our server and we didn't feel neglected as he was very attentive to our table. Nice young man from Bulgaria. I had been craving for steak so I ordered the Grilled Rib-Eye while hubby got the Grilled Chicken Breast. The steak was 12-oz big smothered with shallots and mushrooms and red wine Demi glaze. Loved the sides of garlic mashed potatoes and veggies. Whatever I couldn't finish on my plate my hubby will so nothing is wasted LoL! ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Pleasant experience at the restaurant. Review #3142

Annie F.

[[HIGHLIGHT]]Wonderful atmosphere, really friendly staff, and delicious food.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] I subbed salmon in their mixed greens salad which had fresh berries (strawberries, blueberries, blackberries & raspberries), walnuts, blue cheese & maple balsamic vinaigrette. My husband had the Alaska meatloaf which was a mix of elk & beef and was very juicy.

View

My son and I had dinner here and everything about it was outstanding. He had the grilled Alaskan salmon and I had the seafood chowder and side salad. Everything was delicious! Our waiter, Daniel, was very attentive and it was easy to see how much pride he took in doing his job well. [[HIGHLIGHT]]Finally, the setting was beautiful quintessential Alaska.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] [[HIGHLIGHT]]The wind had picked up a bit, so we didn't sit outside, but we were right by the windows with an excellent view.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]]

Grilled chicken salad.

Great food! Great service! Highly recommend.[[HIGHLIGHT]]Beautiful outdoor deck overlooking the water.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]]

Chena's Signature Blackberry Limeade
Wanda H.

The food was GREAT! That meatloaf was delicious! The service was excellent. We had a student on a J1 visa from Bulgaria for our waiter and he was delightful. Attentive, very polite, and just did a great job. The restaurant itself seemed a little worn around the edges, but not so bad that made one want to go elsewhere. Wish the weather had been nicer, so we could've eaten out there, but.... Well worth the money spent.

Cheesecake NY but in Alaska they taste better
Nathalie C.

Bread is no longer complimentary, but I don't need bigger love handles...so, the filet mignon was cooked to perfection as I ordered it "bleu" and my friend said the rib eye was delectable even though I don't approve of her requesting it "medium" aka shoe leather. Drinks from the bar were delightful and birthday "cheese" was good.

Elk Meatloaf
Cashea S.

This is one of those places that we knew was a tourist trap, but wanted to see the appeal anyway. We went in a little worried because recent reviews said service was non-existent, but it proved the opposite. Everyone was so friendly and welcoming. The food was good. I think Alaska prices make it a little pricier than it typically would be. We wanted to try the salmon or halibut, but we are still new to fish and didn't want to dive head first, so we went with the seafood fettuccine as well as the elk meatloaf. My only complaint with the food was that my mashed potatoes were really cold. The rest of the meat and veggies were hot, but the potatoes even though they still tasted amazing; cold. The fettuccine was really good. There was large chunks of vegetables as well as good sized pieces of salmon, halibut, and shrimp. The house salad was a bit boring for the price. I think that could have used more toppings just because $10 is steep for just lettuce and a little bit of carrots. Otherwise, this was one of those places we have gone to and it was good, but nothing I need to return to. It wasn't bad, I just wouldn't have a reason to go back. You can eat inside or outside, but we chose inside because it's a hot, buggy summer. It overlooks the river though, so it is a nice setting.

Lemon drop Martini

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3 years ago

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5 years ago

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2 years ago

It could be fresher. Not many places to eat. Why not make it incredible and not just mediocre.

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2 years ago

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3 years ago

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2 years ago

Just food, nothing special [[HIGHLIGHT]]unless you are looking for a place to sit on the deck next to the river[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]].

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7 years ago

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3 years ago

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3 years ago

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3 years ago

Food was good and the staff was great. Weather was beautiful for outdoor dining. A very touristy place

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3 years ago

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3 years ago

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2 years ago

[[HIGHLIGHT]]The view was lovely[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] and so was my halibut grilled with honey and herbs but everything else was mediocre.

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3 years ago

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5 years ago

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3 years ago

Nice food and amazing place to have an experience of seeing the northern lights with a little bit of food

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The Pump House

The Pump House

3.6
(729 reviews)
1.4 mi
$$$

Blackened halibut on perfect slightly sticky moist risotto…read more Awesome. Baked seared tomato and arugula. Fantastic meal. Burbon shrimp snack. Most excellent meal Best halibut in Alaska

Came here to check it out as it was really well rated on Google, but was thoroughly disappointed by…read morethe our experience here. I would not recommend it to anyone visiting Fairbanks. When we arrived, we found out that you'd need a reservation to dine in the main dining hall, so we ended up going to the Saloon side where we had to find our own seats. We sat near the pool table, and the chairs were super unstable. The staff were fine but clearly seemed busy and understaffed. It took a long time for them to bring us water and take our order. I tried flagging the waitress 2-3 times when she was passing by and felt very ignored especially as I've made eye contact with her a few times. We ended up ordering the fried seafood combo and the seafood chowder, and it ended up taking at least 20min to come out (even the soup). The dishes were all very salty and definitely needed a lot of water to go with the food. Overall, definitely not a place to go before a flight since you might not be able to get in and out very quickly, and the food was really just alright for the price. Perhaps the main dining room experience would be better but I still wouldn't recommend it given the food quality and service.

Photos
Aurora outside restaurant
Aurora outside restaurant
Elk Medallions
Elk Medallions
Aurora outside restaurant

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Aurora outside restaurant
Blue Roof Bistro

Blue Roof Bistro

4.5
(334 reviews)
4.2 mi
$$

Cool hole in the wall vibe. Server/clerk was very knowledgeable about gluten allergens. All of the…read moregluten-free items were clearly marked on the wall menu. I ended up getting some tacos and my husband got a sandwich. Both of them had really good flavor. Could tell that a lot of ingredients are made in house. Though I didn't end up buying any I did see that they had an entire Bakery case with a bunch of gluten-free baked goods like cheesecake, custard cake, and some other stuff. We really enjoyed the glass roof as the snow was just starting to melt. It was kind of cool like we were in a half melted igloo. I would definitely put it on my list if you are gluten-free.

Did a bit of research on good spots in Fairbanks and Blue Roof Bistro came up…read more Looked like a pretty standard American food menu, so I wanted to get something I normally couldn't get back home. Landed on the BLT with salmon. The BLT actually came with a croissant as the bread, so it made it very easy to eat. Lots of bacon and the salmon went really well with the sandwich. Fries here are great too! Staff here are great! Since we came here near closing time, they actually offered us some of their leftover soup since it would have been tossed out. Definitely hate wasting food, so that offer was accepted very quickly. I didn't realize until after leaving why Blue Roof Bistro has its name. It's because...the roof is blue heh. Either way, worth the visit.

Photos
Inside order counter
Inside order counter
Shrimp Tacos 
Seasoned Shrimp topped with pico & avocado dressing on corn tortillas. 
Served with a side not pictured.
Shrimp Tacos Seasoned Shrimp topped with pico & avocado dressing on corn tortillas. Served with a side not pictured.
Sonoran hot dog

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Sonoran hot dog
Zach's Restaurant

Zach's Restaurant

3.5
(57 reviews)
1.1 mi
$$

If you're staying at the hotel, Zach's is just upstairs and super convenient. We sat inside the…read morebar area which I believe is a different location than the main dining room. This may be why our service was impacted. Our bartender, while super friendly and trying to do his best, was overwhelmed and had just started. Lots to learn. The dishes were all really well presented - that takes skill, in and of itself. While these weren't dishes I would come back for, it was a nice, quiet dinner to end a full day. And, don't overlook location - this is in Alaska, so you will pay more. That aside, nothing was spectacular but nothing was terrible enough to leave on the table as well. More on point seasoning would have breathed life into my jambalaya. My dinner mates had similar comments about the chicken pasta and taquitos. The French Dip went over well with my dad. What would I change to up the service and experience? Direct guests to the main dining room if service cannot be duplicated in the larger bar area. Maybe add another bartender to help out in the evenings, when it tended to be busier. Offer a limited drink menu and nothing more. This might increase the speed and also play to the strengths of the staff. For us, it took a long while to get our total drink order and mine never came, so I ended up ordering a local cider. Bring a chilled glass with the cider, friend. Our check took a while as well. The food came timely. So, again, the patterns looked to be with the staff manning the bar area. Really, an easy fix, if you think about it.

Ate nachos that were really good. Also had artichoke appetizer, wow!…read moreService was great until we wanted to get our bill. Waitress was slow getting back to us but she was also tending bar, and the place got really busy. So try the place out, I don't think they deserve all the negative reviews they have gotten lately. My dinner friend got samples of both soups to see if they were too spicy for her, something most restaurants wouldn't do. We also asked for a coffee for the road and they were very accommodating.

Photos
Jambalaya Pasta
Jambalaya Pasta
Slow Roast Pork Taquitos
Slow Roast Pork Taquitos
Blackened Chicken Pasta

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Blackened Chicken Pasta

Chena's Alaskan Grill - tradamerican - Updated July 2026

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