I was waiting for my friend to arrive to Anchorage, and I had planned to have breakfast somewhere close by. I saw this place and decided to stop in... so glad I did. I sat at the counter. Service was immediate and so friendly. The restaurant quickly filled with tourists and locals in the early morning. I loved that everyone coming in the door was greeted like family. I judge restaurants by their chicken friend steak. This was one of the better ones I've had in a long time. The gravy wasn't the best I've had, but still good. The chicken friend steak, though, yummy! Crispy, juicy, great flavors. Grits are grits, but the eggs were well-cooked, and they added cheese as ordered. I am a huge sourdough fan, and this bread did not disappoint. Just the right amount of tang. Bring your cholesterol meds because everything was served with a lot of butter! The restaurant motif is warm Alaskan log cabin. Stuffed animal heads and antlers hang on the walls. Everything is wooden and warm. Just what you would expect in an Alaskan diner. We came back on a subsequent day when we were back in Anchorage. I had the corned beef hash and more of that great sourdough toast. I know I'll be back next time I'm in town... maybe for lunch. read more

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This was our first choice for visit to Alaska and did not disappoint! Great food. Comfortable atmosphere. And did I mention great food? The service was active and friendly. We had a coffee pot and water pitcher at our table. Can't wait to come back for more choices. read more

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Beautifully designed restaurant with two stories, and we got a nice window seat. It was pretty crowded on a Saturday morning. We ordered the ham and cheese omelet and sausage, eggs, and a hotcake. The portions were generous, but the food was bland for my taste, so we had to season it ourselves at the table. The biggest drawback was the black plastic pitcher used to serve hot coffee. I found it an odd and disappointing choice for a hot beverage. Cleanliness was also not great, the water pitcher at our table had visible stains and didn't look clean. Service was good, but they didn't have tap-to-pay. read more

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Gwennies is exactly what you'd expect when you think "Alaskan Diner." The food is good, the atmosphere is charming, but there aren't as many options for people with dietary restrictions as you may like. Friendly and fairly quick service given that it was busy. It was a great first taste of Alaska! read more

It had been years since I was here last so given that I was in the area (unusual for me) & because it is such an iconic restaurant here I thought it was about time I popped in for lunch. The food was good, the service was amazing, and the portions were large--however I'm not sure I'll eat here again because the menu was placed on the table directly on top of the utensils, not on the table or handed to me. Those menus are handled by numerous people each day, people who perhaps have not washed their hands after touching something I definitely would not want my utensils touching especially since they will be touching food I'm going to be eating. It is gross because it is unsanitary. No restaurant I know of sanitizes each menu after each use. I do not want to get sick because I've had a meal out so I will not be stopping at Gwennies anytime soon. read more

Love this place! Fast. Friendly. Excellent. Get the hot coacoa!! 10 outta 10! It's huge. You're welcome.

Food was good. Nothing spectacular that I had but if you are hungry, they have food. The service was fast and the waitress was very nice and attentive. The inside was pretty huge with an upstairs and downstairs. Bathrooms on both floors as well. It seems a little old and sticky but sometimes that doesn't matter when the food is phenomenal. In this case, it just wasn't. I would say I would eat there again but only if there were no other options. read more

An alaskan classic for a reason. Sit at the breakfast bar to avoid a wait, and the staff will be refilling your coffee every few minutes, it's AMAZING. Had to try the cheese sauce and it was excellent. My whole breakfast came around quick and it tasted great. read more

Gwennies Old Alaska Restaurant - Ham & Cheese or Bacon & Tomato or Mushroom - American Near Me - Anchorage, Alaska

An Alaskan Staple. A solid breakfast place and a big enough location to accommodate big parties. We had 9 people in our group and they easily pushed tables together for us. Its a greasy spoon dinner what youd expect, everything was cooked perfectly and they had a lot specials involving the Reindeer sausage Alaska is famous for. read more

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Gwennie's is another Anchorage staple, and that's a good thing. Menu is solid, service is good and the atmosphere is laid back. Thumbs up.

The atmosphere of the restaurant is pleasant. The parking lot was nearly full on a Sunday morning and most of the tables were occupied. It took a while for our server (who was not very friendly) to take our order but, once the order was taken, the food came out quickly. I ordered a 1/2 order of biscuits and gravy with a side order of grits. The grits were barely warm and the sausage gravy was nothing special (not bad but not great either). My wife ordered eggs benedict. She was disappointed. Like my meal, they were nothing special. The eggs were not poached (they were overcooked). Our waitress never stopped by to ask how our meal was. She stopped by only to drop off the bill at which I had to ask for a beverage refill. In short, a nice atmosphere with poor service and food that's nothing special. read more

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3.5/5 To me this place embodies an old style Alaskan joint, part hole in the wall bar, part greasy spoon diner. Decorations are cheeky and perfect to bring any tourist to but objectively the food quality is mid tier. That being said staff is always friendly and welcoming. Personally not my favorite spot to go when someone suggests going to breakfast or lunch but it truly is a long standing anchorage establishment and is always worth trying at least once! read more

The beef & barley soup was pasty & flavorless. The chili was not much better. The fried halibut was overcooked & tasteless. Very disappointing. Enjoyed the history of the place but the kitchen needs improvement read more

Loved it. Good food and service, great portions cute waitresses. What more can you ask for?

If you want a real local Alaskan vibe, this is the place for you! Covered in taxidermy and antiques, this homey restaurant has such friendly staff. The portions are huge and the prices are fair. My husband and I ordered the famous chili and the English burger. The chili was suuuper good! I really enjoyed the flavor and it was so warm! The burger was good too, nothing extravagant, but very good. I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 because they leave the milk/cream for coffee out on the tables all day which is not safe for consumption and the upstairs dinning area where we sat felt like the entire floor would collapse at any moment any time anyone walked on it. Additionally, they had an individual walking around asking for people to buy some bracelets. They were cool looking but personally, I prefer not to have people trying to sell me things while I'm trying to enjoy my meal and spend time with my Husband. read more

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Excellent brunch. Non-fussy food. All staff super happy and attentive. Ambiance is lacking. They have stuffed animals everywhere staring at you while you eat. read more

Gwennies Old Alaska Restaurant - Still here - American Near Me - Anchorage, Alaska

Breakfast was very good. Good portions and good value! Ambience was nice. We sat upstairs which was very roomy.

I've been coming to Gwennies since I can remember. And I have never tried their crab Benedict until today the most delicious creamiest breakfast, the only thing wrong was the eggs were over cook other then the it was delicious read more

This place is history in a restaurant. Been a staple here for decades and it lived up to the hype. Staff were awesome and food was great. Had a breakfast here and it was well portioned and delicious. A friend had waffles with strawberries and asked for more sauce, boy did they deliver!! It is certainly worth a visit!! read more

Old school country flare, affordable prices, and a real life size stuffed bear at the entrance. Been going here over the years and it's still just the same. Good service, good food, good prices is what you can expect when you come here. Plenty of parking, but try to come early as this place gets busy fast. Service and food comes out fast so you'll be in and out if you choose to do so. Always my go to breakfast place when I'm in Alaska. You won't be disappointed. read more

Gwennies Old Alaska Restaurant - Steak and Eggs - American Near Me - Anchorage, Alaska

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Ate here several years ago, my co-workers wanted to try it again. Nothing fancy here. You can get breakfast all day if you like. We came for lunch, which was mostly burgers and sandwiches. I had a club sandwich and the thing was huge. Loved the fries, shaped like silver dollars. They also have a dinner menu. The place is much bigger than it looks, with plenty of seating downstairs and upstairs. Friendly servers and an old time vibe. read more

Not a place to write home about but wouldn't skip it either. Standard cafe style situation. Food was good, the crab was great! Highly recommend the crab Benedict. Skip the grits. Service was great, too. read more

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Of all the reviews I've read, I've seen no reference to Gwennies sour dough pancakes. Reighndeer sausage and sourdough pancakes! Off the charts!! This is one of the greatest restaurants on the planet! I lived in Anchorage for six and a half years. There is no place like this anywhere. If you find yourself in Anchorage, you must go to Gwennies. You'll see what I mean when you get there. Many happy memories, and full stomachs. Lol. read more

Huge portions. Breakfast was delicious. The pancakes and waffles had amazing flavor. Eggs, bacon, and sausage rounded out a great meal. Atmosphere is very old town Alaska diner with taxidermy and wood paneled walls like a cabin. Service was quick and attentive. read more

Gwennie's is the kind of place where you want to study the walls, there is so much to see. This quaint 2 story restaurant had me seated quickly upstairs. The waitress left me a pot of coffee which I love! I ordered the chicken fried steak, eggs over medium, home potatoes and an English muffin. It was a pile of food and I really had my work cut out for me!! I finished the steak, 1 egg and the muffin and ate a few bites of potatoes!! This platter could feed 2 people no problem! Everything was hot and delicious!! read more

Gwennies Old Alaska Restaurant - American Near Me - Anchorage, Alaska

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We had a transfer from Whittier to Anchorage. After eating ship food for a week this place is a ruff cut diamond. It is family owned my number one request. It is a churchy cute family place. I ordered the reindeer Philly which was great. The best fries I have ever tasted. My husband had the patty melt he has had in years. The other two had breakfast. Bisquits home made perfect. Scrambled eggs a huge portions. They took a dogie bag with them. If you really want a wonderful meal by locals who have pride in their establishment when in town this place is a must. I hate to ruin it for the locals but to find a place like we had twenty five years ago in our town top off our trip. They have homemade pies I saw on the way out. I would have loved to take one home. read more

The food is served in large portions and are fairly priced. It has a feel of "Old Alaska" with its Alaskan art and the big Grizzly Bear that welcomes you the door. Great place to take tourists. I'm read more

This nostalgic restaurant is great for tourists and serves yummy food. They seated our group of 10 within 10 minutes and we all enjoyed our breakfasts. The crab omelette had quite a lot of crab and so did the reindeer sausage one. We were all pleased. read more

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delicious place and service was great. accommodated our party of 35 people. older gentleman in a purple shirt was the hardest working busser I've ever seen. would recommen. read more

I haven't visited Gwennies for years and really unsure why because I used to visit at least once a month back then. I really think they have the best tasting (and biggest) Chicken Fried Steak in town. Livers with Onions are just the best. Their pancake has gotten smaller because it used to be the size of the plate. Still the best place to bring out-of-towners to have that Alaskan-feel breakfast. Servings is still massive and customer service still has that diner feeling that I love! read more

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I'm giving Gwennies 5 stars because it's an Alaskan establishment and it's worth trying, but unfortunately I had a disappointing experience with my food when I ordered lunch to go recently. I got a daily special -shepherd's pie- and it tasted fine, but nothing special. My main gripe is that only about 1/3 of my potatoes had the meat mixture under it. So almost the whole of my $15 meal was what tasted like instant potatoes. Just disappointing. The people here are fabulous though! I just wish they worked on their food proportions better. read more

Gwennies Old Alaska Restaurant - American Near Me - Anchorage, Alaska

Amazing service! Was blessed to have typical spenard experience right here in our lovely town Anchorage AK read more

Gwennies Old Alaska Restaurant - Community - American Near Me - Anchorage, Alaska

The bullet points of a breakfast with 36 people: Breakfast menu smaller than I imagined. Just one page. Benedict's look high level. Reindeer sausage breakfast is well portioned and is probably the most filling item on the menu. The upstairs seats an entire tour bus and then some. And the servers were prepared and undaunted by the large group. The real type of home fries. Sort of shaved potatoes with skin pieces intermingled. Biscuits - these were not great. Dry and chewy. Butter and jam helped a little. Good, well-stocked jam selection. Blackberry, grape, strawberry, and, I think, orange marmalade. Corned beef hash was good. Poached eggs to mix in were clutch. Coffee is brought in a pot. It means each person can refill as needed. This was a good thing. However, the pots are old and there are some flavors of old stale coffee permeating throughout. For ease and convenience, service 5 stars. Menu, overall quality, coffee, 3 stars. read more

Gwennies Old Alaska Restaurant - Toast Or Biscuits - American Near Me - Anchorage, Alaska

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Chicken fried steak was amazing. Crunchy on the outside but tender meat on the inside!!Service was great and the portions were Alaskan sized!! Every time I'm in Anchorage I make sure I have time for a stop at Gwennies read more

Gwennie's was awesome. If you like big portions, good food, at a decent price, I totally recommend you stop in. They are only open for breakfast and lunch. We would definitely go back again if ever in the area. read more

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Gwennies old Alaskan restaurant was very well kept and the staff was very nice my wife ordered the biscuits and gravy she said the biscuits for good but the gravy didn't taste homemade tasted like it was from a can, I on the other hand ordered reindeer sausage omelette with hash browns, hash browns were tasty the egg on the omelette was very good the reindeer sausage was way way salty and I can only take a couple bites of it. All in all I give it a four star. read more

First time in Alaska, this restaurant was recommended by a friend. Classic breakfast/ diner. Warm and friendly with a nice menu. Lodge like feel with stone and wood construction. You can feel Alaska here. read more

Im an Alaska resident and I went to this restaurant today with a couple friends because I read the food was great! it sure wasn't today. and the way they grab a dollar here and there Is ridiculous. almost $5 for a glass of tea. they charged me an extra $1 for one peace of cheese that was barely melted on top of my omelette (no cheese inside it) and an extra $1 for adding some mushrooms on my bacon and tomato omelette. the home fried potatoes were like mashed potatoes with lumps and no crispiness to them. That being said if you use a credit card to pay(which most people do) you will pay an extra $2 added to your bill after your card is already charged. And the woman that waited on us was a little ruff around the edges. anyways, wow, just really disappointing. All three of us were not impressed and will never darken the doors of this place again. FYI to the owners...your food is not that good to be so dang expensive. I tipped 16% only because I'm a good tipper and it's a rule I live by not because the waitress deserved it. I honestly think she thought we were tourist because I sound like a Texan but nope and we are going to tell all our friends to not eat there. read more

A traditional Anchorage breakfast place, second time there and pleased on both occasions. Food and service were definitely above average. Great comfort food! read more

Definite local delight. When you think of a spot that is a must visit when visiting Anchorage, Gwennies is amongst the top. This spot has been its original form for over 30 years. This landmark is a must visit. So many memories and stories are within these walls. It's a local favorite & tourists must visit. The service was beyond welcoming. It was warm & just simply friendly. Our server was on top of the service, attentive, helpful & friendly. I tried the crab Benedict since it's really not something I see often on menus. It was delicious. The crab was fresh & the sauce was just right. Loved it! read more