Alaska Salmon Bake - Fairbanks

My husband and I ordered the halibut dinner. We were here in 2010 at the Alaskan salmon bake and knew we wanted to come back! Well, we did not have a great food experience. The service was great, and the atmosphere is the best! The salmon looked good. Maybe I should have tried that instead of the halibut.

The atmosphere was awesome. It was a nice area to sit, getting food was easy, smooth and simple. We had fantastic weather. The food was okay. Portions were very big. Dessert was very simple.

I had high hopes because of what a local told me about this place. I opted to start off the visit by going through the tunnel to get to the other side, then took a walk around the park to build up my appetite. The workers there were friendly but as far as the food goes, I was hoping to strike gold but came away a false hope prospector. I enjoyed the baked bean side and the grilled wild Alaskan salmon the best, although I would say the fish was a bit under seasoned. The hot sides, including the beans were anything but. The roasted potatoes were too wet to be considered roasted. The outdoor salad bar was very standard and the bread roll was very dry from being set out so long. I did like the appeal of eating outside, being able to see and smell the outdoor grilling, and getting the main dish directly from the cooks. The outdoor picnic atmosphere was pleasant under the trees and I did not have any mosquito issues. They must be doing something right because a line started to form with all the patrons coming to get dinner. A unique one-time experience but unfortunately, I would not repeat.

I was the one charged with looking at the reviews. After eating there, I don't know how anybody could say it was anything less than a 5 star event. We showed up at about 6. Tons of parking. Easy in. The weather was 75 and Sunny. We immediately went to the front of the line, because nobody was in line lol. We went through the buffet line and load it up our plates with as much as we wanted (Mac n cheese baked beans and potatoes), expecting that we were going to get about a small 6 oz piece of fish. WRONG! The wife and I decided to get the cod and we got three huge pieces and it was cooked perfectly and tasted amazing. The boy got salmon that was char grilled. A nice large piece and it was GREAT. A little bit too sweet of a glaze for the boy, but I loved it. We sat under the Spruce trees and feasted, drank beers and really enjoyed the event.

I’ve heard folks raving about this place, so I was excited to give it a try. Came away very disappointed. The best item was the crab legs, worth every penny. The grilled Salmon was ok, slathered in way too much sauce. The fried halibut and cod were over breaded and completely unseasoned. Prime rib was dry and overcooked. Mac and cheese was very delicious, as were the roasted potatoes. Fried chicken nuggets and fries were well seasoned and tasted great. Employees were very polite and it was cool to sit outside and enjoy a beautiful day, but overall not worth the price.