Fairbanks Bars & Pubs

Casu­al, fun and hap­pen­ing, this bar and restau­rant inside the Fair­banks Princess Lodge is a great spot with a deck over­look­ing the Chena Riv­er. Open sea­son­al­ly, May — September.

This is where the hip­pies hang. It’s small, lit­tle base­ment bar locat­ed just off col­lege cam­pus. There’s live music almost every night, includ­ing favorite local groups and bands on tour. It’s a typ­i­cal hole, smelling of sweat, patchoulie oil, and cig­a­rette smoke. But it packs them in, and the crowd gets down. There are usu­al­ly a few good beers on tap and a decent bot­tled selec­tion. There’s no food at the bar, but a hot dog shop above the bar.…  ...more

The Food Net­work fea­tured this place in its ​“Din­ers, Dri­ve-ins and Dives” show, most­ly for being a bit of a dive — it’s dark with a big bar and pool table. But it’s always upbeat and hap­pen­ing, and you can count on hav­ing a good time. The food gets mixed reviews: they serve good piz­za, but the steak and seafood can be hit or miss. And skip the sal­ad bar.

You can buy a hunk of raw ham­burg­er and grill it your­self at this funky, Alaskan hide­out. You can’t beat the atmos­phere at the Gold­en Eagle Saloon. It’s not in Fair­banks, but in the quirky, small Alaskan town of Ester.