Wendy C.
Yelp
I'm a regular here, they know me well, on the deli counter, the hot food counter, the Kaladi staff, well I'm on first name terms with them, and they know my order without me even asking. I'm looking at you Jay and Jay - 12 oz English Breakfast Tea, with a precise half-inch of room for my skim milk.
I come here three times a week for lunch, and there are lots of good options. 4 types of soups, although they no longer make my favourite, as it was either too expensive, or not popular enough, or a combination of the two. It was Smokey corn chowder, and it had an awesome kick of heat. $4.99 for 16oz soup and roll is a perfectly good deal for lunch.
I like the salad bar options too, because you can choose taco salad, tortilla chip salad, you can make tacos, or a baked potato with hot toppings - taco meat, chili, taco chicken and the taco cheese sauce. I like to just pile everything in the box on top of tortilla chips or a potato. There's loads of different dressings too. It's $7.99 a pound.
And there are lots of Chinese, and American food options, I particularly love the chicken curry as it has potatoes in it, and it's really flavourful. The Chicken Pot Pies are to die for. Heavens i could just eat one right now. 100% better than Marie Callender. And you can also buy your roasted chickens here too, take one home for a quick and easy dinner. Tear that meat off and make a salad, or a soup. Don't waste the tasty carcass and skin though - smash it to pieces, chuck it in a big pan with onions carrots garlic, and you've got an awesome stock!!
They can make you a fresh hot pizza, or they have some ready made folded calzones. The Shepherds Pie is a pure delight, and the meatballs are savory and delicious. And if you need a musubi fix, you can get that here too. Sushi, spring rolls, chips, crackers, cakes, cheeses. And i buy a ton of the Jalapeño Cheese Dip (known as Kenai Dip in some places)
There are also ready-made sandwiches and salads, pre wrapped, but i like to order a fresh made tuna salad sandwich (half sandwich for $5.25, and it is HUGE) comes with everything on it, toasted or untoasted, and they come with chips and a pickle.
I took off 1 star, because the lunch tables could do with cleaning more often, and in the past, when they used to leave the spray and dishrag available, I'd wipe it myself. That's my one criticism, and it's a small one.
And of course, it's a small grocery store too, you can get some truly unusual items here. English Butter (Well actually Lurpak is Danish, but it's what English people always bought at home) I was very surprised to find that here. Do you love Pocky? It's right here! And the produce section is always beautifully clean looking, and it has been the ONLY place that I've been able to source actual fresh parsnips, that are not brown and bendy. That in ALaska, is a huge achievement. They often have great produce deals. I also feel it's necessary to point out that I've sent King Crab to my friend in Arizona from here twice, a very easy process. Right from the awesome seafood section, and the price is super competitive.
And in summer, they grill outside, where they have tables set outside in the sunshine. The smell is so gloriously inviting, and the ambiance is like, friends just grillin' and chattin'. The staff here are super cool.
And please keep up the free samples of cake, chips, dips etc. It's one of the many reasons I keep coming back.