The Pump House Restaurant Fairbanks

Seafood restaurant · College

The Pump House Restaurant Fairbanks

Seafood restaurant · College

796 Chena Pump Rd, Fairbanks, AK 99709

Highlights

This gold-rush-era gem in Fairbanks offers a tempting surf 'n' turf menu, cozy self-seating, and a rich atmosphere that makes dinner feel like a special occasion.

796 Chena Pump Rd, Fairbanks, AK 99709 Get directions

pumphouse.com

$30–50 · Menu

Reserve

@eater

"The Pump House started its life in 1933 as an industrial water pumping station that sent water from the Chena River to gold dredging operations in the nearby town of Ester. In 1978 it was refurbished into a fine dining restaurant featuring upscale Victorian gold rush décor. The bar is one of the best in town for both food and cocktails; it’s full of dark wood, polished brass, and antique furniture and pool tables from the 1890s, and is a great place for a quiet, intimate conversation over a whiskey. The corrugated tin walls add to the ambiance, but it’s the outdoor deck facing the river that really makes the place. It’s a perfect spot on a sunny summer afternoon to drink and eat and watch the water roll by. The deep-fried halibut cheeks appetizer is a must, and the mains are just as good. Their 16-ounce ribeye steak is reliably perfectly cooked, and the bacon-wrapped Alaska scallops are nothing short of divine. You definitely won’t go away hungry." - Kris Farmen

The 13 Best Restaurants in Fairbanks, Alaska - Eater

View Postcard for The Pump House Restaurant Fairbanks

Aliza Brown

Google

The bar opens at 4pm and the rest of the restaurant opens at 5pm. They serve the full menu at the bar and there are sit down tables in the room! It is self seating here so take a seat anywhere. We started off with the calamari appetizer before splitting the elk medallions (unfortunately they were out of reindeer medallions) and the senators sirloin steak with a side of grilled salmon. It was all delicious and filling. Definitely recommend coming here if you are looking for a steakhouse in Fairbanks that serves various types of meat. Service was quick and friendly. Not too busy at 4pm either which was a perk.

Moaid Hathot

Google

The buffet is not recommended! When we created our reservation we didn't know it was only for the buffet, so we were surprised when they told us we can only access the buffet at that time. The food in the buffet was low quality and not tasty at all. The food in most Hotel buffet is usually better. It contained very dry and low quality meat, eggs, and pancakes. The salads were OK, and the sweets/deserts were bad. They looked good but didn't taste any good. When we got to finish, it was almost closing time around noon and the staff started putting food for themselves from the buffet (which is great) and we could hear them asking each others "what is decent today?" which proves our point. The service and staff were excellent! They were super helpful and nice!

Breland Dismukes

Google

Had dinner here last night, Viktoriia was lovely and the food was beyond expectations. As my significant other said the " world famous" seafood chowder should be renamed to "legendary" at this point. For appetizers we shared (add-on) seafood risotto and a cup of the seafood chowder which were absolutely perfect. The Risotto had the perfect splash of acid to counter the richness. For mains we had the elk medallions and elk meatloaf which were cooked to perfection and seasoned wonderfully For dessert we shared the vanilla creme brulee which was the perfect end to the night. If ever back in Fairbanks this will be a must visit.

Julia OBrien

Google

Such a great place for dinner! Service was great and food as well. My husband had ordered steak but was curious about King crab which he’s never tried. Our server was kind enough to get the chef to give him a small sample cup.

Google

I highly recommend the steamed clams—they are absolutely delicious, with a rich and flavorful sauce. The snow crab is better than the king crab, and the seafood pasta is also very tasty. However, the service could be improved, likely due to the large number of customers, as the staff seemed overwhelmed and the dishes were served quite slowly. The prices are on the higher side.

Vinicius Damaceno

Google

Since we wanted to try local meats, we were recommended to the Pump House! I had the Elk Medallions and my wife, the Blackened Halibut with Risotto. The place itself is really nice and local - the food was really good but for the price, it wasn't outstanding. Definitely a stop worth of your time if you're in Fairbanks looking for the local delicacies.

Polly Strittmatter

Google

First time in Fairbanks and we got recommended by hotel staff and we really enjoyed our dinner! Service was excellent, we had a girl server (can’t remember her name) but she did a great service and fast! Very nice atmosphere! It’s a must if you’re visiting Fairbanks and I recommend you make reservations for avoid the line.

Zach Pickard

Google

Cool historic place. Food was good, seafood choices were tasty and dessert was good also. Asparagus side wasn't on par with rest the food unfortunately. Cocktails- good too.

@eater

The 13 Best Restaurants in Fairbanks, Alaska - Eater

View Postcard for The Pump House Restaurant Fairbanks

Aliza Brown

Google

Moaid Hathot

Google

Breland Dismukes

Google

Julia OBrien

Google

Vinicius Damaceno

Google

Polly Strittmatter

Google

Zach Pickard

Google

Cool historic place. Food was good, seafood choices were tasty and dessert was good also. Asparagus side wasn't on par with rest the food unfortunately. Cocktails- good too.