Dirty Skillet — Restaurant in Alaska

Summary: Good food and atmosphere, but rude management ruined the experience. They should clearly post any time limits for Saturday nights upfront.

We were really looking forward to our evening at The Dirty Skillet—great setting, live music, and a rare night out with my mom in Hope. Unfortunately, the management completely soured the experience.

We arrived around 4:50pm and were seated in the bar area. There were no posted signs or mentions of a two-hour table limit, which we would’ve absolutely understood and respected if communicated upfront—especially on a Saturday with live music starting at 6.

We ordered wine and two appetizers around 5:00pm, settled in, and began a quiet card game while waiting to order mains after enjoying our starters. Midway through, the manager abruptly approached and, with a surprisingly rude tone, told us that because there was a wait and we were at a four-top (a table we were seated at, not one we requested), we needed to either order more food immediately or relocate. We explained that we were planning to order mains right after our game, had already ordered appetizers, and were on our second round of drinks—but he seemed unaware of that. We felt pressured into ordering our entrees early, just to appease him.

Then—while eating our mains—a second manager came over and told us we’d need to clear out in 15 minutes due to a two-hour limit. Again, there was no signage and no prior communication, and she didn’t even seem to know that her colleague had already approached us and pushed us to order more or move.

The whole evening felt tense and uncomfortable after that, even though we came specifically to enjoy the live music and would have happily abided by any seating limits if they’d been communicated respectfully. Instead, both managers delivered the message with a bluntness and lack of grace that made us feel unwelcome and rushed.

It’s a shame, because the food was good and the atmosphere had real potential. But the poor handling by management completely ruined what should have been a lovely night out. We won’t be returning—and I can’t in good conscience recommend this place to others unless the management seriously rethinks how they treat...

For only having been open two weeks, this restaurant knocks it out of the ballpark! On a day trip, we stopped in for a late lunch. We had their sandwich, soup, and salad combo. The ambience, the delicious food, the warm reception, lovely smiles, and great service made our group decide to come back for dinner. Everything we ordered for dinner was exceptional. The rice balls and bacon mac and cheese did not disappoint. We didn't order much for dinner because we'd heard the pies were worth saving room for - and they were indeed. We each ordered one piece of pie - banana cream, strawberry balsamic, apple caramel, and blueberry rhubarb were all fantastic although we agreed there was something special about the banana cream. The pricing is comparable to other restaurants in the area but our group felt the Dirty Skillet is the best value because the servings are generous, the food delicious, the ambience relaxed and warm. Jared Wood was also playing, which made for a memorable evening. Highly, highly recommend this establishment in little Hope, AK. You will not be...

Living in Alaska I don't usually like eating out the food is always kinda "meh". I don't know if we were extremely hungry but the food was soo good. We got the chicken sandwich which had really good rosemary aoli on it and the fires were seasoned really well, I liked the acidity taste they had. We also had the mac and cheese which tasted like some good heavy comfort food, my one year old ate a third of it. The balls that everyone talks about were good but definitely not the best part of the meal. The best part was the bluebarb pie it was dang good homemade delicious pie, I could have just eaten a whole pie for dinner it was so yummy. Also Esther our waitress was awesome thanks for a...