Moose-AKa's — Restaurant in Alaska

Stop what you're doing and make a reservation here (reservations are recommended especially this year). This is one of the coolest restaurants in Alaska if not THE coolest. Where do I even begin. The service, the food, the ambience-- it's all perfect. I have been here 3 times now and my family has decided to come here annually. Alaskans reading this who live in Fairbanks, Mat-Su Valley, and Anchorage--the drive is worth it, make a date night of it and book your reservation before they close for the season in September! Now onto the food: Since I came here for the first time last year, I have transitioned to eating a vegan diet and I was so happy to discover that I could still enjoy a full meal here (appetizer, main, AND dessert) without making substitutions, and the staff is so accommodating and knowledgeable about what vegan means. This year, I got the vegan soup which I believe rotates but it was a spicy pepper and cauliflower soup. It wasn't too spicy at all but had so much flavor! It came with the Mekice fry bread which is vegan too and they said to dip it in the soup which was delicious. For the main, I got the Vegan Stuffed Pepper which is a red bell pepper stuffed with rice, onions, garlic, carrots, and parsley. It was so, so good. Tasted like comfort food and the rice was packed with flavor. The only thing I would recommend with the vegan stuffed pepper is that maybe it be served with a couple of asparagus spears or bit of the Sopska salad minus feta on the side. Personally, I think the pepper on it's own is delicious and filling especially when you order it with an appetizer and drinks, but I did read a couple of vegan reviews where they seemed underwhelmed by just the pepper (the vegan pepper doesn't come with mashed potatoes because there's butter in it--the meat stuffed pepper on the menu comes with mashed potatoes). So I think throwing a couple of veggies on the side might make the plating look a bit more aesthetically pleasing. For dessert, they recommended the off menu vegan dessert and it was incredible! It was the Mekice fry bread with chocolate sauce, berries, bananas and cinnamon. Absolutely delicious and I so appreciate that they have that option. They have incredible sangrias too that are served with generous amounts of fruit in them. I have tried both the white and red sangria and can't say which is my favorite. They have Serbian wine and beer too which I have on my list to try when I come back next year. When I first came here last year, I tried the Meze platter which is a variety of all of their appetizers. It's a great way to taste the flavor profiles that are present throughout the menu, and it's filling enough to eat as your meal too. I have also tried the Sarma which is cabbage stuffed with meat and rice. Everything here is incredible, I could go on and on but I might be starting to lose people with all these words lol. The service is so incredible and attentive, even despite them being pretty short staffed this year. All 3 people working in the restaurant shared serving duties across every table and everyone was so friendly and knowledgeable about the menu. The interior decor is beautiful and unique, there is something intriguing to look at in every corner of the restaurant. To sum up, just come here it is...

Visited this very well reviewed place sometime back on our way to Denali Park. They are owned by Michael and Maya. Here is the summary of my review and experience there.

1. Ambiance 5/5: The ambiance is not your typical one that you would see in any other restaurant. This place is very different and you could see the thought and culture on display. Even the restrooms are well though out. It has a very rustic vibe with Serbian themes.

2. Service 5/5: The people and the owners are super nice and they really make you feel special here. Everyone is super helpful and explains everything delightfully. They have some of the most incredible stories to tell you. It was so great that I would like to thank everyone by name - Gary was our server who was very helpful. Peter helped with drink. Polina hlped with some hiking suggestions. Elizabeth was at the back of the kitchen.

3. Food 3/5: This is where I was the most disappointed. Although everything else was great, the food was not the best. I feel the food was a let down to their amazing hospitality and decor. Here is the summary of what we had:

a) Pilici Pilav: It is chicken rice which tasted bland. It was like Indian Chicken Khichdi but with much less flavor. Not a fan and didnt not like the chicken in it.

b) Meze Platter: This was good. I am not a fan of Pork but this was good and crispy. The Rgussian salad was ood.

c) Grandmother's chocolate cake: The cake was meh with more oats than chocolate and it was peanut butter in it which I am not a fan of.

d) Vegan Dessert: We were confused about the cheesecake of this vegan dessert and asked the server. They insisted on this and said this is their best seller. It was such a let down. He said we wont know it was vegan and gluten free - Oh we knew it in every bite. We ate less than 25% of it, packd it and then ultimately had to throw it away. I so wish we had not listened to him and had the cheesecake.

4. Value for Money 2/5: The service and decor are great but the soul aka the food is kinda let down plus they are pricey. So not the best. Even though the place looks like a hole in the wall place, it is costly.

The good:

i) The decor ii) Service iii) People

Not so Good:

1. Food
2. Price 3)...

Dinner at Moose-Aka’s is not just a meal, it’s an experience.

First of all, you MUST have reservations. They do not accept walk ups at all. I noticed in their website that they said that reservations must be made 24-hours in advance by email. We were within the 24 hours, but I wrote them anyway. What did I have to lose?

As it happens, they had a cancellation and they offered us the open table, which we accepted.

The restaurant is Balkan, which is a bold choice for such a small tourist area. The interior is dark and cozy. There are only about twelve tables inside.

We were greeted by the cheerful hostess. We were made to feel at home. Once we were seated, the chef came by. He told us that he insists on explaining the menu to each table. A very personal touch. My wife and I are familiar with Eastern European food, so we took in the menu quickly.

We started with the meze platter, which included a sampling of four different appetizers. Everything was wonderful!

We ordered pitcher of sangria to drink. It was very tasty, full of fruit, and I might add, pretty strong!

For the main, my wife chose the Sarma, cabbage leaves stuffed with ground beef and seasonings. It was very good, but perhaps a touch bland. We would have liked a bit more flavor in the sauce.

I chose the Kardjordjeva Schnitzel it is essentially a pork version of a cordon bleu. It was magnificent!

We ordered two desserts, the Grandmother’s chocolate cake, and the cheesecake crepe. The chocolate cake was not to my liking, but the crepe was one of t the best desserts I’ve ever eaten.

Denali has no right to have such an amazing restaurant! The staff is incredibly attentive and friendly. The food was amazing! My wife talked about our experience all the way back to the hotel. Definitely the best dining experience available in Denali, if not...