Location: Kotzebue
Top Restaurants in Kotzebue
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Where to eat American food in Kotzebue: The Best Restaurants and Bars
Discover Restaurants offering the best American food in Kotzebue, Alaska, United States. Kotzebue (/ˈkɒtsəbjuː/ KOTS-ə-bew) or Kikiktagruk (Inupiaq: Qikiqtaġruk, IPA: [qekeqtɑʁʐuk]) is a city in the Northwest Arctic Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska. It is the borough's seat, by far its largest community and the economic and transportation hub of the subregion of Alaska encompassing the borough. The population of the city was 3,201 as of the 2010 census, up from 3,082 in 2000.
Things to do in Kotzebue
1. Bayside Restaurant
Overall Ratings
4 based on 55 reviews
Reviewed By warrenville111
We had dinner on a weekday night. It was relatively crowded and they only had one person working the floor. When we paid, she mentioned that they were down a person that night and she was sorry about the wait. She was extremely nice and pleasant. We paid $37 for a salad, diet coke, seafood special dish, and tea. There is a nice variety of options. Some window seats are available which was nice. Chinese/Asian and American options.
2. Little Louie's
Overall Ratings
4 based on 25 reviews
Reviewed By Jake G
Little Louie's is a busy restaurant located in the heart of Kotzebue. Their menu is quite extensive, serving everything from pizza to Chinese, burgers, sandwiches, chicken, burritos, wings, desserts, snacks (like chips, candy, sodas, etc.) and lots more. Their pizza is what I usually get, as it is large with a really light and fluffy crust. They are a bit stingy on their pizza toppings for the price they charge though. Like most Kotzebue restaurants, they offer delivery if you don't feel like going (or are unable to go) to pick up your order. They are pretty busy, so be prepared to wait up to 45 minutes to get your food if they're really slammed with orders. Staff and service are good, prompt, friendly and helpful. The owner works there regularly and she runs a tight ship! As of late-summer 2017, limited seating is available to sit down and eat, with servers to take care of you. Atmosphere is lacking, as there are no windows and not much in terms of decor. They are open from 10am until midnight (1am in the summer), so they are a good option to get food late (go to Uutuku once Louie's closes).All in all, they deliver hot, fresh, tasty food for an average price in Kotzebue in a relatively quick timeframe. No complaints!
3. Nullagvik Restaurant
Overall Ratings
4 based on 23 reviews
Reviewed By Jake G
There isn't such a thing as "luxury" when you are in the Alaskan Bush (meaning remote Alaska that is off the road system and only accessible by airplane or boat). Things you take for granted in "civilization" become nonexistent in the bush (like asphalt roads everywhere, fast internet, and upscale restaurants and hotels), because it costs too much to fly/barge in the supplies and people needed to build and maintain them. Kotzebue, AK is no stranger to this issue....but happily, they DO have the Nullagvik Hotel and the Nullagvik Restaurant.Built and owned by one of the local native corporations, the Nullagvik Hotel (reviewed separately) and Restaurant is a VERY nice addition to Kotzebue and impressive for anywhere in the Alaska Bush. The Nullagvik Restaurant is located on the main floor of the hotel (which is actually the second floor, since buildings in the Arctic are built on stilts), tucked beyond the front desk in the main lobby. It is a spacious room with large windows lining 2 of its 4 walls. These windows let in a great deal of light (especially in the summer) giving the restaurant lots of bright, cheery "outdoorsy" atmosphere, as well as treating diners to absolutely SPECTACULAR views of the Kotzebue Sound (which feeds into the Chukchi Sea) outside. I absolutely cannot stress how lovely the view is, as you are literally 30 feet at maximum from the sea wall, at an elevation of 20-30 feet in the air. You can watch seals playing and even see Manatees in the Sound. When the winds are blowing hard (and they can BLOW in Kotz), you can watch the waves coming in and breaking on the sea wall. You have a great view of people fishing and swimming, not to mention it offers a great view of the annual snowmachine (which is what we call "snowmobiles" in Alaska) race each April. It's an awesome scene to dine to!The service is generally pretty good (depending on the attitude of the person working), with the staff all wearing nice hotel uniforms and not just random clothing thrown on like you normally would see in the Bush. Service is usually prompt and polite, but there are areas they could improve in. The menu isn't real big, but there is enough of a variety to satisfy nearly everyone's tastes, from pizza to burgers, pasta, steaks, limited seafood, salads, and a handful of very good desserts. Rolls with butter are served with every meal, water is served in tall glasses from glass pitchers, and the dishes/silverware are all of noticeably higher quality than other restaurants in town. It just has a classy vibe that you will notice once you eat there. Prices really aren't bad, considering. They are comparable to other restaurants in town, yet the food quality is better and the serving portions are filling. Guests staying at the Nullagvik Hotel receive a 10% discount, which helps even more. Breakfast is a buffet; while it is a bit more limited than I would like personally, it's better than most hotel offerings. I can't recommend the Reindeer Goulash enough; it's my favorite item on the menu!A few minor gripes: The restaurant is open from 6:30-9:30am for breakfast, 11am-2pm for lunch, and 5pm-9pm (8:30pm on weekends) for dinner. There have been numerous times when I have wanted to go for an early lunch or a late breakfast, only to find out they are closed and "between meals." Not cool. Pizza sizes are smaller than what the competition offers, yet are the same price. Also, the closing times are strictly enforced. I once stopped by for a late dinner around 8:50pm (10 minutes before closing time). The server brought my rolls/butter and a glass of water, took my order and disappeared. She brought my meal to me (which I thoroughly enjoyed), but wouldn't allow me to order any dessert because they were closed. It was 9:05pm! Seriously? They turned down extra money because they had closed 5 minutes prior and hadn't had the decency to warn me that they would be closing and I would be unable to order dessert afterwards? NOT COOL. Had they done that, I would have ordered dessert with my meal! If any hotel management is reading this (and I doubt they are), this is an area that needs to be corrected IMMEDIATELY. Correct that and I will boost my rating to 5 stars instead of 4.Despite its shortcomings, the Nullagvik Restaurant offers a delicious meal and a fair price with an unforgettable view. If you find yourself in Kotzebue, a visit there is recommended. I just hope you get one of the better servers!
