Roadtrippin’ 2024: A belly full of seafood at Fairbanks Chowder House

FAIRBANKS, Alaska (KTUU) - One of the best parts of touring the open road in Alaska is the roadside pit stops; specifically, all the new food and experiences you can find at every turnoff.

For our Roadtrippin’ crew, Chowder House in Fairbanks is one of those special spots.

Located just east of downtown Fairbanks, the restaurant has been in business since 2000, owned and operated exclusively by the Jiang family for the last 24 years.

“I started working at the Chowder House in 2009. I officially took over the restaurant in 2013,” Wing Jiang said.

But don’t let the name fool you. Chowder may be the name on the building, but the menu has something for just about anyone.

“It’s more than just a chowder house,” Jiang said. “I’m trying to offer more variety to fit different types of customers and make them happy.”

With an appetite for all things under the sea, the time had finally come to put our taste buds to use. The only question was what to try first.

“For a visitor, I definitely recommend to try the smoked salmon chowder. We use our Alaskan local red salmon, which you don’t get anywhere but Alaska,” Jiang said. “I also recommend the seafood alfredo. The halibut is really tender and moist. So if anyone comes here, I always tell them, ‘Hey, try my seafood alfredo. You won’t regret it.’”

As for the people who keep coming back time and time again, Chowder House can be much more than just a restaurant.

“Sometimes it’s more about coming to see us, like we are friends with customers. I like to see them here,” Jiang said. “If they don’t show up here, sometimes we will worry like, ‘Are you doing ok? Are you away on vacation?’ We are more like a family. Fairbanks is a big family, and when a customer comes to our restaurant, they are our family member too.”

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