Arctic Roadrunner

I know a lot of people consider this an Anchorage institution, but my most recent visit today for lunch was a disappointment. When a friend of mine and I walked in, we were greeted with a less than friendly, snotty teenager named Alexis. She seemed like she didn’t have the patience to deal with us and made me feel like we were an inconvenience. I shrugged it off initially as my friend and I were too hungry and wanted to eat ASAP. We ordered the bacon burger and the Dagwood burger. My friend said his bacon burger was good. The Dagwood burger that I ordered didn’t have a lot of taste to it even though there was sliced ham, turkey, and cheese to go with that burger. The onion rings home-​style not frozen, were another disappointment. It was predominantly deep-​fried batter with very little onions. It looked like a wreckage on the Glenn Highway during rush-​hour traffic. I gave this two stars instead of one only because I’ve had better experiences with this location in the past. The employees could be a little friendlier and more patient especially the young girl at the cash register. One last minor annoying note, as I was getting ready to leave after using the restroom, I went back to my table to retrieve my coat. An employee walked in front of me to start cleaning the floors. She stood right in front of the booth where I was seated at and started to sweep. I politely asked her to let me get my jacket, but all she did was give me a look and continued sweeping. This place has kept going downhill each time I come here. The days of awesome customer service and being treated like family are long gone. I guess I will be going to the Old Seward location from now on.

I’m hoping they just had a off day, onion rings had almost no breading and lots of dripping grease on them, nothing like some people’s pic. When I picked them up I commented on them and the staff said they looked ok to them. Burger was ok, nothing special, might give them another try but I hope this isn’t the best burger place Anchorage has

We apparently went to the ghetto location on Arctic lol.
Hubs and I ordered a couple burgers with fries and coleslaw for our first foray to this place. I also got a blackberry shake.
The wait was kind of long, but generally worth it. We were going to eat it to go but got so hungry waiting that we scarfed everything down before we left the place.
Ratings:
Burgers: Soft bun, lots of sauce, crisp produce, and great tasting meat/​cheese patty made this burger one of the better burgers I’ve had at any fast food joint. I got the arctic cheeseburger with cheddar/​mozz instead of american cheese (that shit is not cheese LOL). I’ll definitely get one again in the future as this place beats any standard fast food chain. ⁹⁄₁₀.
Fries: Crispy and tasty. I liked that they offered malt vinegar in addition to the regular condiments. ⁹⁄₁₀.
Coleslaw: Hubs loved it. Me? Meh. ⁴⁄₁₀
Blackberry shake: Yumola. I could taste the actual blackberries that were mixed in. Will totally get more of these in my future lol. ¹⁰⁄₁₀.
Ambiance: Divey and old. This is not the location near the creek that has a pretty setting and cool pictures all over the walls. But what should really be expected from a burger joint? ⁵⁄₁₀.
Service: They were helpful and friendly overall. No issues with getting our order done up the way we liked. ⁸⁄₁₀
Now to try the other location!

If you ask folks in Anchorage where the best place to get a burger is, it’s very likely this is one of the places that will be named.
This place is very local and very established.
It’s got great ambiance with lots of Alaska memorabilia.
The burgers, in my opinion, are just OK.
You order at the counter and then your number is called, it’s a fast foody setup.
For this style of burger, I’m more of a Wee B’s guy.

There’s a good reason this place keeps getting voted best burger in Anchorage year after year. The portions are just the right size and the food is just plain good. The place has an amazing local character. The walls and ceilings are covered with photos and plaques celebrating the customers and local figures so the person who brought me show me the picture of his mother hanging above the condiment bar. It’s a really cool place don’t miss trying the carrot cake for dessert.

Saw a review that it was one of the best burgers in town, so I was curious to try it. The place looks dated, and not in a good way. The sign on the building celebrates their 40 years in business from 1964 to 2004 – should have been updated last year to celebrate 50. There are two sign boards you can order from but the drive thru is small, they should probably just have one closer to the window. You can only pay with cash. Their menu sign says they don’t take checks, but it would be nice if there was a reminder it’s cash only. It’s 2015, at a street market I can pay with a credit card – start accepting cards! On the sign board the names were not explanatory, so I had to ask what the «Dagwood» was, and the «Kodiak islander.» I ended up trying the «lord barnhof» burger. It had your hamburger patty tomato, onion, bologna, onion rings, sweet relish, cheese (maybe two kinds) and a pickle. It was alright, but it had a lot going on… next time I’d probably stick to a cheeseburger, or bacon burger. I also ordered onion rings and was asked if I wanted homemade, or frozen. I asked the difference and homemade are onion strips, and frozen are your traditional rings. Homemade sounded better, and the girl at the drive thru said she liked the homemade with a side of blue cheese so I went that route. The onion rings came double bagged in a pile and the coating was coming off, so basically oily onion strips with a sprinkle of coating. I was disappointed with the portion and would have preferred a tray. I took off the first bag to be able to open the second bag so I just had them in a single bag. I underestimated the grease because I had the bag resting on my leg as I ate and after I finished there was a huge grease stain on my pant leg. I also ordered the carrot cake – they were out. It was alright, I’d eat there again, but I wasn’t sold on it being the best burger in town – Spenard roadhouse bacon jam burger gets that honor.

Delish… Where else can you get a non fried salmon burger with an onion ring and fresh tomato.
I really enjoyed the experience.

Decent food, everyone can find it, good shakes.
A bit expensive. A bit crowded. A bit dated.
Meh.

Awsome wow

We came here Saturday afternoon and there were only 2 other parties eating in… One was the staff with her friends. The food was pretty good! Tastes fresh! We got the bacon burger, kodiak islander and chili fries. The burgers were a little sloppy, but pretty good. They gave a lot of bacon on the bacon burger. The kodiak was kind of like a sandwich burger… They are a little heavy on the mayo, over powering the meat. The chilli tasted homemade. One major down fall to me is that everything was served on a paper plate… Just seems like such a waste. I didn’t think this place was all that spectacular, probably won’t be back for a while.

As long as I’m close by, I will try to get everything on the menu. It may not seem gourmet, but Roadrunner food kind of evokes a nostalgia that your stomach can understand. That, and my fish sandwich was just as good as I expected.

Ok, I must confess… I don’t get what the big deal is. I spent $ 16+ for a vanilla shake, chili cheese fries, and bacon cheeseburger. It all tasted just fine. None of it tasted anything more than a-​ok though. Portions are on the large side. Burger was fine enough. Fries were ok enough. Shake was good enough. None of it left me craving for more or planning a repeat visit. There is a drive-​thru. It’s entirely cash only. There’s an ATM inside.

Locally owned and operated since 1964. The salmon burger is tasty and generous.

Best cheese burger in the land… plus homemade onion rings that are all soft and yummy! Oh — and hand-​dipped shakes. Do I need to say anymore? The owners practice what they preach and run a top-​notch business!

I was always told this one was better than the one on Old Seward, that was far from the truth. I got my gf a sprite from the fountain drinks while she was in the bathroom, and upon my first squirt either mold or a bug came out of the machine. I let it go considering this is expected in our fountain drink machines (even the ice makers). So I grab a dr. pepper… I take a sip and either a bug or mold when down my throat. It didn’t matter how good the burgers were after that, I will not be coming back to this restaurant.

Cash Only? I’ve past by several times because They didn’t take cards…
the burgers are awesome, and they have whole wheat bun option. The wait staff has been a little less than professional on a couple occasions But hey, this is a burger joint.
Downside, there are too many burgers to choose from, and the drive in window can take a while if there is an inexperienced customer in the front of you.
The dinning area is out dated.

Anyone who has read my reviews in the past knows I’m not a fan of hamburgers in general. But yesterday we needed something quick and cheap, so I bopped over to grab a burger. And let me tell you, I tore that burger UP!!! GONE and quickly! One of the tastiest burgers I’ve ever consumed. The buns are amazing. The burgers are simple and delicious, no gimmicks. No flame broiling, no fancy toppings. Just a good damn burger.
Fries were horrible though and the milkshakes are a ripoff. Restaurant interior is kinda smelly and outdated inside, so grab and go. Parking lot and drive through are small and awkward. Cash only. Arctic Roadrunner has a lot going against it. But those badass burgers are what has made this place an institution in Anchorage.
Quickie burger around the corner makes a much better burger overall, but I’m not opposed to Arctic Roadrunner as a substitute. The burgers are handmade and irregular just like at home. Nice and big and juicy. Add those spicy pickles and I’m good to go.

I don’t understand all the hype this place gets…
The place is seemingly family friendly and priced to order in large quantities. The quality does not meet my burger standards. Too much mayo and the beef tasted as though it came from the same cow as McDonalds.
Overall: I don’t like it, EVERYONE else seems to be pleased, go if you must but the service and quality should deter you.

Why is it the best local joints have the worst parking? That is the case with Arctic Roadrunner. The service at the counter isn’t all «Welcome to Arctic Roadrunner!» either. The girl taking my order was dry and seemed to be put off by me but I blew it off. I ordered the cheese burger with everything on it and it was excellent! These burgers have that old town feel and taste. The onion rings, both styles, were not great so stick with the fries.
As I mentioned parking is small and cramped. Besides that it is worth the trip!

Good burgers and fries. Burgers were a little red in the middle, but that don’t bother me. The taste reminded me of west coast’s In&Out but on a soft white bread. Interior probably looked like it did back when it was made. Maybe 80’s? And they only take cash. ATM inside FTW.