Fat Ptarmigan

Service — Service was good! I made a reservation, was seated promptly, and the food was brought out quickly. No problems here.
Ambiance — Also good! Not too loud, nice interior design, fun to draw on the tables.
Appetizers — Only tried the hummus — pretty good! Very simple dish, but good flavor profiles. The feta cheese was tasty/​salty, unlike some of the cheaper fetas out there. The hummus itself was nice.
Pizza — Problems. I got 2 pizzas and both had the same fundamental problems. It is difficult to have a thin crust pizza with lots of toppings. The crust MUST be crispy to support the heavy sauce/​toppings. They simply failed to do this. The result? Toppings sliding off the crust. They also choose the cut the pizza in to strips/​squares which is not conducive to the pizza having a solid structural integrity. Those two things make eating the pizza a pain. The actual flavors of the crust and pizza is not bad, better than you would find at a ‘chain’ pizza place like Pizza Hut, but the sogginess of the crust is a huge detractor.
Overall I didn’t leave angry but I will not be returning. Moose’s tooth IMO offers a better product at a better price — the only downside is dealing with the crowds/​no reservations.

Love this place. All the food is amazing. The beer is cold and it’s family friendly to boot! The roasted pepper soup is quite possibly the best soup I’ve ever had. Next to my wife’s of course!

First time here and can honestly say I will never again go to this restaurant. Horrible service, our waitress was super rude and rushed us. The first thing I ordered was not available and I was expected to come up with a second order instantly and had to literally tell the waitress who was in my face waiting that I would need a second to decide what to order. Then the sand which I ordered I had to send back because the chicken was not fully cooked.
I like to think of myself as a really patient and understanding person. It takes a lot to push me over the edge… unfortunately this was one of these moments. I ended up sending my food back and declined the opportunity to order something else (after all by this time the rest of my family had thier food and was already almost done eating).
I would understand if the restaurant was busy and there was not enough staff but the restaurant was not busy and there appeared to be plenty of staff to provide adequate and satisfactory service.
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Despite the fact that they have been open for a few years now I have never actually been to Fat Ptarmigan until fairly recently — Valentine’s Day weekend in fact. I have long wanted to go and try it out but am one of those rare animals that does not make it downtown all that often. But given I was staying downtown on that weekend I decided to gather up some single friends and make a party out of it. Fat Ptarmigan is where we ended up planting our feet that night. Especially given I had tried several places before then but because of it being the season for commercialized love, all other places had been booked.
Right off I’m going to say I love the feature of being able to reserve a table on their website utilizing Open Table. I wish more places would do so. So a week before our dinner I did exactly that. And asked for a table away from the entry because after reading reviews I understand the area could get drafty with the nearby door. A friend and I arrived about 15 minutes before our reservation time and were quickly seated. Another huge positive for them. They are not one of the restaurants that makes you wait until your entire party arrives before they seat you. We were sat within seconds and waited. I took that time to order a bottle of wine. Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc. Any restaurant that has this always scores in my book. It is a blend I enjoy.
My friend and I spent the next few minutes chatting until the remainder of our party arrived. The restaurant was half filled by that time (5:30) so we looked at the menu and then placed an order. We decided to order two different pizzas for our party as well as salads. I ordered the half creamy pesto and the table ordered one reindeer pizza and a hot coppa. A friend was quite concerned about the description of «spicy red sauce» and voiced her concern about it. Only to be told it wasn’t that spicy. It did in fact have a bite to it and she ended up not being able to eat it since she couldn’t have spicy things. By that time we were enjoying our wine and salads and chatting while the place continued to fill. Darren was our server that night and he was excellent! One of the better servers I have encountered in quite awhile.
Our meals arrived after 30 minutes and we dug in. Took me a moment to figure out how the pizza was cut. Not your typical triangle pie. But rather in strips. Overall it wasn’t bad but to be quite honest it didn’t blow me away. I would definitely come back and try some of the other things on their menu. In particular I really enjoy the atmosphere. Exposed faux brick, open and airy layout and exposed piping are just my type of thing when it comes to design. It reminded me of a loft you would find in Seattle or Portland.
As the place fills so too does the noise. It was bustling by the end. All in all it was a good first experience for Fat Ptarmigan and I plan to be back in the future to give it another go.

Had lunch here recently and was very impressed with the quality of food, service and excellent coffee. Love the big windows and atmosphere. Will return!

Portions are small, prices are high. We got the takeout and when we opened my wife’s salad it looked like about 50 cents worth of spinach with a few shredded carrots on top. The goat cheese was just sitting there in just one big clump without a craisin to be seen anywhere. I took a picture of it to and put it up on the internet for anyone who wants to see it. It’s at
for anyone who wants to see it. We figured we would give it a try since we had a coupon. After seeing the salad, my wife said to me «I wouldn’t go back there if we didn’t have a coupon». I said back to her «I wouldn’t go back there even if we had another coupon.» After thinking about this for a second, she agreed with me.

My wife and I each had different pizzas. I had the beer cheese pizza and she had the cheese pizza. Both were excellent, as was the service.

Really good food but the place is always super busy, the only time they have open tables during dinner is because the people with reservations haven’t arrived yet. It’s slower during lunch but if you’re going at night I would recommend making a reservation if you don’t want to wait an hour or more. It can also get pretty loud, the place has an industrial look which is cool but sound really carries in there so you’ll probably be yelling a lot to be heard across the table.
It’s definitely worth going though, this is my favorite pizza place in town. I know for most Alaskans, Moose’s Tooth is the one and only place to go but they come up second in my opinion. Mostly it just comes down to the crust, I prefer wood fired pizza’s because they’re thin and crispy as opposed to Moose’s Tooth which is thick and doughy. The down side is they only serve one size and it’s a bit on the small side. It’s probably fine for 2 people but no more than that. They also cut the pizza into rectangles which doesn’t work well with thin crust because the slices fold under their own weight and become hard to eat. The prices aren’t too bad given the quality, the cheapest is the Classic Cheese at $ 13 and the most expensive is $ 25 for the Steak & Stilton. Most of them are in the 17 to 18 dollar range though or you can build your own and it’s based on toppings. I’ve tried about half of their signature pizzas but the Pepperoni is my favorite, mostly because I’m a traditionalist and like simple East Coast style toppings.
When I can actually resist getting a pizza here (which is not very often) I’ve tried some of the sandwiches. The Meatball is pretty good but a little light on the sauce, the Italian is also worth trying. I’ll usually order a half salad with a pizza to delude myself into thinking I’m being healthy. Most of them are pretty good, the Creamy Pesto has great flavor and has just the right amount of dressing. The Chopped salad is also a good choice and they don’t skimp on the toppings.
The beer list is pretty good with a lot of local beers on tap and the service is pretty awesome. The last time I went with my girlfriend they accidentally brought us the wrong pizza. We didn’t realize until we already started eating and brought it to the waitresses attention. She ended up bringing us the right order and letting us keep the other one free of charge. She definitely earned a good tip that night. My only real complaint is that management should get a little more organized and change a few policies. The website is never really updated to reflect what’s currently on the menu and they take way too many reservations. A lot of nights half the tables will be empty because people haven’t arrived yet. This gives walk-​ins a bad impression because they’re told it’s an hour long wait but the place looks empty. All the bad reviews I’ve read of this place seem to revolve around the waiting time.

Good fast wood fired pizza. We were there for lunch. And had great service. Skinny dude with a beard.
Our pizza was delishous. Thick cut pepperoni and great coppa. Awesome combination. We will be returning.

The Fat Ptarmigan is a relatively new restaurant located in downtown Anchorage. My boyfriend and I have been here three times now and I’m sure we’ll be back many more. We love this place. It has a very classy atmosphere with a bit of an industrial vibe. The eatery is named after our state bird, but aside from the picture of a ptarmigan on the menu, the rest of the place kind of defines its own flavor and veers away from the ‘Alaskan’ vibe (aside from a few select menu items– like a pizza with reindeer sausage on it).
The staff are very nice, prompt, and professional. We’ve always been served relatively quickly, even on their busier nights. They make the pizza from scratch and cook it in a wood-​fire oven. The oven is located in the center of the restaurant and you can watch the chefs prepare and cook your pizza from different seating around the place. There are seats for everyone from couples to families to larger groups. There are booths, high top tables, tables, and a bar. The bar is very high, which was a bit uncomfortable to sit at. We sat at the bar the first time we went here and felt like children because the seats were so low and the counter was so high. Since then we’ve always asked to sit elsewhere.
With that being said, when you sit at the bar you get to see the chefs prepare your food. So if you enjoy that sort of thing– by all means, sit there. The rest of the seating is very comfortable and spaced out nicely. The place is always clean and very well-​staffed. You’ll be helped fairly quickly. Every time we’ve gone in we’ve been told there’s a wait time (even if it’s half empty), which is a bit odd. They’ll typically tell us it will be 20 to 40 minutes (depending on the day and time we go in), yet we’re almost always seated in 5 to 10 minutes. We’re both a bit confused as to why they do this– especially when there’s obviously open seating available.
The food is amazing. The pizza crust is very thin and light. This is the only pizza place I can go to in Anchorage where I don’t feel like I’m eating something really greasy and unhealthy. The pizza here is always relatively healthy, grease-​free, and uniquely delicious. They have some amazing gourmet pizza options and we’ve tried quite a few of them. Our favorite so far is the one that has chicken, onions, garlic, and spinach (but we request they go light on the spinach– as they tend to overdo it). They’re mozzarella knots were a bit of surprise. They’re cold, knotted mozzarella pieces, garnished with a few things. Not what we were expecting– but they made a nice light appetizer. I am in LOVE with their pecan pie and have to recommend it. I’ve had it every time. It’s super nutty and sweet and delicious. My boyfriend loves the beer selection and the staff are usually pretty well-​informed on the menu and drinks, but often times they’ll be out of select beers (so go in knowing that they do occasionally run out of drinks).
Aside from the too high high-​top bar area and the fact they run out of beers often, I’m a huge fan of The Fat Ptarmigan. The pizza is fantastic, unique, and light. Their pecan pie is the best. The staff are courteous and the décor is tasteful. I’m not sure what’s up with the wait-​time ordeal, but the food is definitely worth the wait. We’ll be back– and I definitely recommend you visit for yourself as well.

2^nd time here & won’t be coming back! There @ 4:45 & told tables were booked till 6:30! Food not worth the bad management

I came in here for lunch on a weekday with my baby girl. I sat down in the bar area just in case she got loud and fussy. There was about 3 other parties in the bar area and another few in the dining room. My waiter was excellent, really friendly and warm, attentive enough without being intrusive! They had a decent local beer selection, not tons of choices, but enough. I got the skinny chicken with red sauce and it was AWESOME! it didn’t take too long, maybe 10 minutes, but I had my beer to keep my company and it was cooked PERFECTLY! A light and flakey crust, it came out hot but still able to eat it right away without burning my mouth. I would definitely go back, I just wish remembered the name of my server

One star for good service, fast seating, and nice interior design, but everything else fell short of our expectations.
My boyfriend and I checked out the website before we went in and had already picked out what we wanted to order: regular duck pizza, gluten free BTA pizza and mocha panna cotta for dessert. We get there to find out they are out of both the duck pizza and mocha panna cotta (the only gluten free dessert on the menu). –1 star for being out of 2 of the 3 things we wanted to order. Not only that, but the menu prices in the restaurant were higher than the prices listed online. This place has not been open very long and they have already increased their prices (and not updated the website). –1 star for disorganization/​outdated website.
We go on to order a regular special, gluten-​free BTA, and gelato (which was gluten free according to our waiter, but not listed GF on the menu). Our pizzas came out timely, but they were small, not very hot, and the arugula looked like it was rotting in some places. They also cut our small round pizzas into long rectangles which was kind of obnoxious. Round pizza should be cut into triangles and square pizza into squares. We found the skinny rectangles to be awkward and hard to hold.
We still held onto hope at this point, but after tasting our pizza we both agreed it was the most bland and overpriced pizza we had ever had in our lives. –1 star for having no distinctive taste or flavor, –1 star for price. I understand gluten free crust isn’t always the most amazing thing, but the toppings and sauce should be! Plus my boyfriend had their regular crust and was also dissatisfied. And what was the cost of this mediocre, small, lukewarm pizza? $ 17 for the special and $ 23 for the BTA with mushrooms added! The website prices (which are wrong) range $ 15 – 25, with a $ 3 up-​charge for gluten-​free crust and $ 2 up-​charge per additional topping.
If you are looking for GOOD gluten-​free pizza in town, please check out Moose’s Tooth, Bear Tooth, Papa Murphy’s, Uncle Joe’s, or Yes Bistro. They are all 10x more flavorful and about $ 5-​$ 10 cheaper. If you are looking for GOOD non-​gluten-​free pizza, well my boyfriend agreed everywhere he’s eaten in town is better that Fat Ptarmigan and of course much cheaper.
I’m left puzzled and wondering how anyone thinks this pizza is good or worth the outrageous prices they charge for what would be a small/​personal size pizza anywhere else. It would also be nice if they had Parmesan cheese at the tables instead of just red pepper flakes.
Note to those with Celiac or gluten intolerance: I believe I was «glutened» here as I got a migraine the day after, but it’s hard to know for sure. My friend has eaten at the pizza bar before and watched her gluten-​free pizza get cross contaminated with flour, so it may not be the safest choice for dining out.

My friend and I was excited to order pizza, but they ran out of key ingredients to the pizzas we wanted: duck and spinach! So we ended up with the Hot Coppa and their Special Pizza of the day. The Hot Coppa was especially well flavored, generously packed with pepperoni, and nicely textured.
In terms of their appetizers, I feel that I wasn’t getting my bang for my buck esp since they came in tapa sized portions. The spinach artichoke dip was a bit disappointing, as I felt like ours tasted more tart or maybe saturated with some kind of sour cream. Go for the meatballs if you can, though you only get 5 of them!
Good ambience and loved the light fixtures.
I agree with the overall rating of 3.5 for this place, though I’d give their pizza a 4.0÷5.0. Hopefully my next visit will include the duck and beer cheese pizza!

Good pizza. Very generous with the toppings. Ordered the reindeer sausage pizza, and wish the flavor of the sausage stood out more. Got to try a bite of the beer cheese pizza, and it was a good balance of cheese with a subtle hint of beer. The crusts were quite delicious, too.

I know I’m in the minority, but I really don’t like this place. I’ve had take out from there once (which was hmmm… mkay I guess) and I’ve eaten there once. I gotta say, I’m not a fan. I like wood fired pizza, but there are some issues in the kitchen. Making wood fired pizza can be tricky to ensure the center is fully cooked without the crust being burnt. Clearly they haven’t figured out how to get it right consistently. And the time that I ate there, I’m not kidding you when I say that the smell of the pizza had me LITERALLY (not figuratively) gagging. I don’t know WTF they did to the pizza but it smelled rotten. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to get over that and try it again.
I also don’t care for the atmosphere… it’s kinda too trendy and exposed for me. I don’t like being on display. And the chairs are uncomfortable. And I don’t like having to look for the hostess. This place just isn’t for me. There’s plenty of other places in town that are doing the same thing and charging less, so I’ll just go elsewhere.

Good good! Fast. Friendly server. We both ate for $ 35 and we were stuffed… Included the beers.
We ordered a pesto chicken pizza, two oatmeal stouts, one dessert to share, and a cup of coffee.
Pizza was really good, crust was wood oven toasted. Dessert was a little sweet. But hubby likes it that way.
Place would have been a 5 star except it was too noisy. Loud. Would come again, but might try north side of seating.

I’m not sure why this place doesn’t get 4 stars. It was a great little contemporary pizza/​Italian place in Anchorage. We had the beer cheese pizza, which had reindeer sausage and bacon, scallions and red peppers. It was really good! Would definitely recommend!

I have visited Fat Ptarmigan twice, once their first week and once recently. Both times were very good, and I was pleased with everything I tasted.
I know others have mentioned crust consistency problems, and this has been true for us, though nothing drastic – some slight undercooking. This is the only weak point in the food, and it only happened on one of the three pizzas we orders the first time (with a large group) and on one of two slices the second visit. Yes, they need to rectify this, and they’ve been around enough to have done so. But I like the crust flavor and thinness and topping flavors so much, as well as their apps and salads, that I still give it a four.
I’ve tasted their meatballs twice, the knots and artichoke spread once, and a few of the salads. All are excellent! Especially the meatballs, which I ordered with the flatbread last time (which was perfectly cooked).
The salads are particularly tasty, with fresh, crispy lettuce bases, nicely balanced toppings, and just the right amount of dressing – not drenched, not skimpy. Last time, I found myself wishing the pesto with meat had more meat, but mainly because I have a thing for cured sausages. It was actually pretty balanced.
Ambiance: comfy, casual but chic. I like the color scheme, the open industrial look with the stark colors. The seating is plentiful, the space open. I haven’t noticed it being too loud, but I haven’t been there when it was super crowded.
Service: so far, so good. Our last server stumbled a bit on beer recommendations (not a problem for me, since I don’t drink beer and I knew what wine I wanted, but I know many beer heads who’d be bothered). But help is always friendly and timely.
This restaurant adds a nice option to downtown dining, and while I don’t crave restaurant pizza often (pajama-​couch pizza is more my style), when I do, this is where I’ll go. Food is good and the atmosphere is great. Check it out!

I went back to Fat Ptarmigan, thinking it had been open for awhile (and had time to get the glitches out) and quite a few people I know had positive experiences here. Unfortunately, I ran into exactly the same issues as before. The hostess stand was confused gaggle of teenaged girls. There were three hostesses and I still didn’t get «greeted,» but merely stood around until acknowledged with a «How many?» I was told there was a wait time of 30 minutes even though there were 3 empty tables that I saw. I’m a veteran of food service, so I do understand reservations and the like, but this felt more like incompetence and guessing than actual wait time.
I decided to leave, but for dessert I went next door and got gelato, which was delicious (salted caramel yummm), and the young man at the counter was friendly and efficient.