The Hanger on the Wharf

The Hanger on the Wharf is a kind of institution in Juneau.  The building is literally on the water and was formerly home to Alaska Coastal Airlines in the 1940's, but the restaurant was established in 1996.  The beer selection is great, the waitstaff is very attentive, and the pub food is very good.  However, in addition to their pub food menu, the Hanger has a more ambitious dinner menu.  This evening I took a chance...only to be disappointed.

Let me preface the rest of my review by stating that I have eaten at the Hanger several times and enjoyed eating there, but those times I ate off the pub menu eating things like fish 'n chips and burgers.  In those previous visits, I have always left satisfied.

We started with scallops wrapped in bacon.  The scallops tasted fine, but they were criminally overcooked, as was the bacon.  The resulting texture resemble more of a savory miniature hockey puck. The appetizer was followed by seafood chowder.  I like my chowder to be somewhere between thin and runny and so thick your spoon could stand up in it.  This chowder had decent flavor, but was extremely thin.  If I have to add a packet of oyster crackers to thicken it up, it is too thin.

The dinner menu features steaks, seafood dishes, chicken, etc.  I decided to try the Black & Bleu New York Steak.  The steak is rolled in freshly cracked black pepper, charbroiled and then topped with bleu cheese crumbles.  It was not horrible but, perhaps because of my previous experiences, I was expecting something special.  The steak was not a prime cut....it was thin, tough, and not very juicy.  The peppercorn was actually pretty good, but the bleu cheese was far from transcendant.  In a word disappointing....definitely not worth the $42 price tag.

The saving grace for the dinner service was the very attentive wait staff.  My water glass was never empty, and I never had finished dishes sitting in front of me for more than a few seconds.

It is possible that I just got a disappointing dinner.  I suspect that the downtown Juneau merchants and restaurants are overwhelmed with the beginning of tourist season and the cruise ships.  Having said that, it is time to pick up your game, not let it slip away...like a cruis ship in the night.

The Hanger on the Wharf:

Address - 2 Marine Way #106, Juneau, AK 99801

Phone - 907-586-5018

Website - hangar.hangaronthewharf.com

Reservations - Recommended, especially on a Friday or Saturday night, or if there is a cruise ship in town.

Overall Recommendation:  Eat from the pub menu.  It has always been good for me in the past.  The prices are more reasonable than the dinner menu...and the food is much better.