Pagoda Restaurant Serves Up Chinese Cuisine In North Pole, Alaska

When you think of North Pole, Alaska, your mind might go to Santa Claus and his elves or frigid temperatures. While the small city is known for its year-round Christmas decorations and it's certainly cold up there, it also has several popular eateries for its residents and tourists. Every town needs a Chinese eatery, and Pagoda Restaurant is North Pole's place to satisfy your craving for dishes like egg rolls, wonton soup, orange chicken, and lo mein.

Pagoda Restaurant has been operating since it opened in March 1990. When you walk inside, you'll find decor you might expect at an eat-in Chinese restaurant like red paper lanterns hanging from the ceilings, tables lined with red tablecloths, and wall art depicting Chinese landscapes. The restaurant is popular with locals and tourists alike, and was even featured in a 2009 episode of Food Network's "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives" hosted by Guy Fieri. In the episode, Fieri talked with its owner Benny Lin (who has appeared on the show many other times to showcase his other restaurants) and tried dishes like walnut shrimp in a creamy sauce. The restaurant has also won local awards like the Daily News-Miner Readers Choice Award in 2021.

A glance at Pagoda Restaurant's online menu shows a mix of classic Chinese-American fare mixed with more unique dishes. Some of the appetizers include raspberry wasabi shrimp, egg rolls, fried shrimp, fried wontons, a pu-pu platter, and that walnut shrimp tasted by Fieri. There are also seafood entrees like kung pao shrimp, beef options like hunan hot beef, and poultry dishes like breaded almond chicken. The eatery also serves up different lo mein dishes, chow mein, egg foo young, and steaks like ribeye. Pagoda also offers lunch specials and family-style dinners to feed your hungry family or group of friends.

If you find yourself in North Pole, Alaska, you can dine at Pagoda Restaurant at 431 North Santa Claus Lane. It's open Sunday through Thursday from 11:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. and stays open until 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday according to its website. You can dine in, or order take out and delivery. And there's a full bar to grab a specialty cocktail like a Bloody Mary topped with a fried wonton to wash down your favorite Chinese dish.