Lavelle's Bistro

Atmosphere and service was great! We went around 8pm on a Saturday and were seated rather quickly. They had complementary bread which was absolutely busting. When our food came the dining experience was not the best. I ordered the french quarter salmon which was roughly $40! Absolutely not worth it. The rice was under cooked, and the salmon was bland. The "crayfish" they placed on top was frozen and unappetizing. My wife nor I finished our food and left promptly. If you are visiting Fairbanks I would recommend you look elsewhere for food.

“It’s bloody raw!” - Gordon Ramsay. What was ordered: Shrimp appetizer, artichoke dip appetizer, a glass of wine, Angel Hair Pasta special, meat loaf, salmon, halibut. What was wrong: Shrimp was served RAW. (Still white) Zucchini sides for the meat loaf and salmon were RAW. The rice served as a side for the salmon was RAW. (Unmistakably raw with a hard inside and extra mushiness.) Our server was great and empathetic. She apologized on behalf of the restaurant and explained to us that two cooks quit and that the trainee cooks were very amateur… but that doesn’t excuse why the head chef was not checking to see if the food was cooked? We heard other patrons complain of their raw food as well, and the server even thanked us for mentioning the rice was raw since they had to recook orders to go where the food was raw as well! The artichoke dip as well was quite undercooked. The pasta I ordered was as well flavorless and just simply pasta and bits of bacon it seemed… for $30.00. I didn’t eat it past two bites and had to use olive oil for any flavor. The room was also very Smokey and filled with smell as their hood was broken. Doors had to be cracked open and this is just the beginning of their opening time. We were offered no comp, and out of respect with our server, we made no fuss, payed our bill and tipped her. We did not eat our meals except taking home the salmon; the only thing properly cooked. Aside from the water and glass of wine, this was a complete disaster. $200 dollars for a glass of wine and a salmon fillet ultimately. We were given no comp (we didn’t eat the food so it’s obvious we were going for a free meal). As people who frequent here, and with people who own a restaurant as well, this was majorly disappointing and saddening. Honest to God this should have been shut down for the day. Charging high prices with a smoke filled room with RAW food that could cause food poisoning is no small issue. If anyone in Fairbanks has food poisoning tonight, April 9, or tomorrow, April 10, it can easily be led to Lavelles. Though I’ve come here for 2 years on a monthly basis, I will no longer come due to a breach of trust and health concerns.

Good service

Lavelle’s has been going downhill for a while. This was my fifth time dining here and it’ll probably be the last. With a Reservation it took my wife and I 45 minutes just to get our wine order, and it took 1 hour and 45 minutes for the appetizer to come out. The beef tips were extremely good. Amazing plate. My main entree (the pork chop) came out an hour after the appetizer, around hour 2:45. This wait was absolutely ridiculous. By the time we had finished our appetizer half the restaurant was empty. Zero service. There were tables who were sat next to us after we had arrived, who were done with their entire dinner by the time our apps came out. The food is great, but you might want to bring a phone charger and something to do because you’re going to be there a long long time.

Honestly, the best meal we had during our time in Fairbanks and we had a LOT of good meals. We got lucky and got in without a reservation, but knowing what I do now, I would make a reservation if I went back. The food was outstanding. In fact, the crab legs were SO good, that I refused to order them at any other restaurant as there is no way that they could be better. The staff was fantastic and the ambiance very nice. While it was a little pricey, we walked away feeling that it was worth every penny. We told anyone that we spoke with about it while there and several took our advice and went, sharing very similar reactions. I would absolutely recommend this restaurant. Best place we went during our week plus in Fairbanks!

8 PM arrival and place is packed. They were out of the pork belly and the halibut, the things we came for. Husband got the strip medium rare but was more like medium well. Potato was soggy on outside and firm and hard on inside. My Salmon was served with rice instead of mashed potatoes but server never asked me for a replacement option. So disappointing for $120.

Not sure why Lavelle’s gets such good reviews. It has a lively bar atmosphere but the food is basically slightly elevated bar/diner food. Very mediocre and not worth the price. The calamari was weird (like fried calamari sticks) and not like traditional fried calamari. The 7” pizza was too thick and doughy, and my medium-rare filet was overcooked and barely warm (I think it had been sitting out awhile waiting to be served.) Though it was tasty. My cosmo (ordered light on the cranberry and light on the lime) came out too pink and too limey. It did not taste like a cosmo. It took a long time for entrees to come out. It was just two of us and it probably took at least 45 minutes to get our main meal (my son ordered 2 appetizers as his main meal and I ordered the filet). Lavelle’s is an option in town for dinner but it is far from fine dining and is overpriced for the quality you get. I’m sure there are better places in Fairbanks to get a steak that cost less.