When I’m craving a burger, no other dish will satisfy me. Luckily, there are a lot of places to get a decent burger in this town, and there are infinite iterations on what a burger is — so much so that it could be risky to open a new restaurant narrowly focused on that one dish.
Enter: Crunchy’s Real Food on Old Seward Highway, which shares a space with ReMade, which sells upcycled home goods and the GatheringAK, a shared-kitchen “incubator” for new restaurants and chefs. One visit to Crunchy’s earned its spot atop my list of post-trail burger stops, and I swear it’s not because I was hangry.
When we arrived the server explained, “We’re just like Wendy’s, except everything is organic, non-GMO and homemade.”
I opted for the Bahn Mi burger, and my boyfriend made his own colossal creation with double beef patties, mayo, bacon, pickles, avocado, and onion. Both burgers came with fries, which you can choose from salted, garlic, or garlic and parmesan. We also ordered a make-your-own salad with some veggies and vegan ranch. You know, for health.
We looked like kids on Christmas morning when we saw what came out of the kitchen a short while later. If you can imagine the best grilled, homemade burger you’ve had at a summer backyard BBQ in the last couple years, and then elevate it, that’s what we were served at Crunchy’s. It was almost like I could feel the sunshine from a backyard barbecue on my face when I opened my takeout box of food, even though it was 7 p.m. in November.
The homemade buns are such a standout. They are buttery, salty and sturdy enough to hold up to the heft of the burger. The sauces, also homemade, are applied in just the right amounts. The pickles and cucumbers on the Bahn Mi burger were both crunchy. The meat was flavorful, perfectly grilled, and thick. We both opted for the handmade grass fed beef patty, though they also offer a local, non-GMO seitan patty, and handmade organic ground chicken patties. Every element was as it should be: a standout contributor to the overall flavor, but not overpowering any of the other components. We debated if it was the best burger we’d ever eaten between giant, finger-licking mouthfuls.
The fries were super crispy and erred slightly on the too-oily side, though the garlic seasoning was really tasty and not too salty. They were served with a homemade ketchup, which was the right amount of sweet, tomatoey and vinegary. Love me a homemade ketchup. Even though the fries were a little too oily, we still happily crunched through most of the generous serving of them, as you do.
With a smattering of tattered chairs and large tables, the ambiance is certainly nothing to get excited about. Honestly, that just makes me all the more likely to stop there after a long day on the trail or working in the yard. In terms of atmosphere, it’s unpretentious — everything you need and nothing you don’t.
One factor that can level up a dining experience even more than the food though, are the people, and Cruchy’s has that, too. In addition to our friendly server, the owner, Mark Anthony Cox, came out from the kitchen to say hi and chat with the table next to us. He smiled a lot and seemed to be enjoying the ride of new business ownership and also seemed to be very proud of the quality food he is serving, judging by the smiling faces of his customers.
It was definitely not the last visit I’ll pay to Crunchy’s. I’ll likely even make excuses to go eat a burger other than after long days on the trail. Like, potentially, after shoveling the driveway, or maybe just that it’s Thursday.
Speaking of which, Crunchy’s is currently only open Thursday – Sunday evenings, so make a plan to get yourself good and hungry, and get down there this weekend.
Jenny Weis writes for a variety of Alaska nonprofits and causes in between keeping up on Alaska's doughnut scene, sliding on snow, and gawking at cool plants and rocks along local trails.
