Front page, above the fold, Fairbanks news: Hungry Robot pizzeria was selected as one of Food Network TV Personality Guy Fieri’s top pizzerias in the country.
I was already deep into a feature all about pickles when my Fairbanks friend texted me a photo of the newspaper this week.
It’s true, the Dilly Dilly Pizza, which was featured on Fieri’s popular show, “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives” is a “destination pizza,” as he called it. It’s a briny, bold twist on a beloved American dish, and it’s dilly-icious. (sorry, I had to.)
People have been bothering me about “this pickle pizza in Fairbanks” at Hungry Robot (910 Old Steese Hwy) since I started writing Current Cravings about a year ago. Finally planning a trip north to taste it, I crowdsourced recommendations for Alaska’s best pickles and pickle-adjacent cuisine in Alaska. I got a few good suggestions, but the overwhelming takeaway of the survey was encapsulated by what one friend replied:
“I have nothing to add here regarding your research other than I f*cking love dill pickles.”
In addition to general dill pickle adoration, popular Alaska pickles included Dillicious Pickles, which are made in Willow and featured annually at the state fair; the pickle bar at the Eastern European Store and Deli in Anchorage (601 W 36th Ave #12); and the pickle appetizer at Whiskey and Ramen (436 W. 4th). Bear Paw River Brewing also has a pickle pizza, which seems to lean more toward a garlicky profile than dill, though I have not tried it. Grillo’s pickles (not local, but a Costco staple) also earned shoutouts, though I find them under-crunchy and overrated.
I still have fond memories of greedily dipping tongs into the “pickle barrel” in lieu of a salad bar at Exit Glacier Salmon Bake years ago after a long, chilly hike. (31832 Herman Leirer Rd, closed winters.) Newly transplanted from Wisconsin, which has a strong culture of pickling as an embrace of farm-to-table and general frugality, I found Alaska’s pickle-affinity, via the Seward Pickle Barrel, immediately comforting. I later learned about Native Alaska traditions of pickling salmon, maktaaq, herring eggs and more. All this to say, pickle roots run deep and apparently, are still alive and well.
I was excited to finally try the now-famous Dilly Dilly pizza at Hungry Robot this month. We ordered that, along with an Okie Dokie Artichokie and a Burning Bumble Bee. Though it may be a boring report, the Dilly Dilly pie completely lived up to the hype. The pickles were crunchy, the dill flavor of the sauce was a perfect accompaniment, and the crust was slightly sweet and sturdy. It’s a good pizza, and it makes sense as a destination for pickle lovers.
I think what made actually enjoying it so satisfying though is that Alaska’s tourist-bait features aren’t always beloved locally or often, even that good. But this one is.
It’s apparent that Alaskans’ passion for pickles isn’t a quirky niche, it’s a through line connecting visitors, Native traditions and the simple joy of a perfectly crunchy bite. To all the friends who shared their favorite pickles with me, all I have to add is: I f*cking love dill pickles, too.
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.
