McKinley Creekside Café - Phone Number, Reservations, Reviews

Great dinner at McKinley Cafe. I had the award-winning chili and I can see why it won. It was perfect. Definitely get the home made cornbread. Also had the turkey pot pie which was great too. Joslyn was very friendly and provided great service. Highly recommend if you’re in Denali.

Delicious strawberry rhubarb coffee cake to start my brunch. Then I had the 2 egg with crisply fried home fries, reindeer sausage and home made toast. I was definitely full when I left. The water tastes deliciously cold and the service was the best I've seen in awhile. Definitely a 6+ star place out of 5 stars. Update: I had a Mooster burger and it was just right. The fries were crisp, the bun delicious and the burger was moist and cooked through (no pink) just right. Nadia was an excellent waitress!

Food and ambience are good. We were actually offered support in booking excursions, but unfortunately that turned out to be wrong. In our opinion, the lady at reception didn't really understand much about service. We are used to different things from comparable places in the USA.

I enjoy myself this place is so beautiful and the food is to die for.

Ate here a few times during our visit to Denali national park and all meals were great. You can taste the freshness of the ingredients in everything you order. Definitely a musy stop by for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

We spent two weeks in Alaska, between Anchorage, Denali, Homer, and Seward; this was the best meal of the trip! It was a shame that we had to leave quickly to get to a tour. Otherwise, I would have loved to try more of the options.

A wonderful (manager?) lady approached us and gave us a very warm welcome. She was incredible and very knowledgeable!

Open breakfast lunch and dinner. Reasonable menu and staff was kind. They even allow you to order ahead for the next morning if you have a scheduled tour to get to early! Try the Alaskan cinnamon roll, worth it😎

Such a beautiful view for the "sunset". It was a long wait to be seated but was worth it.

McKinley Chalet is the most convenient place for having your lunch/dinner - the shuttle buses stop & go at this place around the clock. Our party enjoyed the halibut and chips and cheeseburgers

We ate dinner here on our trip to Alaska and the food was good. We also brought pastries home for breakfast and they were amazing! The next day, we got a boxed lunch for a trip into Denali, and that was really good too! Highly recommend!

We stayed next-door at the cabins and ate here twice for breakfast. The prices were fair. The food was very good. Our waiter and hostess was excellent. We would highly recommend eating here.

The place was packed and we were a large group but they kindly accomodated us quickly. Spectacular meal. We had 5 vegetarians in the group and they all got great options. Tyler was superb with his service - one of the best meals we've had in Alaska so far.

We were here for dinner and breakfast, it was amazing! I recommend the chowder, but the breakfast could have been better... it was too salty

You have to stop at this place. Breakfasts are great, especially the pancake 😍 You can also have delicious fish and Salomon chowder for dinner ❤️

This restaurant was somewhere I've wanted to stop by and check out for a while. Finally the stars aligned and it was just a walk across the street from Denali Hostel. Delicious food. Beautiful dining area. Great customer service. Yummy raspberry lemonade. It was too chilly and drizzly to sit outside on the covered porch, but it'd be beautiful on the right day. I even hung out by Carlo Creek after my meal to take in the sights. Nice place to dine if you're visiting Denali and want to get away from the crowds near around the "glitter gulch" area. You definitely need a car to get here or see if you can get a ride with Sheep Shuttle. Restaurant location - Mile Marker 224 National Park entrance location - Mile Marker 237

Overlooks Denali! Spectacular view. Great food and service

We stopped by to grab breakfast on our way catch a tour in Denali. We were kind of in a hurry and the staff was great. They got us in and out in no time. We ordered a salted caramel pecan roll that was out of this world. Also got cinnamon roll that was good. Everyone was hoping to make another trip before we left the area and was disappointed that the timing didn't work out.

My family and I stopped by to grab a quick breakfast from their to-go section. They have quite a selection of delicious breakfast pastries and even some hot options. One highlight is their massive "Alaska sized" cinnamon rolls. I had a chai latte and although it was good, it didn't really have a strong flavor to it. Also, they made a small fuss over one of my family members asking for cream and sweetener for her cold brew. I can't say anything regarding the sit down service, but the menu options look amazing.

Great food, great staff and you can't beat the location and views. Definitely sit outside.

Eat the rhubarb coffee cake and blueberry scones! They are delicious!

Cozy cafe with lots of baked goods and a nice breakfast menu. The cafe got pretty crowded in the morning, so if you have somewhere to be, leave enough time in case you have to wait to be seated (though takeout is available too). I liked the yogurt parfait and the avocado toast, but a big seller seemed to be the Alaska-size cinnamon bun (which dwarfed the Texas-sized bun in the next tray). The music was great, which I mentioned to my server one day. He beamed and said "Thanks, I selected today's music. A different employee chooses the music every day." And the music was really great every day. I commented to my daughter that "This is one of those places that we're going to look back on in a couple of months, and wish we were there." That's the kind of place this is.

Our family adored this place. We ate there for breakfast and dinner and went back multiple evenings during our stay in Denali because we loved it so much. Their coconut salmon was incredible, their desserts were out of this world (you HAVE to try the rhubarb coffee cake), and their rhubarb cider (using rhubarb from their garden!) was very enjoyable. An absolute must eat if you are in the area.

Hand made tables. The food was very good. The cinnamon rolls are the biggest in North America. The restrooms were clean. The fish were fresh.

Staff is super friendly. Food is great and quality coffee too. Prices are reasonable considering the area. The Alaskan cinnamon roll is AMAZING. Absolutely huge and just as delicious as it looks! One of the best breakfast/lunch spots in the area!

Great food in a beautiful location!

The wait staff was good with attentive water service. The food was very good, especially the chili and cornbread, as well as the coconut encrusted salmon! Also if your in the mood for some confort food the turkey pot pie was delicous! In the mornings there cinnamon rolls are enormous and taste fantastic, just pop it in the microwave for twn seconds and enjoy!

The food was fine overall. My wife got a mushroom and rice burger she said was really really good. I got the meatloaf, it was overcooked and dry/crunchy. It out like it had been forgotten on the grill while being reheated, it didn’t cut so much as it shattered when I pressed the knife into it. One great meal, one I wouldn’t pay for again. The service was AWFUL. Waited well over 50 minutes after ordering. Came in to less than half the tables occupied, we ordered, over then next 15-20 minutes the place got busier. We watched 2-3 tables come in, order, get their food, and leave before our food came. The cider was excellent so points for that. For price I’d rather grab something from a gas station after the experience we had.

What’s not to like? Great burger and sandwiches. Friendly staff and comfortable surroundings. We met one of the owners which was a pleasurable experience. Great place to eat, kick back, and regroup from a day in the park. Stay away from the blueberry scones, they’re addictive.

We stopped here for breakfast on our way to Denali NP and loved everything so much we stopped back for a late lunch the next day on our way out of the Park. Everything is fresh and the halibut and chips were the best I’ve ever had. Even the French fries were cooked to perfection. And the baked goods are scrumptious.

The food and drinks here were extremely good. Gorgeous building in a gorgeous setting right next to a creek.

Clearly labeled vegan and gluten-free gf options on the menu. Thai lettuce wraps with fried tofu were very good. Holly's Thai stir fry was my favorite. Sauce was very tasty but I liked it. Really enjoyed all the veggies and tofu was well prepared.

We have been bringing groups to eat dinner and breakfast once a year for MANY years. And we have ordered to go lunches for our groups as well. The food has always been consistently DELICIOUS. we have ordered almost everything they offer on their menu(s) and no complaints and always look forward every year to dine here. Make sure to try out their baked goods....so YUMMY! Thank you for all the hard work and great food!

Pretty good food with horrible service

We thoroughly enjoyed the service and the meal. The owner stopped by our table and was very personable. The food was excellent, the portions were huge, and our server was very attentive and friendly.

The restaurant had good vegetarian options but was non-accomodating in nature. They did not offer lunch menu options at 1 pm just because they decided to continue brunch menu till 2 pm on that particular day when their lunch menu starts at 11 am on most days.

Don’t miss this stop. Buy extra cookies for the road"

The pancakes are amazing! The Alaskan size cinnamon roll was the best I’ve ever had. The view From our table was reasonable.

Dining area and bathrooms were clean and looked nice. We had the burger special, it was Cowboy burger today which has cheddar, fried onions, bacon and bbq sauce on a burger. Crispy bacon and onions, good burger, I had fries but you can choose soup. My friend had the soup of the day, it was French onion soup and she loved it. Friendly service, they checked in to make sure we liked what we ordered. We got dessert to go, we got Key lime pie with meringue, very good, tart with lime zest.

The updated resteraunt is so nice .Fills up quick on friday night, Prime rib, and Sunday brunch.. best in area.

Yum 😋 definitely recommend stopping here!

Great place to experience Alaskan food and hospitality. The Halibut and Salmon were delicious. The staffs were very friendly. Breakfast menu was fabulous. Loved the atmosphere. Options for vegetarians are limited though.

I've been here in 2022 when it was a tiny cafe, and then again in 2023 and today after the remodel. They seem to change their menu every season, and the breakfast abd lunch menus are better than the dinner (imo). However, today 5/25, had something happen by the manager (white man, brown hair, working the front.) Came in and asked to be seated. He offered me outside and I said I'd like inside since it was raining. There was an open table but he told me there would be a 15-20 minute wait so I waited. No lie, a white couple walks in maybe 5 minutes after me, point out the open table to the waiter saying they wanted to sit there AND GET SEATED IMMEDIATELY at that same table, which was unreserved. The manager comes back out, and I ask why did they get seated at the same table immediately versus me. He literally lied, pulling something out of thin air about efficiency, making excuses and that two people get preference over one?? If that's so, why offer me a four seater outside when I first walked in? How is sitting inside as 1 personess efficient when its the same waiters serving in and out. And the waiter who sat the white couple apologized (unlike the manager) because she didn't know where he came up with his reasoning. Again, clearly not a policy, just something he made up? While this may not seem discriminatory, the manager lacks spatial awareness of how this whole situation came off. A Black person told to wait, and then 2 white people get serviced immediately. I hope this doesn't happen to anyone else because it left a bad taste of an establishment, I usually have had a decent experience at. If you're non-white and you see an empty table with enough seats, ask them to sit there, and hopefully they don't give you a bogus excuse

Honestly one of the best restaurants in Alaska.

OMG the food is fantastic and the bakery is delicious!!!

Walt took care of my boyfriend and I for lunch and he was very polite and fast paced. All of our food came out as ordered and in a timely fashion. Tyler took care of us for dinner and was very attentive and kind, despite me asking for extra dressings/sending him back and forth. Wonderful staff and exceptional food.

My server was nice. Food ok, clean bathroom. But, another server was sitting near me insulting me. That's very gross.

We drove from our hotel an hour and a half away to try the McKinley Creekside Cafe, and it was worth the drive. When you walk in, the aromas are inviting. They bake all of their own baked goods, and it shows the love and caring in their presentation. We enjoyed skillets and the Halibut and Chips. The Cinnamon Roll was warm and gooey. The sweet cinnamon makes you salivate while enjoying it. 4 of us finished the Alaska sized roll. We are in Denali for 3 days and we are definitely driving back for breakfast again. Eat here should be the sign out front!!

Nice place to stop and get some food and good coffee

Our server Johanny was very attentive and helped us pick out some yummy food!

Roses north of Denali was backed up w/ hunters going into the Interior for moose season. My go-to breakfast spot in core Denali Village was found dilapidated & shut down. I drove on further south expecting to have to cook something up in my camper. I had already been on the road for 10 days and just wanted to have b-fast cooked for me. All of a sudden ~ there was a cafe w/ an open sign. Swing 'round and find a great menu, painstakingly crafted building [I mean closer tolerances than most up-scale homes] and good chow. Unfortunately, my only drawback was the OVERLY polite [Southern] woman running the kitchen. Her southern draw was antthing but accommodating. "Coming in!! ~ Going out"!! for my entire meal was nothing less than aggravating. Still, I will highly recommend this place... I really liked the rhubarb (jam) [or conserve?] despite it being served in a thimble-sized paper cup. The staff had no problem bringing me more to cover the second half of the home-baked bread when asked. In fact, I've already recommended them to my neighbors, anyone heading north and look forward to my next visit.

Loved the food, the bakery, the atmosphere, and the nature outside here! Came here several times to eat while in Denali. Definitely recommend!

What a gem!! Food, service, and atmosphere were all great! If back to the Denali area, we will for sure be back!

At least the second best bakery in all of Alaska. With Fire Island being number one. Servers were incredibly agile, engaging, and friendly. There is nothing better than being greeted with a Hi and a smile even if they're busy with other customers. Taking that split second to acknowlege fresh customers is a golden trait that so few places do not have. The goods were amazing, and apparently lead by a New York chef taking some time off. How great this place is!

Good facilities rooms in forest...

We stopped again today (9/4/23). Third time this summer. Food is excellent, prices reasonable, and service is fast and efficient. Our strong recommendation is emboldened each time we visit. The bakery items are fabulous. Stop here next time you are on the Parks. You won't be disappointed .

Very nice place to stop when visiting Denali. We called ahead and booked a table and found the table ready when we arrived. They offer good vegetarian options like avocado toast and veggie burrito. Food and coffee are both tasty😋 . Highly recommended !

I am almost a month late in writing this review but this place was a gem. We stayed at the Mt McKinley princess wilderness lodge and their restaurants were horrible. We found this place on our way to Fairbanks and decided to stop since I wanted to have some good food. We had the chicken sandwich, gyro bowl, Thai lettuce wraps and the burrito bowls. From the kids menu we got the chicken and rice because we didn’t want to try fish anymore. Everything we ordered, we absolutely loved it. The staff was also amazing. I would go again and maybe eat everything on the menu if I go again.

Amazing pastries and great lunch & dinner too. Vegetarian options available!

Food was delicious, stuff was nice! Great view

Our group stopped in for lunch on our way to Denali. I had the salmon chowder and apple pie. The pie was very tasty, but the chowder was simply terrific. On top of that our waitress was the best. She made the whole experience even better.

Had dinner here the nights of 8/26-27/23. The food, service and beer selection were really good.

Awesome location for a good breakfast. Very nice staff and everything is super tasty.

Best place anywhere on Parks Highway. Breakfast, lunch or dinner. Plan to stop here.

Heck of a find in the middle of nowhere. Awesome food. Great staff. A bit expensive but I really like the place. Clean and appealing. The cinnamon rolls are out of your mind good. Loved the outside seating and view of creek.

Ate there three nights and tried different food. All was exceptional, especially the Brussels sprouts and the chili.

The food was pretty good, Megan the server was terrible!

Beautiful interior & outside seating. Prompt, friendly service.

One of the best restaurants I’ve ever been to. Everything is fresh made from scratch. We had both since in and take out for breakfast and dinner. Don’t miss this place!

Food was exceptionally good. Ate here two nights because it was so good. Staff were very friendly and pleasant. Reasonable variety of food. The bakery section had very good choices that were delicious to grab and go with for a lunch in the park or an early breakfast.

Stopped in for a dinner with a date. She had the Mediterranean Grill with Reindeer sausage (she indicated it wasn’t bad, but the reindeer sausage didn’t seem to go with the Mediterranean…. I had the Halibut tacos. They were good (Grilled, but would be better deep fried. Great location and friendly staff.

Locally brewed rhubarb cider. Yum!

Did take out for breakfast for 30 people and was amazing service & delicious pre-made lunch. We loved it ❤️

Johanny was an amazing server! She was friendly & conscientious making the Creeksude experience one of a kind!!

Literally creekside, this place was a gem of a find on our long drive from Fairbanks to Anchorage. Was too hungry to take a photo but the Creekside skillet was delicious. Highly recommend the reindeer sausage.

Service was awesome, food was next level. You can tell everything is fresh and homemade.

Good service and atmosphere, the food wasn't bad at all but could have been better. We Had the highly recommended halibut tacos that were dry fish and fairly unflavorful, the monster burger was good but small.

Cute cabins by the creek, fairly quiet, handy café on site

This place is amazing! The salmon chowder was phenomenal and I ordered the special which was pan seared halibut with a mushroom risotto…my goodness it was amazing! Our server Dominic was super attentive too. Thanks for a great dinner!

Our group stopped here for lunch on our Alaska road trip adventure. Bonnie was our server and we LOVED her so much. She was so fun to talk to and gave great service. Kudos to a retired nurse living her best life in Alaska! The food was delicious. We added salmon to our salads and it was probably the best piece of salmon I had on our entire trip. And the smoked salmon chowder was perfection. We also got the Alaskan sized cinnamon roll to share and YUM! Even the Texans in our group were impressed with its size. Such a fun vibe and cute stop on our way out of Denali.

Stopped by this spot for lunch on 7/25 and had the absolute pleasure of having Bonnie as our server. She is one that our group of 5 will talk about for years to come. She’s a burst of energy and enthusiastic to be your server. The food was delicious and hit the spot. I highly recommend the smoked salmon dip and the summer salad (also added salmon to this). I sampled my friend’s salmon chowder and immediately wished I had ordered one for myself. I highly recommend anyone traveling to or from Denali to add this as a pit stop and ask for Bonnie!

We enjoyed our lunch in the cafe. We wanted vegetarian food and they had good options. The atmosphere is very pleasant and people working here are very welcoming and friendly. It was a nice sunny day so enjoyed a little time at the creek too. Its a very high vibe place. Highly recommend!!

I had my best meal in Alaska here, the summer salad with halibut. I'll be back, maybe next time to stay in one of the charming creekside cabins.

If you like spinach artichoke dip, then you have to try it here! By far the best. Beautiful spot near a river with amazing service (thank you Chris!). Highly recommend this next time you’re in Denali.

The cafe is next to a creek and if you sit outside you can feel the creek and the mountains around you . The food was really good too .

Awesome food and the service was just as good. Nice atmosphere and a Great View. Thanks.

Great food from the lunch down through dinner and dessert!! Wonderful pies and very friendly staff! Great experiences here!

Had breakfast here and was fantastic

Came here for brunch on a Saturday before our drive back to Anchorage and it was fantastic. I ordered a Benny Florentine which was perfect. Kudos to the chef for getting the eggs cooked perfectly (which is not easy). Side of Potatoes were nicely seasoned (some of the best I've had) and the cappuccino was great. Family ordered the veggie breakfast burrito and the 2 egg breakfast - everything was delicious! And we got a cinnamon roll to go which was also delicious! Service was also great. All the servers seemed very dedicated to what they were doing - they just seemed to want to be there! We sat inside but there was also seating out on the deck overlooking the mountains. This place is truly great - I may have to say one of the best breakfasts in Alaska! I would definitely come again for their lunch/dinner or even stay at their cabins - the river view on the property is gorgeous!

Our waitress, Skyler, was so friendly that we just had to come back!! Loved that they grow their own rhubarb for pie and their drinks right outside, and the chef special was fantastic both nights! Definitely recommend stopping

Great place. Blueberry pancakes light and fluffy. Toast that came with the skillet was so thick and yummy. Also plenty of bakery items. Strawberry rhubarb coffee cake was awesome. Wish I had bought more of it.

Had a salad and two 18" pizzas. The pizza's were huge and delicious. Would highly recommend.

Pricey food but that's Alaska for you. Delicious and convenient for us.

Had a very unkind experience. My daughter and I were so looking forward to resting and getting a good meal as we were passing through Denali. We were traveling with a 2 mos old and a dog. We asked if we could pass through to the outside patio with the dog and were told yes, then a very unkind waitress basically kicked us out. My daughter and I ended up eating a quick to go sandwich in our car. We’ve loved stopping there before and were so disappointed to be treated so unkindly this time.

Came here for dinner and breakfast and it was really good food. The place gets crowded quickly and there might be a wait for the restaurant as well for the bakery. Biggest cinnamon rolls I’ve ever seen.

A surprise stop after Denali Park. Excellent food.

The food quality here is above average Alaska’s standard.

Best Cafe you can find in Alaska Great Service Food and view 10/10

Great food and great service! We had breakfast and it was very delicious, prepared fresh and Johanny is a great waitress! We will come back 😊

We loved the food and service here! (Special thanks to Dominic and Luca for suggesting yummy vegetarian options) We had 2 lunches and 1 dinner and thoroughly enjoyed the taste of the food and the positive vibe of the place! They have decent vegetarian options and these dishes were SO yumm: Parm, Spinach, Artichoke dip with tortilla chips, Stir fry Thai noodles, Mediterranean salad