At Bear Tooth, dinner can mean settling in with grilled salmon and coconut rice, or carrying a pizza, a cold beer and a basket of garlic-forward fries into a movie. The Anchorage destination is divided between a full-service grill and a theaterpub, giving an evening two notably different tracks.
The restaurant side is built for a more conventional sit-down meal, with a broad menu that moves easily from burgers and sandwiches to tacos, salads, bowls, soups and seafood. Across the way, the theaterpub puts films at the center of the plan, with food and drinks available during the screening.
That split is useful when a group cannot quite agree on dinner. One person can make a proper meal of salmon or poke, another can go for a big burger, and movie-minded diners have a separate setting for pizza, appetizers and a cocktail with the show.
The grill menu goes well beyond the usual pub fare
Bear Tooth’s restaurant menu has enough range to make it a destination even without a movie afterward. Burgers, tacos, sandwiches, salads, seafood and vegetarian and vegan dishes share the bill, rather than treating the meatless choices as an afterthought.
The Brewer’s Burger is a notably loaded option: a large patty with bacon, sautéed onions and mushrooms, Muenster cheese, arugula and garlic aioli. It is the sort of burger that needs a little table space and perhaps a stack of napkins nearby.
Sandwich and handheld choices have included a Monte Cristo, ranch burrito, Anaheim turkey club and meat lovers sandwich. The selection makes a late lunch or an informal bar meal easy to picture without requiring a full multi-course dinner.
Tacos, seafood and bowls for a lighter route
The seafood side of the menu gives the grill a distinctly Alaska-appropriate note. Choices have included grilled salmon with coconut rice, salmon poke, fish and chips, and chicken-fried chicken for diners who want comfort food rather than fish.
Fish tacos arrive with house-made green and red salsas, and cod and rockfish tacos have also appeared among the options. The appeal here is not a single narrow taco formula; there is room to order according to appetite and mood.
The salmon poke bowl has been especially memorable for its sauces, while salads offer another change of pace. A zucchini salad with an Asian-inspired dressing, strawberry spinach salad and garden salad have all brought some freshness to a menu that otherwise gives plenty of attention to burgers, pizza and fried snacks.
Fries, wings and the useful art of ordering extra
The small-plate portion of a Bear Tooth meal deserves some attention. Chicken wings, southwest egg rolls, jalapeño poppers, nachos and garlic bites provide the sort of shareable spread that can turn a casual table into a longer visit.
The fries have their own following, particularly the rosemary garlic fries and garlic cilantro fries. They are a fine argument against ordering only one side for the table.
Portions tend to be substantial, so the menu lends itself to a little sampling. A plate of appetizers before entrées or a basket of fries alongside burgers can make sense, especially when the table includes diners taking different routes through the menu.
The theaterpub changes the pace
On the theaterpub side, the meal is designed around the screening. Guests can eat and drink while watching a film, turning an ordinary dinner-and-a-movie plan into one stop instead of two.
The programming has ranged from family titles such as The Lego Batman Movie to cult and adult-oriented selections including Scott Pilgrim vs. the World and Deadpool. It is worth treating the schedule as its own thing rather than assuming every showing suits every age group.
A lively crowd can add an extra spark to the right film, particularly when the audience knows and enjoys what is on screen. For a quieter visit, the full-service grill remains the more traditional dining choice.
Pizza with a movie, plus a few playful combinations
The theaterpub menu has its own personality, centered on pizza and casual food that works well at a screening. Chorizo pizza, chicken ranch pizza, mac-and-cheese pizza and the Aloha Escape pizza show a willingness to have some fun with the format.
A meat lovers sandwich offers an alternative for diners who are not in a pizza mood. Add garlic bites or another appetizer, and the table is set up for a full film rather than a rushed pre-show snack.
The restaurant and theaterpub should be thought of as distinct formats, not interchangeable rooms with the same menu. That is helpful to know before deciding whether the priority is a broad grill menu or a movie-night spread.
Beer, cocktails and house-made sodas
Craft beer and cocktails are central to the Bear Tooth lineup, with choices that fit both a bar stop and a longer dinner. Broken Tooth raspberry wheat, The Brut IPA and the bear margarita are among the drinks that have drawn attention.
For a nonalcoholic option with more personality than a standard soft drink, house-made root beer and cream soda offer a nice detour. They also make sense with pizza, fries and the theaterpub’s more casual fare.
The theaterpub includes a bar where a meal or drink can stand on its own. That flexibility gives Bear Tooth a place in the day beyond prime dinner hours: it can be a quick lunch, a drink before plans elsewhere, or the beginning of an entire evening.
More than regular screenings
Bear Tooth has also made room for special programming, including international film-festival screenings and themed craft nights. Those events give the theater side a broader calendar than a standard multiplex schedule.
Families have options in the mix, too. The restaurant has offered children’s meals including grilled salmon with coconut rice and a kids’ salad, along with a chocolate mini mousse dessert.
At busy times, the restaurant side can mean a wait for a table. The theaterpub offers another way to spend the evening, particularly when the appeal is less about a conventional dinner and more about making a film, a pizza and a drink the whole plan.