Review of New Sagaya City Market - Anchorage, Alaska…read more Five weeks ago, I moved from San Francisco to Anchorage, settling near the downtown area. One of my first missions was to find a coffee spot that felt like home--a place with not just great coffee, but genuine people behind the counter. After trying a handful of cafes, a neighbor suggested New Sagaya City Market, just two blocks from my house. What a win. The market itself offers high-end, quality products. Yes, prices are a bit higher than what you'd find at Walmart or Target, but coming from San Francisco, I was prepared for that. What truly sets this place apart, though, isn't just the products--it's the people. From the very beginning, the baristas here have shown me the most consistent and heartfelt customer service I've experienced since moving to Anchorage. They don't just serve coffee; they connect with you, listen to your stories, and make you feel like part of the community. Today was a perfect example. I slipped in the parking lot (rookie mistake--no spikes on my shoes for the icy ground). After two kind gentlemen helped me up, I walked inside with my spilled coffee. Annie, a new barista I hadn't met before, immediately offered me a fresh cup with such kindness and care. That small gesture meant so much--it wasn't just about the coffee, it was about feeling seen and supported. I also want to shout out Monica and Shea, who I met when I first arrived five weeks ago. They've been consistently amazing--funny, charming, and genuinely interested in conversations about life, community, and even my adventures back in San Francisco. Every time I come in, I leave feeling lighter, happier, and more connected. Thank you, Annie, Monica, and Shea, for making New Sagaya City Market my go-to coffee spot. You've given me more than great coffee--you've given me a sense of belonging in a new city. --- Would you like me to make this version short and punchy for Google/Yelp reviews, or keep it longer and more storytelling-focused for something like a blog or social post?

Unique foods, excellent fish, and exotic vegetables make New Sagaya a fun place to shop for items…read moreyou can't get anywhere else. While the store is pricey, it is worth a visit for the items you can't get anywhere else and excellent customer service. I recommend trying the pre-seasoned ahi tuna, my personal favorite for at home meals.

Entrance is not obvious, it is aroind the right side…read more The bar service was nil. Sat for eight minutes waiting for a table. Bartender totally ignored us. Not even a grunt. No non-alcoholic beer. No non-alcoholic wines. Boo! Waitress was attentive, without being obsequious. Crab legs were excellent. Seafood pate was excellent. Ditto salmon. Ditto chowder. Potato salad was unremarkable. The table next to us ordered the Po' Boy and it looked astonishing! Next time ... The hard surfaces make it a tad too loud for my dining comfort. Otherwise; it is a clean and minimalist space.

We had dinner here as part of our tour. We started with a nice salad with some cucumber and cherry…read moretomatoes. The main course was a piece of boneless chicken, a piece of really pink salmon (sockeye maybe), small potatoes and zucchini. Dessert was rhubarb-raspberry crumble with vanilla ice cream.

Spent two days catching and filleting fresh sockeye salmon in Bristol Bay with my 88-year-old dad…read more Staff lost my salmon except for a few fillets and tried to push their last year's freezer burned salmon on me as a replacement. The worst part was they didn't tell me when they gave me the box of fish; I found out when I got home. Picture shows the comparison of my vibrant sockeye salmon versus their last year's sad fish. Both are frozen.

My first time in Anchorage, Alaska and I heard so many people saying I would have to visit the…read morelocal market so I could get seafood packed and bring back home. However, this place was pretty disappointing. Everything is frozen already. It looked like something I could buy at Costco or any of those big stores and it was extremely expensive for the quality that it looked like it's definitely super small not an actual market and it wasn't worth me going and thinking I could get stuff packed and bring back home. Unfortunately I ended up getting nothing and I rather get seafood from somewhere in New York instead.. I did take some pictures of some of the stuff. It was definitely a small place and many options.

No line on a Wednesday evening. I made a bee line to the bar and had my order ready. I needed a…read morelight broth soup so I ordered shrimp tempura udon and snow crab. Udon was fresh. Soup itself tasted like it was from the packaged udon in the refrigerated section. Tempura was definitely the frozen type and only fried once. Still good especially since I didn't have a kitchen in my hotel. Snow crab is frozen and was in the pot of broth for at least 10 minutes. It is a one man show and I managed to get out after an hour of opening. Pretty cozy. Next time I hope to get the chirashi. Sushi bar refrigerator doesn't have any fish in it. Came in originally for the idiot fish but he was out.

I wanted to love this place so bad, but it was just ok. The wait is worse than the reviews say…read more He literally works on 1 item at a time, and even though the table next to me ordered the same special sake with the salmon fin, he only made 1 sake at a time. Mine may have showed up 20mins after my neighbor's. The quality of the food items were just ok. I had comparable sushi at another sushi restaurant a few blocks away. -Idiot Fish: The most exciting thing was the name. It was a pretty firm fish, no fat, and quite a few bones. -Sashimi Platter: 6 types, with 2 each. We got mackerel, yellowtail, tuna, salmon, white fish (snapper?), and octopus. -King Crab Roll: What I thought was the imitation crab was actually real crab. The coloring was so ...fake looking. It's not a bad roll, but I'm not sure the flavor of the crab came through. -Beef Steak Japanese Style: Big dish but awful cut of meat and had a semi off taste. Either freezer burn or the fridge. It was full of sinew and super chewy. -Herring Roe on Seaweed: This had a strange bitter aftertaste. I couldn't eat the beef after having this, it made the beef bitter too. It was a super fun texture though. Very snappy, very poppy. Only come here if you absolutely have the time for it. My dinner took about 3 hours, and there were 5 other tables.

An institution in anchorage. Very fresh and varied options for smoked meats and salmon. From…read morefilets to multiple smoked flavors. The service is always prompt and friendly and the products are exceptional. It's been around a long time for a reason.

Dave was so knowledgeable! The whole experience was outstanding and we are looking forward to…read morehaving tasty smoked salmon at home!

Wonderful. Fish fry, ribs, and peppercorn steak were all phenomenal. Jalapeño/cornbread with honey…read morebutter was the biggest hit. Nice drinks and great service will make us want to come back.

Visited for dinner last night and lunch today. Both experiences delivered high-quality service and…read morefantastic food. Last night we sampled the calamari and the Alaska chowder. The calamari was easily the best that I've ever had in my life. The chowder was absolutely fantastic. I also tried their beer flight, I don't know if I've ever mentioned beer in any of my reviews, cause I typically don't drink it. I was absolutely shocked to discover that the stout was one of my favorites, with that dark chocolate finish. All of the beers were really good, just a bit filling. Today I sampled the French dip and a slice of pizza, and both of those were absolutely fantastic. Had the calamari again, and everyone agreed that it was pretty much the best ever. Service last night was very good, our server took care to explain the food and drink options as well as answering any questions. He was very attentive and friendly. I went with a large group for lunch today and our server was excellent, she nailed every order and was friendly and quite attentive. Large groups can be a hassle, but she handled it excellently. The atmosphere last night was quite busy as you would imagine on a Friday night. That's why the good service and great food is extra impressive. We had a private room for our group lunch today, and it was quite nice as well. I would absolutely come back here again, and list them as a must visit for anyone visiting Anchorage. So far the food scene in Anchorage just doesn't seem to miss. Kudos to the management and staff for running an excellent restaurant operation and delivering both quality customer service and superior food product.

Great food. Loved everything I ordered! I went here after a trip to Alaska and when I return to…read moreAlaska, I will definitely go here again.

Fantastic food and quick service. Even with a busy Friday evening Mariah B was on top of everything…read moreincluding a new bib and keeping drinks refilled.

We know crab legs in Alaska are no different than anywhere else. But we did get great food here. We…read moregot red king crab legs, easy to peel shrimp, and crab meat fried rice. All were delicious and worth the price. Our waitress was nice too. Will come back if we get a chance to revisit AK.

Fantastic Asian market that leans heavily on Filipino supplies. Very clean and organized! The…read morelunch cafeteria is a real treat, lots to choose from and all of it cooked in-house. The service was excellent and staff were all friendly.

I have ventured into New Sagaya Midtown a handful of times in the last decade, usually on a mission…read morefor something that I cannot find at Carrs or Freddies. Today I was searching for Taiwanese rice vinegar. When I was about to give up, I found it in the vinegar isle, not the Asian sauce isle, like I would have suspected! New Sagaya Midtown has a fantastic selection of all things one might need to make some killer Asian or Mexican dishes and I love coming here for that. The main downside is that they are expensive, typically in the L48 stores like Uwajimaya and Hmart are cheaper than Safeway/QFC but that is simply not the case here. The store is relatively clean and well lit, there is no funky odor which is greatly appreciated. The cashier is always quick, but that's the extent of the service I have received at the store. I will keep coming back when I need to find a special ingredient to keep exploring the culinary world.

Went for a Sunday night "fancy" dinner with fam, including 2 little boys. The atmosphere and view…read morewere wonderful but the food was disappointing. They made substitutions for the kids, which we really appreciated. Prime rib and pasta were okay, not amazing. Crab stuffed halibut sounded wonderful but was very dry, as were the mashed potatoes. . All veggies were under-cooked. Wait staff were pleasant and efficient but drinks and meals take a long time.

One thing I need to say is that Anchorage water is the best. They served it and it was so…read morerefreshing. I even had someone on the cruise ship say the same thing. We ordered iced tea and it was good which some places serve water it's okay so i would have been happy only drinking water which I normally have a hard time doing. I started off with a cup of clam chowder especially when I am in a city that is by the ocean and know for seafood. It was a good cup of chowder (thinking it in a Boston accent). The bread was delicious. They had king salmon on the menu so I had to get it. It was fresh and had a great taste. My wife had the roasted chicken Dijon. She said the chicken was moist and had a good flavor. Our waiter was attentive and the place had a great view of the bay.