About Southside Bistro

The restaurant has two large comfortable rooms. It has a warm feel with large French Vintage posters on textured walls. The "Dining Room" side views the open kitchen and features daily specials and the dinner menu. The more casual "Bistro" side with a wine bar, offers daily specials, the dinner menu and the additional "Bistro Menu" that features wood oven gourmet pizzas, burgers and more that is only available on the "Bistro Side". The food is always Fresh and Fun and for 1999 the Anchorage Daily News selected the Southside Bistro the best restaurant in the city. Amanda Haugen, General Manager, was born in Anchorage, and is a fourth generation Alaskan. She has been working at the Bistro since 2000, and has created one of the best beer and wine list in the city.  Travis Haugen, Chef de Cuisine, graduated top of his class at Le Cordon Bleu at Brown College, and has experience in some of the best restaurants in Minneapolis and St. Paul as well as Anchorage.

About JENS NANNESTAD

Born and raised by a Danish forester in southern Sweden, Jens is the youngest of three children. He apprenticed with an Austrian Chef, then moved to the USA in 1982. Jens graduated with honors from the California Culinary Academy in 1985. Later, he moved to Alaska to attain permanent US residence. There he worked for Jens Hansen at the Crow's Nest Restaurant, at The Hotel Captain Cook. Jens took over the helm as Chef de Cuisine when "big Jens" started his own restaurant. In 1989, he returned to the San Francisco Bay area to cook in a new restaurant. After a couple of years he was offered a job as executive chef on one of Holland America's exclusive Windstar Cruises. After a few cruise contracts in the Caribbean and Tahiti he once again returned to the San Francisco bay area only to in 1993 return to Anchorage where Jens was hired as chef/manager at O'Malley's on the Green.
In late 1995 Jens opened the Southside Bistro. To this day Jens enjoys spending time raising his three sons Oliver, Jaesper and Maximus as well as working the Bistro. Jens is also co-owner ,with Al Levinsohn, of the City Diner in Spenard.