Legal alcohol sales have come to Bethel. Fili’s Pizza restaurant received its first alcohol shipment and began selling beer and wine when the eatery opened at 11 a.m. Friday.
As of 1:30 p.m. the restaurant said it’s sold three alcoholic beverages, marking the first legally sold alcohol in Bethel in more than 40 years.
Fili’s Pizza restaurant received its alcohol license from the Alaska Alcoholic Beverage Control Board this week. Restaurant owner Fili Saliu says the license arrived in the mail Wednesday, and the restaurant placed its first wine and beer order that evening.
Fili’s is the only Bethel restaurant to hold a liquor license. Two other entities, AC Quickstop and Bethel Native Corporation’s Bethel Spirits, hold Bethel’s two other liquor licenses — both for package liquor stores, which have not yet opened.
