Best Places to Eat in Alaska according to Alaskans

Last Updated on April 24, 2024

If you’re planning a visit to Alaska, then you want to know where to find the best food! Alaska excels at bakeries, seafood so make sure to fit in as many bakeries and as much seafood as possible during your trip. Pizza and beer is another frequent option that will almost always be good.

As a former Alaskan, frequent visitor and tour guide, I rounded up the best places to eat in Alaska from friends there and included my favorites too. If you’re visiting somewhere that’s not on this list or looking for something specific, ask a local for help and they will glad you point you to their favorite spots. Here you go, the best places to eat in Alaska, loved by Alaskans:

• Anchorage
• Denali
• Fairbanks
• Kenai Peninsula
• Southeast Alaska
• Valdez

Related: Best breweries in Alaska and beer tour of the Last Frontier

Prefer to listen to our recommendations instead?

Anchorage

Best places to eat in Anchorage

• Moose’s Tooth: A forever favorite with Alaskans, this is the best and most loved pizza in Anchorage! Their beers are well loved too!
• Bear Tooth is the same company as Moose’s Tooth and therefore just as loved. The difference with Bear Tooth is that it’s also a movie theater! You order you food and beer (or other drinks) and catch a movie while you eat.
• 49th State Brewing – excellent food (especially salads, hard to find in Alaska!) and a wonderful roof top deck for summer days in Anchorage
• Sushi and Sushi: one of my friends in Anchorage says this is the best sushi in town, and occasionally deep fried oreos are available for a dessert pairing!
• Fire Island Bakery: best bakery in Anchorage, according to my born and raised friend who finds the best bakeries in any town!
• Snow City: Super duper popular and delicious breakfast spot downtown. Expect to wait at least an hour, but if you’re up for a wait, you won’t be disappointed! Don’t wait to wait and have access to a car? Head to Spenard Roadhouse or South Restaurant instead (same owners).
• Midnight Sun Cafe – probably the best breakfast sandwich I have ever had, and really good coffee downtown.
• Gwennies: Another Anchorage institution with amazing breakfast
• Spenard Road house: A favorite for Alaskan style comfort food
• Wild scoops: Did you know Alaskans eat more ice cream per capita than any other state? It’s true! All year long. You’ll find ice cream everywhere but this is the local favorite. Locally made in small batches with lots of Alaskan ingredients too!
• Muse – recently reopened for lunch only in the lobby of the Anchorage Museum, this is a fantastic place for a really good lunch downtown.

Best places to eat near Anchorage

About 45 scenic minutes away from Anchorage is the picturesque town of Girdwood, which has lots of restaurants loved by locals including:

• Jack Sprat: A local foodie favorite, they have Alaskan local organic ingredients featured in all their dishes.
• Chair 5: Another forever favorite featuring pizza and other Alaskan/American fare. Popular after ski and hike spot
• Double Musky: New Orleans style food featuring Alaska seafood, a must do for foodies
• The Bake Shop: Pastries, coffee and sandwiches, the go-to bakery in Girdwood

Denali National Park

All of these local favorites near Denali are outside of the area right at the park entrance. All except 229 Parks are in Healy, located about 10 miles north of the park entrance. These are all seasonal except for Rose’s, which has limted winter hours.

• 49th State Brewing: Great pub food and beer, located in Healy. There is also a location in downtown Anchorage that is open all year.
• The bright orange thai food truck at the Grizzly Bear across the highway from Denali Park Village – it’s delicious and two people can eat for $20ish – a serious bargain in Denali where hot dogs go for $15!
• Black Diamond Golf course and grill: Great food and affordable prices make this a good stop in Healy even if you’re not a golfer
• Rose’s cafe: Bakery with good breakfasts and burgers too
• Lynx Pizza inside the Princess hotel

Fairbanks

Best places to eat in Fairbanks

Fairbanks is an amazing food city, so good for enjoying local food I have an entire article just about eating in Fairbanks. Here are a few highlights:

• Turtle Club: On the edge of town, this is the Fairbanks restaurant institution. It is extremely popular with locals and has a wonderful local vibe. Note: if you don’t like prime rib, don’t go to the Turtle Club. It’s amazing, but that’s what they do.
• East Ramp Pizza – the best pizza in Fairbanks and a must visit for aviation enthusiasts. Watch all kinds of planes take off and land while you enjoy your food.
• Thai Food – Thai food in Fairbanks is amazing! Local favorites are Lemongrass and Thai House, but all thai food here is incredible.
• Alaska Coffee Roasters: Wonderful coffee (and you can buy beans), pastries and (of course!) pizza
• Sunrise Bagel and Espresso Three drive through shops in different parts of town with delicious coffee as well as amazing breakfast sandwiches!
• Lavelle’s Bistro: Incredible food and known for its wine cellar, foodies must not miss this local favorite.
• Pike’s Landing: This is a great place to sit on the deck for a drink and some food in the summer and watch the river go by
• Cookie Jar and the Chowder House: Both local favorites for soup and sandwiches, Cookie Jar has (surprise!) amazing cookies.
• The Library (note-not an actual library) is popular with locals for its fun cocktails downtown
• Hot licks: see above about Alaskans love of ice cream! Hot licks is only open in the summer.

Best places to eat near Fairbanks

Fairbanks is a place where people will drive a bit out of town for a good meal. Here are a few favorites:

• Two Rivers Lodge: Delicious food in a lodge atmosphere on the way to Chena Hot Springs. I had dinner here the night I got engaged! **Two Rivers Lodge burned in the summer of 2021. I’m keeping it here because I hope they rebuild this wonderful place!**
• Angel Creek Lodge: Almost all the way to Chena Hot Springs, good food in a classically Alaskan atmosphere.
• Chatanika Lodge: About 45 minutes from Fairbanks is the Alaskan lodge style restaurant with lots of crowd pleasing favorites in a very Alaskan atmosphere.
• Big Delta Brewing Company is located in Delta Junction, about 2 hours southeast of Fairbanks. They have wonderful beer, sandwiches, salads and pizza and are in a fantastic location with lots of great hiking! Perfect after hike stop.

Kenai Peninsula

• Salty Dawg Saloon: This is not actually food, but you gotta go! It’s a good place to grab a drink and take in this iconic Homer spot. They have chips, but that’s about it for food (I know because I once walked a few miles to get there from my campsite and then found out they didn’t have food, oops!)
• Two Sisters Bakery (Homer): Alaska bakeries are amazing and this one is a highlight! In addition to bakery items they also offer breakfast and lunch
• Fat Olives (Homer): Seafood and Pizza! That’s Alaska right there (and bakeries)
• The Cookery (Seward): good foodie option for delicious and locally sourced food in downtown Seward.
• Firebrand BBQ (Seward): amazing Texas style BBQ with amazing breakfast burritos too!
• Odie’s deli (Soldotna): good option for affordable sandwiches and coffee, especially if you’re on the road!

Southeast Alaska

If you’re in Southeast Alaska outside of Juneau and Ketchikan, find the bakery (ask a local) and order seafood and you’ll be all set. Here are a few specific recommendations for Juneau and Ketchikan.

Best Places to eat in Juneau

• V’s Cellar Door: Super popular and delicious Mexican Korean fusion spot downtown
• Tracy’s Crab Shack: Not a shack, and super touristy but also delicious and extremely popular with locals, including the fishing guides, so you know it’s good. You won’t go wrong with seafood in Juneau!
• The Hangar: Another busy and spot downtown that is very popular with locals. Fantastic seafood and burgers and salads in a historic airplane hangar. Get the Tempura Halibut.
• Crazy popular delicious food truck Dave’s Deckhand tacos featuring, you guessed it! Fish tacos!
• Heritage Coffee: Good coffee, also good spot for breakfast and lunch sandwiches (open until 3pm)
• Devil’s Club Brewing: Local brewery with great beer and excellent sandwiches.
• The Island Pub: On Douglas Island. Great for pizza and getting away from the tourist hub downtown.

Best Places to eat in Ketchikan

• Alaska Crepe Company: delicious crepes both savory and sweet…mmmm!
• Sweet Mermaids: Another winning Alaska bakery! They also have a delicious breakfast sandwich option.
• Fat Stan’s: Best pizza in town
• New York Cafe: Several delicious options for breakfast, lunch and dinner, seafood as well as burgers and falafel
• Diaz Cafe: Delicious Filipino food!

Best places to eat in Sitka

• Beak (Be AK) – this is the best restaurant in Sitka for overall and local food. Don’t miss this!
• Backdoor Cafe – behind the bookstore, AMAZING cinnamon rolls (only on Saturdays) and coffee
• Wildflour Cafe and Highliner Coffee both have great coffee and breakfast sandwiches
• Ashmo’s food truck (summer only) – incredible seafood!
• Mean Queen – this is your spot for deep dish pizza and wings

Best places to eat in Valdez

If you’re lucky enough to be going to Valdez, there are several really good options here.

• The Potato – also a location in McCarthy that is an absolute must do if you’re making it out to McCarthy, this location in Valdez is a bit easier to get to and just as delicious. Not surprisingly, they are known for their epic fries.
• Valdez Brewing – Fantastic beer and a great food truck outside
• The Fat Mermaid – especially for breakfast, make sure to get the french toast, it’s amazing!

Jennie Flaming

Hi! I'm Jennie. I’m a fourth generation Seattleite. I lived in Alaska for many years and I still spend lots of time there every year visiting friends and working as a tour director. I've been a guide for many years in both Alaska and Washington, am a field editor for the Milepost and host the Alaska Uncovered Podcast about Alaska Travel as well as the Washington State Hiking Podcast. I love to share the places I love with visitors, newcomers and my fellow locals. I’m so glad to have you here!