Traveler’s Guide to Anchorage, Alaska
Anchorage is the bustling heart of south-central Alaska and is home to nearly half the state’s population. Use Anchorage as your base camp for your Alaskan adventure, but be sure to spend a few days in town. With an international airport and an array of first-rate hotels, museums and restaurants, Anchorage is as comfortable as any American city, but is situated in the shadow of the Chugach Mountains and is surround by the arms of the shining Cook Inlet.
Restaurants
- Arctic Roadrunner
- Burger joint. Visit the Seward Highway location for an extremely comfortable “ski lodge” atmosphere and a 300,000 year-old mammoth tusk. Cash only. Closed on Sundays.
- Tommy’s Burger Stop
- Burger joint. A local favorite in midtown, Tommy’s Burger Stop is a good place for a quick bite, and ideal for grabbing food to picnic in a nearby park.
- City Diner
- Classic Americana. Located in midtown Anchorage, the City Diner is proof that Alaska may be exotic, but is still all American. Come here once you’re sick of salmon. Awesome 24-hours a day.
- Gwennie’s Old Alaska Restaurant
- Family-style. Just you try and leave Gwennie’s hungry. This midtown chow house fills you up with food and history. Be sure and study the early Alaskan memorabilia between bites.
- Taco King
- Authentic Mexican. Anchorage is about as far as you can get from “south of the border”, but you’ll be pleasantly surprised at how well Taco King can satisfy any sudden need for Mexican fare. Several locations. Delivery available.
- The Lucky Wishbone
- Southern-style. Great place to go when you start missing fried chicken, burgers, and milkshakes. Interesting pilot memorabilia.
- Moose’s Tooth Pub and Pizzeria
- Pizza and beer. Truly a place full of flavor, the Moose’s Tooth offers a place for Alaskans and visitors to mingle over steaming pizza and bubbling microbrew. The sheer variety of food and beverage will have you making more than one stop. A must for beer lovers!
- Bear Tooth Theatre Pub
- Pizza and beer, and a movie? Once you fall in love with Moose’s Tooth take the relationship to the next level. Take the pizza and beer you love out to a first-run movie at the Bear Tooth Theatre Pub. Bear Tooth serves food and drink to its patrons directly in the theater. Also an excellent concert venue.
- Bernie’s Bungalow Lounge
- Pub food. A local favorite and a relaxing place to grab a drink at the end of a long day of sightseeing.
- F Street Station
- Pub food. Another local favorite for lunch, the F Street Station is a haunt for bush pilots and downtown professionals alike.
- Humpy’s Great Alaskan Alehouse
- Pub food. One of the most poplar places in all of Anchorage. Mix with locals and other visitors in this downtown staple. Good food and a formidable beer selection.
- Glacier BrewHouse
- Fine dining. Finer beer. Glacier BrewHouse is the heart of downtown Anchorage. This restaurant/brewery epitomizes a celebrated Alaskan phenomenon: high-caliber cuisine and artfully crafted beer completely devoid of pretention. Show up in blue jeans and try whatever’s on tap.
- Simon and Seafort’s
- Fine dining. Simon and Seafort’s is a restaurant for special occasion. If you are celebrating something than keep Simon and Seafort’s in mind. Be prepared for an unforgettable dining experience, exhilarating views, and delightfully fresh ocean fare.
- Crow’s Nest
- Fine dining. Located at the top of the Captain Cook hotel’s Tower 3, the Crow’s Nest provides diners with unparalleled vistas of the Chugach Mountains. Superb eating, endless wine lest.
- Sacks Café & Restaurant
-
Fine dining. Sacks Café serves adventurous dishes that
depend only on the
chefs’ imagination and what’s in season. Noteworthy lunches and remarkable dinner and deserts. - New Sagaya
- Seafood. If you are looking to submerge yourself in Alaskan seafood go directly to New Sagaya. While primarily a fresh fish market, both downtown and midtown locations have cafés attached.
- Jens’ Restaurant
- Scandinavian fusion. A gem in midtown Anchorage, Jens’ Restaurant draws from the bounty of the Alaskan waters under Danish influence. Great for lunch and large parties.
- ORSO Ristorante
- Mediterranean fusion. Another intriguing eatery where European styling makes compelling use of the Alaskan biome. Orso is located downtown and is well worth a visit.
- Middle Way Café
- Café. A hip spot in midtown with its juice-bar and smoothies, Middle Way Café is perfect for an energizing breakfast or lunch.
- Snow City Café
- Café. Located downtown in a town that doesn’t sleep in. Be sure to eat breakfast at this fun and funky eatery at least once while in Anchorage.
- Kaladi Brothers Coffee Company
- Coffee. The city may get soaked in sunlight 19-hours a day in the summer, but you still may need your morning cup of joe. Coffee connoisseurs, prepare for a treat.
