Photo Credit: Tequila 61

The Best Anchorage Restaurants & Nightlife

Halibut tacos? Absolutely—here in Alaska, fresh fish is the name of the game. And not just any fish—the salmon, halibut, snow crab, mussels, and shrimp come from some of the cleanest, most pristine waters in the world.

Food Tours by foot or van

Depart from downtown Anchorage and explore Alaska's cuisine by foot or van

Alaskan Sights & Bites

There's more to be found than just seafood. Enjoy steak slathered in peppercorn sauce or freshly-prepared Japanese yakisoba noodles. Choose between elegant or down-to-earth restaurants: Some boast 10,000 – bottle wine cellars, while others feature stuffed grizzly bears standing over indoor creeks. Those with simpler tastes can enjoy one of many brewery/eateries, offering award-winning beers and great food at affordable prices.

Listed below you'll find our favorite choices for dining out in Anchorage. All the restaurants reviewed are either long-standing classics or newer standouts that are beginning to leave their mark on the Anchorage dining scene. Expect a very enjoyable and memorable experience at any of the fine-dining options.

Another glimpse into Alaska's food culture is available with Big Swig Brewery Tours and Alaska Farm Tours.

Downtown

Within walking distance to most Downtown Anchorage hotels

At this hip, invit­ing wine bistro, you can choose from 40 wines by the glass with your lunch or din­ner. Sit and enjoy a glass, or share a bot­tle among friends. 

This down­town shop and café is a lit­tle glimpse into old Anchor­age — a city that was­n’t com­plete­ly about log­ging, fish­ing and tough guys. Built in 1915, the Kim­ball build­ing, on Town Square Park at the cor­ner of 5th and E, is a stop on the his­toric walk­ing tour and still has antique fix­tures and floor­ing. It’s eclec­tic, quaint-meets-cool” gift and tea shop is an exten­sion of a famed dry goods and sewing notions store that has been in business…  ...more

Gin­ger is locat­ed in his­toric down­town Anchor­age, Alas­ka. Open since March of 2007, we spe­cial­ize in Pacif­ic Rim cui­sine and clas­sic Asian spe­cial­ties. Our meals are hand-craft­ed from fresh ingre­di­ents by a devot­ed crew of local restau­rant veterans.

Hand­made pas­tas and deli­cious piz­zas are just the begin­ning of Flattop’s unique menu, which is full of inven­tive options. Set in the heart of Down­town Anchor­age, the restau­rant brings togeth­er high-end cui­sine and an exten­sive wine list and serves it in a casu­al, fam­i­ly-friend­ly atmosphere.

At first blush, this tra­di­tion­al down­town restau­rant may seem like just a spe­cial occa­sion place: steaks, lob­ster, oys­ters Rock­e­feller and impec­ca­ble ser­vice. But, its also an Anchor­age main­stay for busi­ness pow­er lunch­es, date nights and even upscale prom nights. They also have one of the best Hap­py Hours in town with drink spe­cials and dis­count­ed appetizers.

Locat­ed atop Tow­er 3 of down­town Anchor­age’s Hotel Cap­tain Cook, this AAA-four-dia­mond fine din­ing restau­rant — the only one in Anchor­age — offers a blend of French and New Amer­i­can cuisines, a 10,000-bottle wine cel­lar and stun­ning views of Down­town, Chugach Moun­tains, and Cook Inlet. Dish­es reflect local resources, such as veni­son loin and Bering Sea king crab legs. Hours Mon­day through Sat­ur­day — 5pm-9pm. Prices Entrees range from $29…  ...more

The Glac­i­er Brew­house is a favorite among locals and vis­i­tors alike. Meals are served in a large rus­tic din­ing area, com­plete with a fire­place in the mid­dle, cre­at­ing a warm and invit­ing atmos­phere that’s always abuzz with con­ver­sa­tion. Here you can enjoy fresh seafood and meats while sam­pling a spec­trum of home­made beers. Before or after you meal, be sure to check out the brew­ing equip­ment on dis­play through the glass wall. 

Giv­ing fresh Alaskan dish­es a unique touch, Orso serves din­ner in a warm, invit­ing atmos­phere. Clas­sics like grilled wild Alaskan salmon are served with an olive and toma­to sal­sa, while Bering sea scal­lops come with a wal­nut-gor­gonzo­la risot­to. And you don’t want to miss the desserts.

This clas­sic steak­house in down­town Anchor­age has a lot of sto­ries to tell: While the restau­rant start­ed in the 1950s, its home build­ing dates back to the 1920s. Cut and aged on the premis­es, the steaks — some four inch­es thick — have been vot­ed the best in Anchor­age for 12 years run­ning. No sur­prise, though, there is surf as well as turf: the menu fea­tures hal­ibut, scal­lops, prawns and the much-sought-after red king crab.

Dine on deli­cious Japan­ese cui­sine pre­pared in the tra­di­tion­al tep­pa­nya­ki style at Beni­hana Anchor­age. Enjoy the com­pa­ny of friends, fam­i­ly, and cowork­ers around com­mu­nal hibachi grill tables and watch the chefs per­form their daz­zling skills as they slice, dice, and cook up excep­tion­al tep­pa­nya­ki cuisine. 

Tent City Tap­house is an authen­tic Alaskan gas­trop­ub locat­ed in the heart of Anchor­age. Dis­cov­er deli­cious, local­ly sourced cui­sine and a wide vari­ety of Alaskan beers on tap. Expe­ri­ence the unique blend of Alaskan his­to­ry and mod­ern décor while enjoy­ing a meal with friends and fam­i­ly. Don’t miss out on the chance to learn about Anchor­age’s Tent City his­to­ry and enjoy brunch with a flight of mimosas in four flavors. 

Noth­ing beats a good break­fast to kick off a day of adven­ture in Alas­ka, and accord­ing to locals, noth­ing beats this pop­u­lar down­town café for egg scram­bles, omelets, sal­ads and more. Snow City Café been vot­ed Best Break­fast” by Anchor­age Press read­ers for years, thanks to their from-scratch bak­ery items and cre­ative com­bos, such as eggs bene­dict with sock­eye salmon cakes, or hot oat­meal topped with home­made gra­nola and blue­ber­ries. At lunch,  ...more

This bar was found­ed in 1994 by a few locals who felt that Anchor­age need­ed a real­ly good bar for craft beers. Clear­ly, they were right — both locals and tourists made this place a near-instant institution.

Stop in for slices, whole piz­zas, sal­ads, wings and more. Find local craft brews on tap. Dine-in, car­ry-out, or opt for deliv­ery. Locat­ed in the heart of Down­town Anchorage. 

If the Hotel Cap­tain Cook sits in the heart of Anchorage’s buzzing busi­ness dis­trict — and it does — then this cof­fee bar, right off the lob­by, could be its nerve cen­ter. And while it is unde­ni­ably a con­ve­nient spot to swing by to pick up an espres­so or iced cof­fee, local fans come back because it’s the kind of friend­ly place where the barista remem­bers your name when you order.

Tequi­la 61, a unique gas­trop­ub in down­town Anchor­age, fus­es authen­tic, hand­made Mex­i­can dish­es and clas­sic Alaskan ingre­di­ents to cre­ate an entire­ly new take on con­tem­po­rary cui­sine. This mod­ern approach extends to the cre­ative, hand­craft­ed cock­tails and the rus­tic, indus­tri­al inte­ri­or, where every table is hand­made. The result is a mem­o­rable din­ing expe­ri­ence you won’t find any­where else.

Craft beer, local­ly sourced food, and a ter­rif­ic loca­tion in the heart of down­town Anchor­age all add up to a can’t‑miss expe­ri­ence. Dine inside the two-sto­ry restau­rant, or step upstairs to the rooftop deck for mag­nif­i­cent views of the Alas­ka Range and Cook Inlet.

This restau­rant on the main floor of down­town Anchor­age’s Hotel Cap­tain Cook offers gourmet piz­za, fresh pas­ta dish­es and seafood spe­cial­ties in an Eng­lish pub-style set­ting. Named for Fletch­er Chris­t­ian, the man behind the his­toric mutiny on the Boun­ty, the pub also offers local, micro-brewed beers, wines by the glass or cognac. Hours Dai­ly: 11:30am-1am Prices Prices range from $10 to $38.  ...more

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North Anchorage

5 minutes from Downtown Anchorage

Anchor­age’s Waf­fles and What­Not is the per­fect des­ti­na­tion for food­ies look­ing for some­thing new and excit­ing. This award-win­ning restau­rant, fea­tured on the Food Net­work and in Entre­pre­neur mag­a­zine, serves up one-of-a-kind waf­fles, made-to-order omelets, and break­fast bur­ri­tos. Veg­an, gluten-free, and Keto options are also available.

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Midtown

5 minutes from Downtown Anchorage

All-nat­ur­al Angus beef burg­ers and hand-cut made to order fries are the high­lights of this nation­al chain with two Anchor­age loca­tions. There are options for veg­ans too! And don’t for­get the frozen cus­tard for dessert.

Adorned with rich woods and pol­ished brass, the Fan­cy Moose Lounge offers a col­or­ful envi­ron­ment where you can mix good times and bev­er­ages with a spec­tac­u­lar view of the lake. Casu­al din­ing fea­tures fresh seafood, burg­ers, sand­wich­es, sal­ads, soups and fin­ger foods, and an assort­ment of spe­cial­ty drinks. Sum­mer draws locals and vis­i­tors to the out­door patio with the promise of bril­liant Alaskan sun­sets. Oper­at­ing Hours 11:00 AM — 12:00 AM  ...more

The only spe­cial­ty cheese shop in Anchor­age is also a can’t‑miss café. It’s the only place in Anchor­age to pur­chase spe­cial­ty cheeses sourced from across Europe and the U.S. But it’s also a hip, casu­al spot with a great lunch menu that mix­es arti­san cheeses with high-qual­i­ty fast food. Some peo­ple come just for the cookies!

Who can’t be tempt­ed by a place that offers a Bacon of the Month? This Anchor­age restau­rant in the heart of the Spe­nard neigh­bor­hood serves con­tem­po­rary com­fort food in a casu­al, eclec­tic set­ting. Year-round, its menu shows a local and some­times whim­si­cal flair: Bacon Jam Burg­er, Rein­deer and Chevre Piz­za, and S’mores for dessert. Veg­e­tar­i­an options abound, as well. The full bar has its own unique flour­ish­es: it fea­tures small batch and single  ...more

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South Anchorage

10 Minutes from Downtown Anchorage

Enjoy a wide vari­ety of Alaskan beers on tap, as well as deli­cious dish­es baked in a huge stone oven at this fam­i­ly-friend­ly restau­rant in south Anchor­age. Open for lunch and din­ner, Fire­tap Ale­house has a bright, invit­ing atmos­phere, with 6‑seater booths as well as tables that can be pushed togeth­er for large groups. Dur­ing the warmer months, you can also dine out on the deck and take in the view of snow-capped mountains.

Cre­at­ed by the folks behind Anchorage’s award-win­ning Snow City Café, Spe­nard Road­house and Sack’s Café, South Restau­rant + Cof­fee­house was launched to take the best qual­i­ties of those pop­u­lar eater­ies to the South side of town. Locat­ed in a new devel­op­ment near the famed Alas­ka Sand and Grav­el— and off Old Seward High­way — South Restau­rant + Cof­fee House chan­nels a bit of the area’s indus­tri­al past, with a clean, mod­ern space, fea­tur­ing a  ...more

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Girdwood

45 minutes from Downtown Anchorage

A night at the Sev­en Glac­i­ers restau­rant, perched 2,300 feet above sea lev­el on Mount Alyeska, is a din­ing jour­ney that begins with a tram ride high above the tree­tops, fol­lowed by an ele­va­tor lift, then a stroll along a gold­en car­pet, past a glim­mer­ing, glass-and-steel, wine-tow­er wall and into a din­ing room radi­at­ing the col­ors of alpen­glow and glacial ice. Sev­en Glac­i­ers is one of only three AAA Four Dia­mond restau­rants in Alas­ka. You can  ...more

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North of Anchorage

25 - 45 minutes North of Anchorage

Just a 45-minute dri­ve from Anchor­age, Raven’s Perch lies with­in the main lodge at the cozy Alas­ka Glac­i­er Lodge, with big win­dows and an out­door deck look­ing out to a spec­tac­u­lar view. The focus here is on local, sus­tain­able ingre­di­ents and prod­ucts. The staff talks with local farm­ers and plans ahead to see what veg­eta­bles are com­ing into sea­son to cre­ate their menus.

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