28 Best Restaurants in Anchorage, Alaska

An absolute must for epicures and adventurous eaters, Crow's Nest uses inspired combinations to highlight, but never overpower, the freshest ingredients Alaska has to offer. Located on the top floor of the Hotel Captain Cook, this is also the best restaurant view in Anchorage, spanning the Chugach Mountains to the east, the Alaska Range to the north and west, and the city 20 stories below. The dress code, like everything in Alaska, is relaxed: business casual, but no sandals and no shorts.

The combination of shared small plates and an international wine list makes this Anchorage's most conversation-friendly dining venue. Although it's more fun to share, diners who prefer a plate of their own can also opt for inventive entrees ranging from southern fried game hen to shawarma-spiced lamb chops.

The dining room here offers a range of meat and seafood entrees, while the lounge's separate menu feels suitable for a romantic date or a girls' night out. Kinley's also has a special knack for finding wines that taste luxe, but don't break the bank. Pair with an appetizer or one of their exquisite desserts, such as the mocha bourbon pecan torte.

This refined yet relaxing mountaintop restaurant is perched 2,300 feet up Mt. Alyeska, accessed by a 60-passenger aerial tram (free with dinner reservations, otherwise $29 round-trip). The forward-thinking prix fixe menu capitalizes on local produce and seafood, highlighted in dishes such as scallop bisque with smoked salmon mousse. Floor-to-ceiling windows overlook seven glaciers in an unforgettable panoramic mountain view.

On summer days, Snow City attracts some serious crowds—and for good reason. This modern but unassuming café, convenient to many of the Downtown hotels, serves one of Anchorage's best (and yet reasonably priced) breakfasts all day long. If you're not an early riser or haven't made a reservation, be prepared to wait.

Inside a small frame house built in 1916, this nationally recognized 14-table restaurant opened in 1979 and is still going strong thanks to a regularly rotating menu that highlights classic Alaska ingredients. The wine list encompasses more than 700 international choices. The outstanding made-at-your-table Caesar salad is a superb opener for the baked halibut with a macadamia-nut crust served with coconut-curry sauce and fresh mango chutney. And if the homemade Alaska birch syrup butter pecan ice cream is on the menu, don't skip it.

Yet another upscale eatery tucked into an Anchorage strip mall, the colorful plating at Altura makes up for its beige location. The inventive menu here features items like red king crab mac and cheese, prawns and grits, and caviar nachos (yes, really). 

Alaska's oldest steak house has barely changed since opening in 1957. The restaurant, with its dark wood and old-fashioned feel, serves tender, flavorful steaks of all kinds, along with a large seafood selection. Dinner reservations are advised.

Anchorage residents say eating at this beloved spot is well worth the one-hour drive south to Girdwood and the inevitable wait for dinner. The interior is completely covered with tacky art and Mardi Gras souvenirs, but the windows frame views of huge Sitka spruce trees and the diverse menu mixes hearty Cajun-style meals with such favorites as garlic seafood pasta, rack of lamb, French pepper steak, and shrimp étouffée.

The scones and sandwiches at Fire Island draw bustling morning crowds. There are three locations across the city, but the original is embedded in a cozy neighborhood just blocks from Downtown, and makes a perfect destination for a leisurely morning muffin run.

Beautifully crafted Pacific Rim dishes like Panang curry and spicy ahi tuna are a mainstay at Ginger, where the menu offers food that will please both adventurous and more traditional diners. Decorated in beautiful woods and warm tones, the interior perfectly complements the menu.

The scent of hops permeates the cavernous, wood-beam BrewHouse, where at least a dozen beers are brewed on the premises. Locals mingle with visitors in this noisy, always-busy heart-of-town restaurant, and dinner selections range from chili-lime shrimp to fettuccine jambalaya and fresh seafood (in season). Summer reservations are recommended, even for lunch.

Historic photos, mounted animals, and state memorabilia adorn this old family favorite near the airport. Lunch is available, but the restaurant is best known for its old-fashioned all-day breakfasts, which include menu items like reindeer sausage and crab omelets. Don't expect anything fancy; this is diner food in an Alaskana-filled setting.

Don't let the Midtown strip mall that houses Jens' put you off: this is a true fine-dining establishment. The late chef-owner Jens Haagen Hansen's culinary legacy has led to the frequently changing menu that includes Alaska salmon, halibut, and rockfish. The Danish berry pudding with cream is a delightful way to cap a meal. The light and airy restaurant has a playful, energetic feel.

This out-of-the-way restaurant provides a respite after a summertime hike or wintertime ski in nearby Kincaid Park. Meals are artistically presented, and the diverse and creative menu, with a focus on Alaska regional cuisine, seafood, and game meats, changes seasonally.

Always the top pick when local newspapers rate Anchorage pizzerias, Moose's Tooth is packed all week, despite the ample seating (it can hold up to 300 guests). The reason for the popularity is obvious: handcrafted beers from the on-site brewery, and a seemingly endless roster of pizzas topped with inventive options like jalapeños, cream cheese, shrimp, and lime.

Stop at either the Downtown or Midtown New Sagaya's grocery stores for quick lunches, healthy to-go food (perfect for hiking or camping), and Kaladi Brothers coffee. The in-house bakery and deli, L'Aroma, makes specialty breads, sandwiches, California-style pizzas, and a wide range of snack-worthy pastries.

Part eatery and part community center and event space, this café offers plenty of healthy (or, at least, healthy-sounding) fare, including fresh-squeezed juices, smoothies, organic sandwiches, fresh vegan soups, and tempeh burgers. While vegans and vegetarian visitors to Anchorage should definitely make a beeline to Organic, omnivores are not left out in the cold: the menu also includes Thai chicken wraps, grass-fed burgers, and lamb.

The menu at Orso ("bear" in Italian) has gradually shifted from its Mediterranean roots, adding Alaska touches like baked seafood mac and cheese to the selection of traditional pastas, fresh seafood, and locally famous desserts. Be sure to ask about the daily specials. If you can't get a table at dinner (reservations are advised), you can select from the same menu at the large bar.

What started as a creekside log cabin is now a 70-screen sports bar with room for athletic fans of every stripe, from hockey (of course) to mushing and beyond. There's also an outdoor deck, pool tables, and a large and varied menu of tasty bar favorites.

Windows overlooking Cook Inlet vistas, along with the high ceilings and a classic brass-and-wood interior, have long made this an Anchorage favorite. The menu includes prime rib and other steak-house classics, but the main attraction is fresh Alaska seafood. The best tables are adjacent to the tall windows facing the water, and reservations are recommended.

Perched on the edge of the city, South's expansive menu and bright airy space make it a destination brunch spot in Anchorage. The menu offers fresh Alaska spins on brunch classics like halibut tacos and salmon BLTs as well as a wide range of salads, sandwiches, and tapas. If you need a caffeine jolt as you drive south out of town, the attached coffeeshop is open all day long.

The amusing assortment of wall art here pays homage to the roadhouses that dot the state, but Spenard Roadhouse is by no means just a place to grab a quick meal while traveling. The warm and inviting restaurant offers creative comfort food, plus an unforgettable weekend brunch menu; the cocktails alone are worth the journey.

Whether you're at the cozy cocktail bar or on the wraparound lounge couches, this atmospheric fusion restaurant brings upscale Mexican flavors to the far north (the "61" in the name references the city's latitude). Though known for its tacos—including a duck confit option—the restaurant also prepares rib eyes, shrimp ceviche, and chipotle-glazed king crab.

Order at the counter at this old-time, family-owned Girdwood favorite. Skiers and snowboarders drop by for a quick lunch or garden-fresh pizzas in winter, while summertime early birds enjoy cups of coffee and fluffy omelets on the flower-filled patio.

This tiny seafood joint easily offers the quirkiest dining experience in Downtown: almost the entire room is taken up by a boat-prow bar. At the helm, owner Apollo Naff has created a convivial environment where fellow diners become fast friends over plates of Alaska oysters and other briny bites, such as crab cake po'boys, seafood chowder, and seared scallops in umami sauce.

Step inside this Downtown microcreamery for Alaska-inspired ice cream flavors like almond birch brittle and rhubarb crumble. The homemade, small-batch ice cream options rotate constantly, emphasizing local ingredients like honey, blueberries, sea salt, and even beer.

Savor the flavors of India, Nepal, and Tibet in this cozy, homey restaurant owned by Lobsang Dorjee, a Tibetan who grew up in India, and his wife, lifelong Alaskan Suzanne Hull. Yak and Yeti delivers authenticity and depth, balancing the familiar—pork vindaloo, palak paneer, samosas—with the unexpected, such as lhasa momos, a type of Tibetan dumpling.