Food In Anchorage, Homer & Seward

Homemade ice cream from Wild Scoops is a delightful treat!

This article is part of Anchorage Home Base: Work + Play in Alaska.

During our month-long stay in Anchorage, where my husband worked remotely and I volunteered with Alaska SPCA, we tried to cook at home most days. But when you’re on vacation, you can’t help but eat out here and there. We certainly didn’t try every restaurant, but here are the ones we went to, along with my commentary. All restaurants are in Anchorage unless otherwise noted.

The cinnamon rolls at Sleepy Dog Coffee Co in Eagle River are more than enough for two people!

• Salmon Hookup Truck – One of the best meals of the trip. Smothered in jalapeno lime crema and served with a side of roasted corn salad, the salmon tacos are a bit spicy and a lot delicious! From what I understand, the owner catches the fish and then serves it on the truck, so it’s super fresh!
• Orso – Looking for a lighter meal, I got the crab cake appetizer (some of the best I’ve ever eaten) and caprese salad. Incredible food; attentive service. Reservations recommended.
• Glacier Brewhouse – The Herb Crusted Alaskan Halibut, served with mashed potatoes and seasonal greens, was flavorful and enough for me to have leftovers for lunch the following day. Reservations recommended.
• Wild Scoops – Yummy ice cream made in small batches in Anchorage using local ingredients! Make it a Baked Alaska: Top your waffle cone with marshmallow fluff that’s torched to a golden brown.
• The Kobuk – I love a simple meal, and homemade soup from The Kobuk paired with fresh bread from Fire Island is one of my favorite meals. Go early to make sure soup is available. It doesn’t last long. The Kobuk is also a really cute gift shop.
• Fire Island Rustic Bakeshop – Fantastic bread, divine chocolate croissants and alfajores with just the right amount of sweetness. My faves though are their Caramel Delights! Grab and go or stick around for awhile. If staying, check out That Feeling Co (in the same building) for a coffee drink.
• Sleepy Dog Coffee Co (Eagle River) – We stopped by after a stroll at the Eagle River Nature Center. Cozy atmosphere, great drinks and amazing cinnamon rolls as big as your head!
• Writer’s Block – This book shop and café is a bit off the beaten path. It was quiet when I was there and was a nice spot to get some work accomplished. The panini sandwich was quite good.
• Noisy Goose Café (Palmer) – After a day hiking in Hatcher Pass, we were starving and eager for a hearty late lunch. Even though we arrived at 2pm, we still had a bit of a wait. But the egg skillet (I added jalapenos, spinach, cheddar and tomatoes) with roasted potatoes was worth the wait.
• myThai Downtown – The restaurant looks a bit dumpy on the outside, but is nicer inside. And the food was quite good and reasonably priced (one of our least expensive meals in this spendy state). When I was fresh out of high school, I actually worked at Blondies Café, which was located in the space where myThai now sits, so it was fitting that we ate here on our last night of the trip.
• Aurora Chocolate – Decadent treats that are as beautiful as they are delicious. Located inside the Capital Cook hotel.
• Moose’s Tooth – We avoided this restaurant until the end of our stay because it’s always crowded, but we went at 4:30pm one day and only had a 10 minute wait. Not the most amazing pizza I’ve ever had, but it was solid.
• Cult Classics – I like to buy plain croissants from here to make sandwiches at home. The tiny restaurant is located inside an office building and open only on weekdays. It has a limited menu, but their croissants are the best in town! They’re pricey but huge.
• Carmen’s Gelato (Homer) – We were able to meet the ice cream chef and enjoyed hearing about his creations. Ultimately we ended up with a single scoop of salted caramel, just a little taste of sweetness to end the day. A perfect reward for hiking the strenuous Grace Ridge trail.

One of my favorite meals is soup from The Kobuk served with homemade bread from Fire Island Rustic Bakeshop.

• That Feeling Co – Good drinks, though not something to stand in a long line for (and there is usually a long line). This coffee/plant shop is located in the same building as Fire Island Rustic Bakeshop, so grab a sweet treat from Fire Island and then stand in line again for a coffee.
• La Baleine (Homer) – This restaurant got rave reviews and I admit I expected more. The food was good but certainly not rave worthy.
• Finn’s Pizza (Homer) – Pretty good pizza but not worth the price (almost $40 for a 15 inch pizza!). I’m not sure who supplies their root beer on tap, but it’s just right, with a mild sweetness and complex depth.
• The Kannery (Homer) – I got the pot stickers and a side salad with homemade ranch dressing. The dressing was the star of the meal but nothing was worth writing home about. The restaurant was within easy walking distance of our yurt vacation rental though, so that was a bonus.
• 49th State Brewing – Everyone seems to love this restaurant and I really have no idea why. We ate at the main restaurant twice (the second time only because friends wanted to go) and the beer garden once (because we were starving and it was quick). The food and service were mediocre at best. Insider Scoop: 49th State doesn’t accept reservations or allow you to call ahead to put your name on the list. When we showed up the first time, they said the wait was 20 minutes for a First Available table. We waited an hour. However, when we went back the second time, we were seated almost immediately, though I overhead another person ahead of us saying that they had already been waiting an hour. It appears that the restaurant prioritizes repeat customers (i.e. locals) and seats them quickly to retain their ongoing business. And while I understand that locals are their “bread and butter,” this practice of letting people in ahead of others who have been waiting, and giving newcomers the false expectation of a short wait time seems unprofessional to me.
• Tidewater Taphouse (Seward) – Crab dip is excellent. I took a risk with the brie and raspberry spicy grilled cheese, and it was as odd as it sounds. Edible but not something I’d ever get again. My husband enjoyed his pulled pork sandwich.
• Alaska Crepery – I love crepes and had high hopes for this restaurant. Unfortunately the hour-long wait and mediocre food was disappointing. The strawberry cheesecake dessert crepe was pretty good but nothing to write home about and definitely not worth the long wait.
• Serrano’s – They had basically no vegetarian options, which was a disappointment. I got the fish tacos, which were OK. Service was OK. My husband liked his food, but it’s not a place I’d be eager to go back to.