Looking for the best Anchorage airport restaurants at Ted Stevens International Airport (ANC)? Here’s a complete guide to every place to eat, from local seafood to quick grab-and-go options.

Article Overview: Anchorage Airport Restaurants

So, you’re traveling to Alaska. Chances are you’ll be passing through the Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport, and if you spend any amount of time there, you’re bound to get hungry and need to know what the best Anchorage airport restaurants are. This shockingly busy airport serves nearly 5.7 million passengers annually and is the 4th largest airport worldwide for cargo throughput.

I’ve collectively probably spent a few weeks of my life in the Anchorage Airport waiting on flights. Over the years, I have seen a lot of turnover with the Anchorage Airport Restaurants. A few good places have disappeared, but a couple remain. In this article, you’ll learn where the hidden dive bar is, where you get food 24 hours a day, and where to get complimentary cocktails in the Anchorage Airport!

This post may contain affiliate links, which means we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only recommend gear we actually use or trust.

Best Restaurants at Anchorage Airport (Quick Picks)

Short on time? Here are our quick picks for the best Anchorage airport restaurants. Full reviews and details below.

• Best Overall: Silver Gulch Brewing – Local craft beer and a solid place to kill time
• Best Sit-Down Meal: Sushi on the Fly – Surprisingly high-quality sushi and hot dishes
• Best Place to Get a Drink: Upper One Lounge – A hidden gem
• Best Quick Bite: Euro Café – No-frills grab-and-go options
• Best Cheap Option: You’re in the airport—it doesn’t exist
• Best for Early or Late Flights: Starbucks & McDonald’s – Not ideal, but sometimes it’s the only option

If you’ve got time, go for one of the breweries or seafood spots.

Why Trust Us

We’ve spent nearly two decades filming in Alaska for networks like Discovery Channel and National Geographic, working on shows like The Deadliest Catch and Life Below Zero.

That means we’ve flown in and out of Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport more times than we can count—early mornings, late-night delays, and everything in between.

We’ve eaten at just about every restaurant in the airport, not as tourists, but as crew members trying to grab something quick between flights. This guide is built from that firsthand experience.

My Experience with Anchorage Airport Restaurants

So many drinks have been had in this airport, endless hours waiting for flights, I’m embarrassed to even think about how much money I’ve spent on booze at Anchorage Airport Restaurants. If I was a better, more productive person, I would have downloaded a language app on my phone and learned Cantonese rather than waste away on a bar stool. That said, I’ve had some pretty great times in these Airport restaurants/bars hanging out with the dozens of film crews I’ve worked with in Alaska. The good news about drinking at the Anchorage Airport is that as long as you can get to the plane in good order, you can sleep it off while flying.

If you are stuck at the Anchorage Airport for any significant amount of time, I recommend starting at the Upper One Lounge before going through security, getting your meal at Sushi on the Fly, and finishing your layover at Silver Gulch Brewing. Keep reading to find out everything you need to know about Anchorage Airport Restaurants!

---

Anchorage Airport Restaurants

---

Upper One Lounge

Let’s be honest for a moment, when traveling to or from Alaska, especially with a film crew making reality TV; you NEED a drink more than a meal whether you are escaping the freezing Arctic and heading home or en route to a mosquito-infested location to film a bear hunt. Sometimes you need a dark dive bar to relax.

Upper One Lounge is the spot. This hidden gem is outside security, between the ConocoPhillips check-in window and the Hudson News. While the Upper One Lounge does offer food, that’s not why you go. This place is perfect, rarely busy, has the booze you need, and you don’t feel like you are in an airport for a moment.

If you are in it for the food, they have that too. Their menu has wings, pulled pork nachos, quesadillas, chili, hotdogs, and cheesesteaks. If you’re feeling fancy, they have rice bowls as well. Check out Upper One Lounge after you check in with the airline, and before you go through TSA, and if you need a haircut, there is a barber next door too!

Location: Pre TSA next to Delta counter Phone: (907) 633-0129 Hours: Mon-Fri 10AM-9PM, Sat-Sun 12-9PM

Sushi on the Fly

This Anchorage airport restaurant has the best menu at the airport. Unfortunately, its location is less than relaxing. The restaurant’s seating is directly off the main throughway and feels like an afterthought. This place is excellent if you can get past the chaotic terminal vibe and focus on the food.

They have a full sushi menu, including rolls, sashimi, and Nigiri. Sushi on the Fly also offers Terryacki bento boxes ($18-$20), and Asian entrees (Mongolian beef, sesame chicken, kung pao chicken, sweet and sour chicken, and spicy pork bulgogi. They have salads, Udon noodle bowls, fried rice, and dumplings for something a little lighter. Sushi on the Fly also operates a beer garden across the throughway. They have 16 beers on tap and a full bar.

Location: End of C Concourse Phone: (907) 337-8744 Hours: Mon-Sun 10am – 1pm

Norton Sound Seafood House

The best part about this place, maybe the airplane it has on its roof. It’s pretty cool to see a float plane resting atop a restaurant inside an airport. The other unique aspect of this restaurant is that it exists on both sides of security. If you’re killing time outside security and need food, this is your best bet; if you just want cocktails at a dive bar, head to Upper One Lounge instead.

If dining at Norton Sound Seafood, enjoy their freshly caught Alaskan seafood options. Halibut, salmon, and crab are king on this menu in every form imaginable: Creamy crab pasta, seared Alaskan salmon, fish and chips, crab and shrimp rolls, and Asian wild salmon burgers.

Norton Sound Seafood also serves breakfast which is significant since many of the flights leaving Alaska are ridiculously early in the morning.

Location: Junction B and C concourse, and Pre TSA PHONE: (907) 243-4331 HOURS: Mon-Sun 5am to 1 am

Alaska Doghaus

I can’t in good conscience suggest that you put an Alaska doghaus hot dog in your body. However, we are here to inform the masses of all your options when searching for a meal at Ted Stevens international airport. So if you’re a gluten for punishment, try one of the chili cheese hot dogs from this shame hole of a restaurant located in B concourse of the Anchorage airport.

Location: near Gate B5

Airport Essentials

I’ve never been neck pillow guy, but some guys I work with wear them like it’s a fashion statement. Now a portable charger, I never leave home without one. Check out these ANC airport essentials.

Anchorage Marketplace

Decent little market serving some prepackaged sandwiches and salad options. The Anchorage Marketplace is one of the few Anchorage airport restaurants open early in the morning. For hot food items they pump out a servicable breakfast burrito. Quick and fairly cheap, by Alaska standards anyway.

Location: South Terminal Phone: (877) 672-7467 Hours: Mon – Sun 6:00 AM – 6:00 PM

---

Anchorage Airport Breweries

Not all restaurants are created equal, clearly the ones that make their own beer are better. Thats why we made a section dedicated to the Anchorage airports suprisingly rich tapestry of brewery restaurants, a whopping two! Cheers!

Silver Gulch Brewing & Bottling Co.

The most reliable of all the restaurants in the Anchorage Airport. I’ve spent more time and money at this bar than anywhere else in the Anchorage Airport. The bar is friendly, well stocked, and the service is fast. Their menu is typical pub grub, but after being in the bush or sleeping in a tent for weeks, this place is an oasis before heading home on a long plane ride.

Silver Gultch also has a bottle shop to buy beer and spirits, primarily produced in Alaska. They also sell growlers. If you’re in a rush, they also have a take-out window. If you need a drink and a meal and don’t want the hassle of picking a spot to take your crew, head to the Silver Gulch, they’ll take care of you, and you may even fly home with a growler of beer to boot.

Location: Near Gate C1 Phone: (907) 248-1048 Hours: Mon – Sun 6:00 AM – 12:00 AM

49th State Brewing

49th State Brewing Company now occupies a space that has seemed to be cursed with a high turnover rate. Amongst too many others to name, it’s previously been a Humpy’s Alehouse and a BBQ joint. Its puzzling though, because the spot has one of the best bar layouts of all the Anchorage airport restaurants.

49th State Brewing Company has been an Alaskan staple for years, with two other locations in Anchorage and Denali. They’ve been slinging excellent beer and above average bar food for years. So the new addition to the Anchorage airport restaurants list, is more than welcomed.

They have a really creative and ambitious tap list with over twenty different beers to choose from. Stuff like their “Thundershuck Alaska Oyster Stout” or their “Polar Pina Colada”, an imperial sour blonde ale brewed with pineapple and toasted coconut.

Location: Near C1 Phone: (907) 743-2504 Hours: Daily 10AM-1AM

---

Anchorage Airport Coffee & Tea Restaurants

You have a couple options when snagging some caffeine before you boarding your flight. Here’s a list of all the coffee and tea restaurants at Ted Stevens international airport in Anchorage, Alaska:

Euro Cafe

Not much to say about this place. It’s a “cafe” inside a Hudson News, which is about as exciting as a Starbucks inside a Target. Across from McDonald’s, the Euro Cafe has smoothies, coffee drinks, premade pastries, and sandwiches.

Nothing special here, but if you’re in a time crunch and running between gates, this might be the place for you. You can grab a quick bite or snack, run to the gate and eat your sad food while you question your disappointing time management skills that lead to this moment. You could have been eating sushi and having a cocktail at Sushi on the Fly like an adult.

If your not that hungry and on the fence about airport coffee, skip the Euro Cafe, keep walking and get the free Stump-town coffee on your Alaskan Airlines flight.

Location: Next to Gate C1 Phone: (907) 245-1163 Hours: Mon – Sun 6:00 AM – 6:00 PM

Denali Pretzels & Coffee Co.

More coffee and pastry shop than restaurant, Denali Pretzels has two locations at the Anchorage Airport. One pre security and the other directly after the security gates. The both serve Krispy Kreme Donuts, breakfast sandos, local Kaladi Brothers coffee, and of course pretzels. They’re massive, gooey, and satisfying.

Location: Pre-TSA next to departures door 6 & first shop Post-TSA Phone: (907) 252-9562 Hours: Daily 4AM-5PM

The Kobuk to go Tea & Candy

I’m not sure if “Kobuk to go” qualifies as an Anchorage airport restaurant, but they serve hot tea and a bunch of weird alaskan candy. So if you’re in the mode for something different, stop by this strange little tea shop attached to the mosquito bookstore in Concouse C.

Location: Next to Gate C2 Phone: (907) 272-3626 Hours: Mon-Sat 10AM-5AM, Closed Sun

---

Whats Open Late? 24 Hour ANC Restaurants

The Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport is open 24 hours a day, but its restaurants are not. If you find yourself at the Anchorage Airport in the middle of the night needing a meal, you have two options, McDonald’s and Starbucks.

While these aren’t the most exciting culinary experiences, I guarantee you; you will be grateful that they are open if you find yourself wandering the empty terminals at 2 am in need of sustenance. Most airports in the United States have very few 24-hour options, so Anchorage International Airport is doing well by having at least two late night restaurants.

McDonald’s

Ah the famed Golden Arches that bless concourse C with the smell of French fries. The most international recognized eatery of all the anchorage airport restaurants. What more of a description do you need? Get your shame order in and go find a dark corner to stuff your face in, but not before stopping by Hudson news to grab a bottle of pepto. Cheers!

Location: Next to Gate C1 Phone: (907) 243-0085 Hours: 24hrs

Starbucks

You know the deal here. Microwaved breakfast sandwiches, pastries, and flash brewed coffee that requires half a bottle of whipped cream and pumpkin spice flavoring to be drinkable. I’m not judging or anything…

Location: Next to Gate C2 Phone: (907) 205-3326 Hours: 24hrs

---

Anchorage Airport Restaurants (Full List)

To recap, here’s a full list of all the Anchorage airport restaurants:

1. Upper One Lounge
2. Norton Sound Seafood House
3. Sushi on the Fly
4. Alaska Doghaus
5. Anchorage Marketplace
6. Silver Gulch Brewing & Bottling Co.
7. 49th State Brewing Co.
8. Euro Cafe
9. Denali Pretzels & Coffee Co.
10. The Kobuk to go Tea & Candy
11. Starbucks
12. McDonalds
13. Pizza Hut Express
14. Cinnabon

---

Anchorage Airport Restaurants Pro Tip: How to Score Free Food & Cocktails

It’s not a restaurant and not entirely free, but it is a great alternative, and I guarantee it will save you money. The Alaska Airline Lounge in the Anchorage Airport has the best restaurant deal in town. If traveling to or from Alaska a few times a year, paying for a lounge membership will be cheaper than spending hundreds of dollars on overpriced food and booze in the airport.

The lounge membership is roughly $300-$400 a year, and you get access to all the Alaska Air lounges (this is great for those long layovers in Seattle). Inside the lounge, you get all the free beer, wine, and cocktails you want. There is also a small buffet that is surprisingly good. Most importantly, you get a nice quiet place to chill away from the crowds. If you have a friend with a membership, you can get in free as their guest.

Location: South Terminal Phone: (800) 654-5669 Hours: Mon-Sun 5 am to 1 am

---

Anchorage Airport Restaurants Map

Anchorage Airport Facts

Here are some fun fact about the Anchorage Airport.

• 4th largest airport in the world in terms of cargo throughput.
• Nearly 5.7 million passengers served in 2019
• Over 42,000 passenger aircraft landings and over 41,000 wide and narrow body cargo aircraft landings in 2019.
• 2nd largest airport in the United States for landed weight of cargo aircraft.
• It never closes for snow! 
• Ted Stevens International airport has over 10 restaurants or places to purchase food.

---

---

Final Thoughts on Anchorage Airport Restaurants

Let’s be real—you’re not coming to Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport for a great meal.

That said, it’s also not a disaster.

There’s enough here to get you through a layover, and a couple spots—especially the breweries and sushi—are genuinely solid for an airport. If you’ve got time, you can grab a decent meal and a drink and not feel like you completely settled.

But expectations matter.

This isn’t a food destination. Hours can be inconsistent, options get limited late at night, and “cheap” doesn’t really exist in Alaska. If you’re landing late or flying out early, it’s worth planning ahead or eating before you arrive.

---

More Alaska Articles

Anchorage Airport Parking (FULL GUIDE)

Winter in Alaska: How to Thrive in a Frozen Wonderland

Summer in Alaska, Land of the Midnight Sun: (FULL GUIDE)

Eagles in Alaska: Photo’s, Facts, & How to See Them

Maps of Homer, Alaska: A Collection of Alaskan Cartography