Article Overview: Ketchikan, Alaska Restaurants
Ketchikan, Alaska just might steal your heart with its breathtaking scenery and quirky charm, but don’t be fooled its culinary scene will steal your taste buds too. Ketchikan, Alaska’s restaurant scene offers a nice respite from cruise ship food with fresh crabs, fish-n-chips, bbq, pizza, and plenty of pastries. So grab your rain jacket, come on an empty stomach, and prepare to embark on a delicious tour of Ketchikan, Alaska’s vibrant restaurants.
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My Experience with Ketchikan, Alaska Restaurants
After working in Alaska for over a decade, there is no part of this giant state I’ve spent more time than in the South East. While I haven’t spent nearly enough time experiencing the Ketchikan Alaska restaurants as I want, Ketchikan has been a crucial part of so many of my trips while shooting for Nat Geo on Prince of Wales Island.
If you spend any amount of time traveling in South East Alaska you will quickly become familiar with the Alaska Airlines milk run, a flight that puddle-jumps from Seattle to Anchorage. One of those stops is Ketchikan Alaska, which is how I became familiar with this rustic hard-working Alaska town. Once you get past the cruise ship culture during the summer season and experience the real town, this is where you will find the Ketchikan Alaska restaurants worth your time
Table of Contents: Ketchikan, Alaska Restaurants
Table of contents
- Why Trust Us
- My Experience with Ketchikan, Alaska Restaurants
- Ketchikan, Alaska Restaurants
- Ketchikan, Alaska Restaurants: Best Seafood
- Ketchikan, Alaska Restaurants: Best on a Budget
- Ketchikan, Alaska Restaurants: Best Pizza
- Ketchikan, Alaska Restaurants: Best Burger
- Ketchikan, Alaska Restaurants: Best View
- Ketchikan, Alaska Restaurants: Best Beer
- Map of Ketchikan, Alaska Restaurants
- Post Summary
Ketchikan, Alaska Restaurants
So without any further ado, here’s a list, in no particular order, of our favorite Ketchikan Restaurants. Hope you enjoy!
Ketchikan, Alaska Restaurants: Best Seafood
New York Cafe
Located just off the waterway under the wonderful New York Hotel, this cafe serves up modern seafood, Mediterranean fair, and a solid breakfast. When you step into the sleek wood paneled Ketchikan, Alaska restaurant it feels like you’ve been transported back to the 1920’s. Although I don’t think they were eating this good back then.
Open most days from 8am – 8:30, closed Mondays Phone: 907-247-2326
Alaska Fish House
It’s hard to choose a favorite at this Ketchikan Alaska restaurant, its all pretty damn good. Folks swear by the smoked salmon chowder and the fish n chips. Choose between cod, halibut, or salmon; either way they all come with mesquite fries and southwest coleslaw. This place gets busy, but its worth the wait.
Wed-Sun: 10am – 9pm. Phone: 907-225-4055
George Inlet lodge
The historic George Inlet Lodge is bit out of the way, but its an experience well worth the trip. Take part in their famous crab feasts in a repurposed cannery bunkhouse. The meal includes Dungeness crab, a romaine salad, and blueberry cheesecake. It’s hard to beat fresh crabs, but it’s really about the experience of eating right where the crabs are caught. Thats what makes this one of Ketchikan, Alaska’s best restaurants.
To book on their website Phone: 907-617-8844
Ketchikan, Alaska Restaurants: Best on a Budget
Alava’s Fish n Chowder
Don’t let the modest trailer fool you, this little shack is one of Ketchikan, Alaska’s best restaurants. There small but mighty menu is just like the sign says, fish-n-chips and chowder. They don’t mess around with anything else because, “we don’t serve breakfast because we’re out catching lunch“. And when you do something really good, you don’t need to do anything else. Choose from pacific cod, halibut, shrimp, or oysters; you can’t go wrong.
Open daily 11am-6pm. Phone: 907-617-5328
Sweet Mermaids
This gem of a cafe/restaurant in Ketchikan, Alaska is a must stop for a sampling of their tasty pastries. Think, Apple streusel, cranberry muffins, key lime pie bars and more. They also serve coffee, smoothies, a solid sandwich focused lunch, and breakfast all day, like bagels and lox.
Open daily 8am-4pm Phone: 907-225-3277
Ketchikan, Alaska Restaurants: Best Pizza
Fat Stan’s Pizza
Fat Stans may be bar forward, but whats wrong with that? This spot really is loved by locals and tourists alike, cause its just damn good pizza. They import Italian flour and make their sauces from scratch everyday, and you can taste the effort. So take a break from all that seafood and order up a slice at this favorite Ketchikan, Alaska restaurant.
Open daily from 9am-11pm, 11:30 Fri. & Sat. Phone: 907-247-9463
Ketchikan, Alaska Restaurants: Best Burger
Burger Queen
This locals favorite joint is located on the edge of town in a little shack with Tasmania devils painted on its side. They pump out massive burgers, halibut sandos, and a slew of yummy milkshakes. They maintain the same irreverent humor that Ketchikan is know for, selling t-shirts that say “Burger Bitch, just didn’t sound right”.
Open Tues-Sat 11am-7pm. Phone: 907-225-6060
Ketchikan, Alaska Restaurants: Best View
Heen Kahidi Restaurant
Not only the best restaurant in Ketchikan Alaska with a view, Heen Kaidi is the one of best restaurants in Ketchikan all around. Located inside the Cape Fox Lodge with panoramic harbor views, this local eatery serves up awesome seafood dishes like Miso Salmon and Thai Curry Halibut. Save room for their banana dessert, caramel cheesecake with fresh bananas wrapped and fried in a tortilla and drizzled with caramel sauce and vanilla ice cream. I mean com’on!
Open everyday from 6:30am-9pm Phone: 907-225-8001
Ketchikan, Alaska Restaurants: Best Beer
Bar Harbor Ale House
This busy Ketchikan, Alaska restaurant is located on the dock next to the cruise ships, so it can fill up fast. The menu is mostly BBQ with a few Alaskan staples like salmon and fish-n-chips. They have live music some nights and the bar has a solid selection of brown water (bourbon&whiskey) and beer, of 50 different brews.
Open daily 11am-8pm Phone: 907-225-2813
Ketchikan, Alaska Restaurants: Honorable Mentions
Heres a few other more than serviceable restaurants in Ketchikan, Alaska.
- Good Fortune Restaurant: Solid Chinese food served up right on Creek Street. Curiously, sushi is an option as well. Open everyday from 11am-9pm.
- Eagles Nest: For a more casual bite, the Eagle’s Nest Brick Oven Pizza offers steaming hot pizzas and handcrafted cocktails on their outdoor patio located in the Cape Fox Lounge. It’s the perfect spot for soaking up the sun on a summer afternoon.
- Diaz Cafe: A locals favorite for Asian fare and some very…. unique fashion. Think burgers with fried rice on them!
- Pioneer Cafe: Stat your day off right with at this classic diner on creek street. Big portions of familiar fare with unlimited coffee refills.
Map of Ketchikan, Alaska Restaurants
Post Summary
Just to recap, here’s a list of our favorite Ketchikan, Alaska Restaurants.
- New York Cafe – Best seafood
- Alaska Fish House – Best seafood
- George Inlet lodge – Best seafood experience
- Alava’s Fish n Chowder – Best on a budget
- Sweet Mermaids – Best on a budget/pastries
- Fat Stan’s Pizza – Best Pizza
- Burger Queen – Best Burger
- Heen Kahidi Restaurant – Best View
- Bar Harbor Ale House – Best Beer Selection
Ketchikan, Alaska Restaurants FAQ’s
Summer offers the widest variety of options.
Dungeness crabs, Halibut, Salmon, and Chowder.
Same as the rest of the US, 15-20%
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