It’s a five-hour flight between Anchorage and Honolulu and many Alaskans have deep connections to Hawai‘i, which is why Anchorage loves Islander cuisine. This casual lunch counter in an East Anchorage outdoor mall offers the classics – shoyu, spicy masago, sweet and spicy poke – served fresh daily with rotating specials. Look out for fresh malasadas from the Wiki-licious malasada shop. This is a great place to stop if you’re heading north on the Glenn Highway.

This well-priced takeout only restaurant in a strip mall in Anchorage’s Mountain View neighborhood serves Peruvian-style chicken, cooked in a wood-charcoal rotisserie, and lots of well-executed sides, including beans, arepas, agave-lime slaw, and sticky sweet plantains. They sell chicken until they run out so call early to put in an order.

This is an unpretentious wine bar with excellent food and, since COVID-19, a high level “take and bake” takeout game in downtown Anchorage (the hot chicken with fries gets high marks!). You could do worse than a flight of wines, a crispy brussels sprout salad, deviled eggs, and a couple prosciutto-wrapped dates. Wine lovers might enjoy a tour through the next-door wine store, also a must-stop for take-and-bake customers. Crush also has cocktails. Reservations recommended.

A pilgrimage to this tiny old Anchorage diner on the edge of downtown is a worthy adventure, most especially if you order a halibut sandwich. Built tall, crispy fried, with iceberg, tomato and generous tartar sauce, it’s hard to find a better or more affordable one. Bonus if you get a seat at the bar.

At this seasonal walk-up taco truck in Downtown Anchorage all the proteins – including pork, tofu, chicken, brisket and Alaska salmon and halibut – are smoked with local birch and alder.  It’s a great spot for a local fish taco with good gluten free and vegan options.

An elevator ride up to the top of the iconic Captain Cook Hotel takes you to the fine dining French and American Crow’s Nest restaurant, among the fanciest dining spots in town. Nestled inside is a walk-in bar with a 360-degree view of the city.  You can tuck into a small collection of booths and snack on a limited menu that includes a great burger and, when available, local oysters. The cocktails are expensive but exemplary.

Among the oldest restaurants in Anchorage, Club Paris has one of the last neon signs that used to be characteristic of downtown Anchorage businesses. This dark, eclectic steakhouse has a full bar, a retro feel, and a lot of longtime regulars. It specializes in classic cocktails, Alaska seafood, and expertlycooked filet mignon. Reservations recommended.

A much loved local bakery with three locations – one in South Anchorage, one downtown, and one in the East Anchorage neighborhood of Airport Heights – Fire Island offers fresh daily artisan breads, pastries, sandwiches and soup. The newest location is located in a new K Street Market building in downtown Anchorage, with That Feeling Co, a plant shop with great coffee, Johnny’s Produce, a small produce shop with juices and smoothies, and La Bodega, a boutique liquor store. Every Fire Island location has indoor and outdoor seating.

Anchorage has a thing for the kind of food you’d like to totally get down with after a long hike – pizza and tacos top this list. The Bear Tooth and its always jam-packed sibling, Moose’s Tooth pub and pizzeria, do exactly this kind of cooking. Deeply loved by locals, this second-run movie theater and cafe with an adjacent restaurant and bar in the Spenard neighborhood is almost always humming with customers (secret: weekend brunch in the grill is usually a little slower and delicious and you can often slip into the cafe when the grill has a wait). The movie theater side has pizza, salads, tacos, beer, and wine. The local fish tacos and a second-run movie will lighten up any dreary rainy afternoon. The grill side offers a Mexican-influenced menu with lots of local specials in the summertime. The margaritas and house-made chips and guac make a very sensible meal. This location is great for families, but expect to wait most nights at the grill.

This is a casual dining, family-oriented restaurant and bar in the heart of the neighborhood of Spenard. The roadhouse dining room is decked in Alaska kitsch and its menu goes heavy on bourbon, bacon, and tricked-out tots. Offerings include small plates, like deep-fried brussels sprouts, pimento cheese dip with saltines, and mac and cheese as well as sandwiches, soups, salads, burgers, pizza and changing local food specials. The hot honey salmon is a standout and the tomato soup has a following. There are lots of accommodations for vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free diners, and a changing drink menu with lots of fun cocktails and mocktails. The kids menu – which includes a drink, popcorn, dinner and dessert — is one of the best deals in the city.

This intimate two-story restaurant in West Anchorage has a loyal neighborhood clientele, a lovely fireplace upstairs and excellent Kaladi Brothers coffee all day. Chef Shane Moore, a recent addition to the team, has a way with Alaska seafood and it’s worth it to keep an eye on the specials. The clams and sausage and the pulled pork nachos are local favorites. Evening reservations recommended.

This is an excellent pizza spot with generous, heated outdoor seating in Anchorage’s Spenard neighborhood. The vegetable-heavy menu has lots of good surprises – including a simple, delicious plate of vegetables cooked in the wood-fired pizza oven with house-made aioli, meatballs with spaghetti squash and a kale-quinoa salad with pumpkin seeds. There are lots of vegan options and the gluten-free pizza crust is outstanding — a serious feat. There’s local cider, beer, and kombucha on tap and efficient takeout.

This tiny storefront restaurant next to a pawn shop in the Spenard neighborhood is always slammed, and there’s good reason. Tommy’s burgers do not disappoint — as evidenced by the fact there’s almost always a wait. The patties come griddle-smashed and seasoned with Cajun spices. The aloha burger, with teriyaki sauce, pineapple and grilled onions is a classic, as is the stella blue, with blue cheese and mozzarella in the pattie. There’s also a full menu of po-boys and cheesesteak sandwiches. Don’t miss the dessert case, where you’ll find Cajun delight, made with whipped cream cheese and pudding in a butter-pecan crust from the Double Musky Inn in Girdwood. Very limited indoor and outdoor seating.

This ice cream shop is a must-stop Anchorage food experience for anyone who likes ice cream. The rotating menu just “gets” Alaskans, both their culture and their connection to the place. Scoops features flavors like spruce tip, birch syrup, rhubarb, and local honey, wraps in local-made cookies and coffee and incorporates a wide array of ingredients from mochi to malasadas. There’s always a line, but the wait is worth it. Vegan options abound, and the toasted baked Alaska topping is a good idea.

Go at an off hour to find a seat at this Malaysian-influenced ramen spot that is five-fire-emoji hot with summer diners in Anchorage. Located in an old burger restaurant, Kami was started by three friends — Jiahui Sim, Chiiwen Choo, Leon Chew — who had operated a pop-up Malaysian bakery called Roti. The ramen menu centers on tonkotsu-style broth made with simmered pork bones, but there are also vegetarian and gluten-free options. There’s limited indoor seating and takeout is also available.

The menu at this very popular, Midtown Anchorage restaurant is a tribute to chef Nathan Bentley’s time in Italy. The weekly offerings feature thoughtfully procured local ingredients — think spot shrimp from Prince William Sound and white king salmon — as well as a playful weekly burger special to take care of every level of craving. Reservations are essential.

This Asian/Pacific Islander-influenced bakery is an outrageous feast for the eyes. Look for two-tone croissants, coconut bread, meat pies, pork buns, cream puffs and “cruffins,” cream-filled towers of croissant dough, pierced with plastic flavor injectors. Find pastries in flavors like green tea, ube, guava, mango, lychee, Fruity Pebbles and cookies and cream. High-level bubble tea game and banh mi menu. The pho place next door, PhoNatik, which is owned by the same family, is excellent (get the oxtails!). Go to the bakery close to opening for the best selection.

This walk-up food counter inside Anchorage Brewing Company in South Anchorage offers a small, excellent, rotating menu of wood oven-fired offerings that tend to include local seafood and vegetables and lots of wild mushrooms. Usually only two items, one vegetarian and one meat or fish, pair nicely with the brewery’s beer. The menu changes weekly and is listed on their Facebook page. Seating is in the brewery and dogs are allowed.

This South Anchorage restaurant/bar with an attached coffee house goes big on atmosphere. The windows may have a view of a neighboring gravel pit operation, but the feel inside is airy and modern with local art. Find excellent espresso and light breakfast and lunch fare at the coffee shop, while the bar specializes in craft gin cocktails. Over in the dining room, the menu offers specials that often include Alaska produce and seafood, and a variety of small plates like polenta fries, warm dips and charcuterie. The place is family friendly, with a kids menu, and reservations are suggested on weekend evenings.