3 Best Restaurants in Girdwood, Anchorage

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.

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.

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.