17 Best Restaurants in Juneau, the Inside Passage, and Southeast Alaska, Alaska

Pop culture meets greasy spoon in this unassuming coffee shop with red-vinyl booths that has been in the same family for more than 50 years. The menu doesn't cater to light appetites—it includes sandwiches, burgers, fried chicken, chili, and halibut fish-and-chips—but the place really is at its best for an all-American breakfast (available until 2 pm).

Expect a lively crowd at the Bonanza, and possibly live music or bingo if you're here in the evening. The pub serves well-prepared American food with no surprises; if you're a sports fan, this is a good place to watch a game.

In the heart of quiet Douglas, across the bridge and a couple of miles from downtown Juneau, this family diner has Formica tables and a menu that includes omelets, sandwiches, kids' favorites, and burgers that are often cited as the best in the city. This is a good choice for those seeking an alternative to downtown Juneau's midsummer crowds.

The menu at the restaurant in Glacier Bay Lodge, which serves three meals a day and is open to both nonguests and guests, has a decent selection of sandwiches, salads, burgers, and other American fare as well as pasta, steak, and seafood entrees. Sometimes, the indoor dining room requires reservations, but there's almost always room on the sheltered outdoor deck, which has better views of Bartlett Cove and the Fairweather Mountains. With a day's notice, lodge guests can purchase packed lunches to take with them on excursions.

Inside a gallery that features work by local and regional artists, this café at Four Corners offers light fare such as crepes, pastries, and cookies, as well as milkshakes and specialty espresso drinks and teas. The café's drive-up window is groundbreaking for Gustavus (but if you're a visitor, you'll want to go in to see the art and crafts).

A local favorite, the Fireweed serves unusual pizza, pasta, and fish dishes you can wash down with beer on tap from the Haines Brewing Company. The casual restaurant is so popular that you may have to wait a bit for your food—a perfect opportunity to try the Spruce Tip Ale and gaze out at the water.

Locals flock to this cheery spot for lunch; it's the closest thing to home cooking Petersburg has to offer, and most days it's open from 8:30 to 4, even in winter. Helse also doubles as an ice cream and espresso stand.

Meet the locals over espresso, brewed from fresh-roasted beans, and a fresh-baked pastry at this busy corner natural-foods store, deli, café, wine-and-spirits shop, de facto meeting hall, and hitching post. Mountain Market is great for lunchtime sandwiches, wraps, soups, pizza, and salads.

The 1920s-era roots of this space adjacent to the New York Hotel come through in the antique bar and fixtures, creating a casual yet elegant place to enjoy a meal while staring out the plate-glass windows at life on busy Stedman Street, or admiring the mural by local artist Ray Troll that spans one wall. The menu includes reasonably priced seafood, salads, and burgers, along with Mediterranean-influenced fare.

Travelers flying out of Sitka's airport retreat to the Nugget while waiting for their plane to arrive. The Nugget serves American classics for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, but the homemade pies are the real attraction.

With views overlooking the water, the Stikine Inn's restaurant (often called the Stik) is easily the prettiest place to dine in Wrangell. Given the town's scarcity of options, the place could just assemble a get-by menu, but the salads, pizzas, burgers, and hearty soups here are seriously tasty. For lighter early-morning or midday fare, there's the Stik Cafe, which serves breakfast sandwiches and panini, among other items.

A short way down the waterfront boardwalk from the cruise port is the Cookhouse, a casual restaurant with indoor and outdoor seating. Heat lamps on the deck make the outdoor seating attractive even on cooler days, and with views like this, it makes sense to head outside. Menu items include burgers, reindeer slider sloppy joes, and (highly recommended) halibut-and-chips.

This busy and bright café in the Aak'w Village District, about a five-minute walk from the center of town, is a popular destination for brunch on weekends. It's also a good choice for lunch if you're visiting the state museum, as it's less than a block away.

Housed in a former gas station, this year-round restaurant is known for its comfort-food specials. The huge calzones are stuffed and served piping hot with sides of house marinara and ranch dressing—build your own or choose one of the chef's creations.

The café has a no-frills look, but it serves good food at reasonable prices. Check out the dinner specials, or try the steaks, seafood, and salads.