Food Budget? Places to Eat?

[txwriter]

I'm planning our DIY pre-cruise land tour for May 2017. We'll be going to Anchorage, Palmer, Seward, Cooper Landing, and Girdwood. Tentatively, it would be 4 nights in Anchorage (including a day trip to Palmer), 2 or 3 nights in Seward and probably one night each in Cooper Landing and Girdwood (though we may choose to do all remaining time in Girdwood to cut down amount of car unloading). This is still a very rough outline.

 

Can anyone help me out with a basic guide of how much an average lunch and average dinner would cost in these areas?

 

I don't plan on any really fancy restaurants like Seven Glaciers. Most breakfasts will be covered with hotels or B&B stays. Typically, when we eat out, we eat at casual dining chains, so we're used to about $10 per person (drinking water with meals). I know it is more expensive in Alaska, but I don't know how much. Also, I'm not opposed to grabbing some items from the grocery store for quick lunches or snacks.

 

I'm sure there are some who have plenty of budget for travel, but this is a real stretch for us. I want to give my mom the best trip possible without breaking the bank. I have already researched accommodations, travel, and tours and have a rough outline of what that will cost, but I'm having a hard time with the food estimates. Knowing this last piece of the puzzle will help me finalize how many days we'll be able to tour pre-cruise. Thanks!:)

 

 

Also, if there are any specific recommendations on places to eat, please feel free to chime in here (with estimated prices of course or at least a link so I can look it up).

[mapleleaves]

Food is expensive but portions are huge. My mom isn't a big eater so we usually shared an entrée, and each ordered a salad or soup. Also we ate a good size b'fast and found that we often skipped lunch or just had a slice a pie and coffee.

Most restaurants have menus and prices posted on their web site. Go to the Alaska forum of tripadvisor and look at the top 10 restaurants at each town you will visit.

ie http://www.humpysalaska.com/dinner/

 

A budget saving tip .... when you arrive, buy a cheap cooler and a couple of those blue ice paks. Handy for drinks, cheese, deli stuff, bread, etc. You can refreeze the paks in your hotel room fridge every night. Buy granola bars, and other easy snacks that you can toss into your day pack. I also have a small electric kettle $15 which is handy for hot chocolate, tea, instant soup, even mac'n cheese.

 

Large grocery stores, like Safeway and Fred Meyer will have deli dept with pre-made sandwiches to go, or soup to go. Seward's Safeway store had a good deli for a relatively small store. (Prior to your trip take extra packets of mayo, relish, mustard from sfast food restaurant so you don't have to buy bottles of the stuff.

Edited January 1, 2016 by mapleleaves

[txwriter]

As usual, some good advice. If I decide on a cooler, I'll probably try to find a small collapsible one I can fit in suitcase. I can't stand the thought of buying one and just throwing it out. Seems wasteful. Also, I'd hate to buy a cheepo Styrofoam one and throw it out in Alaska. Somehow that just seems wrong to me to throw junk like that out in a pristine wilderness environment.

 

Mom and I often share meals. I hadn't thought about pre-made meals at the grocery stores. Thanks for that tip.

[mapleleaves]

In Girdwood, the Bake Shop has great sandwiches, definitely share-able. Good soup too.

I tend to hit Cooper Landing around lunch time ; I've stopped 3 times at the Kenai Princess. Their lounge has great views so we've had a few appetizers and a drink while we enjoyed the views off the deck. Ate at the Kingfisher once ; marginally ok.

 

In Seward I LOVE Thorne's Showcase Lounge downtown. Fantastic halibut and chips. It's a locals place so go before 6 to avoid the crowds and smoke, or get it to go. 3 of us shared 2 entrees. On another trip 2 of us shared an entrée.

[kennicott]

In Anchorage there are two COSTCOs---I recommend them for those travelers on tight budgets, you don't have to be a COSTCO member to eat there. Those locations are far and away the most reasonable prices for meals, plus, the quality of ingredients is quite high as well.

 

I'm pretty familiar with eateries in Anchorage, lived here since 1964 and in Alaska all my life. For your $10.00 pp you will probably get by, if you drink water, at one of the food courts at Fred Meyers or Carrs (Safeway) grocery stores. I consider the new BurgerFI in the University Mall as offering one of the best quality beef burgers in town. Their double angus burger (isn't that large actually) with cheese is $7.87, fries are hand cut large portions, not greasy and good but $4.27 extra and a soda with refills is $2.87 more. There are other good burger joints and some excellent deli restaurants, some with slightly lower prices, most cost more though. You will get by at COSTCO for considerably less, get more and much of the time better quality.

 

Here is a Tripadvisor link to a COSTCO food court rating on the Dimond COSTCO-- http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60880-d9583051-Reviews-Costco-Anchorage_Alaska.html

 

also https://www.google.com/search?q=costco+food+court+menu&biw=1536&bih=698&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiM_e3T8InKAhUQxWMKHRLtAikQsAQIGw

 

also http://www.adn.com/article/20151014/dining-review-cheap-fast-and-filling-costco-food-court

[Eaglecw]

When my cheapster school teacher brother in law and sister in law go on vacation they take their own food. They always make sure the place they are going to stay has kitchenette. When they went to Hawaii for a week they took extra suitcases full of food. When we went to Victoria BC they made sure the motel we were staying at had a kitchenette, they bought a huge pot of spaghetti for dinner every night, along with everything to make lunch. When they come up to Alaska they always bring a suitcase or two full of food. I’m on vacation, I’m not going to think about cooking or be a cheapster, I might be fugal but I’m not taking my own food from on vacation, taking food on vacation is over the top. I’d plan on spending around $30 a day for food.

[txwriter]

I'm definitely not interested in packing a suitcase of food. :eek: Besides. I'm too cheap to pay for the extra bag.;)

[Budget Queen]

What I suggest is to budget 50% more then you would at home.

[txwriter]

What I suggest is to budget 50% more then you would at home.

 

Thanks! This is a great rule of thumb and a very useful guideline.:)

[arctickitty]

I agree to expect to pay twice what you would elsewhere in the lower 48. Alaskan Seafood is brand-name and expensive. Cooked well, it is delicious, but many places over cook it and turn it to rubber. This is one of many reasons many Alaskans eat seafood at home and not at restaurants!

 

 

 

Lots of places near tourist sites sell bland sandwiches for crazy money—those are the places I’d avoid by taking along a packed lunch or snacks.

 

 

 

It is true that the food court at Costco is cheap, and it sells the same food Costcos all over the country sell. If you want something regional, look for salmon strips in the deli area and boxes of smoked salmon. Those are both good for picnics.

 

 

 

Happy Hour is trendy in Anchorage and you can get some great deals if you are able to eat at odd hours (3-5pm, 4-6pm, it varies). Brunch is also a good deal—you can eat at a restaurant that charges $30 for an entrée for $12-15.

 

 

In downtown Anchorage, several of my favorite places include:

 

 

-Muse (in the Anchorage Museum). Lunch is about $15. The menu sounds simple but everything is “kicked up a notch,” high quality, and carefully prepared. Most of their appetizers are deeply discounted during their happy hour.

 

 

-Fat Ptarmigan. Artfully crafted thin-crust pizza with creative (or plain) toppings. $15pp. Has a happy hour, too.

 

 

-KillJoy. Has fondue! Of both the cheese and chocolate varieties! And other small bites.

 

 

-Bubbly Mermaid Champagne & Oyster Bar. Although not cheap if you spend too much time in here, it is a unique spot for Anchorage and can be part of a nice evening if you pop just one $3 oyster.

 

 

-Crush. Has house made charcuterie and other small plates, great for sharing. $12 wine flights.

 

 

-Whale’s Tail (inside the Captain Cook). Automated wine bar with interesting plates good for sharing.

 

 

-Crow’s Nest (top of the Captain Cook) This can be affordable if you just eat appetizers. I’ve done it and the waiter was still fantastic. Got to enjoy the views and experience without shelling $40 for entrees.

 

 

-Simon & Seaforts. Their first seating deal is a good deal (expect to get a limited choice for a 3 course meal for the price of an entrée at a similar restaurant). Only the first hour they’re open. You can also pick up a gift card at Costco that is a good deal.

 

 

 

My favorite place in Midtown Anchorage is Aladdin’s. Family owned, they have a consistent high quality product with food from all over the Mediterranean.

 

 

Girdwood

Chair 5 is known for its deep-dish pizza. I have fond memories of it for different reasons over the years.

 

 

Palmer

Vagabond Blues. A café I would drive all the way from Anchorage for… simple food but always delicious. Might cause sticker shock to someone from the Lower 48 though. Maybe $10-12 for a sandwich and side. Their tea is loose leaf.

[laughing husky]

One thing that hasn't been mentioned are the ethnic food restaurants. We have a huge population of Asians here....every Korean restaurant that I have been too here has been excellent...the Lao and Thai places are all good, the Vietnameese places are all good....the exception, and I know I will be slammed for this by someone, are the Chineese restaurants....they serve basically very Americanized food. keen' comfort food is an exception in the mall on Muldoon near the Native Heritage Center....their food is excellent, large and cheap...the fried chicken take out at Fred Myers is good too, as are the rotisserie so chickens.....and well under 10.00. The Thai place in the blue building on 4 th ave right downtown is also good....so is the Russian dumpling place on 4th ave. isn't fancy bu it is excellent...

[txwriter]

Thanks for all of the suggestions!

 

I am already compiling a list of places to try. I don't mind some places that are the same as they are at home and mix in some of the different choices offered there.

 

I'm very intrigued by the "Russian dumpling place.":)

[diesel1973]

In downtown Anchorage there is F St. Station(great Halibut sand. and free cheese?) and vendors selling Reindeer Sausage Sandwiches (fast cheap lunch). Further south there is Mooses Tooth for pizza. In Cooper Landing there is Sacketts and Sunrise Café. The food at Princess Lodge is good but a bit pricey but the view from the outdoor deck is great. Also do your food shopping in Anchorage as the only other large food store will be in Seward(Safeway)

[gottagoacruzn]

Oh, you got to be kidding!!:rolleyes: In Sept was on a cruise to Alaska, in Juneau stopped at Tracy's Crab Shack for lunch, ordered one of their crab legs and it was good, but expensive and well worth it,:) will do it again in June while there. Am on vacation, got to try something different.

[Glaciers]

I may be acclimated to the higher prices but I don’t find food costs to be that more expensive than other places in the US. Certainly not twice as much and even 50% higher is a bit much. The overall food costs are certainly higher than a normal week at home because you’re eating out most of the time.

 

If you’re comparing Alaska lodge restaurant prices with your local Denny’s, of course it will be quite a bit higher. Compare apples to apples.

 

You can still get that Costco hot dog and a drink for $1.50 in Alaska too. :)

Edited January 2, 2016 by Glaciers

[kennicott]

I may be acclimated to the higher prices but I don’t find food costs to be that more expensive than other places in the US. Certainly not twice as much and even 50% higher is a bit much. The overall food costs are certainly higher than a normal week at home because you’re eating out most of the time.

 

If you’re comparing Alaska lodge restaurant prices with your local Denny’s, of course it will be quite a bit higher. Compare apples to apples.

 

You can still get that Costco hot dog and a drink for $1.50 in Alaska too. :)

 

I really agree with that. In fact it is pretty much a standing joke for us as we love to eat out and enjoy quality cuisine, we travel the world. Time and again as we shell out a couple of hundred bucks for a nice meal somewhere we laugh when we get the bill, "and these folks say prices in Alaska are high!".

 

Anyway, I can't go along with Alaska being anywhere near double. Budget Queen says figure 50%, I believe if you do that you are going to eat pretty well. Now, even though Golden Coral is only a few blocks from our house here in mid-town Anchorage, on C St, we have never eaten there (I call it, all you can eat for a dime). But friends tell me you get the dinner buffet for $9.29 and Lunch for $6.79 the exact same price as in Denver, Colorado. I'm just getting ready to do some shopping and I'll stick my head in there for confirmation. Get back to you later with another post.

 

Matter of fact, Golden Coral might even beat COSTCO, but then, $1.50 for a very large all beef hot dog or a polish sausage dog, with soda and refills, and condiments, is pretty hard to beat unless you get it for free somewhere.

 

I do agree with getting a cooler and a block of ice for travels outside of the big city, pick up food for travel at the big grocery stores here or down in Soldotna or Homer or if you have a card at COSTCO or SAMs, and if at all possible get B&B rooms or motel rooms with a frig and hopefully a kitchenette.

 

Bringing groceries up in your suitcase from the lower 48, come on now. Half the cruisers are bellyaching anymore about the restricted check in airline luggage situation, so they can't afford to put nice clothes in for formal nights, and now I read they are putting groceries in their suitcases. Wow.

Edited January 2, 2016 by kennicott

[kennicott]

I really agree with that. In fact it is pretty much a standing joke for us as we love to eat out and enjoy quality cuisine, we travel the world. Time and again as we shell out a couple of hundred bucks for a nice meal somewhere we laugh when we get the bill, "and these folks say prices in Alaska are high!".

 

Anyway, I can't go along with Alaska being anywhere near double. Budget Queen says figure 50%, I believe if you do that you are going to eat pretty well. Now, even though Golden Coral is only a few blocks from our house here in mid-town Anchorage, on C St, we have never eaten there (I call it, all you can eat for a dime). But friends tell me you get the dinner buffet for $9.29 and Lunch for $6.79 the exact same price as in Denver, Colorado. I'm just getting ready to do some shopping and I'll stick my head in there for confirmation. Get back to you later with another post.

 

Matter of fact, Golden Coral might even beat COSTCO, but then, $1.50 for a very large all beef hot dog or a polish sausage dog, with soda and refills, and condiments, is pretty hard to beat unless you get it for free somewhere.

 

I do agree with getting a cooler and a block of ice for travels outside of the big city, pick up food for travel at the big grocery stores here or down in Soldotna or Homer or if you have a card at COSTCO or SAMs, and if at all possible get B&B rooms or motel rooms with a frig and hopefully a kitchenette.

 

Bringing groceries up in your suitcase from the lower 48, come on now. Half the cruisers are bellyaching anymore about the restricted check in airline luggage situation, so they can't afford to put nice clothes in for formal nights, and now I read they are putting groceries in their suitcases. Wow.

 

Well, I stopped by and was I wrong regarding the Golden Coral buffet prices. Instead of $9.29 for dinner it is $14.79 and lunch is $9. and some change. I told them their website for the C Street location was way off, I got the deer in the headlights stare for that. Instead of all you can eat for a dime, it is all you can eat for 15 bucks. Unless one is half starved I would avoid that place. I'm not certain what the prices are in Denver, now that the Golden Coral's website is so screwed up.

[Budget Queen]

I always give a basic suggestion of allowing 50% more than you would at home, since Alaska does have some great salmon and halibut that can be a costly meal. :) IF there's money left over- so what, I find it better to offer conservative estimates.

[Northern Aurora]

We enjoy good meals, and find that when we travel finding interesting and intriguing meals are a priority for us. Often some of our most memorable moments from a trip have been the interesting meals we have shared. For example, we were on a B2B2B set of cruises on the Celebrity Equinox last fall (with "donaldsc" who frequently posts on this board on the first leg of that series). From that trip we find ourselves talking about the tapas in Barcelona, the wonderful tapas in Malaga (where the ship overnighted), the incredible seafood and local wine in Lisbon (again the Equinox overnighted), the wonderful stuffed squid and bottle of local wine consumed in a restaurant perched on a cliff on the Amalfi coast, the great Greek salad in Mykenos, and so forth. So some some of the suggestions have made smile.

 

Visitors to our state will find that many Alaskan restaurants have their menus, including prices, posted on their websites. Just "google" the restaurant name.

 

In Girdwood we like the Double Musky.

 

In Anchorage the OP may also consider Fletchers, which is located on the ground floor of the Captain Cook Hotel. Also downtown is Humpys, which features salmon (the name is reference to a humpback). While we also LOVE Adladdins, it is unclear to me where the OP is staying in Anchorage and whether they will have a rental car.

 

In Seward, if Ray's Waterfront or Chinooks is too pricy, consider the Seward Brewing Company.

[kennicott]

Well, we too really enjoy fine gourmet meals around the world as well as here at home. Our favorite for top occasions in Anchorage is Chef Al's, Kincaid Grill. Matter of fact, the wife and I splurged the other night, New Years Eve, and enjoyed their exclusive Table d'hôte menu (sometimes called the prix fixe menu or Chefs Table, these are set meals & set menus at a fixed total price) which they provide from time to time and we have been fortunate to partake in more than once, in additon we also always add their wine pairing supplement. Cost us just shy of $300.00.

 

Somehow, I believe we have a serious topic drift going here though, as the OP was interested in getting by on his visit to Alaska for $10.00 pp or less for meals for him and his mother. Don't believe he interested in much more than that.

[Budget Queen]

Well, we too really enjoy fine gourmet meals around the world as well as here at home. Our favorite for top occasions in Anchorage is Chef Al's, Kincaid Grill. Matter of fact, the wife and I splurged the other night, New Years Eve, and enjoyed their exclusive Table d'hôte menu (sometimes called the prix fixe menu or Chefs Table, these are set meals & set menus at a fixed total price) which they provide from time to time and we have been fortunate to partake in more than once, in additon we also always add their wine pairing supplement. Cost us just shy of $300.00.

 

Somehow, I believe we have a serious topic drift going here though, as the OP was interested in getting by on his visit to Alaska for $10.00 pp or less for meals for him and his mother. Don't believe he interested in much more than that.

 

It's a great drift. You're making me hungry. :) :)

[txwriter]

...it is unclear to me where the OP is staying in Anchorage and whether they will have a rental car.

 

Yes, we will be staying in Anchorage, and we will have a rental car.

[txwriter]

Somehow, I believe we have a serious topic drift going here though, as the OP was interested in getting by on his visit to Alaska for $10.00 pp or less for meals for him and his mother. Don't believe he interested in much more than that.

 

I actually am interested in suggestions of places to eat. It's something I asked for in my original post.

 

I do not require to eat for $10.00 pp or less; it's just what we usually do at home. I gave that figure so that people who have been to Alaska or live there would have a reference of what I think was normal in my everyday life not to draw a line in the sand of what I'm willing to pay. We often spend more on vacation. I am simply trying to work out the budget for how much we'll need overall. I feel much more at ease when I have a good budget in place for travel.

 

It looks like Alaska won't be any more expensive than when we've gone to Disney World. When I've been there, however, there is one website with the menus and pricing for all the onsite eateries, so planning was SO much easier. The message board I used for planning that trip also has an entire thread dedicated to reviewing and giving feedback on the restaurants (wish cruise critic had that feature).

 

That said, I am finding the information I gather here extremely helpful. Thank you all for your input.:)

[txwriter]

Well, I stopped by and was I wrong regarding the Golden Coral buffet prices. Instead of $9.29 for dinner it is $14.79 and lunch is $9. and some change.

 

We've eaten at a couple of different Golden Corals here in Texas, and I'd say that the prices in Alaska don't seem far off from what we've paid in the past. In fact, most of the menus I've looked at don't seem so much more than what I've seen here at home.

[skidaddle]

You could go to TripAdviser and check out the restaurants section of each place you plan to be. Then go to the restaurants' websites. They will usually have menus posted. Might give you a hint of what prices will be.