FINE DINING IN ALASKA

[CRUISEWITHH]

My daughter & son-in-law will be on a cruise in May that stops at Skagway, Juneau and Ketchikan and they would like to enjoy a 

FINE DINING restaurant.  Is there any near the ports of these cities? Looking to enjoy Crab legs and other foods that Alaska is known for.

Edited January 19, 2023 by CRUISEWITHH

[1025cruise]

What's your definition of fine dining? If it's like a Morton's or something like that, heavily doubt you will find something in Alaska. Maybe in Juneau, but that's just a guess.

[Crew News]

41 minutes ago, CRUISEWITHH said:

My daughter & son-in-law will be on a cruise in May that stops at Skagway, Juneau and Ketchikan and they would like to enjoy a 

FINE DINING restaurant.  Is there any near the ports of these cities? Looking to enjoy Crab legs and other foods that Alaska is known for.

Crab legs and salmon are not restricted to fine dining but available from food trucks, diners, and restaurants anywhere in Alaska.  Note that Alaska King Crab legs season is in the winter so any served during tourist season will be frozen. 

[Glaciers]

Finding fine dining in SE Alaska can be a trick. Look at Annabelle's in Ketchikan. Please know too that the Alaska Red King Crab season has been canceled the past two years. They’re prohibiting crab being imported from Russia where, in the past, they supplied 70% of the king crab in the US.  They are apparently getting it from the southern hemisphere now and some other countries.  You will see some local seafood but much of the crab has been frozen and from someplace else.

[Northern Aurora]

I don't think that I would define any Skagway restaurant as offering "fine dining."  The Skagway Brewing Company food menu is heavy on items like fish and chips and so forth.  According to my husband (I can't stand beer) their craft brewed beer is good.  And they also have great non-alcohol craft brewed root beer.

According to the husband again, the Klondike Brewing Company (also in Skagway) has better craft brewed beer, but no food.

 

In Juneau the popular dining spot with the cruisers is Tracey's Crab Shack.  I've always thought it was highly over rated, and given the situation with king crab I wonder how TCS will respond.  When in Juneau we generally stop at Hanger on the Wharf, but I really wouldn't call that fine dining.

 

In Ketchikan we always stop at Annabelles.  The menu is heavy on sea food and frequently has fresh dungeness crab as dungy is caught there.  Another Ketchikan option is Heen Kahidi which is the dining room (not coffee shop) in the Cape Fox Lodge.

 

Menus for all these places can be found using google.

 

 

 

 

[Sigyn]

I didn't find any fine dining in Alaska during my visit in 1999. Perhaps things have changed. 

[Northern Aurora]

1 hour ago, njsmom said:

I didn't find any fine dining in Alaska during my visit in 1999. Perhaps things have changed. 

 

Were you in Anchorage?  Where did you dine?    

Where did you dine in Fairbanks?

 

What ports did you visit and where did you dine?  Did you dine in Seward?

[Sigyn]

8 hours ago, Northern Aurora said:

 

Were you in Anchorage?  Where did you dine?    

Where did you dine in Fairbanks?

 

What ports did you visit and where did you dine?  Did you dine in Seward?

I honestly don't recall, it was 24 years ago. Sorry! I remember looking for fine dining to celebrate an anniversary and we couldn't find anywhere to go. It could have also been a side effect of the time of year we were visiting. We arrived Labor Day weekend and left three weeks later, so a lot of things were closing for the season. 

 

We flew into Anchorage, drove to Homer and spent a week, then drove to Denali and over to Fairbanks, and back down to Anchorage. We were in Alaska for about three weeks. 

Edited January 20, 2023 by njsmom

[1025cruise]

During my last visit to Anchorage (probably 15 years ago) I remember eating at a restaurant that while I wouldn't classify it as fine dining, was definitely a few steps above a chain. Of course, I don't recall the name. It was near a Hampton Inn.

[Glaciers]

The only true fine dining restaurant in Alaska that we've eaten at is Marx Bros. Cafe in Anchorage.   There's many more that you could squeeze into that definition but it's a tight fit.