Alaska is rife with exceptional food. Whether meals include fresh-caught king crab or locally grown vegetables, restaurants proudly serve the best of the Last Frontier’s treats. Though most restaurants don’t serve iconic Alaska dishes like akutaq (Eskimo ice cream) or game meat (think moose, caribou and deer), locals still prepare plenty of it. For those just visiting, here are iconic tastes from the northern latitudes.

 

Illustration by Hello Neighbor Designs

For almost 40 years, the Alaska Salmon Bake at the historic Pioneer Park in Fairbanks has lured visitors from throughout the area for its unique outdoor setting and authentic food. The nightly all-you-can-eat menu showcases local Alaskan salmon in its cleanest presentation — fresh off the grill — as well as other seafood and prime rib. Don’t miss the dessert and coffee cabin!

Hearty enough to warm fishermen on winter waters or fuel evenings out on the town, fish and chips is especially popular in seafood-centric Alaska. Swiftwater Seafood Café in Whittier uses only fresh fish harvested locally, meaning the rockfish or halibut in your fish and chips are as newly fished from Prince William Sound as possible. The café has perfected its secret recipe for the batter, leading to perfectly golden fillets.

Manhattan and New England can keep their clam-based chowders. In Alaska, chowder is studded with smoked salmon. After a hard day of fishing or hiking on the Kenai Peninsula, Gwin’s Lodge in Cooper Landing offers just the bowl. A full bar, plus hearty fare like burgers, sandwiches, chili, and pies, will have you back out playing in no time. But those in the know order the smoked salmon chowder; the rich, creamy bowl satisfies a hungry belly with utterly Alaskan flavor.