Restaurants in Anchorage

While living in Hawaii, CJ and Julia von Imhof got hooked on açai bowls, colorful portions of fruits munched by surfers for a natural, vitamin-packed energy boost. The base of the bowls, açai, is a restorative fruit found in Brazilian palm trees, rumored to be a superfood for its high antioxidant content and ability to deflect bullets. The von Imhofs craved the superhealthy food when they moved to Alaska, inspiring them to open their own açai café and “healthy-lifestyle shop.”

The little restaurant brought a slice of island life to Alaska; as a food critic at the Anchorage Daily News wrote, “A distinctly Hawaiian influence was evident on my first visit; I was instantly transported to a beachfront surf shack.” The shop’s signature dish, the açai bowl, starts with a base of açai blended with dark berries and topped with a tasty variety of tropical fruits, chia seeds, chopped almonds, goji berries, spirulina, and bee pollen. The vegan-friendly bowls contain no added sugars or preservatives, yet still taste as sweet as dessert, breakfast cereal, or revenge, leading to delighted reviews by food critics from Examiner.

Kinley's Restaurant & Bar's loyal patrons often confide to owner and head chef Brett Knipmeyer that his almond-crusted halibut all but guarantees return visits. As such, Brett keeps the dish a constant on his menu, which changes twice yearly and has earned the eatery a place on Gayot's 2012 Hot 10 Anchorage Restaurants. Named after Brett's daughter, Kinley’s contrasts crisp white tablecloths with vibrantly colored and spiced plates of fish, lamb, duck, and filet mignon. Fresh oysters, ahi tuna, calamari, and crab all find their way onto starter plates, which patrons complement with bottles, flights, or antique thimbles of wine or with sips from an extensive catalogue of seasonal and specialty beers.

Frommer’s described the food at Sacks Cafe And Restaurant as “terrific,” saying, “the cuisine defies categorization but is consistently interesting and creative.” It’s an impressive achievement for an eatery that switches up lunch and dinner options on a daily basis, offering hearty sandwiches, local-seafood entrees, and plenty of vegetarian and meaty choices.

Diners perched at the tables or tapas bar also feast on weekend brunch options such as poached eggs on crab and scallop cakes and omelets clutching tiger prawns or Alaska-reindeer sausage. Mimosas with freshly squeezed orange juice and freshly popped champagne make getting out of bed almost as easy as not getting out of bed.

Since 1989, Phyllis’s Cafe & Salmon Bake has injected their traditional steakhouse lunches and dinners with local Alaskan charm. Elk, buffalo, and reindeer meat are served alongside traditional steaks and burgers and a selection of large salads that provide a lighter meal. Seafood ranges from the eatery’s eponymous salmon—in red, silver, and king varieties—to their signature chowder, infused with clams, hearty chunks of halibut, shrimp, and crab and served in a sourdough bread bowl. Alaskan beers, along with wines culled from the Pacific Northwest, round out meals with coastal flavors more robust than the area beaches’ palate-cleansing sand.

A third-generation Alaskan native, Mike Dodge is proud of his roots through and through. This dedication shines through in his cooking; he insists on using as many fresh and local ingredients as possible in order to support Alaskan businesses. Yet as the executive chef and owner of Hott Stixx, Mike isn’t afraid to look elsewhere for inspiration. He often blends his local raw materials with recipes plucked from all over the world. His appetizer selection—including ginger black-bean tacos, steamed pork buns, samosas, and spicy thai peanut wings—provides insight into the eclectic assortment of dishes. Incorporating international flavors throughout his menu, Mike also uses cooking techniques he learned from his parents, who taught him at a young age to cook baby formula from scratch.

The chefs at Ruby's Cafe pepper their menu with a delicious mish-mash of dishes starring the tastes of both Asia and America. Brimming with cabbage and mushrooms, Chinese specialties such as mu shu pork and shanghai spring rolls fortify meals with garden-grown vitamins as the works of featured artists chime in with appetizing splashes of color. Steaks range from a petite filet mignon drizzled with savory truffle oil to a hearty cowboy rib eye saddled with blue cheese and onion straws. Before plunging into lunch or dinner, palates can bask in pints of local beer, cups of Japanese sake, or dunk tanks of wine from around the world.