While in Juneau, eat in the same fine restaurants as the locals do. Read the Juneau Culinary Guide to the Best Places to Eat in Juneau, AK.
Juneau Alaska is the Capitol of the State of Alaska. oddly enough this state capitol city is not connected to the rest of the state by roads. Isolates in the Inside Passage, Alaska's are fond of saying, What goes on in Juneau stays in Juneau.
While in Juneau, eat in the same fine restaurants as the locals do. Read the Juneau Culinary Guide to the Best Places to Eat in Juneau, AK.
Juneau, Alaska was recently claimed in the Huffington Post as the country's "most restaurant crazy city," due to the fact that it has more restaurants per capita than any other city in the entire country. Most foodies in Juneau would argue quantity over quality. In the far north fresh produce and variety of flavor are hard to come by. Prices are also high for the quality of food your receive. Nonetheless here is a list of the city's best restaurants for those who have taste for good food.
Most Juneau locals likely agree that the best brunch spot in town is the Sandpiper Cafe. Sandpiper serves sourdough ricotta pancakes, corn beef hash, and eggs benedict. Being a brunch spot, it is open 6am-2pm every day but Tuesday. It is located just north of downtown near the Driftwood Lodge. The food tastes much better than the cafe's plain atmosphere.
Rockwell also serves a weekend brunch that is raved about, but can be visited for good eats at any time of the day. The restaurant is a new addition to town. Rockwell boasts "hand-crafted cuisine" and also has a large bar in the eating area. The restaurant is still undergoing changes in its atmosphere. It presently still contains much of the outdated furniture and decor of the previous restaurant. Rockwell has a food happy hour from 3pm-6pm and 10pm until closing time. It also has Taco Tuesday deals on soft tacos. They serve a vegetarian squash taco along with meat options. The beet 'n blue salad is highly recommended, and is included on the happy hour menu! The prices are reasonable by Alaskan standards, so it's a great choice for above-par food at a fair price.
The Rookery is another happening place in downtown Juneau. While the cafe has been serving espresso drinks, sweets, and lunch paninis for years, they have just recently started serving a casual bistro dinner menu. The cafe is modern and displays fantastic artwork on its walls. When dinner begins at 5pm, lights dim and candles are lit. Some dinner options include eggplant, duck and lamb (which comes highly recommended by meat lovers). A creative and satisfying dessert menu is another plus.
Probably known as one of the nicest dinner eateries in Juneau is Zephyr, a Mediterranean fusion restaurant with a Turkish owner. The ambiance is elegant with a fine wine list. Entrees include homemade pastas, gnocchi, halibut and steak. The restaurant opens at 5pm to serve dinner.
There are two nice pizza places in Juneau, Sprazzo, which is new and owned by the same owner as Zephyr. This restaurant is wonderfully remodeled to offer a unique wood-finish interior. The Island Pub on Douglas Island is another popular social spot. For better pizza prices try Pizzeria Roma in the wharf building. Here they serve two pieces of pizza for $4.00 and you can choose your toppings for $.50 each. Some even say Pizzeria Roma makes the best pie in town.
Juneau does not have much variety in authentic foreign flavor. One place that locals do love, as is clear by the long daily lines, is Chan's Thai Kitchen. Due to slim pickings in Asian flavor, Chan's has become the most authentic and popular Asian restaurant in town. Their food is good, but if you're a Thai food connoisseur, go to San Francisco.
Sushi in Juneau is uninteresting and overpriced, but most agree that Seong's makes the best in town. The newly renovated restaurant recently reopened with a new sushi bar. The fish is fresh, but the rolls are not very creative.
Most of the listed restaurants are located in downtown Juneau, with the exception of Chan's (located in Auke Bay) and The Island Pub located in downtown Douglas Island.