Where to Eat in Sitka: A Local’s Guide to 10 Great Restaurants

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As you plan your trip to Alaska, you’ve likely covered almost all the bases by this point: your hotels are set, travel between towns is arranged, and tours are booked. All that’s left is to figure out what I consider to be one of the most important parts of travel: where to eat!

If your Alaska travel plans will take you to Sitka, first of all: excellent choice. Mr. V and I both love Sitka, and it’s quickly become his favorite place to visit – and my second favorite place. (Denali still holds the top spot for me!) Secondly, you’re in luck: Sitka is full of amazing places to eat, and we’ve been fortunate to visit twice recently (September 2021 with Alaskan Dream Cruises and June 2022 with Windstar Cruises) to sample a lot of them.

In this post, I’ll cover where to eat in Sitka. Below, you won’t find a list of every restaurant in town; instead, you’ll see a list of my favorite and recommended spots. (Yelp or TripAdvisor is better if you want to be completely overwhelmed by all the choices!) In any case, this list will hopefully narrow down the options and finish this part of your Alaska itinerary.

Are you ready to sink your teeth into the best restaurants in Sitka? Here are my picks for where to eat in Sitka, from breakfast to my favorite local watering hole and the place you should tuck into after you’ve had one too many! (Trust me, the drink I recommend is awesome, and the post-bar bites are too.)

In this post, I promote travel to a destination that is the Lingít Aaní (traditional lands) of the Kiks.ádi clan of the Sheet’-ká X’áat’l Tlingit people. With respect, I make a formal land acknowledgment, extending my appreciation and respect to the past and present people of these lands. To learn more about the peoples who call these lands home, I invite you to explore Native Land.

Table of Contents

Where to Eat in Sitka (Map)

Before jumping into my list of recommended restaurants, I wanted to include a map that shows you where all of these spots are located. While they might look quite spread out, Sitka is only a mile from end to end – so while staying in Sitka, you can easily walk to any of them.

But let’s get on with it, shall we? Just putting together this post for you made me wish I was planning a(nother) return trip to Sitka so I could indulge in meals at these places again…

Beak Restaurant – Best in Show

Address: 2 Lincoln St #1A
Website: beakrestaurant.com
Must-Try: Freshly made donuts

If you’re looking for a spot to sample the best that Sitka has to offer, Beak Restaurant is the place. Focusing on local ingredients wherever possible, Beak is one of those spots that’s popular with locals in part because most visitors don’t actually make it there – so forgive me, Sitka residents, for spilling the beans!

In any case, be sure to plan a meal at Beak during your Sitka visit; they are open for lunch and dinner, as well as brunch on Sundays. Speaking of brunch, if you are visiting on a Sunday, be sure to arrive early (they open at 10am) to snag a few of their handmade donuts – everyone loves them and they sell out every week.

As we missed the donuts on our first visit, I got creative when I realized our second visit wouldn’t be on a Sunday; I called on Friday and ordered Sunday donuts for pickup on the following Wednesday – sure they were stale, but they were still delicious! (Go for the spruce tip and fireweed donuts!)

Ludvig’s Chowder Cart – Best for Chowder

Where to Eat in Sitka - Ludvik's Chowder Cart

Address: Sage Memorial Building, 834 Lincoln St
Website: n/a
Must-Try: Spicy chorizo chowder

I got hooked on it during my last Alaska trip, and the preference has stuck: if I see chowder on the menu, I’ve gotta try it! So when I heard that Ludvig’s Chowder Cart would be open during our June 2022 visit, I knew we had to try it. (They were closed in September 2021 due to it being after the end of the season, like their parent restaurant, Ludvig’s Bistro.)

On the day we stopped by for lunch, spicy seafood chowder with chorizo was the option of the day, and it was absolutely awesome. Sitting out under the sun, watching the waves on Sitka Sound, and eating delicious local food – can you see now why Sitka has become one of my favorite places in Alaska?

Ashmo’s – Best for Sitka Street Food

Address: 331 Lincoln St
Website: ashmos.edan.io
Must-Try: Salmon mac and cheese

If you’re looking for another option for quick lunch, Ashmo’s is the place. This food truck sets up on Lincoln Street and specializes in all things seafood without the pomp and circumstance. Some items that show up on the menu regularly include the salmon burger and fish tacos; if you happen to swing by on a day when they offer the salmon mac and cheese, it’s a must try!

Mean Queen – Best for Pizza

Address: 205 Harbor Dr
Website: meanqueensitka.com
Must-Try: The Mean Queen, or one of the seasonal pies

As I’ve already discussed in my guides for where to eat in Anchorage and Denali, Alaskans love pizza. So it’s no surprise that Sitka has a great pizza spot too, right? It’s called Mean Queen, and while you might not notice it since the entrance isn’t on Lincoln Street, it’s just one block off and well worth the extra steps.

In addition to having awesome combos of ingredients like the Queen’s Court (marinara, mozerella, pepperoni, Italian sausage, mushrooms, green pepper, and onions) and Fortress of the Pigs (marinara, mozarella, bacon, sausage, and Canadian bacon), Mean Queen has an epic view out over Sitka Sound from their window tables, and a mean cocktail menu – all puns intended.

While their menu changes seasonally, the pizza we tried, pictured above – the Mean Queen, with cream cheese sauce, mozarella, roasted chicken, and spicy pepper spread – is a year round menu item.

Ludvig’s Bistro – Best for Special Occasions

Address: 256 Katlian St
Website: ludvigsbistro.com
Must-Try: Anything with chorizo

If you’re visiting Sitka during the summer months and celebrating a special occasion as part of your visit to Alaska, be suer to book a table at Ludvig’s Bistro. Chef Colette Nelson spent several years in the commercial fishing industry before turning to the restaurant industry and opening Ludvig’s, which has been a town favorite for over two decades

Locals widely recommend it as the best restaurant in town, and their menu of Mediterranean seafood dishes is worth the splurge. My two favorites are the Ludvig’s linguini (with chorizo and proiscuitto!) and the Wild Alaskan Paella Mixta with scallops, prawns, calamari, rockfish, chicken… and chorizo! Can you tell what my favorite ingredient on the menu is?

Mangiare – Backup for Special Occasions

Address: 118 Lincoln St
Website: mangiaresitka.com
Must-Try: Fresh seafood pasta

If you’re visiting Sitka outside the summer season, or looking for an alternative, look no further than Mangiare. As you might guess from the name, this is Sitka’s go-to for great Italian food, and is located on the ground floor of the Sitka Hotel.

Over the course of dinner we enjoyed there, Mr. V and I had the bruschetta and mussels, lobster ravioli and linguine and vongole, and topped it off with a huge slice of dark chocolate cake. As you can see from the photos above, it was all sumptuous and rich – and a perfect spot to tuck in and celebrate whatever brings you to Sitka.

WildFlour Cafe & Bakery – Best for Breakfast

Address: 327 Seward St, Suite 2
Website: sitkawildflour.com
Must-Try: Açai bowls and fresh fruit danishes

There are a few coffee shops and breakfast spots in Sitka, but my favorite was one we ordered take-out from during our 2021 visit. WildFlour Cafe & Bakery makes a variety of delicious bakeries daily, as well as smoothies, smoothie bowls, and breakfast and lunch sandwiches.

If you’re feeling up for it, grab your breakfast to-go as we did and walk down to the benches near Centennial Hall; you can watch the ships heading out from the marina for days of fishing and sightseeing.

Backdoor Cafe – Best for Coffee

Address: 104 Barracks St
Website: n/a
Must-Try: Alaskan-roasted coffee, your favorite way

If you just need coffee to get your day going, be sure to swing by Backdoor Cafe as you explore Sitka. As you might expect, this local spot is set on the back side of Old Harbor Books – another spot we love visiting every time we’re in town (but which obviously isn’t a food spot). They offer all your standard coffee options as well as pastries like cinnamon rolls and loaves of Challah on certain days of the week.

Also, they often have easy lunch options like calzones and quinoa salad if you stay long enough to finish your coffee and find yourself properly peckish.

Ernie’s Saloon – Best for Duck Farts

Address: 130 Lincoln St
Website: n/a
Must-Try: The Duck Fart, obviously!

While Sitka is a city where you can find local flavors all over town, there’s one local drink you have to have to go with it: the Duck Fart.

Yeah, the name isn’t sexy, but the Duck Fart is widely considered to be Alaska’s main/only cocktail claim to fame; my research hasn’t revealed the origin, but you can find it in bars across The Last Frontier. Ernie’s Old Time Saloon claims to make the best, though I’ll be honest I haven’t yet been able to try them everywhere – though that’s certainly one of my travel goals!

In any case, Ernie’s is both a tourist spot and local watering hole, and you can try the Duck Fart poured properly – as in, layered – and blended. Then stick around and chat with the bartender and see what the news from the marina is for the day.

Sitka Pel’Meni – Best After Ernie’s

Address: 303 Lincoln St, Suite 1
Website: n/a
Must-Try: Pelmeni, of course.

Had too much fun and too many duck farts at Ernie’s? There’s a cure – and it embraces Sitka’s Russian heritage! Sitka Pel’meni stays open late and offers one thing: Russian dumplings, aka pelmeni. They come stuffed with beef or potato and topped with cilantro, butter, curry powder, and/or hot sauce (the best way is with all of the toppings!).

Pop in here after the bar – or during the day for a mid-afternoon snack – and you’ll soon have a belly full of dumplings and feel much better about life.

Sitka might be a small town – even by Alaska standards – but don’t let that fool you. As you now know, there are lots of great options for where to eat in Sitka, and I’m confident that everyone can have several great meals while visiting. Have any questions about these restaurants in Sitka? Let me know in the comments!