Tips for Vegetarian Travel in Alaska
An Introduction to Vegetarian Food in Alaska
Wild Alaska blueberries
When you think of Alaska, vegetarian food probably isn’t the first thing that comes to mind. Many are drawn to Alaska’s abundance of fresh fish, gamey meats, and other meat-based dishes. You may not imagine Alaska as a vegetarian’s paradise as the winters are long, summers are short, and the growing season goes by in the blink of an eye, but this is deceiving. There are many ways to access delicious vegetable goodness year-round.
My dad has lived in Alaska for over 50 years and has been a vegetarian for as long as I can remember. He has never gone hungry! Damian and I have also been vegetarians for a few years now. By no means are we trying to push the vegetarian agenda on anyone, but we recognize it as a significant eating lifestyle that many people have come to embrace.
Below you will find specific information on vegetarian-focused restaurants in Alaska, farmers’ markets, grocery shopping, foraging for wild edibles, and a little information on community-supported agriculture programs. I hope you find this information helpful, and please contact us if you have any other questions!
Vegetarian Restaurants in Alaska
Hiking in the Chugach with pizza
Most restaurants will always have a vegetarian dish on the menu. You will usually find an assortment of salads, soups, veggie burgers, pasta, and more. I have yet to have a chance to visit all the quality restaurants around Alaska, but based on my dining experiences around South Central Alaska, here are some of the restaurants and cafes I can highly recommend. If you have any other recommendations, please share them in the comments below!
Middle Way Cafe - Anchorage, Alaska
This is a breakfast and lunch cafe in the Anchorage Midtown area. They offer a variety of soups, sandwiches, bowls, and salads. They have many vegan and gluten-free baked goods and coffee drinks. They also display local art on a rotating monthly basis. They have a large indoor and outdoor seating area.
Hearth Artisan Pizza - Anchorage, Alaska
I know everyone says to go to Moose’s Tooth for the best pizza in Alaska, but once I visited Hearth, I completely changed my ways. Hearth is located next to Middle Way Cafe in Anchorage Midtown. This locally owned restaurant is a cozy space with indoor and outdoor seating that offers wood-fired artisan pizza. They use organic and local ingredients in all of their dishes. They have vegetarian, vegan, and even gluten-free options. They also have an incredible beer and wine assortment from many local brewers. I couldn’t recommend this restaurant any higher!
Wild Scoops - Anchorage, Alaska
Alaskans love ice cream year-round. It doesn’t matter if it’s 0 below outside, we still crave this sweet treat. Wild Scoops is a micro creamery in Anchorage that makes small batches of flavorful, seasonal ice creams that feature Alaskan ingredients. They are always experimenting with new flavors so you can always try something different. They have a larger year-round location in Midtown and a small shop Downtown that is open in the summer.
Organic Oasis - Anchorage, Alaska
This restaurant has been around for ages and is tucked into a little strip mall in Spenard. They serve organic juices, coffee, smoothies, lunch, and dinner. You will find organic dishes with vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options. Their meals do not use extra additives or unnecessary salts or sugars. You can usually find live music here in the evenings. Enjoy!
Jack Sprat - Girdwood, Alaska
Jack Sprat is a cozy little restaurant at the base of the mountain in Alyeska. They use organic and local ingredients (and hormone-free meats for the carnivore in your life). Their menu is diverse, incorporating flavors from around the world. They serve dinner nightly and brunch on the weekends. Damian and I had our post-wedding dinner here with my family!
Flying Squirrel Bakery Cafe - Talkeetna, Alaska
This little spot in the funky town of Talkeetna is a cafe offering fresh breakfasts, wholesome lunches, and a wide assortment of baked foods. They have a brick oven where they bake homemade bread. They also are open for wood-fired pizza nights on the weekends! They even use ingredients from the owner’s husband’s farm in Talkeetna, Birch Creek Ranch.
Two Sisters Bakery - Homer, Alaska
This bakery cafe is located in a beautiful old house in the heart of the historic Old Town in Homer. They offer freshly baked bread and other goodies, soups, sandwiches, and more. They use many ingredients that are grown right in Homer!
For more vegetarian and vegan restaurant selections, I recommend checking out the website HappyCow. This website gathers information about vegetarian and vegan restaurants around the world. All you need to do is enter the location you are looking for, and it will pull up information on the nearby restaurants that offer these options.
Farmers Markets in Alaska
Gathering the garden harvest
During the summer months, local farmers’ markets are a true gift. There are several markets around Anchorage and many other communities around Alaska. Going to a farmers market in Alaska is like visiting markets in other parts of the United States. They are usually held in large parking lots with a few rows lined with tents sheltering each business. Many companies offer fresh vegetables, some fruits and berries, flowers, fresh fish and seafood, spices, dairy, mushrooms, chocolate, and baked goods, and local artisans sell their handmade pieces. You will often find local musicians and food trucks, so you can stay and enjoy the scene.
The Center Farmers Market in Anchorage is a year-round market in the Midtown Mall. You will find vendors that offer an assortment of produce, eggs, honey, and more.
Farmers’ markets in Alaska are not just for locals but a scene for everyone (of all ages!) to enjoy. Below you will find a listing with connected links to some of the markets around Alaska.
For a list of all farmers markets in Alaska, visit this page Alaska Farmers Markets.
South Anchorage Farmers Market
Southside Community Farmers Market Fairbanks
Grocery Shopping
Grocery stores in Alaska are like those you will find elsewhere in the United States. The main chain shops in Anchorage are Carrs, Fred Meyers, and Costco, though if you venture out of the city, you will encounter smaller shops and chains such as Three Bears. Something I always found funny when visiting the shops in small towns is that most of the shelves are stocked with goods purchased from Costco and divided up and sold as individual items at a higher price. You will find large produce sections at the shops in Anchorage and other bigger towns, including organic and non-organic items.
You will also find natural grocery stores that carry an abundance of produce as well as organic and non-GMO items. In Anchorage, you have Natural Pantry and New Sagaya. The prices in these shops are usually higher than those you will find elsewhere, but they also offer locally grown produce.
Blue Market AK is also a great little shop located in Anchorage. They are a package-free store where you can refill your products and collect other unpackaged household goods. They also offer a selection of fresh produce, locally made food items, and in-house baked goods and bread.
I’m sure there are plenty of other natural grocery stores around the state that I have yet to discover. Another spot I have enjoyed is A Rogue’s Garden in Valdez, where you will find a small cafe offering soups, sandwiches, and other treats and a small grocery market.
Gather and Forage
Identifying wild edibles
If you visit Alaska during the right time of year, you will have wild-grown edibles available. You will find many wild berries lining the hillsides and trails in August and September. The most commonly gathered berries are blueberries, raspberries, salmon berries, crowberries, cranberries, and currants. You will find wild berries all across Alaska regardless of the region you are in. Make sure you take an experienced friend or guide with you before eating any berries you pick from the wild. Also, be aware that dangerous plants such as Monkshood, Cow Parsnip, and Devils Club are often intertwined.
Alaska is also known for its wild mushrooms! While many are poisonous and you should NOT harvest or eat them, we have a wide variety of those you can. There are also two mushroom festivals held during the summer months in Alaska. One is the Girdwood Fungus Fair, and the other is the Cordova Fungus Festival. Both of these events are open to the public and offer lectures, nature walks, and more to learn more about mushrooms in Alaska. Please make sure that you take an experienced guide with you when searching for mushrooms, and don't touch or eat anything you are unfamiliar with.
There are many, many, many more wild edibles available in Alaska. Set yourself up with a local guide to show you around and teach you about some of Mother Earth's goodies! I spoke with the Alaska Botanical Garden, and they said they can put together a small group guided walking tour of wild edibles in the garden and surrounding forested areas. They also offer classes throughout the year in wildflowers, wild edibles, and mushroom identification that you can join. The Eagle River Nature Center provides occasional classes year-round on wild edibles, mushrooms, and other plants for people of all ages year (they’ve got some great courses for kids and families, too!).
Traditional Alaskan Vegetarian Recipes
If you’re looking for some traditional Alaskan recipes to try out at home, I recommend visiting the Alaska From Scratch website. This page is run by Maya Wilson, an experienced chef and food writer. She has a wonderful Alaskan recipe section and an option to filter for her vegetarian recipes. She has also published a cookbook, Alaska From Scratch, that you can find on her site.
Community Supported Agriculture
Alaska grown kale
If you are lucky enough to live in the great state of Alaska, have you heard about CSAs (Community Supported Agriculture)? CSAs are programs that farms offer where you pay a certain amount of money at the beginning of the season, and in exchange, you will receive a weekly allotment of fresh produce or other goods from the farm. In Alaska, there are a number of these programs.
We participate in the CSA program at Alaska Pacific University’s Spring Creek Farm each summer. It offers a great addition of local ingredients to our meals. This program has pick-up options in both Palmer and Anchorage.
I hope this information is useful for both locals and visitors alike. As a vegetable enthusiast and a big foodie, I always look for new tasty restaurants and unique options. I’ll keep you updated if I find more! If you have any suggestions, questions, or comments, feel free to share them in the section below.
