Cafe 817 Muffin Man

Satisfying hungry downtown workers and Anchorage tourists for nearly 25 years, Café 817 (formerly known as Muffin Man) has the perfect formula of quality deli food served in a classic setting.

They serve breakfast and lunch, making everything from scratch, and piling on the cold cuts on their famous sandwiches. From croissants and scones to reindeer or sockeye salmon scrambles, their breakfasts will satisfy for those looking for a quick bite or a hearty meal. And they serve locally roasted coffee and pull espresso drinks, as well as making fresh-squeezed orange juice.

For lunch, a rotating list of soups and quiches compliments a standard menu that includes over 20 sandwiches and 5 entrée salads. The roast beef sandwich—which has a loyal following in downtown—uses beef roasted on the premises and topped with fresh ground horse radish. And the chicken parmesan salad is dressed with a house-made Ranch sauce.

Although the deli is popular for catering and to-go meals, they can seat 50 in the café, which has a unique atmosphere. It’s housed in a building completed in the 1940s that once was an old tile shop. Much of the original paneling is still on the wall, and the owner, an international traveler, has added to the supply with tiles he’s picked up around the globe.