Kenai Peninsula Dining and Nightlife

Upscale casu­al restau­rant in Homer — part of Ocean Shores Resort — is a deli­cious des­ti­na­tion for lunch and din­ner and fea­tures amaz­ing views of shim­mer­ing Kachemak Bay and the moun­tains beyond.

This fun, cool restau­rant serves up good piz­za and sand­wich­es, includ­ing a meat­ball sub that’s known through­out the Kenai Penin­su­la. Get a fill­ing, afford­able deal with the soup and sand­wich com­bos, order up a steak, and don’t miss the big, deli­cious desserts. Fat Olive’s is super pop­u­lar (make reser­va­tions) and can get loud, but the atmos­phere is great — funky, mod­ern archi­tec­ture, local art on the walls, piz­za dough thrown in an open kitchen.…  ...more

Across the water from Homer and accessed by boat only, the Saltry serves up fresh seafood and sal­ads in the fairy-tale set­ting of Hal­ibut Cove. In a town that is con­nect­ed by board­walks, of course you’ll be eat­ing water­front. And of course, the hal­ibut and salmon is fresh. 

A wood-burn­ing fire­place and spec­tac­u­lar views of the Kenai Riv­er and Mount Cecil Rhodes cre­ate an invit­ing atmos­phere in the Rod & Reel Restau­rant. While this is a fine-din­ing restau­rant, it’s not for­mal — you won’t find table linens or pre­ten­tious wait­ers. Come with the kids or just drop in for any meal. This is a pop­u­lar place with locals, who know it’s one of the bet­ter options on the Kenai. There’s an exten­sive wine list, Alaskan beers…  ...more

In an old rail­car, this bar­be­cue joint has per­son­al­i­ty and serves good ​“Q”. They do break­fast in addi­tion to lunch. The serv­ings are big, the qual­i­ty is great — but the seat­ing is lim­it­ed (it’s in a rail­car after all). On a nice day you can sit at tables out­side, but if it’s rainy, you might want to get it to go. Their pulled pork is excel­lent, but it’s all qual­i­ty. Try the eggs bene­dict with crab for break­fast, or the hash.

This break­fast and lunch place has a great deck that’s tai­lor made for a sun­ny day. Hang out at the espres­so bar, or dig into every­thing from French toast and huevos rancheros to fish tacos and a chick­en tik­ka pita with chutney.

Over­look­ing the har­bor, ocean and moun­tains, Ray’s is a local insti­tu­tion for seafood din­ners. It’s pop­u­lar with both fish­er­men and tourists, who want a good meal with a great view. And since the fish­ing boats unload right there on the dock, the seafood could­n’t be fresh­er. They serve hal­ibut cheeks, red snap­per, cod and salmon. It’s good seafood, cooked well, but the sides are aver­age. The bar can get loud and crowd­ed, but the din­ing area is…  ...more

The Salty Dawg Saloon was orig­i­nal­ly one of the first cab­ins built here in 1897, just after the town was estab­lished. Today, a vis­it to the his­toric Salty Dawg Saloon on the spit will enhance your vis­it and put you in touch with many locals. Much more than a saloon, the Dawg has reg­u­lar music per­for­mances and also serves light food.

This is a great spot to grab break­fast or lunch before a day on the water. Or, if you aren’t head­ing out, enjoy a bite over­look­ing the har­bor. There’s lim­it­ed seat­ing, but it’s easy enough to get a table except at the lunch rush. It’s a stan­dard deli, order, grab a num­ber and take a seat. The cin­na­mon rolls are big and good, and the break­fast bur­ri­tos are good too.

Attached to the Sol­dot­na Inn, Mykel’s has the rep­u­ta­tion for the best prime rib din­ners on the Kenai Penin­su­la. They also do high qual­i­ty salmon, hal­ibut and seafood din­ners. It’s a fine din­ing expe­ri­ence, Alaskan style, with white linens on the table, but it also has booths and feels cozy and casu­al. Locals cel­e­brate anniver­saries and oth­er spe­cial nights here because of the fine food and nice atmos­phere. It’s expen­sive, but they have a…  ...more

Serv­ing up local­ly brewed beers in a fun, fam­i­ly-friend­ly pub atmos­phere, St. Elias is a favorite with locals and trav­el­ers. It draws a crowd and can get loud and a lit­tle wild if they have live music. But with­out a band, it’s a fun, hap­pen­ing place. They have a great deck for nice after­noons, serve sam­pler flights of their beer and have great piz­za and big salads.

Orig­i­nal­ly built in 1956 as a bar at the end of a 5 mile grav­el road which served Glac­i­er Ice Mar­gar­i­tas. In 1964 a restau­rant and lodg­ing was added, but the lodg­ing por­tion was elim­i­nat­ed in 1980. The only place to eat in the val­ley, this fam­i­ly-run day lodge has a gift shop and serves cafe­te­ria-style food.

Sushi is the focus here, and you’ll find an exten­sive sushi menu as well as spe­cial­ty rolls. But that’s not all. Wasabi’s also does great seafood, steak, and duck entrees, all with fresh, local ingre­di­ents. There are also cre­ative drinks (and drink spe­cials), often made with infused liquors — look for the huge jar of straw­ber­ries soaked in vodka.

Qual­i­ty seafood din­ners with great views of the water (sit on the sec­ond floor if you can). It’s a toss-up between Ray’s and here, but there’s a slight­ly more diverse menu here. Bet­ter sal­ads and sides. It’s more casu­al too.

Big-screen tele­vi­sions for the game. It’s fun and loud when it’s busy and serves up stan­dard pub food. If you’re look­ing for a sports bar, this is the only one. If you’re look­ing for food along­side the game, get a burg­er. The menu is aver­age and can be hit or miss, but the burg­ers are con­sis­tent­ly big and juicy, and can be ordered with buf­fa­lo, elk or caribou.

This his­toric log road­house, restau­rant and bar was build in 1952 by cut­ting, haul­ing and peel­ing spruce logs in true pio­neer fash­ion. The lodge was restored to its orig­i­nal con­di­tion in 1995 and 2003, so today it looks much like it did in the 1950s. Stop in for a fan­tas­tic Alas­ka-sized meal or for infor­ma­tion about area activities.

A fam­i­ly-run place that’s been around for 40 years, Par­adis­o’s serves up Ital­ian and Greek food, plus seafood and even some Mex­i­can. They’re best known for their piz­za and Greek food, but you can score a good seafood din­ner here on the right night. Ask the staff. The locals come for the Greek food, which is scarce on the Kenai.

Homer Brew­ing Com­pa­ny opened its doors in 1996 and has been a local fix­ture ever since. The brew­ery is open 7 days a week, until about 6pm (hours vary slight­ly, so it does­n’t hurt to call ahead). While there isn’t an offi­cial tour, you’re wel­come to look around while you enjoy your brew. 

This is good Mex­i­can food, made with fresh ingre­di­ents. It’s not fast food, but it’ll come out hot and quick. They make their own sal­sa, serve hot chips and put great twists on stan­dards, like chile rel­lenos stuffed with Alas­ka seafood. The ser­vice is friend­ly, the por­tions are big and the place is clean and bright. They also do some Amer­i­can and Ital­ian, but you’re best bet is to stick with the Mexican.

The Two Sis­ters Bak­ery is an insti­tu­tion in Homer. 

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You can stop into this local Kenai brew­ery for a taste, or a tour. Tours are offered every oth­er Fri­day at 6pm. Be sure to call in advance.