4 Best Restaurants in Whittier, The Kenai Peninsula and Southcentral Alaska

This classic Chinese restaurant features local seafood and amazingly fresh vegetables. The grilled halibut is fantastic, and for nonfish lovers, the Mongolian beef and kung pao chicken are excellent choices.

Amid the summer shops and docks, this little café offers warm drinks and soups, sandwiches, and fresh-baked pastries, along with an Alaskan favorite, soft-serve ice cream. The busy shop has only a couple of indoor seats, but there's outdoor seating overlooking the harbor, which is quite pleasant on sunny days. They also sell boxed lunches for those embarking on a cruise or day hike.

On a hot summer day and even on not-so-hot days, locals yearn for some Varly's ice cream, or if the weather's cold and rainy, for some decent pizza. The owners (who also manage Varly's Swiftwater Seafood Café) take great pride in what they do, and it shows: the homemade pizza here is certainly something to write home about. It might sound odd, but the pizza topped with sauerkraut and pepperoni is the one of the best pies. If you're not sure which way to lean (pizza or ice cream), opt for a little of each.

The epicurean heart of Whittier for more than two decades, Varly's offers delightful surprises like its famed calamari burger—squid tenderized and fried in a secret batter. Other menu items include burgers, homemade chowders, rockfish, halibut, and salmon.