EZTrip.com International Destination Guide and Hotel Listings

Downtown's excellent places to eat and drink fill up very quickly when cruise ships are in town.

Armadillo 431 S Franklin St tel 907/586-1880. Justly popular Tex-Mex café and microbrewery serving huge plates of huevos rancheros ($8) and chicken fajitas grande ($14).

Bacar's corner 4th and Franklin sts tel 907/463-5091. Quirky hard-to-find restaurant worth seeking out for last-all-day breakfasts ($5-9), clam chowder and burger lunches ($8-10), and dinners that include a wonderful chicken fried steak ($19) and liver, bacon and onions ($15). Closed Mon & Tues. No credit cards.

Hanger on the Wharf Merchants Wharf tel 907/586-5018. Renovated, historic floatplane hanger right on the wharf with a tremendous view of the waterfront and over twenty beers on tap, plus pool tables on the mezzanine, and a lively atmosphere, especially at weekends when there is live rock or jazz. Food extends from wraps and burgers at lunch to items like jambalaya and halibut tacos ($8-11) later on.

Silverbow Bakery and Restaurant 120 2nd St tel 907/586-4146. Out front there's a wonderful bakery and coffee bar with big windows that catch the morning sun (if you're lucky enough to see any). Traditionally boiled and baked bagels and superb pastries bolster a menu of homemade breads used to make hot and cold deli sandwiches ($5-11). The restaurant (closed Mon) itself has one of the most varied and imaginative menus in town, from salads and soups ($6-9) to kielbasa and pierogies ($11), Indonesian peanut pasta with either tofu or chicken ($12), and pesto and red pepper burgers ($9); and some evenings you can even stick around for the movie.

Uncle Sam's Cafeteria 2nd Floor, 709 W 9th St tel 907/586-3430. Low cost dining with a view, inside the Federal Building. Open for breakfast ($4) from 7am, then lunches including daily specials ($6) such as taco salad or chicken fried steak. Closes 4pm.

Red Dog Saloon 278 S Franklin St tel 907/463-3777. Straightforward sawdust-on-the-floor tourist trap and merchandising empire masquerading as a raucous, historic bar. Musicians get the cruise ship crowd going from around 2pm. Pretty quiet once the boats leave.