Where the locals dine:

Moose’s Tooth Pub and Pizzeria: quintessential Alaskan atmosphere (never formal, always festive) paired with tasty pizzas, salads and fresh handcrafted beer. Minimum half-hour wait for a table, but grab an ale from the bar and enjoy the scene.

Bear Tooth Theatre Pub: Moose’s Tooth’s sister, featuring a movie theater with art flicks and recently released films. Same beer menu, fresh to order food menu (pizzas, burritos, pastas, etc.), very relaxed atmosphere. Dine and drink in the grill, café or the theater!

Simon & Seafort's: upscale Alaska dining overlooking Cook Inlet. Excellent seafood and wine selections, half-off select appetizers and drinks after 10 p.m. in the bar and lounge.

Snow City Café: cool, eclectic and yummy. Snow City is a popular breakfast and lunch eatery in downtown Anchorage. Voted best breakfast and brunch for four years running.

Glacier Brewhouse: on-site brewery, full bar and hearty, delicious food. Large, wide open restaurant with enormous fireplace in the center makes for a cozy and rustic dining experience. Next door to more upscale but equally tasteful (and Italian) ORSO restaurant.

Campobello Bistro and Jen's Restaurant: Most of the more popular restaurants recommended in this list for travelers to Anchorage are located in the downtown area.  But Campobello Bistro and Jen's Restaurant are two gems in the Midtown-Spenard (westside) area of town.  Both are located in proximity to each other in strip malls contained in the NE corner of West 36th Avenue and Arctic Bouevard.  Jens has a massive wine list and fine continental cuisine; Campobello has a terrific menu and short but good list of wines to pair it with.  A little way to go from the downtown area, but both are worth it.