11 Best Restaurants in Kenai Peninsula, The Kenai Peninsula and Southcentral Alaska

This roadhouse diner is a great place to grab a bite and a libation and soak up the sun (when it makes an appearance) on the outside deck. The café offers an array of dishes, but they're particularly known for their excellent variety of burgers. Breakfast is served on weekends, and the country-fried steak is out of this world. On weekends, the venue presents outdoor concerts by bands from all over the country (and in winter, acoustic music is performed indoors). This makes lodging and comping a hot commodity when concerts are scheduled, so make sure you have your lodging and tickets in place before making the long drive.

This restaurant and acoustic music venue (adjacent to Bear Creek Lodge) prides itself on epic meals with a twist, like two-layer crab cakes and deep-fried cheesy rice and Alaska sausage. The food is delicious, but the interior, with its one wall that opens up to let the delightful summer outdoors in, really makes this a terrific place to dine, drink, and enjoy great live music.

This trusty spot for burgers, sandwiches, and seafood specials is known for generous portions and reasonable prices. There's often live music in summer.

This roadhouse was first built in 1952 replete with cut, hauled and split timber. It's a great place to grab breakfast, lunch, or dinner, with specialties ranging from double quarter-pound burgers topped with applewood-smoked bacon and cheddar to halibut fish-and-chips.

With a back side that faces Kenai Lake and offers splendid views, and food equally worth your attention, this unassuming roadhouse is the place to stop in Cooper Landing. The halibut crab cakes with an excellent homemade tartar sauce come highly recommended, and there are always great fish options at the peak of the season. Musicians from all over entertain in the evenings.

As its name suggests, Louie's specializes in steak and Alaska seafood, but they have a number of other alternatives on the menu as well. The clam chowder gets quite the rave reviews, and the clam and mussel appetizer is outstanding. On the weekend, the breakfast menu offers a bountiful amount of food. The decor is not for everyone, but for those not bothered by the sight of taxidermied animals, it's a chance to see just about every creature that roams the state.

A warm and inviting wood-paneled restaurant and Victorian lounge inside Hotel Seward, Ms. Gene's is one of the town's only fine dining establishments, serving breakfast and dinner year-round. The dinner menu changes often, but dishes such as seared ahi tuna, filet mignon, and halibut cheeks appear with frequency and are revered. There is limited seating so be sure to book a table in advance.

Part of Seward Windsong Lodge, the Roadhouse offers deck seating that overlooks the Resurrection River and the surrounding mountains. Classic Alaskan seafood and American fare fills the menu, along with multiple Alaska-brewed beers on tap.

With its rusty roof set against a breathtaking inlet and mountain backdrop, the Seaview is one of the original buildings in Hope at nearly 120 years old. It serves terrific seafood chowder and halibut-and-chips as well as one of the best Reuben sandwiches in Alaska. There's also live music every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.

Everything at St. Elias is homemade: the beer, the Neapolitan-style stone-fired rustic pizza, the sandwiches, and even the desserts. The calzones are to die for, and the Mt. Redoubt chocolate cake with a molten center is simply divine. This is a good place to check out the locals; the patrons are just as friendly as the staff, and in summer local live music is a big draw.

The owners of this cheerful little year-round restaurant on the shore of Kenai Lake call it a "backwoods bistro." The very reasonably priced menu includes breakfast dishes, homemade soups and chowders, wraps and vegetarian items, and hand-grated french fries. There's even a spotting scope in the parking lot for spying on the Dall sheep and mountain goats in the surrounding peaks. The bar here hosts live music on most Saturdays in summer, and the deck outside is great when the weather's warm. The Inn also offers 10 rooms to spend the night and an RV site.