Location: Gustavus
Top Restaurants in Gustavus
Top Things to do in Gustavus
- 1. Glacier Bay Sea Kayaks - Day Tours
- 2. Cross Sound Express Whale Watching
- 3. Nagoon Berry Trail
- 4. Spirit Walker Expeditions - Day Tours
- 5. Wild Alaska Charters
- 6. Glacier Bay Photo Tours
- 7. Salmon River Sportfishing
- 8. Sea Wolf Adventures
- 9. Mt. Fairweather Golf Course
- 10. Taylor Charters Fishing
Most Popular Restaurants in Gustavus
Sitting on a peninsula surrounded on three sides by Glacier Bay National Park, the only way to arrive in Gustavus, a small town with fewer than 500 permanent residents, is by boat or plane. Once there, you can stock up on supplies, plan a tour into the park, charter a whale watching boat or just appreciate the solitude and beauty of such an isolated place. Wander the quiet beaches, gathering wild strawberries for a picnic, or sit on the dock, watching the sun set over distant mountain peaks.
Things to do in Gustavus
1. Glacier Bay Country Inn Restaurant
Overall Ratings
5 based on 48 reviews
Open to the Public - whether you're staying at our lodge or somewhere else in Gustavus, take a break from the norm and come be our guest for the evening. Enjoy fine Alaska cuisine and great service you wouldn't expect from such a remote location. Choice of two entrees each night. Examples are Prime Rib, Roasted Duck, Fresh Halibut, All you can Eat Dungeness Crab and more **please call before 4:00pm to make reservations**
Reviewed By Tahoe1840 - South Lake Tahoe, California
Chef John makes the place. He has a great personnality and his food is amazing. Real tasty!!! Every morning for breakfast you will be delighted with pastries freashly made. Dinner is equally amazing, what he can do with Halibut is incredible.
2. Gustavus Inn at Glacier Bay
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 45 reviews
I am the owner of Gustavus Inn. Our restaurant was named "America's Classic 2010" by the James Beard Foundation. Although we are a hotel, I thought we should appear in the Gustavus, Alaska restaurant listings. We serve dinner nightly to our hotel guests and if we have room, a few extras. Our menus rotate during the week depending on guest preferences. There is only one entree, always seafood and garden bounty. Nightly we feature a foraged wild edible on the bar or table. Meat is served only to accommodate house guests by prior order. Since we prepare everything from scratch onsite, we can happily accommodate dietary restriction with advance notice. My suggestion for dining at the Gustavus Inn is to stay here for guaranteed reservations in the dining room.
Reviewed By Preposterous - Hampshire
After sailing in Glacier Bay, we stopped in Gustavus overnight for dinner.
The best part was the salad - an incredible eclectic mix of leaves and flowers from the remarkable vegetable garden (which in itself is instructional for budding gardeners). It was fantastic. The home baked bread was good too.
The Hors d'ouvre was a soda bread with parmesan and pesto/herbs was an interesting if unimaginative diversion over pre dinner drinks from an uninspiring wine list.
I don't particularly care for the American way of masking the delicate taste of a succulent King Salmon with BBQ smoke and a sugary barbecue sauce so the main course wasn't a hit for me, (I am aware that many guests were raving about it), neither were the boiled potatoes - served dry with parsley and no butter - together with overcooked chard. The Cheese cake desert was good; the grasshopper pie was adequate.
But the Bill was amazing - a work of art. With three bottles their cheaper wine among five of us the bill was $350 which we thought a bit steep. What was truly VERTIGINOUS though was Strawberry's taxi charge (she was the recommended driver) for a 2 mile transfer from the dock, a drop off and then recalled 2 hours later to take us the 2 miles back - $90?
Not coming back.
3. Glacier Bay Lodge Restaurant
Overall Ratings
3.5 based on 94 reviews
Reviewed By wijram - Madison, Wisconsin
The interior of the restaurant is quite pleasant, but the views of Barlett Cove are what dominate the eye upon entry to the restaurant at the Glacier Bay Lodge Restaurant. One should try to get a table at the windows or, if the weather permits, a table on the expansive deck.
Unfortunately, once one looks at the menu, the glow from the view might fade a bit. We found the choices on the menu to be very limited and, worse, remarkably uninspired. For instance, we found it amazing that there was NO "rice" dish available for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Are you kidding? No rice, at all? In fact, there is no "grain" dish. Oh, and NO pasta, either. Just a lot of mashed potatoes!
Sadly, this is true despite the fact that the restaurant has a talented chef.
Fortunately, the talent of that chef and the quality of the kitchen staff is evident in the quality of the meals that can be ordered. During our four-day stay, we enjoyed the Fish & Chips, the Rib-eye Steak, the Steak Sandwich, the Cheeseburger, the oatmeal and three-egg omelettes. (Yes, it did get boring, but each of these meals were well prepared and we would recommend each of them!)
There is a breakfast buffet, but we generally felt that we were not hungry enough to justify the price.
Speaking of price, it is NOT low. But it is probably not that different than elsewhere in remote Alaska. In fact the two better restaurants in the area charge significantly higher prices. But then, the meals there are inspired and well executed. One of those restaurants has a James Beard nominated chef.
Unfortunately, in speaking with others staying at the Glacier Bay Lodge, we found that many of them were actually eating in their cabins with food that they had brought from elsewhere.
Too bad that menu choice and price combined to keep them from eating at this restaurant.
You need to know that the wait staff and the kitchen staff will do all that they can to meet your needs. For instance, it is not always evident that there is a menu for children. Just ask for it. If you do not want a large breakfast, and a bagel with cream cheese might meet the need, ask for it. We found that they are available. Do you want a bowl of fresh fruit to go with that bagel, just ask. We found that it was available. If you want a sandwich instead of a large meal from the dinner menu, ask for it. We found them to be available.
I have left the best for last. The wait staff at this restaurant are FANTASTIC! Without exception, over our five day stay, we found them to be personable, informed and intent on meeting the needs of the customer. The service that they provided was far better than that we have received at much higher ranked restaurants.
It is truly unfortunate that the National Park Service and/or Aramark corporate are restricting the chef and restaurant management on questions of menu choice and price.
4. Clove Hitch Cafe
Overall Ratings
4 based on 24 reviews
Reviewed By pec95 - San Diego, California
My wife's cheeseburger was better than average My pulled-port sandwich was below average. We were here during an evening in late August and it was very busy. Looked like their were only 3 staff to serve/cook for the 30+ people. This doesn't really take into account the skewed pricing for the location
5. Excursion Restaurant at the Bear Track Inn
Overall Ratings
4 based on 19 reviews
Excursion Restaurant is a located in the Bear Track Inn, a beautifully handcrafted 15,000 square foot log lodge on 97 acres, on the edge of the wilderness.. Dine on caribou, buffalo, fresh Dungeness crab in season, salmon, halibut and more. All breads, dressing and scrumptious desserts are made from scratch. For that special occasion or just good eating, we would love to serve you. We offer breakfast, lunch, and dinner to our in house guests. If you are staying elsewhere we are available to outside guests during our dinner service. Seating is available at either individual tables or larger group tables depending on your preference.
Reviewed By attillathehun - New York City, New York
Positives: nice wood, nice staff, very good breakfasts, a number of items taken straight from the garden
Negatives: not very intimate dining....really set up for groups; very high wine prices; other than breakfast, not that interesting of a menu and not particularly great food
Unless i was a local with no other real choice, I would not go out of my way to eat here.
6. Fireweed
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 7 reviews
Reviewed By tojourneywise - Asheville, North Carolina
While exploring Glacier Bay National Park, a rainy day or two might drive you to explore tiny Gustavus, and well you should! At the "4 Corners", which you can get to with a drop off from the Glacier Bay Lodge shuttle, among other things you'll find the Fireweed Gallery Coffee and Tea House. Serving locally roasted coffee from Raven's Brew, the Fireweed also hosts a lovely art gallery where you can browse for something to remember Alaska by, while enjoying the piping hot coffee...remember, it was a rainy day? There's a small list of coffees available, a lunch menu, and some locally made chocolates if you need even more of a treat. There were a few pieces of art that were truly lovely - the engravings/prints by a local artist were superb. A shelf of locally made ceramics was enticing as well. The Glacier Bay Lodge is great, but wandering down to 4 Corners was a great way to see what life on the island is like when the tourists leave. And supporting local businesses is easy in Gustavus, cuz that's all there is! Give Fireweed a look if you're on the island!
7. Sunnyside Market and Deli
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 3 reviews
Reviewed By Matt K - Washington DC, District of Columbia
Gustavus is not Brooklyn. If you're thinking you'll eat every meal in a restaurant, you're doing it wrong. Pick up some provisions. And, if you're picking up some fruit, or trail mix, or cheese, or whatever, this is a great place to do it. Good selection, high quality, nice stuff.
There's also a deli for pre made sandwiches and stuff. I find the food simple and good.
I'm a big fan of this place - it's straightforward and really nice.
